They're On The Dance Card
Covering the bases from A to Z, or close to it - from Appalachian State to Winthrop - here's a look at the NCAA tournament berth-clinching efforts of the 29 conference champions:
App. State Wins SoCon
Tyson Patterson, who pushed Appalachian State all season, shoved the Mountaineers into the NCAA tournament with a 68-56 victory over the College of Charleston in the Southern Conference tournament.
Arizona Earns Pac-10 Bid
Ninth-ranked Arizona sputtered to a 70-61 victory over California but finished as Pac-10 co-champion and, by virtue of a season sweep of Stanford, earned the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
Razorbacks Run Into NCAAs
Brandon Dean scored 22 points, and Arkansas earned an improbable trip to the NCAAs by defeating Auburn 75-67 to win the Southeastern Conference tournament and earn the league's automatic bid.
Ball St. Joins The Big Dance
Lonnie Jones blocked seven shots and Ball State earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with a 61-58 victory over Miami of Ohio in the championship of the Mid-American Conference tournament.
NCAA's Now Have A Butler
Butler smothered league MVP Rashad Phillips and his Detroit teammates with a relentless defense as the Bulldogs won the Midwestern Collegiate Conference tournament title game 62-43.
Tourney Awaits Central Connecticut
Central Connecticut State earned its first NCAA tournament berth since joining Division I in 1986, beating Robert Morris 63-46 for the championship of the Northeast Conference tournament.
Creighton Wins MVC Crown
Ryan Sears scored 15 points as Creighton beat Southwest Missouri State 57-45 in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship game to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Duke Tops Terps For ACC Crown
Duke secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and probably the nation's top ranking with an 81-68 victory over No. 20 Maryland in the ACC tournament title game.
Gonzaga Will Dance Again
Casey Calvary scored 28 points as Gonzaga, which came within a win of the Final Four last season, earned an automatic NCAA tournament berth by defeating Pepperdine 69-65 in overtime in the West Coast Conference championship game.
Hofstra Goes Dutch To Dance
Craig "Speedy" Claxton scored 24 points and was the tournament's outstanding player as Hofstra topped Delaware 76-69 in the America East championship, earning the Flying Dutchmen their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1977.
Gaels Garner Tourney Bid
Dyree Wilson scored 27 points as Iona held off a late Siena rally to upset the top-ranked Saints and win the Metro Atlanic Athletic Conference Championship 84-80.
Cyclones Storm To Big 12 Title
Marcus Fizer scored 22 points as top-seeded Iowa State shook off doubts about its depth by winning three games in three days, the last a 70-58 victory over third-seeded Oklahoma to win the Big 12 tournament.
Jackson St. Struts Into Show
Vincent Jones, the conference defensive player of the year, showed off his offensive game with 22 points to lead Jackson State to a 76-61 victory over Southern in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament championship.
Leopards Get Their Spot
Stefan Ciosici, who missed Lafayette's appearance in the 1999 NCAA tournament because of knee surgery, scored 13 points as the Leopards won another NCAA automatic berth with an 87-61 victory over Navy.
Lamar Lands Tourney Berth
Landon Rowe scored 21 points as Lamar held off Northwestern State 62-55 to win the Southland Conference title for its first NCAA tournament trip in 13 years.
 AP |
| Louisiana-Lafayette center Kendall Regis does a dance on the court as his teammates celebrate. |
Lonnie Thomas banked home a short jumper with 3.5 seconds to play as Louisiana-Lafayette earned a trip to the NCAA tournament with a 51-50 victory over South Alabama in the finals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
Spartans Knock Out Illini
Michigan State put forth a solid all-around effort and Illinois never recovered from the sight of a bloodied Cory Bradford, as the Spartan's beat the Illini 76-61 in the Big Ten tournament championship game.
Seahawks Fly Into Tourney
Another school was added to the big dance as North Carolina-Wilmington won the Colonial Athletic Association championship game by beating Richmond 57-47, putting the Seahawks in their first ever NCAA tournament.
Lumberjacks Cut Down Nets
Adam Lopez scored 22 points and Ross Land had 20, as Northern Arizona won the Big Sky Conference tournament championship with an 85-81 overtime victory over Cal State Northridge.
Penn Clinches Ivy, NCAA Invite
Frank Brown and Ugonna Onyekwe each scored 16 points to lead Pennsylvania to a 69-52 win over Yale. The victory locked up the Quakers' second consecutive Ivy League title and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Red Storm Blows Away UConn
Third-seeded St. John's nded Connecticut's two-year run as Big East conference champion with an 80-70 victory over the Huskies.
Billikens Bounce Blue Demons
John Redden scored 19 points and Saint Louis beat DePaul 56-49 for the Conference USA tournament championship and a trip back to the NCAA tournament.
Samford Earns NCAA Berth
Mario Lopez hit five 3-pointers and two key free throws to lift the tiny school of Samford into the NCAA tournament with a 78-69 victory over Central Florida in the final of the Trans America Athletic Conference tournament.
Bulldogs Bite Coppin State
Mike Wiatre scored 26 points as top-seeded South Carolina State beat second-seeded Coppin State 70-53 to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Association tournament.
SE Missouri St. Gains Tourney
Southeast Missouri State beat Murray State 67-56 to win the championship game of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and to clinch their first NCAA tournament berth.
Temple Wins A-10 Crown
Looking dominant one moment and vulnerable the next, the Temple Owls beat St. Bonaventure 65-44 for their first Atlantic-10 conference title since 1990.
Utah State Rules The Big West
Capping an unbeaten season in conference play, Utah State beat New Mexico State 71-66 in the Big West tournament championship.
Valpo Will March Again
Valparaiso, the tiny school from Indiana that made it to the round of 16 two years ago, earned its fifth straight NCAA tournament trip by beating Southern Utah 71-62 for the Mid-Continent Conference tournament title.
Winthrop Repeats In Big South
Greg Lewis had 18 points and 18 rebounds as Winthrop repeated as Big South Conference champions, holding off North Carolina-Asheville 75-62 in the tournament title game.