Ten teams won their conference tournaments on Saturday – most notably 8th-seeded Creighton, which completed a 4-0 run through the Missouri Valley Conference tourney by beating fellow upstart (6) Southern Illinois, 8-6. Saturday’s nine other champions included seven top seeds, plus 4-seed Texas-Arlington in the Southland and (2) Dayton from the Atlantic-10. For the first time all weeks, the favorites/higher seeds won at a convincing rate on Saturday – winning 65% (33-of-51) of the day’s conference tournament games and key games in the Pac-12, Big West & WCC. front-page courtesy of Texas Arlington
The seven top seeds that closed out their conference tournaments titles on Saturday included: Purdue (Big Ten) … Belmont (Atlantic Sun) … Coastal Carolina (Big South) … UNC Wilmington (Colonial; UNCW lost to 3-seed Delaware but won decisive rematch) … Kent State (Mid-America) … Oral Roberts (Summit; beat 3-seed North Dakota State twice on Sat.) … and Utah Valley (Great West), which rested its NCAA at-large case having won 40 of its final 41 games (47-12 overall, but hurt by its #70 RPI and 262 strength-of-schedule, per WarrenNolan.com).
Saturday’s 10 conference tournament champions follow Stony Brook (won America East tournament a day earlier) and five others that won their league tourneys (and NCAA automatic bids) during the previous two weeks: Cornell (Ivy League), Sacred Heart (Northeast), Bethune-Cookman (MEAC), Prairie View A&M (SWAC) and Army (Patriot)
Texas Arlington joined Creighton as the only lower-seeded team that won a conference final on Saturday, as the 4th-seeded Mavericks ran away from (2) Southeastern Louisiana, 13-4, to win the Southland Conference tournament. UTA emerged from a SLC field that included three NCAA Tournament-caliber teams in Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana and Texas State (the Mavericks closed the tournament with wins over top seed SHSU and 2-seed SELA).
The 16 conferences that already have crowned postseason champions now include 10 winners that also were the top seeds coming out of the regular season (also Conell in the Ivy League, Army in the Patriot and Stony Brook from America East). Three other champions have been two seeds – Dayton, Sacred Heart (Northeast) and Bethune-Cookman (MEAC divisional champ, 2nd-best record in reg.-season) – while SWAC tournament champion had the 3rd-best regular-season record in that league (was 2-seed from West Division) … plus 4-seed Texas-Arlington from the Southland and MVC 8-seed Creighton.
Creighton was not the only 8-seed to win on Saturday, as Georgia Tech completed a 3-0 run through its ACC pool with a 5-1 win over (5) Clemson – sending GT on to the title game (opposite Miami, which ultimately won its pool when UNC beat NC State, 4-0 in 12 innings).
Four conference tournaments have extended to Sunday for “if-necessary” games, after teams (two of them #1 seeds) stayed alive on Saturday to force the decisive rematches:
• Western Athletic – 5-seed Fresno State beat (2) Sacramento State, 9-5
• Ohio Valley – top seed Austin Peay beat (4) Eastern Illinois, 7-0
• Metro Atlantic (MAAC) – top seed Manhattan beat (2) Canisius, 5-4 in 10 inn.
• Horizon – 4-seed Illinois-Chicago beat (1) Valparaiso, 4-3
The SEC finalized its championship game participants, as 5-seed Vanderbilt (8-6 vs. 3-seed Florida) and 7-seed Mississippi State (2-1 vs. 4-seed Kentucky) continued their lateseason surges. 4th-seed Oklahoma beat (1) Baylor for the fifth straight time this season (7-2), reaching the Big 12 title game opposite 6th-seeded Missouri (a 12-2 winner over rival and 7th-seed Kansas). Baylor became the 12th top seed (out of 27) that failed to reach its conference tournament final in 2012.
We know that the Southern Conference tournament winner will be a lower seed – as (6) Georgia Southern and (4) Samford won on Sat. to reach Sunday’s SoCon final. In the BIG EAST, 4th-seeded South Florida (playing in nearby Clearwater) battled into Sunday’s title game, thanks to a pair of wins over (5) Connecticut, 1-0 and 2-1.
A bubble team likely lost its spot in the NCAAs after 3-seed San Diego State upset (2) TCU in the Mountain West tournament . The Frogs have a good shot to reach the NCAAs as an at-large entrant, while top seed New Mexico likely needed to win the MWC tournament (which it did) to reach the NCAAs – meaning that the Mt. West ostensibly went from a 1-bid league to two bids.
Finally, in the Sun Belt, 7-seed Middle Tennessee’s 8-5 minor upset of (6) Troy coupled with (2) Arkansas State’s 12-4 win over (3) FIU resulted in Arkansas State winning its pool and earning a spot in Sunday’s final, opposite Louisiana-Monroe (which had wrapped up its pool a couple days earlier).
The 27 Division I conference baseball tournaments produced only five in which the top-2 seeds met in the title game (only 2-of-22 that have been contested this week): the MEAC (Delaware State beat Bethune-Cookman, both won their divisions & DS had the top record) … the Northeast (2-Sacred Heart beat 1-Monmouth) … the Patriot (1-Army beat 2-Holy Cross) … the Big Ten (1-Purdue beat 2-Indiana) … and the Metro Atlantic/MACC (1-Manhattan and 2-Canisius have decisive rematch on Sunday, after favored Jaspers stayed alive on Sat.).
Scroll down for all of Saturday’s results and indications included on the status of various teams in their tournament brackets (a rundown from the previous three days also is included at the bottom of this page). We’lll have a summary wrapup of Saturday’s action later in the day.
CLICK HERE for Friday’s CB360 scoreboard & notes (results also included below)
CLICK HERE for Thursday’s CB360 scoreboard & notes (results also included below)
CLICK HERE for Wednesday’s CB360 Primetime Performers Daily Honor Roll (May 23)
CLICK HERE for Wednesday’s CB360 scoreboard & notes (results also included below)
CLICK HERE for Tuesday’s CB360 Primetime Performers Daily Honor Roll (May 22)
CLICK HERE for Tuesday’s CB360 scoreboard (results also included below)
CLICK HERE for the CB360 Conference Tournament Central home page
CLICK HERE for CB360 Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll for the past week (May 14-20)
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SATURDAY’S KEY GAMES (schedule & results; May 26, 2012)
(sorted based on RPI for each conference, per WarrenNolan.com)
upsets in italics
ACC Tournament (Greensboro, NC) … Tournament Central
• 8-seed Georgia Tech 5 … def. (5) Clemson 1 (GT 3-0, CLEM 1-2; pool-A)
• 4-seed Virginia 7 … def. (1) Florida State 0 (VA 2-1, FSU 0-3; pool-A)
• 2-seed North Carolina 4 … def. (3) North Carolina State 0 (12 inn,; UNC 2-1, NC-St 1-2; pool-B)
… Other Pool Records: Miami 2-1, Wake Forest 1-2
… Georgia Tech & Miami will play in Sunday’s title game
SEC Tournament (Hoover, AL) … Tournament Central
• 7-seed Mississippi State 2 … elim. (4) Kentucky 1 (bracket final)
• 5-seed Vanderbilt 8 … elim. (3) Florida 6 (bracket final)
… Also Eliminated: (6) Arkansas, (8) Georgia, (9) Ole Miss, (10) Auburn, (1) LSU & (2) South Carolina
Big 12 Tournament (Oklahoma City, OK) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Oklahoma 7 …. elim. (1) Baylor 2 (bracket final)
• 6-seed Missouri 12 … elim. (7) Kanssas 2 (8 inn.; bracket final)
… Also Eliminated: (5) OK State, (3) Texas, (8) Kansas State, (2) Texas A&M & (1) Baylor
Conference USA Tournament (Pearl, MS) … Tournament Central
• 2-seed Central Florida 6 … def. (3) Tulane 2 (UCF 2-1, TUL 1-2)
• 6-seed East Carolina 10 .. def. (7) UAB 3 (ECU 1-2, UAB 2-1)
• 4-seed Southern Miss. 4 … def. 1-seed Rice 2 (SoMiss 2-1, Rice 1-2)
… Memphis (2-1) won pool-1 & UAB has clinched pool-2 (prior to Sat.)
… Also in 8-team field: (8) Houston (1-2)
Missouri Valley Tournament (Springfield, MO) … Tournament Central
• 8-seed Creighton 8 … def. (6) Southern Illinois 6 (title game)
… Earlier Eliminated: (1) Indiana St, (3) Wichita St, (5) Evansville, (7) Bradley, (4) Illinois St & (2) Missouri St
Southern Conference Tournament (Greensville, SC) … Tournament Central
• 6-seed Georgia Southern 10 … elim. (3) Elon 7 (bracket final)
• 4-seed Samford 12 … elim. (8) Furman 2 (title game)
… Earlier Eliminated: (2) Coll. Charleston, (5) Western Carolina, (7) Citadel & (1) App State
Western Athletic Tournament (Mesa, AZ) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Fresno State 9 … elim. (6) Louisiana Tech 5 (bracket final)
• 5-seed Fresno State 9 … def. (2) Sacramento State 5
(“if-necessary” rematch title game is 12 PT on Sunday)
… Earlier Eliminated: (4) Hawaii, (1) NM State & (3) Nevada
Big Ten Tournament (Columbus, OH) … Tournament Central
• 2-seed Indiana 4 … elim. (5) Michigan State 3 (11 inn.; bracket final)
• 1-seed Purdue 6 … def. (2) Purdue 5 (title game)
… CHAMPION: PURDUE
… Earlier Eliminated: (3) Penn St, (4) Nebraska & (6) Ohio State
Atlantic Sun Tournament (DeLand, FL) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Kennesaw State 13 … elim. (4) Florida Gulf Coast 4 (bracket final)
• 1-seed Belmont 10 … def. (3) Kennesaw State 4 (title game)
… CHAMPION: Belmont
… Earlier Eliminated: (2) USC Upstate, (5) Mercer & (6) Stetson
BIG EAST Tournament (Clearwater, FL) … Tournament Central
• 2-seed St. John’s 2 … elim. (7) Notre Dame 1 (bracket final)
• 4-seed South Florida 1 ... def. (5) Connecticut 0
• 4-seed South Florida 2 … elim. (5) Connecticut 1 (bracket final)
… Earlier Eliminated: (6) Rutgers, (8) Pittsburgh, (3) Seton Hall & (1) Louisville
Southland Tournament (San Marcos, TX) … Tournament Central
• 2-seed Southeastern Louisiana 5 … elim. (6) Stephen F. Austin 4 (bracket final)
• 4-seed Texas Arlington 13 … def. (2) Southeastern Louisiana 4 (title game)
… CHAMPION: Texas Arlington
… Earlier Eliminated: (5) McNeese St, (7) Central Arkansas, (8) A&M-CC, (3) Texas St & (1) Sam Houston
Mountain West Tournament (Las Vegas, NV) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed San Diego State 12 … elim. (2) TCU 11
• 1-seed New Mexico 22 … def. (3) San Diego State 3 (title game)
… CHAMPION: New Mexico
… Earlier Eliminated: (4) UNLV
Sun Belt Tournament (Bowling Green, KY) … Tournament Central
• 7-seed Middle Tennessee State 8 … def. (6) Troy 5 (MTSU 2-1, Troy 2-1; pool-2)
• 2-seed Arkansas State 12 … def. (3) Florida International 4 (AS 2-1, FIU 0-3; pool-2)
• 8-seed Western Kentucky 7 … def. (5) Louisiana-Monroe 4 (WKU 1-2, ULM 2-1; pool-1)
… (5) Louisiana-Monroe earlier had clinched pool-1, Ark St won pool-2
… Other Pool=1 Records: (4) South Alabama 2-1, (1) Florida Atlantic 1-2
Big South Tournament (High Point, NC) … Tournament Central
• Coastal Carolina 4 … def. (3) Liberty 1 (title game)
… CHAMPION: Coastal Carolina
… Earlier Eliminated: (8) Charleston Southern, (6) UNC Asheville, (5) Radford, (2) Campbell, (7) High Point & (4) Gardner-Webb
Colonial Tournament (Harrisonburg, VA) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Delaware 11 … def. (1) UNC Wilmington 9
• 1-seed UNC Wilmington 10 … def. (3) Delaware 8
… CHAMPION: UNC Wilmington
… Earlier Eliminated: (4) George Mason, (6) Towson, (5) VCU & (2) Hofstra
Ohio Valley Tournament (Jackson, TN) … Tournament Central
• 1-seed Austin Peay 10 … elim. (6) Southeast Missouri 6
• 1-seed Austin Peay 7 … def. (4) Eastern Illinois 0
(“if-necessary” rematch title game is 1 ET on Sunday)
… Earlier Eliminated: (5) Morehead State, (2) Eastern Kentucky & (3) Jacksonville State
Atlantic 10 Tournament (Bronx, NY) … Tournament Central
• 2-seed Dayton 3 … def. (5) Richmond 0 (title game)
… CHAMPION: Dayton
… Earlier Eliminated: (4) UMass, (3) Rhode Island, (6) St. Joseph’s & (1) St. Louis
Mid-America Tournament (Avon, OH) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Central Michigan 7 … elim. (7) Miami Ohio 0
• 1-seed Kent State 3 … def. Central Michigan 1 (title game)
… CHAMPION: Kent State
… Earlier Eliminated: (4) Ohio, (2) Toledo, (5) Western Michigan, (6) Eastern Michigan & (8) Buffalo
Metro Atlantic (MAAC) Tournament (Troy, NY) … Tournament Central
• 1-seed Manhattan 6 … elim. (4) Rider 5
• 1-seed Manhattan 5 ... def. (2) Canisius 4 (10 inn.)
… (“if-necessary” rematch title game is 1 ET on Sunday)
… Earlier Eliminated: (3) Fairfield
Horizon Tournament (Chicago, IL) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Illinois-Chicago 5 … elim. (6) Youngstown State 0
• 4-seed Illinois-Chicago 4 … def. (1) Valparaiso 3
(“if-necessary” rematch title game is 12 CT on Sunday)
… Earlier Eliminated: (5) Butler, (3) Milwaukee & (2) Wright State
America East Tournament (Stony Brook, NY) … Tournament Central
… CHAMPION: Stony Brook (won Sat.)
Summit Tournament (Tulsa, OK) … Tournament Central
• 1-seed Oral Roberts 4 … def. (3) North Dakota State 1
• 1-seed Oral Roberts 4 ... def. (3) North Dakota State 3 (title game)
… CHAMPION: Oral Roberts
… Earlier Eliminated: (4) Southern Utah & (2) Oakland
Great West Tournament (no auotomatic NCAA bid; 8-team tournament)
Tournament Central
• 1-seed Utah Valley 10 … def. (5) Houston Baptist 6
… CHAMPION: Utah Valley
Non-Tournament (4 Pac-12, 1 Big West & 2 WCC)
• at Oregon State 3 … def. Oregon 2 (OR-St. has clinched series, 2-0
• Arizona State 9 ... won at Arizona 7 (series tied)
• at UCLA 6 … def. USC 5 (UCLA has clinched series, 2-0)
• California 15 … won at Stanford 5 (Cal has clinched series, 2-0)
• at Long Beach State 5 ... def. Cal State Fullerton 1 (series tied)
• San Diego 10 … won at Pepperdine 5
• Gonzaga 17 … won at BYU 1 (BYU won series, 2-1)
Notes – Entering final day, Oregon, Arizona & UCLA are tied atop the Pac-12 (19-10, ASU is 18-11) … Sunday’s USD-PEP winner receives the WCC’s automatic bid to the NCAAs, as does the Fullerton-Long Beach winner for the Big West).
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FRIDAY’S KEY GAMES (schedule & results; May 25, 2012)
(sorted based on RPI for each conference, per WarrenNolan.com)
upsets in italics
ACC Tournament (Greensboro, NC) … Tournament Central
• 8-seed Georgia Tech 17 ... def. (4) Virginia 5 (GT 2-0, VA 1-1)
• 5-seed Clemson 9 … def. (1) Florida State 7 (CL 1-1, FSU 0-2)
• 6-seed Miami 6 … def. (7) Wake Forest 3 (MIA 2-1, WF 1-2)
… Other Pool Records: UNC 1-1, NC-State 1-1
… Can’t Reach Title Game: FSU, UNC & WFU
SEC Tournament (Hoover, AL) … Tournament Central
• 7-seed Mississippi State 4 … elim.(1) LSU 3
• 3-seed Florida 7 … elim. (2) South Carolina 2
… Others in Bracket Finals: (4) Kentucky & (5) Vanderbilt
… Eliminated: (6) Arkansas, (8) Georgia, (9) Ole Miss, (10) Auburn, (1) LSU & (2) South Carolina
Big 12 Tournament (Oklahoma City, OK) … Tournament Central
• 1-seed Baylor 11 … elim. (8) Kansas State 2
• 7-seed Kansas 5 … elim. (2) Texas A&M 3
… Others in Bracket Finals: (4) Oklahoma & (6) Missouri
… Eliminated: (5) OK State, (3) Texas, (8) Kansas State & (2) Texas A&M
Conference USA Tournament (Pearl, MS) … Tournament Central
• 7-seed UAB 6 … def. (3) Tulane 3
• 2-seed Central Florida 11 … def. (6) East Carolina 1
• 8-seed Houston 7 … def. (5) Memphis 3
… Memphis won pool-1 (off Sat.) & UAB has clinched pool-2 (prior to Sat.)
… Others in 8-team field: (1) Rice & (4) Southern Miss.
Missouri Valley Tournament (Springfield, MO) … Tournament Central
• No games on Friday
… Final on Sat.: (8) Creighton vs. (6) Southern Illinois
… Eliminated: (1) Indiana St, (3) Wichita St, (5) Evansville, (7) Bradley, (4) Illinois St & (2) Missouri St
Southern Conference Tournament (Greensville, SC) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Elon 7 … elim. (7) The Citadel 3
• 8-seed Furman 13 … elim. (1) Appalachian State 4
… Others in Bracket Finals: (4) Samford & (6) Georgia Southern
… Eliminated: (2) Coll. Charleston, (5) Western Carolina, (7) Citadel & (1) App State
Western Athletic Tournament (Mesa, AZ) … Tournament Central
• 6-seed Louisiana Tech 15 … elim. (1) New Mexico State 12
• 6-seed Louisiana Tech 18 … elim. (3) Nevada 5
• 2-seed Sacramento State 8 … def. (5) Fresno State 5 (Sac-St no losses)
… Eliminated: (4) Hawaii, (1) NM State & (3) Nevada
Big Ten Tournament (Columbus, OH) … Tournament Central
• 6-seed Ohio State 4 … elim. (4) Nebraska 2
• 5-seed Michigan State 6 … elim. (6) Ohio State 2
• 1-seed Purdue 3 … def. (2) Indiana 0 (PUR no losses)
… Eliminated: (3) Penn St, (4) Nebraska & (6) Ohio State
Atlantic Sun Tournament (DeLand, FL) … Tournament Central
• 1-seed Belmont 10 … elim. (5) Mercer 3
• 3-seed Kennesaw State 5 … elim. (6) Stetson 4
• 1-seed Belmont 6 … def. (4) Florida Gulf Coast 4
… Belmont in final
… Eliminated: (2) USC Upstate, (5) Mercer & (6) Stetson
BIG EAST Tournament (Clearwater, FL) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Connecticut 4 ... def. (1) Louisville 1
• 7-seed Notre Dame 4 … elim. (3) Seton Hall 3
• 4-seed South Florida 6 ... elim. (1) Louisville 2
… Also in Bracket Final: (2) St. John’s
… Eliminated: (6) Rutgers, (8) Pittsburgh, (3) Seton Hall & (1) Louisville
Southland Tournament (San Marcos, TX) … Tournament Central
• 1-seed Sam Houston State 4 … elim. (8) Texas A&M Corpus Christi 3
• 6-seed Stephen F. Austin 9 … elim. (3) Texas State 7
• 4-seed Texas Arlington 7 … elim. (1) seed
• 6-seed Stephen F. Austin 4 … def. (2) Southeastern Louisiana 3
… Eliminated: (5) McNeese St, (7) Central Arkansas, (8) A&M-CC, (3) Texas St & (1) Sam Houston
Mountain West Tournament (Las Vegas, NV) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed San Diego State 15 … elim.(4) UNLV 9
• 1-seed New Mexico 5 … def . (2) TCU 2 (UNM no losses)
Sun Belt Tournament (Bowling Green, KY) … Tournament Central
• 7-seed Middle Tennessee 12 … def. (3) Florida International 6 (MTSU 1-1, FIU 0-2)
• 6-seed Troy 6 … def. (2) Arkansas State 3 (Troy 2-0, ArkSt 1-1)
• 4-seed South Alabama 5 … def. (1) Florida Atlantic 4
… (5) Louisiana-Monroe has clinched pool-1 (will play in Sunday final)
… pool-2 winner to-be-decided on Sat.
Big South Tournament (High Point, NC) … Tournament Central
• (1) Coastal Carolina 4 … elim. (7) High Point 3
• (3) Liberty 4 … elim. (3) Gardner-Webb 3
… Eliminated: (8) Charleston Southern, (6) UNC Asheville, (5) Radford, (2) Campbell, (7) High Point & (4) Gardner-Webb
Colonial Tournament (Harrisonburg, VA) … Tournament Central
• 1-seed UNC Wilmington 3 … def. (3) Delaware 2
• 2-seed Hofstra 4 … elim. (5) VCU 2
• 3-seed Delaware 12 … elim. (2) Hofstra 9
… Eliminated: (4) George Mason, (6) Towson, (5) VCU & (2) Hofstra
Ohio Valley Tournament (Jackson, TN) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Jacksonville (AL) State 9 … elim. (2) Eastern Kentucky 4
• 1-seed Austin Peay 7 … elim. (3) Jacksonville (AL) State 6
• 4-seed Eastern Illinois 7 … def. 6-seed Southeast Missouri State 6 (EIU no losses)
… Eliminated: (5) Morehead State, (2) Eastern Kentucky & (3) Jacksonville State
Atlantic 10 Tournament (Bronx, NY) … Tournament Central
• 6-seed St. Joseph’s 3 … elim. (3) Rhode Island 2
• 2-seed Dayton 9 … def. (5) Richmond 5
• 1-seed St. Louis 6 … elim. (6) St. Joseph’s 0
• (5) Richmond 3 … elim. (1) St. Louis 2
… Eliminated: (4) UMass, (3) Rhode Island, (6) St. Joseph’s & (1) St. Louis
Mid-America Tournament (Avon, OH) … Tournament Central
• 8-seed Buffalo 10 … elim. (5) Western Michigan 8
• 3-seed Central Michigan 6 … elim. (6) Eastern Michigan 4
• 1-seed Kent State 8 …. elim. (8) Buffalo 3
• 3-seed Central Michigan 11 … def. (7) Miami 10
… Eliminated: (4) Ohio, (2) Toledo, (5) Western Michigan, (6) Eastern Michigan & (8) Buffalo
Metro Atlantic (MAAC) Tournament (Troy, NY) … Tournament Central
• 1-seed Manhattan 1 ... elim. (3) Fairfield 0
• 2-seed Canisius 10 … elim. (4) Rider 3 (CAN no losses)
Horizon Tournament (Chicago, IL) … Tournament Central
• 2-seed Wright State 2 … elim.(3) Milwaukee 1
• 6-seed Youngstown State 5 … elim. (2) Wright State 4
• 1-seed Valparaiso 4 … def. (4) Illinois-Chicago 3 (Valpo no losses)
… Eliminated: (5) Butler, (3) Milwaukee & (2) Wright State
America East Tournament (Stony Brook, NY) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Maine 5 ... elim. (3) Binghamton 1
• 1-seed Stony Brook 13 … elim. (4) Maine 6
… CHAMPION: Stony Brook
Summit Tournament (Tulsa, OK) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed North Dakota State 4 … def. (1) Oral Roberts 3 (NDSU no losses)
• 1-seed Oral Roberts 3 … elim. (2) Oakland 2
… Eliminated: (4) Southern Utah & (2) Oakland
Great West Tournament (no auotomatic NCAA bid; 8-team tournament) Tournament Central
• 1-seed Utah Valley did not play Fri. (will have two chances to beat 5-seed Houston Baptist on Sat.)
Non-Tournament (4 Pac-12, 1 Big West & 2 WCC)
• at Oregon State 7 ... def. Oregon 3
• at UCLA 3 … def. USC 1
• California 5 ... won at Stanford 4 (18 innings)
• at Arizona 1 … def. Arizona State 0
• Cal State Fullerton 4 … won at Long Beach State 0 (CSF clinched share of BW title)
• at Pepperdine 4 … def. San Diego 0
• Gonzaga 13 … won at BYU 1 (series tied)
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THURSDAY’S KEY GAMES (schedule & results; May 24, 2012)
(sorted based on RP for each conference, per WarrenNolan.com)
upsets in italics
ACC Tournament (Greensboro, NC) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Virginia 3 … def. (5) Clemson 2 (first pool game for both teams)
• 6-seed Miami 5 … def. (2) North Carolina 3 (both 1-1 in pool play)
• 7-seed Wake Forest 7 … def. (3) N.C. State 3 (both 1-1 in pool play)
SEC Tournament (Hoover, AL) … Tournament Central
• 1-seed LSU 11 … elim. (9) Mississippi 2
• 4-seed Kentucky 5 … def. (7) Mississippi State 1 (KY off Fri.)
• 2-seed South Carolina 5 … elim. (10) Auburn 3 (SC 2-1)
• 5-seed Vanderbilt 2 … def. (3) Florida 1 (VAN off Fri.)
… Eliminated: (6) Arkansas, (8) Georgia, (9) Ole Miss & (10) Auburn
Big 12 Tournament (Oklahoma City, OK) … Tournament Central
• 8-seed Kansas State 11 … elim. (5) Oklahoma State 5
• 7-seed Kansas 4 … elim. (3) Texas 0
• 4-seed Oklahoma 3 … def. (1) Baylor 2 (OU off Fri.)
• 6-seed Missouri 5 … def. (2) Texas A&M 3 (MO off Fri.)
… Eliminated: (5) OK State & (3) Texas
Conference USA Tournament (Pearl, MS) … Tournament Central
• 7-seed UAB 15 … def. (2) Central Florida 1 (7 inn.; 1st gm for both in pool play)
• 4-seed Southern Mississippi 8 ... elim. (8) Houston 7 (10 inn.; USM 1-1, HOU 0-2)
• 5-seed Memphis 3 … def. (1) Rice 2 (MEM 2-0, Rice 1-1)
… Memphis has clinched pool-1 (off Sat., in Sun. final vs. pool-2 champ)
Missouri Valley Tournament (Springfield, MO) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Illinois State 5 … elim. (5) Evansville 4 (1o inn.)
• 2-seed Missouri State 11 … elim. (7) Bradley 8 (13 inn.)
• 8-seed Creighton 10 … elim. (4) Illinois State 3
• 6-seed Southern Illinois 3 … elim. (2) Missouri State 2 (10 inn.)
… SIU & Creighton to play in final on Sat. (Fri. off)
… Eliminated: (1) Indiana St, (3) Wichita St, (5) Evansville, (7) Bradley, (4) Illinois St & (2) Missouri St
Southern Conference Tournament (Greensville, SC) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Elon 14 .. elim. (2) College of Charleston 12
• 8-seed Furman 9 … elim. (5) Western Carolina 8
• 6-seed Georgia Southern 8 … def . (7) The Citadel 1 (GS no losses)
• 4-seed Samford 12 ... def. (1) Appalachian State 7 (SAM no losses)
… Eliminated: (2) College of Charleston & (5) Western Carolina
Western Athletic Tournament (Mesa, AZ) … Tournament Central
• 6-seed Louisiana Tech 9 … elim. (4) Hawaii 6
• 2-seed Sacramento State 15 ... def. (3) Nevada 5 (8 inn.) (SAC no losses)
• 5-seed Fresno State 15 … def. (1) New Mexico State 8
Big Ten Tournament (Columbus, OH) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Nebraska 12 … elim. (3) Penn State 3
• 2-seed Indiana 6 … def. (5) Michigan State 4
• 1-seed Purdue 5 … def. (6) Ohio State 4
Atlantic Sun Tournament (DeLand, FL) … Tournament Central
• 6-seed Stetson 1 … elim. (2) South Carolina Upstate 0
• 3-seed Kennesaw State 3 … def. (1) Belmont 1
• 4-seed Florida Gulf Coast 4 … def. (5) Mercer 3 (FGCU no losses)
BIG EAST Tournament (Clearwater, FL) … Tournament Central
• 7-seed Notre Dame 9 … elim. (6) Rutgers 0
• 2-seed St. John’s 6 … def. (3) Seton Hall 3 (StJ no losses)
• 4-seed South Florida 10 ... elim. (8) Pittsburgh 4
Southland Tournament (San Marcos, TX) … Tournament Central
• 1-seed Sam Houston State 7 … elim. (5) McNeese State 1
• 6-seed Stephen F. Austin 7 ... elim. (7) Central Arkansas 2
• 4-seed Texas Arlington 10 … def. (8) Texas A&M Corpus Christi 5 (UTA no losses)
• 2-seed Southeastern Louisiana 7 … def. (3) Texas State 1 (SELA no losses)
Mountain West Tournament (Las Vegas, NV) … Tournament Central
• 2-seed TCU 16 … def. (3) San Diego State 15
• 1-seed New Mexico 13 … def . (4) UNLV 0
Sun Belt Tournament (Bowling Green, KY) … Tournament Central
• 6-seed Troy 6 ... def. (3) Florida International 1 (first pool game for both)
• 5-seed Louisiana-Monroe 9 … def. (1) Florida Atlantic 7 (13 inn. … ULM 2-0, FAU 1-1)
• 4-seed South Alabama 5 … def. (8) Western Kentucky 3 (SA 1-1, WKU 0-2)
… Louisiana-Monroe has clinched pool-1 (will play in Sunday final)
Big South Tournament (High Point, NC) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Liberty 7 … def. (2) Campbell 0 (LIB no losses)
• 4-seed Gardner-Webb 11 … elim. (5) Radford 0
• 7-seed High Point 9 … elim. (2) Campbell 5
… Eliminated: (8) Charleston Southern, (6) UNC Asheville, (5) Radford & (2) Campbell
Colonial Tournament (Harrisonburg, VA) … Tournament Central
• 6-seed Towson 16 ... elim. (4) George Mason 8
• 1-seed UNC Wilmington 8 … def. (5) VCU 5 (UNCW’s first game)
• 3-seed Delaware 11 … def. (2) Hofstra 3 (DEL no losses)
• 5-seed VCU 14 … elim. (9) Towson 9
Ohio Valley Tournament (Jackson, TN) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Jacksonville (AL) State 12 … elim. (5) Morehead State 5
• 4-seed Eastern Illinois 11 … def. (2) Eastern Kentucky 2 (EIU no losses)
• 6-seed Southeast Missouri State 4 … def. (1) Austin Peay 3 (SEMO no losses)
Atlantic 10 Tournament (Bronx, NY) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Richmond 6 … def. (1) St. Louis 0
• 2-seed Dayton 4 … def. (6) St. Joseph’s 3 (13 inn.)
• 3-seed Rhode Island vs. (6) St. Joseph’s – moved to Fri., 10 a.m. ET
… Eliminated: (4) UMass
Mid-America Tournament (Avon, OH) … Tournament Central
• 8-seed Buffalo 6 … elim. (4) Ohio 5 (10 inn.)
• 3-seed Central Michigan 4 ... elim. (2) Toledo 3
• 1-seed Kent State 12 ... def. (5) Western Michigan 3 (Kent no losses)
• (7) Miami 2 … def. (6) Eastern Michigan 1 (10 inn.; Miami no losses)
Metro Atlantic (MAAC) Tournament (Troy, NY) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Rider 6 … def. (1) Manhattan 1
• 2-seed Canisius 2 ... def. (3) Fairfield 1
Horizon Tournament (Chicago, IL) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Milwaukee 19 … elim. (5) Butler 2
• 4-seed Illinois-Chicago 19 … def. (2) Wright State 9
• 1-seed Valparaiso 16 … def. (6) Youngstown State 3
America East Tournament (Stony Brook, NY) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Maine 8 ... elim. (2) Albany 3
• 1-seed Stony Brook 7 ... def. (3) Binghamton 4 (SB no losses)
Summit Tournament (Tulsa, OK) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed North Dakota State 3 … def. (2) Oakland 2 (11 inn.)
• 1-seed Oral Roberts 2 ... def. (4) Southern Utah 1
Great West Tournament (no auotomatic NCAA bid; 8-team tournament) Tournament Central
• 1-seed Utah Valley 15 … def. (6) North Dakota 4 (UVU in Sat. final, off Fri.)
Non-Tournament (WCC, series opener)
• at BYU 6 ... def. Gonzaga 4
______________________________________________
WEDNESDAY’S KEY GAMES (schedule & results; May 23, 2012)
(sorted based on conference RPI, per WarrenNolan.com)
upsets in italics
ACC Tournament (Greensboro, NC) … Tournament Central
• 8-seed Georgia Tech 5 … def. (1) Florida State 4
• 3-seed North Carolina State 3 … def. (6) Miami 2
• 2-seed North Carolina 6 … def. (7) Wake Forest 0
SEC Tournament (Hoover, AL) … Tournament Central
• 9 seed Mississippi 2 … elim. (6) Arkansas 0
• 7-seed Mississippi State 3 … def..(1) LSU 2
• 10-seed Auburn 3 … elim. (8) Georgia 2
• 5-seed Vanderbilt 3 … def. (2) South Carolina 2
Big 12 Tournament (Oklahoma City, OK) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Oklahoma 1 … def. (5) Oklahoma State 0
• 1-seed Baylor 11 … def. (8) Kansas State 1
• 2-seed Texas A&M 10 … def. (7) Kansas 4
• 6-seed Missouri 5 … def. (3) Texas 0
Conference USA Tournament (Pearl, MS) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Memphis 14 .. def. (4) Southern Mississippi 3
• 1-seed Rice 7 … def. (8) Houston 5
• 3-seed Tulane 4 … def. (6) East Carolina 3
Missouri Valley Tournament (Springfield, MO) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Evansville 8 … elim. (1) Indiana State 5
• 2-seed Missouri State 7 … elim. (3) Wichita State 0
• 8-seed Creighton 11 … def. (4) Illinois State 5
• 6-seed Southern Illinois 9 … def. (7) Bradley 8
Southern Conference Tournament (Greensville, SC) … Tournament Central
• 7-seed The Citadel 8 … def. (2) College of Charleston 6• 6-seed Georgia Southern 19 … def. (3) Elon 2
• 1-seed Appalachian State 7 … def. (8) Furman 5
• 4-seed Samford 7 … def. (5) Western Carolina 0
Western Athletic Tournament (Mesa, AZ) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Fresno State 8 … def. (4) Hawaii 2
• 3-seed Nevada 4 … def. (6) Louisiana Tech 3
Big Ten Tournament (Columbus, OH) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Michigan State 10 … def. (4) Nebraska 9
• 6-seed Ohio State 12 … def. (3) Penn State 5
Atlantic Sun Tournament (DeLand, FL) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Mercer 11 ... def. (2) South Carolina Upstate 2
• 4-seed Florida Gulf Coast 12 … def. (3) Kennesaw State 4
• 1-seed Belmont 4 ... def. (6) Stetson 3 (15 inn.)
BIG EAST Tournament (Clearwater, FL) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Seton Hall 6 … def. (6) Rutgers 1
• 2-seed St. John’s 12 … def. (7) Notre Dame 2
• 1-seed Louisville 8 … def. (8) Pittsburgh 4
• 5-seed Connecticut 7 … def. (4) South Florida 2
Southland Tournament (San Marcos, TX) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Texas Arlington 6 … def. (5) McNeese State 2
• 8-seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 9 … def. (1) Sam Houston State 2
• 3-seed Texas State 11 … def. (6) Stephen F. Austin 1
• 2-seed Southeastern Louisiana 6 … def. (7) Central Arkansas 3
Mountain West Tournament (Las Vegas, NV) … Tournament Central
• 4-team tournament starts at 3 PT at May 24
Sun Belt Tournament (Bowling Green, KY) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Louisiana-Monroe 7 … def. (4) South Alabama 4
• 2-seed Arkansas State 12 … def. (7) Middle Tennessee 1
• 1-seed Florida Atlantic 4 … def. (8) Western Kentucky 3
Big South Tournament (High Point, NC) … Tournament Central
• 2-seed Campbell 10 … def. (7) High Point 4 (resumed from 5/22)
• 4-seed Gardner-Webb 4 … elim. (8) Charleston Southern 3
• 7-seed High Point 7 elim. (6) UNC Asheville 1
• 1-seed Coastal Carolina 5 … def. (5) Radford 3
• 3-seed Liberty vs. (2) Campbell (Big South, gm-8) – moved to 5/24, 11 a.m. ET
Colonial Tournament (Harrisonburg, VA) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed VCU 11 … def. (4) George Mason 7
• 3-seed Delaware 8 … def. (6) Towson 7 (12 inn.)
• 6-seed Towson vs. (4) George Mason (elimination game) – ppd to 5/24
Ohio Valley Tournament (Jackson, TN) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Eastern Illinois 2 … def. (5) Morehead State 1
• 6-seed Southeast Missouri 4 … def. (3) Jacksonville (AL) State 1
Atlantic 10 Tournament (Bronx, NY) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Richmond 9 … def. (4) UMass 5
• 6-seed St. Joseph’s 3 … def. (3) Rhode Island 0
• 3-seed Rhode Island 6 … elim. (4) UMass 5
Mid-American Tournament (Avon, OH) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Western Michigan 4 …def. (4) Ohio 2
• 6-seed Eastern Michigan 4 … def. (3) Central Michigan 3
• 7-seed Miami Ohio 5 … def.. (2) Toledo 0
• 1-seed Kent State 9 … def. (8) Buffalo 0
Metro Atlantic (MAAC) Tournament (Troy, NY) … Tournament Central
• 4-team tournament begins May 24
Horizon Tournament (Chicago, IL) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Illinois-Chicago 10 … def. (5) Butler 1
• 6-seed Youngstown State 8 … def. (3) Milwaukee 4
America East Tournament (Stony Brook, NY) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Binghamton 2 … def. (2) Albany 1
• 1-seed Stony Brook 14 … def. (4) Maine 6
Summit Tournament (Tulsa, OK) … Tournament Central
• 4-team tournament begins May 24
Great West Tournament (no auotomatic NCAA bid; 8-team tournament) Tournament Central
• 1-seed Utah Valley 9 … def. (5) Houston Baptist 8
Non-Conference
• at Oregon 2 … def. Portland 1
___________________________________________
TUESDAY’S KEY GAMES (schedule & results; May 22, 2012)
upsets in italics
SEC Tournament (Hoover, AL) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Kentucky 2 … def. (9) Mississippi 0
• 7-seed Mississippi State 9 … def. (6) Arkansas 1
• 3-seed Florida 6 … def. (10) Auburn 1
• 5-seed Vanderbilt 4 … def. (8) Georgia 1
Big South Tournament (High Point, NC) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Gardner-Webb 8 … def. (4) Gardner-Webb 2
• 1-seed Coastal Carolina 9 … def. (8) Charleston Southern 8
• 3-seed Liberty 9 … def. (6) UNC Asheville 2
• 7-seed High Point vs. (2) Campbell – suspended to 5/23( (HP leads 2-1, t3)
Missouri Valley Tournament (Springfield, MO) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Illinois State 10 … def. (5) Evansville 3
• 8-seed Creighton 5 … def. (1) Indiana State 0
• 6-seed Southern Illinois 6 … def. (3) Wichita State 3
• 7-seed Bradley 5 … def. (2) Missouri State 3
Patriot League (title series; gm-3/final)
• at 1-seed Army 8 … def. (2) Holy Cross 4
… Final Stats: HTML & PDF | Army Recap | HC Recap | Photos
Great West (no auotomatic NCAA bid; 8-team tournament) Tournament Central
• 1-seed Utah Valley 17 … def. (8) New York Tech 10
Non-Conference
• Oregon at Portland – rainout (no makeup; still set to play Wed., May 23 at Oregon, 6 PT)
• UCLA 6 … won at UC Irvine 1
• Stanford 10 … won at Santa Clara 5
• at Washington State 1 … def. Gonzaga 0 (10 inn.)