The first automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament came a little bit early.
Long Island University claimed the Northeast Conference's berth by beating Wagner in the semifinals of that league tournament Saturday. The Sharks will play in the NEC men's title game Tuesday night, but their opponent (Mercyhurst) is ineligible for the NCAAs because it is still a reclassifying Division I institution.
When Mercyhurst topped Stonehill to advance to the championship
game, that meant the other semifinal between LIU and Wagner — Brooklyn vs. Staten Island — would determine who reached the NCAA field of 68.
Later Saturday, the Ohio Valley Conference awarded its automatic bid when Tennessee State won the OVC Tournament with a 93-67 rout of Morehead State.
LIU will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. Tennessee State, the alma mater of Oprah Winfrey, hasn't been in since 1994. Neither program has won a game in the Big Dance.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Texas A&M and Texas Christian helped their at-large chances on a day when plenty of other bubble teams lost.
It wasn't a pretty day, with Indiana losing to Ohio State, Auburn falling to Alabama and Virginia Tech coming up short against Virginia. SMU also stumbled against Florida State.
Amid all that, Texas A&M avoided disaster at SEC cellar dweller LSU, outlasting the Tigers in triple overtime. TCU took care of business against Cincinnati.
Last four in according to ESPN: Santa Clara, SMU, Virginia Commonwealth, Auburn.
First four out according to ESPN: Indiana, Virginia Tech, New Mexico, Cincinnati.
Here's who has claimed an automatic bid to this year's men's NCAA Tournament: LIU (NEC), Tennessee State (OVC).
LIU and Tennessee State are both coached by familiar names. Former NBA guard Rod Strickland is in his fourth season at the helm for the Sharks. Former Duke guard Nolan Smith, a national champ in 2010 as a player, is in his first season as coach of the Tigers.
Four conferences award automatic bids Sunday: the Missouri Valley (UIC vs. Northern Iowa), the Big South (High Point vs. Winthrop), the Atlantic Sun (Central Arkansas vs. Queens University) and the Summit League (North Dakota State vs. North Dakota).
It should be a quieter day on the bubble after a busy Saturday.
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