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Let the madness begin! Your guide to the early conference tournaments

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2 years ago

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Let the madness begin! Your guide to the early conference tournaments

The madness has arrived.

The first men’s basketball conference tournaments start this week, led by the first round of the Atlantic Sun tournament on Monday. The first automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be awarded Saturday night in the Ohio Valley tournament title game. In many of these early events, the drama is as high as it gets, because only the winner will hear its name called on Selection Sunday.

Here’s your guide to the 15 conference tournaments that begin between now and Sunday. Brackets are included in those leagues where they’ve already been set. New brackets will be added to this story when they become available, and we’ll be back next Monday for the other 17 conference tournaments.

(Conferences are listed in alphabetical order; all times ET.)

America East

When it starts: Saturday

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Where: Campus sites

Title game: Saturday, March 16, 11 a.m, ESPN2

Top seed: Vermont (25-6, 14-1 America East)

The skinny: The regular season wraps up Tuesday night, Vermont is once again the No. 1 seed, as it has been for seven of the past eight AmEast tourneys. The Catamounts are seeking their 10th NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003.

Atlantic Sun

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Monday

Where: Campus sites

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Title game: Sunday, March 10, 2 p.m., ESPN2

Top seed: Eastern Kentucky (17-13, 12-4 Atlantic Sun)

The skinny: Led by Isaiah Cozart, who is one of the nation’s top shot-blockers despite standing 6-foot-7, Eastern Kentucky is looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. No. 8 seed Queens is ineligible for the automatic bid as it is still transitioning to Division I.

Big South

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Wednesday

Where: High Point, N.C.

Title game: Sunday, March 10, Noon, ESPN2

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Top seed: High Point (24-7, 13-3 Big South)

The skinny: High Point earned its first No. 1 seed since 2016 under first-year coach Alan Huss. The Panthers will have to hold off defending champion UNC Asheville and star big man Drew Pember, but High Point gets to host the tournament.

Big Sky

When it starts: Saturday

Where: Boise, Idaho

Title game: Wednesday, March 13, 11:30 p.m., ESPN2

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Top seed: Eastern Washington (20-10, 14-3 Big Sky)

The skinny: The league finishes its regular season on Monday night, but Eastern Washington has already clinched the regular-season title for the second straight year. Weber State has one of the best mid-major players in America in 6-foot-6 forward Dillon Jones (20.7 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 5.3 apg).

Coastal Athletic Association

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Friday

Where: Washington D.C.

Title game: Tuesday, March 12, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network

Top seed: Charleston (24-7, 15-3 CAA)

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The skinny: Charleston won its final nine games to repeat as regular-season champs and looks to make its second straight NCAA Tournament under Pat Kelsey. There will be plenty of challengers, including No. 4 seed UNC Wilmington, which beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena this season.

Horizon

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Tuesday

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Where: Campus sites for early rounds; title game in Indianapolis

Title game: Tuesday, March 12, 7 p.m., ESPN

Top seed: Oakland (20-11, 15-5 Horizon)

The skinny: Oakland is looking for its first NCAA Tournament trip since 2011 and fourth under Greg Kampe, who is in his 40th (!) season at the helm. Want a Cinderella story? No. 11 seed Detroit Mercy went 1-30 this season.

Missouri Valley

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Thursday

Where: St. Louis

Title game: Sunday, March 10, 2 p.m., CBS

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Top seed: Indiana State (26-5, 17-3 Missouri Valley)

The skinny: Arch Madness is always a must-see but even more so this season with a pair of potential NCAA Tournament teams in Indiana State and Drake. The Sycamores have become a feel-good story this season under Josh Schertz, while No. 2 seed Drake is led by superstar Tucker DeVries. Bradley is good enough to play spoiler.

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Northeast

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Wednesday

Where: Campus sites

Title game: Tuesday, March 12, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Top seed: Central Connecticut State (19-10, 13-3 Northeast)

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The skinny: Central Connecticut State edged Merrimack on the final day of the season to earn its first No. 1 seed since 2007. Merrimack is eligible to play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time this year.

Ohio Valley

Link to PDF bracket

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When it starts: Wednesday

Where: Evansville, Ind.

Title game: Saturday, March 9, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Top seed: Little Rock (20-11, 14-4 Ohio Valley)

The skinny: Little Rock, UT Martin and Morehead State finished in a three-way tie at 14-4, with Little Rock earning the tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed. No. 8 seed Southern Indiana is ineligible for the automatic bid as it is still transitioning to Division I.

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Patriot

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Tuesday

Where: Campus sites

Title game: Wednesday, March 13, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network

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Top seed: Colgate (22-9, 16-2 Patriot)

The skinny: Colgate might be the biggest favorite in any conference tournament, as it ran away with the regular-season crown by a full six games. The Raiders are looking to represent the Patriot League in the fifth straight NCAA Tournament.

Southern

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Friday

Where: Asheville, N.C.

Title game: Monday, March 11, 7 p.m., ESPN

Top seed: Samford (26-5, 15-3 Southern)

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The skinny: Samford dominated the league and has won a school-record 26 games already. The Bulldogs are seeking their first SoCon tournament title.

Southland

When it starts: Sunday

Where: Lake Charles, La.

Title game: Wednesday, March 13, 5 p.m., ESPN2

Top seed: McNeese State (26-3, 15-1 Southland)

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The skinny: The regular season continues until Wednesday when a bracket will be set. But Will Wade’s McNeese State Cowboys have already clinched the No. 1 seed.

Summit

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Friday

Where: Sioux Falls, S.D.

Title game: Tuesday, March 12, 9:30 p.m., CBS Sports

Top seed: South Dakota State (19-12, 12-4 Summit)

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The skinny: South Dakota State won the league by two games, and the Jackrabbits are looking for their eighth tournament title since 2012. Kansas City, which was 10-15 on Feb. 8, closed out with six straight wins to take the No. 2 seed. The nation’s leading scorer, Tommy Bruner, plays for No. 7 seed Denver.

Sun Belt

Link to PDF bracket

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When it starts: Tuesday

Where: Pensacola, Fla.

Title game: Monday, March 11, 6 p.m., ESPN2

Top seed: Appalachian State (26-5, 16-2 Sun Belt)

The skinny: James Madison got all the attention early, winning at Michigan State in the first week of the season and cracking the AP Top 25. But Appalachian State — which beat Auburn in December — swept the Dukes. There’s an outside chance both could make the NCAA Tournament.

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West Coast

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Thursday

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Where: Las Vegas

Title game: Tuesday, March 12, 9 p.m., ESPN

Top seed: Saint Mary’s (24-7, 15-1 West Coast)

The skinny: Saint Mary’s claimed the regular-season title, but Gonzaga finished strong by winning on the road against the Gaels and No. 3 seed San Francisco in the final week. Saint Mary’s and the Zags should both make the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens in this event since both got byes to the semifinals. Could a surprise winner make this a three-bid league?

Conference tournaments starting next week:

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American: March 13-17
Atlantic 10: March 12-17
ACC: March 12-16
Big 12: March 12-16
Big East: March 13-16
Big Ten: March 13-17
Big West: March 13-16
Conference USA: March 12-16
Ivy League: March 16-17
MAAC: March 12-16
MAC: March 14-16
MEAC: March 13-16
Mountain West: March 13-16
Pac-12: March 13-16
SEC: March 13-17
SWAC: March 13-16
WAC: March 13-16

(Top photo of Colgate celebrating last year’s Patriot League tournament title: Adrian Kraus / AP)

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Deion Sanders mourns loss of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder: ‘One of my favorites’

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3 hours ago

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March 1, 2026

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Deion Sanders mourns loss of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder: ‘One of my favorites’

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Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Dominiq Ponder died this weekend, the team’s head coach Deion Sanders confirmed on Sunday with a social media post. 

“God please comfort the Ponder family, friends and loved ones,” Sanders wrote on social media. “Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader. Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord you’re receiving a good 1. Comfort us Lord Comfort us.”

Ponder was 23 years old. 

Details of Ponder’s death are not yet known. 

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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)

Ponder, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound signal caller, joined the Buffaloes and “Coach Prime’s” program in 2024 after spending time at Bethune-Cookman before making his way to Boulder. 

Last season, Ponder played just two games for the Buffaloes while serving in his backup role. He recorded two rush attempts and one pass attempt. 

The Opa Locka, Fla., native also received tribute from a fellow quarterback with the Buffaloes, Colton Allen. 

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Bethune-Cookman QB Dominiq Ponder takes a snap during the Wildcats’ spring game Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Daytona Stadium. (IMAGN)

“Dom, you were a blessing to so many people,” Allen wrote on Instagram. “You had a presence about you that just made everything better. You brought so much joy to me and everyone around you. I’m grateful for every lift, every practice, every rep, every conversation we got to share. I’ll carry those with me for the rest of my life.”

Ponder was going to be a part of Colorado’s spring practices, which are set to begin on Monday. It’s unknown if Sanders will postpone the start due to Ponder’s passing. 

Ponder also received a tribute from the University of Central Florida.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his players warm up before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (Tyler Tate/AP Photo)

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“Our prayers are with Dominiq and the Ponder family along with all in the Colorado football program,” the university’s football account on X wrote. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Super Bowl champ slams Deion Sanders for his coaching style at Colorado

Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

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No. 2 UCLA women dominate rival USC to finish Big Ten play undefeated

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4 hours ago

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March 1, 2026

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No. 2 UCLA women dominate rival USC to finish Big Ten play undefeated

Sunday was “Senior Night” for the USC women’s basketball team at Galen Center, but it was the other team’s seniors who stole the show.

Gabriela Jaquez scored 14 points, Kiki Rice had 11 points and four assists and Lauren Betts had 15 rebounds and five assists as UCLA wrapped up the regular season with a 73-50 victory over its rival and finished undefeated in conference play for the first time since going 18-0 in the Pac-10 in 1998-99 under Kathy Olivier.

Having already clinched the regular-season title, UCLA became the first team to navigate the Big Ten schedule without a loss since Maryland in 2014-15.

“These are two elite programs, we knew it would be different tonight, we knew they’d come with fire,” said UCLA coach Cori Close, who improved to 9-4 against the Trojans since counterpart Lindsay Gottlieb started at USC in 2021. “We knew we’d have to do it with our defense, our rebounding and by taking care of the ball.”

It was the Bruins’ 22nd consecutive win, one shy of the record they set last season. Since their lone loss to then-No. 4 Texas on Nov. 26 in Las Vegas, they have won by 20 or more points 17 times.

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Ranked second in the nation in both the Associated Press and coaches’ polls behind defending national champion Connecticut (30-0), the Bruins earned the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament in Indianapolis and got a bye into Friday’s quarterfinals.

Charlisse Leger-Walker, nicknamed “X-ray vision” by teammates, equaled her season high with 20 points for the Bruins (28-1, 18-0) while Gianna Kneepkens added 14 points and five assists.

“Anytime we play together we know we can win,” Leger-Walker said. “We did a good job looking into the scout. Every game we just think about going 1-0. People scouting us know that all five players on the court can score the ball.”

UCLA center Lauren Betts, left, controls the ball in front of USC forward Vivian Iwuchukwu during the first half Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA held USC to 27% shooting in the teams’ first meeting — a 34-point Bruins victory at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 3 behind Betts’ 18 points. It was USC’s most lopsided loss under coach Lindsay Gottlieb. On Sunday, USC shot 39% and was only three for 19 from three-point range.

“Going undefeated [in conference] is a great step in the right direction towards what we want to accomplish,” said Jaquez, who appreciated the flowers she received before the game from USC. “I love this rivalry. It’s super fun to play against them and it was nice that they honored us too.”

UCLA jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes and carried a 19-11 advantage into the second quarter. The Bruins widened the gap to 18 points by halftime, holding the Trojans scoreless for the last 3:08.

USC (17-12, 9-9) opened the second half on an 11-2 run but gave up 14 second-chance points and allowed 22 offensive rebounds.

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UCLA guard Kiki Rice, front, and forward Angela Dugalic celebrate as USC guard Kennedy Smith walks away.

UCLA guard Kiki Rice, front, and forward Angela Dugalic celebrate as USC guard Kennedy Smith walks away during the first half Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

“If we get more possessions than our opponent we’re most likely going to win,” Close said. “We didn’t allow one basket on an out-of-bounds play and they lead the conference in that.”

Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson, USC’s leading scorer, got into early foul trouble but still finished with 12 points. She was held to 10 points on four-for-15 shooting in the first meeting.

“It was a great crowd, we were in the fight but we didn’t rebound or shoot well enough,” Gottlieb said. “We wanted to keep them out of our paint. We swarmed Betts, double-teamed her and got it out of her hands but other people scored.”

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Londynn Jones, who spent three seasons in Westwood (playing in 108 straight games) before transferring to USC for her senior year, was held to six points in the team’s first meeting and nine points (on four-of-10 shooting) in the rematch. The Trojans’ other senior, Kara Dunn, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with eight points.

“I love Londynn,” Close said. “We think she looks better in blue, but we love her and I told her that. I appreciate all she gave to our programs.”

Asked if this is the best team she has ever coached, Close had a one-word answer.

“Yes.”

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Israeli national gymnastics team suspends all activities after Iranian counter-attack

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15 hours ago

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March 1, 2026

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Israeli national gymnastics team suspends all activities after Iranian counter-attack

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Israel’s national gymnastics team has suspended all training and team activities amid the recent Iranian counter-attack on the country following the U.S.-assisted strikes on Iran. 

The Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) provided a statement to Fox News Digital announcing the violence has caused “unavoidable disruptions.” 

“The current security situation in our region has resulted in unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the national teams’ professional plans, particularly as we are at the outset of the international season,” the statement read. 

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“At this time, all training activities have been temporarily suspended, pending approval from the relevant authorities to safely resume operations. Naturally, the suspension of training and the closure of airspace are causing considerable stress and concern. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remain our highest priority. We sincerely hope for safer and calmer days ahead, when we can focus solely on sport.”

A source within the team told Fox News Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since Iran’s counterstrikes began. 

Israel’s gymnastics team is considered one of nation’s strongest Olympic programs alongside its Judo and sailing teams. The team is only a week removed from a successful trip at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Germany, where the country’s star Artem Dolgopyat won the gold medal in floor gymnastics. 

Now, the team will have to seek safety until the attacks are over.

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to continue to shelter in place either in or near their residences as Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel.

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Additionally, the embassy announced that due to the security situation, it would be closed on March 2, and did not give an estimate on when it would be reopening. The closure includes consular sections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. 

The embassy also said it is “not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.” It noted that Ben Gurion Airport remains closed and there there are neither commercial nor charter flights operating from the airport.

On Friday, ahead of the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the embassy gave all non-essential workers permission to leave Israel, with reports that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged those looking to leave to do so as soon as possible.

Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday as Tehran’s latest missile barrage landed just miles from Jerusalem.

The strikes landed in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. Initial reports said four people were killed when missiles landed in a residential area on Sunday, but that death toll rose to eight, according to Israel’s national emergency service.

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Iran’s military has carried out counterattacks against Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East after a joint U.S.-Israeli strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

The strikes also killed several other top Iranian leaders, including the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.

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