Massachusetts will have a familiar foe when it tries for a fourth straight Atlantic 10 title and a place in the record book.
The No. 8 Minutemen (25-4) beat St. Joseph's 68-57 on Monday night to advance to the championship game against Temple (19-9), a 47-42 winner over Rutgers in the other semifinal.It will be the fourth straight year Massachusetts will be playing for the tournament championship at home after winning the regular-season title, and the third year in a row against Temple.
If the Minutemen win, they will become only the second team to win four consecutive regular-season and tournament championships. North Carolina State was the other, wining five straight in the Southern Conference from 1947-51.
"I would have never thought this could happen before I came here," said Lou Roe, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds against the Hawks. "It's a very important game for our program."
Missouri Valley Conference
S. Illinois 77, Tulsa 62
At St. Louis, Southern Illinois (23-8) won its third consecutive MVC tournament by knocking off the top-seeded Golden Hurricane.
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
St. Peter's 80, Manhattan 78, OT
At Albany, N.Y., Mike Frensley tied the game in overtime with a 3-pointer and won it with a 14-foot jumper with 4.2 seconds left as the Peacocks (19-10) reached the NCAA tournament for the second time in four years.
Colonial Athletic Association
Old Dominion 80, James Madison 75
At Richmond, Va., Petey Sessoms scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half and the Monarchs (20-11) held James Madison without a shot from the field in the final 2:43.
West Coast Conference
Gonzaga 80, Portland 67
At Santa Clara, Calif., Gonzaga earned its first-ever NCAA berth behind John Rillie's career-high 34 points. Rillie scored a tournament-record 96 points for the Bulldogs (21-8), who have won 10 of 11 after an 0-6 WCC start.