Non-power conference tournaments in March 2026

 Horizon: Detroit Mercy has been on my radar for a few weeks. Last night T. Nadeau (17PTS 6REB) for the Titans who move on to face RMU on Sunday

NEC: Chicago St was on the edge of downgrading many of its sports teams a few years ago. They gave LIU a scare  before falling 79-75 . S. Byard (22PTS12REB) for the Cougars

OVC: T. McMorris(15PTS13REB3BLK) for EIU in upset of SIU-Edwardsville

March 6, 2026

SBC: T. Moore (25PTS4STL) in the GASO upset of Ark St  and now faces USA. TXST plays USM in the other semi.

Top seed Navy survived Bucknell to stay alive in the Patriot T

March 7, 2026

MOH needed OT to beat Ohio and remain undefeated. Zips crushed NIU. Not the MACT yet ,but these teams are getting a lot of national ink.

A. Applewhite scored 34 points for GASO in an  upset of  USA . USM got by TXST  in the SBCT

High Point rolled GWEB and looks very tough in the Big SouthT

March 8, 2026

Rod Strickland, a player at DePaul, then the NBA, is going to the Dance again, this time as the HC of LIU(NEC).  He was a key player for DePaul when the Blue Demons went to three straight NCAA Tournaments and back-to-back Sweet Sixteens in the late late 1980s.

 Tenn St will represent the OVC at the Dance

One seed NDST will face three seed ND in the Summit final. George Natsvlishvili made a free throw with 0.1 seconds for the ND Fighting Hawks's in a 67-66 W over 2 seed St. Thomas.

Anderson 25 PTS , 12 REB , 3 AST for HIPU, who faces two seed Winthrop today for the Dance ticket.

March, 9, 2026

GASO continued its hot run with a W over USM and will face Troy, who beat the Herd, in SBCT final.

NDKSU won the Summit 

L. Wells NKU  26PTS 9 REB in a blowout of GB in the HorizonT. NKU plays Wright St tonight. DET /RMU in the  other semi-final matchup

March 10, 2026

After Santa Clara beat SMC in the WCCT semis, I'm guessing  the WCC gets three tickets. Zags beat the Beavers to set up tonight's final. S. Gavalyugov 23PTS, 6AST for the Broncos. 

GASO ran out of gas and fell to Troy in the SBCT. Nice game for Dowd, TROY F,

23 PTS , 13 REB , 3 AST

Wright St won  and faces DET inthe Horizon finaland. Furman  upset ETSU, the 1 seed in the Southern Conference.

March 11, 2026

Zags get the WCC ticket with a W over SC.

K. Pickett WRST had 17PTS,7REB,4BLK in the comenback win over DET for the Horizon ticket.

Sienna knocked off MERR for the MAAC ticket

Southland Semis: SFA came back late to beat TAMCC  and McNeese held up UTRGV

March 12, 2026

McNeese punches Southland ticket. Garcia scored 31in the win over SFA. Will Wade left for the NCST job and Bill Armstrong doesn't miss a beat.

Idaho beat Montans for the Big Sky ticket.

1 seed Liberty upset in the CUSA semis by M. Osei-Bonsu (31PTS8REB) and his MOST teammates

March 13, 2026

L. Bettiol for (25PTS8REB)  MASS in thee upset of MOH. Akron nipped BUFF and TOL and KENT also advance in the MAC.

M. Falslev(24PTS9REB3STL) for USU over UNLV. SDSU, NEV, and NM also advance in the MWC.

KENN beat WKU to face MOST and LT beat MTSU  to face SHSU todayin the CUSA.

Non P6 tourneys early days

ASUN: I like Lipscomb who opens against N Bama. Jacksonville and Queens won last night and face respectively, EKU and Stetson today. N.Florida faces APU.

HorizonT starts today with Oakland, the conference winner, on a bye. Northern Kentucky is notorious for good tourney runs.

March 6, 2024

ASUNT:  Lipscomb falls to UNA and EKU falls to JAC while Stetson and APU advance.

MAC: Akron falls to EMU and into a tie with Toledo for first.

MWC: UNLV beat SDSU, NEV knocked BSU, and both winners trail USU by a half game.

March 7, 2024

I. Milicic (26 PTS,10reb) for Charlotte(AAC) in a win over Rice to stay in 3rd behind FAU who beat UNT.

Richmond's win over JOES wasn't pretty but it kept them ahead of LOYCH who beat DAV(A10).

Wagner upset Sacred Heart in rd1 of the NECT.

March 8, 2024

ASUNT: Stetson & PEAY advance to the final. Swenson scored 29 for STET in a win over JAC.

Warrick scored 35 for NKU in an OT win over Wright St. Norse magic back for March.

MVC: UIC upset SIU. Murray St only scored 35 in a loss to MOSU.

March 9, 2024

Conwell scored 20 for the Sycamores in a win over MOSU and faces UNI(MVC) next. BRAD/Drake in the other semifinal game.

UALR and MHST advanced to the OVC final.

Sloppy Akron lost to WMU and is limping into the MACT.

Boise ST beats the Aztecs(5th in MWC)in OT

March 10, 2024

UNCG(Southern) went from upsetting UK to no shot at the Dance after losing to ETSU yesterday. Morehead St upset UARL to get OVC ticket.

FAU(AAC) put MEM nearly in the NIT, USF lost to Tulsa. Appy(SBC) needed OT to escape GASO.

Indiana St/Drake. Can goggle guy Avila keep it going?

Towson U beat W&M to advance in the CAAT.

March 11, 2024

 Williamson scored 18 for Towson U in a win over UNCW and faces Co C in a CAAT semi-final.

Drake gets the MVC ticket. Does INST get screwed? STET survived PEAY for the ASUN ticket.

Omaha upset NDak in a Summit semi. Will we see two Nebraska teams at the dance?

March 12, 2024

Zags beat SF and face SMC in the WCCT final. SF likely to the NIT. JMU wins SBCT, Appy likely NIT. 

Denver, with the nation’s leading scorer, Tommy Bruner, beat Omaha and faces SDAK St in the Summit final. Fidler scored 27 for Omaha.

 Towson fell to CoC, who faces Stony Brook in the CAAT final.

March 13, 2024

Mahaney (23pts) for SMC over the Zags in the WCCT final. Oakland won the HorizonT-big night for Townsend(38pts, 11reb) SDAK St won the Summitt. CofC struggled but survived Stony Brook in the CAAT final.

March 14, 2024

WACT: SFA beat AB. Tchoukuiengo (21pts, 10ast) for Cal Baptist in OT win over UVU.

CUSAT: one seed SHS beat FIU, two seed La Tech lost to MTSU

Big WestT: AMitchell(36pts,9reb, 5ast) for UCSB in a loss to CSN.

March 15, 2024.

UTA blew out SFA in the WAC. MEM and SMU are toast in the AAC. Akron won. Toledo upset by WMU in the MAC. I wonder how Nevada's loss to CSU affects Dance tickets.

March 16, 2024

Wilson scored 28 for UTA who edged Tarleton to face GCU in the WACT final.

Freeman(24pts, 21reb) for Akron who held off Ohio to face Kent St in the MACT final.

Aztecs handled Utah St 86-70. UTEP upset SHS in the CUSA. UAB,FAU, UAB, & Temple remain in the AACT.

March 17, 2024

Greg Tribble makes both free throw for Akron after getting fouled in the backcourt court with 4 seconds on the clock. AKR 62 Kent 61.

UAB and Temple in the AACT final today. Few foresaw that one.

Lobos win MWCT. GCU beat UTA in the WAC.WKU over UTEP in the CUSA.

L Traore and Thompson each scored 25 points for Long Beach St in a win over UC Davis in the Big West. Dan Monson, who was fired by LBST on Monday, gets to coach a little longer this season. 

March 18, 2024

USF(AAC) and Indiana St(MVC), regular season champs, got hosed by the Dance committee.

June 20, 2024

I'm late on this one

Eastern Washington hired Dan Monson, the coach who led Long Beach State to the Dance, to replace David Riley, who takes over at Wazzoo.

Monson's HC resume  Gonzaga, Minnesota,  & Long Beach St. LBS told him he was done after the season and he took them to the Dance.

He takes over an EWU program that has won the last two Big Sky Conference regular-season titles.

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2024/02/non-p6-hoops-2024-part-3.html