In a remarkable display of resilience, East Tennessee State (ETSU) (19-15), ranked No. 7, staged a dramatic comeback against Chattanooga, overcoming a 20-point deficit with less than 14 minutes remaining to send the game to overtime, thanks to a last-second layup by Quimari Peterson. This victory sets up a Southern Conference (SoCon) title game showdown with No. 1 Samford (28-5), scheduled for Monday at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN. Both teams are vying for their first NCAA Tournament bids in years, with ETSU last participating in 2017 and Samford in 2000. Meanwhile, in the Sun Belt Conference, James Madison (30-3) secured its place in the championship game, aiming for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013. The Dukes, boasting the nation's longest active winning streak at 13 games and the most wins in the country at 31, defeated Arkansas State (18-15) to claim the Sun Belt championship. Mark Byington, James Madison's coach, has led the team to a historic season, including a notable victory over Michigan State.
James Madison wins the Sun Belt championship 🏆 https://t.co/t6tChMfP0x
JMU beats Arkansas State to win the Sun Belt championship and advance to the NCAA tournament. Dukes have 31 wins and are going to be a nightmare for someone. BUT... Mark Byington is going to be one of the hottest names for coaching hires and JMU doesn't have a new AD hired yet.
JAMES MADISON. DANCING. There will be no need for a bubble debate about James Madison this week. The Dukes dominate Arkansas State. Mark Byington's team has the most wins in the country (31) & will take the nation's longest active winning streak (13) into the NCAA tournament.
Mark Byington leads JMU to its first NCAA tourney appearance since 2013 by winning the Sun Belt tourney. The Dukes (30-3) started the season with a road win over Michigan State and get a resounding victory over Arkansas State in the title game. Xavier Brown with 21 and 10 and…
Here at SoCon title game in Asheville. No. 7 ETSU trying to be Cinderella and beat No. 1 Samford. ETSU first-year coach Brooks Savage told me the bus wouldn’t start and the team had to carpool to arena. https://t.co/xH0PqFeI7M
TODAY’S COMPLETE SLATE: * Odds presented by @BetMGM CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES: SOCON (Asheville) No. 1 Samford (-10.5) vs. No. 7 ETSU, 7 (ESPN2) SUN BELT (Pensacola) No. 2 JMU (-6.5) vs. No. 4 Arkansas State, 7 (ESPN) SEMIFINALS: WCC (Vegas) No. 1 Saint Mary’s (-9.5) vs. No. 4…
JMU advances to the Sun Belt championship! https://t.co/rdcZKoRg7n
SUN BELT FINALS: Arkansas State (18-15) vs. James Madison (30-3) Monday 7:00 ET ESPN2 What’s At Stake: - A-State’s first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 1999. - James Madison’s first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2013. https://t.co/RJIc2BvbcY
SoCon championship game: No. 1 Samford vs. No. 7 East Tennessee State. Incredible comeback by the Bucs.
SoCon Final: ETSU (19-15) vs. Samford (28-5) Monday 7:00 ET ESPN What’s at Stake: - ETSU’s first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2017. - Samford’s first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2000. https://t.co/Ps5yNIFpyZ
East Tennessee State trailed Chattanooga by 20 with less than 14 minutes left -- and just sent the game to overtime on a Quimari Peterson layup with one second left. Winner gets Samford in the SoCon title game.