2025 March Madness, conference tournament scores, automatic bids: Drake, High Point, Lipscomb make Big Dance

Drake is dancing its way into March Madness for a third consecutive year after defeating Bradley 63-48 on Sunday in the MVC Tournament championship game and earning the conference’s NCAA Tournament automatic bid. The 30-win Bulldogs may have been in the field regardless of Sunday’s outcome as an at-large team but left no doubt with a dazzling defensive performance in the victory.

Drake advanced to the Big Dance each of the last two years under coach Darian DeVries, who left last offseason for West Virginia, and is advancing to the tourney this year led by first-year coach Ben McCollum. McCollum was tabbed as DeVries’ successor after a wildly successful stint at the Division II level and he has made an immediate impact at the Division I level, helping the Bulldogs to a program-record 30 wins while earning the school’s eighth NCAA Tournament appearance to boot. 

Omaha wins Summit tourney a day winning AQ

Omaha won the Summit League Tournament title Sunday, but the victory may have been anticlimactic after the Mavericks assured themselves of a spot in NCAA Tournament late Saturday. 

Omaha’s 85-75 victory vs. St. Thomas to win the Summit League crown came a day after the No. 1 seed Mavericks were awarded the league’s automatic bid to the Big Dance because the No. 2 seed Tommies are in the final season of their four-year transition period from Division III to Division I. Due to NCAA rules, St.. Thomas won’t be eligible for the Big Dance until next season, which cleared the path for Omaha to earn its first-ever Big Dance appearance even if it had lost in the conference tournament title game.

Lipscomb wins ASUN Tournament

Lipscomb secured its spot in the 2025 NCAA Tournament with a 76-65 win over North Alabama in the ASUN Tournament title game to claim the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bisons shared the regular-season conference title with the Lions after splitting the regular-season series but bested them when it mattered most.

It marks the second NCAA Tournament appearance for Lipscomb in program history and first since 2018, when it fell in the first round as a No. 15 seed to No. 2 seed North Carolina. Led by sixth-year coach Lennie Acuff, the team has the second-most wins in a single-season in school history and lurks as a potential Cinderella threat entering March Madness.  

High Point reaches first Big Dance

High Point is dancing its way into the NCAA Tournament for the first time as a Division I member after erasing a 15-point second-half deficit and defeating Winthrop 81-69 in the Big South Tournament championship game. The Panthers punched their ticket to the Big Dance for the first time after transitioning to Division I in 1999-2000.

Second-year coach Alan Huss led the Panthers to the regular-season Big South title to help them earn the No. 1 seed in the bracket. They defeated Gardner-Webb, Radford and Winthrop in the tourney. High Point  will move into the NCAA Tournament bracket riding a 14-game winning streak that dates back to mid-January.  

SportsLine conference tournament odds, picks: Proven experts share best bets for every tourney 

Sunday’s conference tournament scores

2025 conference tournaments