For those of you who cannot wait to see the next generation of college basketball players, you are in luck. USA Basketball announced the roster for its U-18 national team yesterday, which includes many notable incoming freshmen like 2025 U-19 gold medalist Sydney Douglas (undecided), top-25 recruit Miciah “Mimi” Fusilier (Baylor), and 2026 McDonald’s All-American Jayla “Jordyn” Jackson (Maryland). 1 player whose last name might be familiar is Bella Flemings: her older brother Kingston was an All-American at Houston last season and is projected to be a lottery pick later this month. Bella is heading to Mexico next week and try to win a gold medal, but earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with her about choosing Duke for college and cheering for her hometown San Antonio Spurs this month.
You received scholarship offers from several great schools including Baylor/Miami/TCU/Tennessee: what made you choose Duke last October? The biggest reason was Coach Kara Lawson and my relationship with her. All the girls I met during my official visit there were so high-character, and Duke also places a lot of importance on academics, so it is the perfect choice for me.
You are part of a great recruiting class including Autumn Fleary/Sanai Green/Taylor Sofilkanich: how well do you know any of your future teammates? Sanai and I played together at Overtime Select (www.overtimeselect.com) and are close, and I also played against Autumn at the McDonald’s All-American Game earlier this year.
Another 1 of your future teammates is Arianna Roberson, who you scored 47 PTS against in a 7-PT win in the state regional championship 2 years ago: do you remind her of that game every time you see her? Not every time…but I tease her about it every so often!
Last March you played for the West in the McDonald’s All-American Game: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Saniyah Hall/Kate Harpring/Jordyn Jackson/other)? Probably my teammate Lizzy Spaight: she did a great job of scoring (11 PTS) and facilitating from the PG spot.
You were also named Gatorade Texas Girls Basketball POY this spring: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It had been 1 of my goals since my freshman year, so to accomplish that as a senior after my brother Kingston accomplished it the year before showed that all my hard work was paying off.
You had 2504 PTS/1068 REB at Brennan High School while also maintaining an “A” average: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I always do my schoolwork 1st: my rule is that I cannot go out until I get my assignments done. Since I am so busy with basketball, I just try to get everything done as soon as I can rather than procrastinate.
You are listed at 6’: what position did you play in high school, and what position will you feel most comfortable at in college? I played 1 through 5 in high school: whatever my team needed me to do. At Duke I plan to play SG.
Your brother Kingston is a projected lottery pick this month: how excited is your family for draft night? My family is so excited! We are a little stressed out with all the preparation, but it is a huge accomplishment for him.
You are from San Antonio: any predictions for the NBA Finals? I believe the Spurs will win: Go Spurs Go!
Yesterday you were named to the U-18 National Team: what will it mean to you to represent your country as you try to win a gold medal in Mexico? It is the biggest honor that any athlete can dream of, and we have a special group that will try to compete for a gold medal.
The NBA Draft is scheduled to take place on June 23rd/24th and until then we will do our best to predict where everyone will get selected. Some websites do their mock drafts based on “best player available” but we try to focus on team needs: for example, if a team like Washington already has Trae Young at the 1, then they are probably not selecting a PG with the 1st overall pick. Please see our 1st round predictions below and then tweet us your comments regarding what looks good and what might need a re-pick.
#. TEAM: NAME, POSITION (SCHOOL/YEAR OR COUNTRY) 1. Washington: AJ Dybantsa, SF (BYU/FR) 2. Utah: Darryn Peterson, PG/SG (Kansas/FR) 3. Memphis: Cameron Boozer, PF (Duke/FR) 4. Chicago: Caleb Wilson, PF/C (North Carolina/FR) 5. LA Clippers: Darius Acuff Jr., PG (Arkansas/FR) 6. Brooklyn: Keaton Wagler, PG/SG (Illinois/FR) 7. Sacramento: Mikel Brown Jr., PG (Louisville/FR) 8. Atlanta: Kingston Flemings, PG (Houston/FR) 9. Dallas: Nate Ament, SF/PF (Tennessee/FR) 10. Milwaukee: Brayden Burries, PG/SG (Arizona/FR) 11. Golden State: Hannes Steinbach, PF (Washington/FR) 12. Oklahoma City: Karim Lopez, SF/PF (Mexico) 13. Miami: Labaron Philon Jr., PG (Alabama/SO) 14. Charlotte: Aday Mara, C (Michigan/JR) 15. Chicago: Yaxel Lendeborg, PF (Michigan/SR) 16. Memphis: Cameron Carr, SG (Baylor/JR) 17. Oklahoma City: Morez Johnson Jr., PF/C (Michigan/SO) 18. Charlotte: Bennett Stirtz, PG (Iowa/SR) 19. Toronto: Chris Cenac Jr., PF/C (Houston/FR) 20. San Antonio: Allen Graves, PF (Santa Clara/FR) 21. Detroit: Isaiah Evans, SG/SF (Duke/SO) 22. Philadelphia: Jayden Quaintance, PF/C (Kentucky/SO) 23. Atlanta: Dailyn Swain, SF (Texas/JR) 24. New York: Christian Anderson, PG/SG (Texas Tech/SO) 25. LA Lakers: Koa Peat, PF (Arizona/FR) 26. Denver: Joshua Jefferson, SF/PF (Iowa State/SR) 27. Boston: Henri Veesaar, C (North Carolina/JR) 28. Minnesota: Meleek Thomas, PG/SG (Arkansas/FR) 29. Cleveland: Ebuka Okorie, PG/SG (Stanford/FR) 30. Dallas: Luigi Suigo, C (Italy)
For those of you who cannot wait to see the next generation of college basketball players, you are in luck. USA Basketball announced the finalists for its U-18 national team roster last weekend, which includes many notable incoming freshmen like McDonald’s All-American Bruce Branch III (BYU), #1-ranked PG Taylen Kinney (Kansas), and consensus 5-star forward Baba Oladotun (Maryland). 1 of the players who has been rocketing up the rankings this year is Quentin Coleman, who was named Missouri Gatorade POY and won his 2nd straight state championship this spring after scoring 50 PTS in the title game. Quentin is hoping to head to Mexico next week and try to win a gold medal, but earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with him about choosing Illinois for college and being a great 3-PT shooter.
You grew up in St. Louis, as did several NBA stars including Bradley Beal/Jayson Tatum: what is the basketball scene like there? I was born in California, moved to Illinois when I was 5, and now I go to school in the St. Louis area. Seeing those names like Bradley/Jayson, as well as others like Larry Hughes Jr., has been great: they are like big brothers who I can always count on.
You led Bradley Beal Elite to a Peach Jam title last summer and won your 2nd straight state title this year at Principia School after scoring a career-high 50 PTS/18-21 FG in the title game (www.youtube.com/shorts/gKySTZ3Ryy4): what is the key to winning championships? Making winning plays and doing things that are not always seen on the stat sheet. I just do whatever it takes to win.
You shot better than 50 3P% as a senior: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? Just practicing every day and getting shots up. My dad put me on a little rim when I was a kid because he wanted to make sure that my form was right, and as I got older/stronger the hoop got higher.
Earlier this year you were named Missouri Gatorade POY/1st-team MaxPreps All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It means a lot. During my freshman year I wrote on my vision board about all the things that I wanted to accomplish…and now my dreams are becoming reality.
Why did you decommit from Wake Forest last March, and why did you decide to sign with Illinois in April? I felt like I had better opportunities elsewhere as my senior year progressed, so I wanted to expand my college options. Illinois had recruited me in the past and I saw how they were winning last spring. I wanted to go somewhere that I could win a title, and felt that Illinois was the right fit for me and my family.
You are part of a great recruiting class including Lucas Morillo/Landon Davis/Ethan Brown/Zavier Zens: how well do you know any of the other guys? I do not know them very well yet, but I look forward to making those relationships stronger in the weeks ahead after we all get to campus.
Last month you scored 12 PTS in the Jordan Brand Classic: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Bruce Branch III/Brandon McCoy Jr./Tyran Stokes/other)? I would say Colben Landrew. My high school team had a win over his team at the City of Palms Classic in Florida last December (www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIy7-eRHJaA), so it was cool to see him again…and get to brag about beating him!
The Illini are losing their starting backcourt of Kylan Boswell/Keaton Wagler but are returning several other key pieces including David Mirkovic/Tomislav Ivisic (and perhaps Andrej Stojakovic): do you think the roster has enough talent to make it back to the Final 4? That is always the plan and every team is striving for that. With the combination of returning players and new guys that are coming in, I think that we have a good shot at it.
You are listed at 6’4″: what position did you play in high school, and what position would you feel most comfortable at in college? In high school I was more of a PG who brought the ball up, but I am a combo guard who can run the 1 or 2. Wherever the coach feels I can best help the team win, that is where I will play.
Last weekend you were selected as a finalist for the USA U-18 national team: what would it mean to you to represent your country/win a gold medal? It would mean a lot. Being here is a great moment to experience and it would be amazing to make the team/win a gold medal that I would have forever.
Posted inNews and Notes|Taggedillinois, Quentin Coleman|Comments Off on Going for the Gold: HoopsHD interviews USA U-18 national team finalist Quentin Coleman
All of the auto bids have been awarded – here are the winners from yesterday:
American: East Carolina (defeated UT-San Antonio 1-0) ACC: Georgia Tech (defeated North Carolina 13-6) Atlantic 10: VCU (defeated Rhode Island 9-1) Big East: St. John’s (defeated Creighton 5-3) Big South: USC-Upstate (defeated Lipscomb 8-1) B1G: UCLA (defeated Oregon 3-2 in 11 innings) Big West: Cal Poly (defeated UC-San Diego 4-3) Coastal: Northeastern (defeated Campbell 7-4 and 3-2) Conference USA: Jacksonville State (defeated Liberty 10-0 in 7 innings) Missouri Valley: Illinois-Chicago (defeated Southern Illinois 7-2) Mountain West: Washington State (defeated San Diego State 14-4 in 7 innings) NEC: Long Island (defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 22-8 in 7 innings) Ohio Valley: Little Rock (defeated Eastern Illinois 4-3 and 10-6) SEC: Georgia (defeated Arkansas 11-1 in 7 innings) Sun Belt: Southern Miss (defeated Louisiana 11-7) SWAC: Alabama State (defeated Florida A&M 8-6)
Also note that Jacksonville State and Little Rock were the only 2 teams that survived the losers’ bracket in order to win their auto bids.
The NCAA has also announced that the following 16 schools will be host sites for the Regional round; the seeds and other at-large bids will be announced on Monday at noon on ESPN2.
Athens Regional (Georgia) Atlanta Regional (Georgia Tech) Auburn Regional (Auburn) Austin Regional (Texas) Chapel Hill Regional (North Carolina) College Station Regional (Texas A&M) Eugene Regional (Oregon) Gainesville Regional (Florida) Hattiesburg Regional (Southern Miss) Lawrence Regional (Kansas) Lincoln Regional (Nebraska) Los Angeles Regional (UCLA) Morgantown Regional (West Virginia) Starkville Regional (Mississippi State) Tallahassee Regional (Florida State) Tuscaloosa Regional (Alabama)
By conference the breakdown is 7 for the SEC, 3 for the ACC, 3 for the B1G, 2 for the Big 12 and 1 for the Sun Belt.
New to this season will be the #2 seeds in each region being ranked 17-32 on the overall S-Curve; they would only be moved if there is a conflict where the #1 and #2 seeds in each region are from the same conference (i.e. Georgia and Arkansas would not be paired in the same region).
We would like to congratulate the following teams that have clinched auto bids as of yesterday:
America East: Binghamton (defeated Maine 7-3) Atlantic Sun: Lipscomb (defeated North Alabama 5-4 in 10 innings) Big 12: Kansas (defeated West Virginia 9-0) Horizon: Milwaukee (defeated Wright State 5-4) Ivy: Yale (already clinched) Metro Atlantic: Rider (defeated Fairfield 6-1) MAC: Northern Illinois (defeated Toledo 5-1) Patriot: Holy Cross (already clinched) Southern: The Citadel (defeated Samford 3-1) Southland: Lamar (already clinched) Summit: South Dakota State (defeated Oral Roberts 9-6) West Coast: Saint Mary’s (defeated San Francisco 7-6) WAC: Tarleton (defeated Sacramento State 12-11)
And here are the other conferences to be determined today:
AMERICAN (12:00 PM, ESPNEWS)
UTSA defeated East Carolina 4-2 in the winners’ bracket; ECU defeated Wichita State 13-3 to advance to the winner-take-all championship game.
ACC (12:00 PM, ESPN2)
Pittsburgh’s Cinderella run for an auto bid ended with a 13-5 loss to North Carolina; they will take on Georgia Tech who defeated Miami 9-3.
ATLANTIC 10 (12:00 PM, ESPN+)
Today’s championship game is necessary since VCU defeated Rhode Island 18-16 to stave off elimination.
BIG EAST (9:00 AM, ESPN+)
St. John’s scored 11 runs in the 3rd and 4th innings en route to a 17-6 victory over Xavier; Creighton would eliminate the Musketeers in the nightcap with a 7-4 victory. St. John’s can clinch with one victory in the morning game; a 2nd game would start at approximately 12 PM should Creighton win the morning game.
BIG SOUTH (12:00 PM, ESPN+)
Longwood advanced to the title game against USC-Upstate with a win over Winthrop in the baseball Winwood Cup and then eliminated top-seeded High Point to advance to the championship. Upstate needs one win to clinch the auto bid; Longwood would need 2 wins to go dancing.
B1G (12:00 PM, Big 10 Network)
Top-ranked UCLA defeated USC 7-5 in the opener while Oregon beat Nebraska 8-0 in a de facto road game to advance to this afternoon’s championship game.
BIG WEST (3 PM, ESPN+)
UC-San Diego defeated Cal Poly 12-2 via mercy rule in 8 innings to force a winner-take-all championship game today.
COASTAL (1 PM, FloSports)
Northeastern won a pair of games to force a winner-take-all game; they defeated Hofstra 5-4 and then beat Campbell 7-4 in the championship round to force today’s game.
CONFERENCE USA (approx. 12 PM, CBS Sports Network)
Jacksonville State defeated Dallas Baptist 6-5 in the opener; this likely means DBU will miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013 (excluding the 2020 Covid season). Liberty leads Missouri State 6-4 in the bottom of the 6th inning before lightning suspended play for the night. That game will resume at 10 AM this morning before this afternoon’s winner-take-all championship game.
MISSOURI VALLEY (2:00 PM, ESPN+)
Illinois-Chicago advanced to the title game with a 6-0 win over Murray State; the Racers advanced from the losers’ bracket with a 9-7 win over Southern Illinois. Should a second game be necessary with a Murray State win, that game would begin at approximately 5:30 PM today.
MOUNTAIN WEST (3:00 PM, Moutain West Network)
Washington State advanced to the title game with a 14-9 victory over top seeded San Diego State; the Aztecs advanced to the title game with an 11-8 victory over Air Force in the nightcap. Wazzu needs one win for the auto bid; San Diego State can force a winner-take-all game at approximately 6 PM with a win this afternoon.
NEC (11 AM, ESPN+)
With Long Island already in the title game, Fairleigh Dickinson beat Wagner 11-10 to advance to today’s championship round. Long Island needs one win for the auto bid; a second winner-take-all game would start at 2:30 PM should FDU win in the morning game.
OHIO VALLEY (1 PM, ESPN+)
The Little Roccos made today’s game necessary with a win against top-seeded SIU-E in the losers’ bracket along with a 3-2 win in 10 innings against Eastern Illinois in the first leg of the championship round.
SEC (2:00 PM, ABC)
Both Georgia and Arkansas won to advance to today’s title game; this all but assures that the Razorbacks will likely be one of the 16 host sites in the NCAA Tournament now.
SUN BELT (SEMIFINAL 10 AM ESPN+/CHAMPIONSHIP 2 PM ESPN+)
Louisiana advanced to the winner-take-all championship game the hard way with 12-6 and 7-4 wins against Texas State; they await the second semifinal between Troy and Southern Miss after the Trojans defeated USM 9-6 that forced the winner-take-all semifinal in the top bracket. The Sun Belt will be assured of 3 bids with Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina safely in the field at this point.
SWAC (2:00 PM, SWAC TV)
Alabama State and Florida A&M both won yesterday to advance to today’s winner-take-all championship game in Birmingham.
The number of auto bids will start to really crank up today; here’s a summary of where things stand after last night’s games:
AMERICA EAST (CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) – ESPN+
Binghamton clinched the first spot in the championship game with a win over Maine and are one win away from the America East title. Maine survived with a win against UMBC and must win twice today if they are to win the title.
AMERICAN (SEMIFINAL ROUND) – ESPN+
UTSA and East Carolina will square off in the first game today to determine the first spot in the winner-take-all championship game tomorrow. The loser will take on the winner of the UAB/Wichita State elimination game; both elimination games will take place later this afternoon.
ACC (SEMIFINAL ROUND) – ACC Network
Pitt continues to be the story of this tournament; they had a late comeback to defeat Florida State 8-6 last night. They will play North Carolina today while Georgia Tech takes on Miami in the first semifinal game.
ATLANTIC SUN (CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) – ESPN+
Lipscomb outlasted North Alabama with a 4-3 victory in 14 innings; they await the winner of this morning’s North Alabama-Florida Gulf Coast winner in the championship game(s) this afternoon. Either the Lions or the Eagles would have to win 3 games today to end up as the A-Sun champion.
ATLANTIC 10 (CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) – ESPN+
The festivities began with VCU surviving against Richmond in the completion of Thursday’s suspended game. George Mason eliminated Richmond in the losers’ bracket before they themselves lost to top-seeded Saint Joe’s in the next elimination round. With Rhode Island beating VCU to earn a spot into the championship round, VCU will play Saint Joe’s for the second spot into the championship game.
BIG EAST (SEMIFINAL ROUND) – ESPN+
Mother Nature wiped out the St. John’s/Xavier game yesterday; that has been rescheduled for a 2 PM start today. The winner advances to the championship tomorrow; the loser will play Creighton no earlier than 6 PM earlier today to clinch the second spot in the Big East Championship Round.
BIG SOUTH (SEMIFINAL ROUND) – ESPN+
The first semifinal will pit High Point against USC-Upstate at 9 AM this morning. In the loser’s bracket, we get the Winwood Cup between Winthrop and Longwood at approximately 1 PM. The winner there will play the High Point/Upstate loser at approximately 5 PM for the second spot in the Big South championship round.
B1G (SEMIFINAL ROUND) – B1G Network
3 of the 4 scheduled quarterfinal games were completed yesterday; top-ranked UCLA had to come back in the late innings to defeat Purdue (and effectively eliminating all the legacy Big 10 teams) to advance to the semifinal round. USC and Nebraska also won; the quarterfinal round will be done when Oregon and Washington play each other at 11 AM this morning. The semifinal games will begin no sooner than 3 PM.
BIG TWELVE (CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) – ESPN2
While chalk has held, we still get a Kansas/West Virginia matchup in the title game that no one would have seen coming at the beginning of the year.
BIG WEST (SEMIFINAL AND CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS) – ESPN+
Cal Poly beat top-seeded UC-Santa Barbara 4-2 to advance to the Big West championship. The Gauchos will need to beat UC-San Diego if they are to advance to the championship round. Cal Poly can wrap up the title with a win tonight; the UCSB/UCSD winner would need to force a winner-take-all game tomorrow if they are to win the Big West.
COASTAL (SEMIFINAL AND CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS) – FloSports
Campbell and Hofstra will square off in the winner’s bracket for the first spot into the championship round. The loser of that game will play Northeastern for the second spot into the championship. The Campbell/Hofstra winner can wrap up the title tonight with a win, but a winner-take-all game would be played tomorrow if necessary.
CONFERENCE USA (SEMIFINAL ROUND) – ESPN+
Jacksonville State, Liberty and Missouri State each won their respective pools with 2-0 records and will advance to the single-elimination semifinals today. Dallas Baptist will be the #4 seed by virtue of being the best 1-1 team in pool play.
HORIZON LEAGUE (SEMIFINAL AND CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) – ESPN+
Milwaukee upset top-seeded Wright State with a rain-soaked 2-1 win in the morning before rain postponed a scheduled elimination game between Wright State and Oakland. The winner will play Milwaukee in the championship round; game times have yet to be announced.
METRO ATLANTIC (CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) – ESPN+
Rider defeated Fairfield to advance to the championship and are 1 win away from the MAAC auto bid. Fairfield eliminated Niagara in the nightcap and will need to beat Rider twice if they are to win the auto bid.
MID AMERICAN (SEMIFINAL AND CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS) – ESPN+
Kent State survived two games in the elimination bracket with wins over Mother Miami and Western Michigan; they need to beat Toledo to advance to the championship round while fighting to avoid potentially needing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Waiting in the wings is Northern Illinois; the Huskies are already in the championship round with their win over Toledo earlier in the day.
MISSOURI VALLEY (SEMIFINAL ROUND) – ESPN+
Illinois-Chicago and Murray State will play at noon for the first spot into the championship game; the loser will play the winner of the Indiana State/Southern Illinois elimination game later in the evening.
MOUNTAIN WEST (SEMIFINAL ROUND) – Mountain West Network
San Diego State and Washington State won their opening games to advance to the semifinal round; the winner advances to the championship round while the loser plays the winner of the Air Force/New Mexico elimination game in the nightcap.
NEC (SEMIFINAL AND CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS) – ESPN+
With Le Moyne having been eliminated, the auto bid will be up for grabs in the championship round today. Long Island defeated Fairleigh Dickinson to clinch the first spot in the championship. FDU will play Wagner in an elimination game this morning to determine the second spot in the championship game to be played later today. If a second championship game is needed, that will be played tomorrow.
OHIO VALLEY (SEMIFINAL AND CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS) – ESPN+
Eastern Illinois outlasted SIU-Edwardsville 3-2 in 10 innings to advance to the championship round. SIUE will play Little Rock in an elimination game in the morning to see who clinches the spot into the championship game round. Should a second championship game be necessary, that will be played tomorrow.
SEC (SEMIFINAL ROUND) – SEC Network
Both teams from the state of Texas were one-and-done in Birmingham; Arkansas and Auburn both won to advance to the semifinals where they will play each other in today’s second game. Georgia and Florida will face off in the first semifinal game.
SOUTHERN (CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) – ESPNU
The Citadel and Samford advanced to tonight’s winner-take-all game in the SoCon; this means that a bid thief will now emerge with the auto bid. Mercer will be sweating through Selection Monday in the hopes that their bid won’t be the one that’s stolen.
SOUTHLAND
Lamar will make their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 years after defeating McNeese 2-1 to clinch the auto bid for the Southland conference.
SUMMIT LEAGUE (CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) – Summit League Network
Oral Roberts defeated Northern Colorado in the losers’ bracket yesterday to advance to the championship series this afternoon. ORU would need two wins to win the auto bid, but South Dakota State needs only one more win to claim the Summit League crown.
SUN BELT (SEMIFINAL ROUND) – ESPN+
In the top bracket, Southern Miss will play the winner of the Troy/South Alabama game for a spot in tomorrow’s winner-take-all championship game. In the bottom bracket, Texas State needs one win against Louisiana (who would need two wins against TSU) to advance to the championship tomorrow. Texas State is on the bubble for an at-large, so there are definitely higher stakes for them this weekend while Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina (already eliminated) are safely in the NCAA Tournament field.
SWAC (SEMIFINAL ROUND) – SWAC TV
In the top bracket, Alabama State will play the winner of the Arkansas-Pine Bluff/Bethune-Cookman elimination game and needs one more win to advance to the winner-take-all SWAC championship game. In the bottom bracket, Florida A&M will play Southern in the semifinals; FAMU needs one win to advance while Southern needs two wins to advance to the championship game.
WEST COAST (CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) – ESPNU
Saint Mary’s defeated Pacific to clinch the first spot in the championship round; they will take on San Francisco who eliminated Pacific from the tournament. The Gaels need one win for the auto bid; USF would need two wins to clinch the auto bid. Game 1 will be on ESPNU, but should a second game be needed, that game will be on ESPN+.
WAC (CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) – ESPN+
Tarleton defeated California Baptist 5-3 to advance to the championship round; Sacramento State won two elimination games against Utah Tech and California Baptist to advance to the championship. Tarleton needs one win for the auto bid; Sacramento State needs two wins in what will be the final event hosted by the WAC.
Hoops HD Hardball Championship Week – Sunday Edition
All of the auto bids have been awarded – here are the winners from yesterday:
American: East Carolina (defeated UT-San Antonio 1-0)
ACC: Georgia Tech (defeated North Carolina 13-6)
Atlantic 10: VCU (defeated Rhode Island 9-1)
Big East: St. John’s (defeated Creighton 5-3)
Big South: USC-Upstate (defeated Lipscomb 8-1)
B1G: UCLA (defeated Oregon 3-2 in 11 innings)
Big West: Cal Poly (defeated UC-San Diego 4-3)
Coastal: Northeastern (defeated Campbell 7-4 and 3-2)
Conference USA: Jacksonville State (defeated Liberty 10-0 in 7 innings)
Missouri Valley: Illinois-Chicago (defeated Southern Illinois 7-2)
Mountain West: Washington State (defeated San Diego State 14-4 in 7 innings)
NEC: Long Island (defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 22-8 in 7 innings)
Ohio Valley: Little Rock (defeated Eastern Illinois 4-3 and 10-6)
SEC: Georgia (defeated Arkansas 11-1 in 7 innings)
Sun Belt: Southern Miss (defeated Louisiana 11-7)
SWAC: Alabama State (defeated Florida A&M 8-6)
Also note that Jacksonville State and Little Rock were the only 2 teams that survived the losers’ bracket in order to win their auto bids.
The NCAA has also announced that the following 16 schools will be host sites for the Regional round; the seeds and other at-large bids will be announced on Monday at noon on ESPN2.
Athens Regional (Georgia)
Atlanta Regional (Georgia Tech)
Auburn Regional (Auburn)
Austin Regional (Texas)
Chapel Hill Regional (North Carolina)
College Station Regional (Texas A&M)
Eugene Regional (Oregon)
Gainesville Regional (Florida)
Hattiesburg Regional (Southern Miss)
Lawrence Regional (Kansas)
Lincoln Regional (Nebraska)
Los Angeles Regional (UCLA)
Morgantown Regional (West Virginia)
Starkville Regional (Mississippi State)
Tallahassee Regional (Florida State)
Tuscaloosa Regional (Alabama)
By conference the breakdown is 7 for the SEC, 3 for the ACC, 3 for the B1G, 2 for the Big 12 and 1 for the Sun Belt.
New to this season will be the #2 seeds in each region being ranked 17-32 on the overall S-Curve; they would only be moved if there is a conflict where the #1 and #2 seeds in each region are from the same conference (i.e. Georgia and Arkansas would not be paired in the same region).