SIU Edwardsville clinched the first automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Saturday, as the No. 2 seed Cougars toppled No. 1 seed Southeast Missouri State in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship game. It is SIUE’s first appearance in the Big Dance during its 17 years at the Division I level.
Southeast Missouri State was seeking to make its second NCAA Tournament appearance of the past three seasons after winning both meetings with SIUE en route to a regular season title. But the Redhawks couldn’t overcome an abysmal shooting night as they finished just 3 of 24 from beyond the arc.
Ray’Sean Taylor led SIUE with 20 points as he became the program’s all-time scoring leader during the game. He hit 13 of 16 free throws, led the Cougars with four assists and tied a team-high with seven rebounds.
The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion will be crowned Sunday when No. 1 seed Drake and No. 2 seed Bradley square off with a spot in the NCAA Tournament on the line. The teams split their regular season series and will be settling the score with a high-stakes showdown on CBS.
Both had to overcome double-digit deficits in the semifinals to reach this point. Drake trailed No. 4 seed Belmont by 12 before roaring back with a 36-20 edge in the second half to beat the Bruins 57-50. Bradley rallied from an 11-point deficit to edge No. 11 seed Valparaiso 70-65.
Elsewhere, No. 1 seed High Point will take on No. 3 seed Winthrop in the Big South Tournament final, and No. 1 seed Lipscomb will host No. 2 seed North Alabama in the ASUN Tournament title game. The Summit League will also crown a tournament champion Sunday as the postseason continues heating up.
SportsLine conference tournament odds, picks: Proven experts share best bets for every tourney
Saturday’s conference tournament scoreboard
2025 conference tournaments
| Conference | Location | Dates | Championship game / Tournament champion |
| ACC | Charlotte, North Carolina | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| America East | Campus sites | March 8,11,15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 11 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| American | Fort Worth, Texas | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 3:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| ASUN | Campus sites | March 2,3,6,9 | Sun., Mar. 9, 2 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Atlantic 10 | Washington D.C. | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 1 p.m. | CBS |
| Big 12 | Kansas City | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Big East | New York City | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 6:30 p.m. | Fox |
| Big Sky | Boise, Idaho | March 8-12 | Wed., Mar. 12, 11:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Big South | Johnson City, Tennessee | March 5,7-9 | Sun., Mar. 9, 12 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Big Ten | Indianapolis | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 3:30 p.m. | CBS |
| Big West | Henderson, Nevada | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 9:40 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Coastal Athletic | Washington D.C. | March 7-11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 7 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Conference USA | Huntsville, Alabama | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 8:30 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Horizon League | Campus sites | March 4,6,10,11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Ivy | Providence, Rhode Island | March 15-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 12 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| MAAC | Atlantic City, New Jersey | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU |
| MAC | Cleveland | March 13-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 7:40 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| MEAC | Norfolk, Virginia | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 1 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Missouri Valley | St. Louis | March 6-9 | Sun., Mar. 9, 2:10 p.m. | CBS |
| Mountain West | Las Vegas | March 12-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 6 p.m. | CBS |
| Northeast | Campus sites | March 5,8.11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Ohio Valley | Evansville, Indiana | March 5-8 | SIUE (22-11) |
| Patriot | Campus sites | March 4,6,9,12 | Wed., Mar. 12, 7 p.m. | CBSSN |
| SEC | Nashville | March 12-16 | Sun., Mar. 16, 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Southern | Asheville, North Carolina | March 7-10 | Mon., Mar. 10, 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Southland | Lake Charles, Louisiana | March 9-12 | Wed., Mar. 12, 5 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Summit | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | March 5-9 | Sun., Mar. 9, 9 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Sun Belt | Pensacola, Florida | March 4-10 | Mon., Mar. 10, 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| SWAC | Atlanta | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 9:30 p.m. | ESPNU |
| WAC | St. George, Utah / Las Vegas | March 11-15 | Sat., Mar. 15, 11:40 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| WCC | Las Vegas | March 6-11 | Tue., Mar. 11, 9 p.m. | ESPN |
