NCAA Basketball: MAC Conference Tournament Championship-Akron vs Miami
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The hours leading up to Sunday's NCAA Tournament selection show on CBS are going to be packed with drama and intrigue as the final conference tournament champions are crowned in the build-up to the 68-team bracket reveal. 

Bubble teams across college basketball will be rooting for No. 1 seed Memphis to beat No. 3 seed UAB in the AAC Tournament final so that the Blazers don't become a bid thief. If the Tigers win, the AAC will be a one-bid league, but a UAB victory would double that number and knock an at-large candidate out of the field.

VCU could have a case for NCAA Tournament inclusion even if the top-seeded Rams lose to No. 2 seed George Mason in the A10 Tournament title game. But VCU can take matters into its own hands with a conference tournament crown. In the Ivy League, No. 1 seed Yale will play No. 2 seed Cornell as the Bulldogs seek their third victory over the Big Red.

A couple of high-major conferences will also be in action as the Big Ten and SEC crown champions. No. 2 seed Florida and No. 4 seed Tennessee will tangle in the SEC Tournament title game, and No. 2 seed Maryland will take on No. 3 seed Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament championship.

A "bid thief" emerged on Saturday as No. 2 seed Colorado State topped No. 5 seed Boise State to win the Mountain West Tournament. With the victory, the Rams clinched an automatic bid to  the NCAA Tournament after they entered the day on the wrong side of the bubble in Jerry Palm's Bracketology.

It's possible Colorado State may have stolen a bid from a member of its own league as Mountain West bubble teams Boise State and San Diego State will be sweating it out leading up to Sunday's Selection Show on CBS. New Mexico and Utah State are regarded as safely in the Big Dance field by Palm.

With Colorado State punching its ticket, the league is on track to get a minimum of three teams in the field. But that number could rise to five if both Boise State and San Diego State make the cut. Palm projected after the Mountain West Tournament title game that the Broncos will remain in the field as the last team in and that San Diego State will make it as well.

The Mountain West Tournament title game was just one of several in the works on Saturday during a loaded slate of conference tournament action.

No. 1 seed Akron rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to edge No. 2 seed Miami (Ohio) 76-74 in a MAC Tournament final that featured a dramatic ending. Nate Johnson clinched it for the Zips with a transition lay-up with 2.3 seconds remaining before a desperation heave from the Redhawks that was off the mark. It was a bittersweet win for Zips coach John Groce, who took down his brother, Travis Steele, on the opposing sideline as their mother watched on.

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

Sunday's conference tournament scores

2025 conference tournaments/champions

Conference Location Dates Championship game / Tournament champion
ACCCharlotte, North CarolinaMarch 11-15Duke (31-3)
America EastCampus sites March 8,11,15Bryant (23-11)
AmericanFort Worth, TexasMarch 12-16Sun., Mar. 16, 3:15 p.m. | ESPN
ASUNCampus sitesMarch 2,3,6,9 Lipscomb (25-9)
Atlantic 10Washington D.C.March 12-16Sun., Mar. 16, 1 p.m. | CBS
Big 12Kansas CityMarch 11-15Houston (30-4)
Big EastNew York CityMarch 12-15St. John's (30-4)
Big SkyBoise, IdahoMarch 8-12Montana (25-9)
Big SouthJohnson City, TennesseeMarch 5,7-9 High Point (29-5)
Big TenIndianapolisMarch 12-16Sun., Mar. 16, 3:30 p.m. | CBS
Big WestHenderson, NevadaMarch 12-15UC San Diego (30-4)
Coastal AthleticWashington D.C.March 7-11UNCW (27-7)
Conference USAHuntsville, AlabamaMarch 11-15Liberty (28-6)
Horizon LeagueCampus sitesMarch 4,6,10,11Robert Morris (25-8)
IvyProvidence, Rhode IslandMarch 15-16Sun., Mar. 16, 12 p.m. | ESPN2
MAACAtlantic City, New JerseyMarch 11-15Mount St. Mary's (22-12)
MACClevelandMarch 13-15Akron (28-6)
MEACNorfolk, VirginiaMarch 12-15Norfolk State (24-10)
Missouri ValleySt. LouisMarch 6-9 Drake (30-3)
Mountain WestLas VegasMarch 12-15Colorado State (25-9)
NortheastCampus sitesMarch 5,8.11Saint Francis (15-17)
Ohio ValleyEvansville, IndianaMarch 5-8 SIUE (22-11)
PatriotCampus sitesMarch 4,6,9,12American (22-12)
SECNashvilleMarch 12-16Sun., Mar. 16, 1 p.m. | ESPN
SouthernAsheville, North CarolinaMarch 7-10 Wofford (19-15)
SouthlandLake Charles, LouisianaMarch 9-12McNeese (27-6)
SummitSioux Falls, South DakotaMarch 5-9 Omaha (22-12)
Sun BeltPensacola, FloridaMarch 4-10 Troy (23-10)
SWACAtlantaMarch 11-15Alabama State (19-15)
WACSt. George, Utah / Las VegasMarch 11-15Grand Canyon (26-7)
WCCLas VegasMarch 6-11Gonzaga (25-8)