Tournament notes

Historic story of the wek: Bellarmine won the Atlantic Sun tournament title, but can’t take the conference’s automatic bid. As a fledgling Division I member, it is ineligible for the NCAA tournament. Regular-season champ Jacksonville State thus takes the bid. According to ESPN, it is the first time in 25 years that a team won a conference tournament and won’t play in the big tournament. … Western Pennsylvania has no teams in the men’s tournament. But there will be at least four players with local ties: Colgate’s Nelly Cummings (Lincoln Park), Purdue’s Ethan Morton (Butler), North Carolina’s Puff Johnson (Moon) and Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe (Kennedy Catholic). … Despite its loss in the Big 12 semifinals Friday, Jamie Dixon likely has TCU (20-12) back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018 and only the second time since 1998. … This is Dixon’s fifth 20-win season since leaving Pitt for his alma mater in 2016. … ADding insult to Duquesne’s season: Transfer Sincere Carry was named MAC player of the year for Kent State. … A streak that amazes: Gonzaga played in the West Coast Conference championship for the 25th consecutive year. … Just as amazing: By losing to Duke in the ACC quarterfinals Thursday, Syracuse finished it’s season 16-17 – Jim Boeheim’s first losing season in 46 years as head coach. One in 46 years! ... Iowa’s 112 points against Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament Thursday were were the most points scored by a school in a non-OT conference tournament game since Alabama A&M scored 114 in 2002, according to Elias Sports Bureau.