NCAA tournament scramble

Pac- 12 leads Bracketbusters’ winners

The weekend’s Bracketbusters games, ESPN’S annual midmajor college basketball showcases, won’t make or break any teams’ NCAA tournament hopes. But there definitely were big- picture winners and losers, including teams that didn’t participate.

Winners

Pac- 12 Conference: Desperately trying to avoid going without an at- large bid to the NCAA tournament, the league got a lift from losses by Long Beach State and Davidson, which missed chances to strengthen their at- large candidacies against Creighton and Wichita State. California, at 22- 6 overall, and Washington, 19- 8, top the Pac- 12 at 12- 3.

Creighton: The last- second victory at home against Long Beach State helps offset its recent three- game losing streak. Plus, its Ratings Percentage Index number— which takes into account opponents’ opponents — gets a little more lift from Long Beach State’s non- conference schedule, one of the nation’s toughest.

Murray State: The emphatic home victory against Saint Mary’s further legitimizes the Racers’ 26- 1 record, and they got more help when San Francisco, a team they beat, upset Gonzaga. With two regular- season games and the Ohio Valley Conference tournament left, it’s hard to see the Racers not getting to at least 28 wins. They could be 30- 1 going into the NCAA tournament, which might earn a top- four seeding.

Colonial Athletic Association: The league’s top four teams— Drexel, George Mason, Virginia Commonwealth and Old Dominion— won. Drexel, George Mason and VCU each have 23 wins, so Drexel and either George Mason or VCU ( who meet this Saturday) can get to 27 wins without winning the CAA tournament. Only one eligible team with more than 26 wins has missed the NCAA tournament since 1985: last season’s 28- 5 Coastal Carolina team.

Losers

Long Beach State: The 49ers led Creighton by eight points with about five minutes to play but couldn’t close what could have been a key victory as the team hopes for an at- large bid. Long Beach State also lost at San Diego State in overtime, at Kansas by eight and at North Carolina by six. Their win at Pittsburgh in mid- November might not be enough.

Valparaiso and Cleveland State: Horizon League leader Valpo lost at Loyola Marymount, and secondplace Cleveland State lost at home to Drexel. The losses are worsened because Valpo has lost two of three and Cleveland State four in a row.

Butler, which has made consecutive NCAA title games, is tied with Detroit for third in the Horizon and beat Indiana State for its fourth win in a row. Detroit beat James Madison for its fifth in a row. Detroit plays Cleveland State on Thursday, and Butler meets Valpo in its regularseason finale Friday. But the Horizon champion will be the league’s lone NCAA tournament team.

By Matt Ryerson, US Presswire Rising stock: Creighton center Gregory Echenique lets out a scream during the Bluejays’ 81- 79 win against Long Beach State on Saturday. The game was a centerpiece of Bracketbusters, ESPN’S midmajor showcase.

By Stephen Lance Dennee, AP Skidding: Saint Mary’s, led by guard Matthew Dellavedova, center, lost to Murray State on Saturday, failing to boost its NCAA at- large résumé.