MEAC TOURNAMENT: N.C. Central opens with win over UMES

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina — A tough-minded N.C. Central team beat a bigger Maryland Eastern Shore squad 60-43 on Tuesday in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum to grab its first postseason Division I victory. “It’s our first MEAC Tournament win,” NCCU coach LeVelle Moton said.

NCCU rejoined the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in September. The school was a founding member of the league in the early 1970s before leaving in 1979 to join the NCAA Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association when the MEAC moved to Division I.  The Eagles hadn’t played an official postseason game since 2007 when they were in the CIAA. In years past, NCCU would play in a “bonus game” that took place during the MEAC Tournament as a form of postseason play.

“The previous years, my job has been quite difficult, because I had to get these men prepared to play an exhibition game, and you know how difficult that can be when the rest of their peers are on spring break,” Moton said. “Their mind was in Daytona, and their feet and their bodies were here.”

The win by fifth-seeded NCCU against 12th-seeded UMES was real and it mattered, sending the Eagles to the second round of the MEAC Tournament on Thursday against fourth-seeded Bethune-Cookman (8 p.m., nccueaglepride.com).

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Tennessee State Tigers Officially Take Sergeant York Trophy

Ed Temple and Coach Rod Reed receives the Sergeant York Trophy
on behalf of TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Tennessee State football coach Rod Reed recently accepted the Sergeant York Trophy award at the 14th annual Pepsi Celebration of Champions presented by Kroger last month.

The Tigers claimed the trophy presented by the Tennessee Governor's Highway Safety Office for the third time since its inception in 2007. TSU has won the trophy the most since it began five years ago.

The Sergeant York Trophy goes to the winner of the quadrangular season football series between the four Ohio Valley Conference schools located in the state of Tennessee - Austin Peay State University, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University and the University of Tennessee at Martin.

It is only the second traveling trophy that involves more than two teams in college sports; the other is the Commander in Chief's Trophy which has been contested between Air Force, Army and Navy annually since 1972.

The award is named in honor of Alvin C. York, the most noted Soldier of World War I. As a corporal in the 2nd battalion, 328th Infantry, in the Battle of the Meuse River-Argonne (Oct. 8, 1918), York and seven other soldiers captured 132 prisoners, was promoted to sergeant and received the Distinguished Service Cross, the French Croix de Guerre, the French Legion of Honor, the Croce di Guerra of Italy and the War Medal of Montenegro. Upon his return to the United States in 1919, he was bestowed the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The award is only the second traveling trophy that involves more than two teams in college sports; the other is the Commander in Chief's Trophy which has been contested between Air Force, Army and Navy annually since 1972.

Last season, the Tigers finished the season 5-6 overall and 4-4 overall - placing fifth, which was higher than the projected eighth place in the preseason.

TSU defeated No. 25 Tennessee Tech (42-40) and UT Martin (35-30) to claim a tie with Tennessee Tech. The Big Blue retained the trophy after winning the head-to-head game with the OVC co-Champion Golden Eagles earlier in the year.

Legendary TSU Track & Field Coach Ed Temple presented the award to Coach Reed at the banquet held in Nashville.

The Tigers begin spring practice on Monday, March 19. TSU will play in the annual Blue & White game on Saturday, April 14 at 2 p.m.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
VISIT: TSUTIGERS.COM

Texas Southern Women Surprise Jackson State in SWAC Quarterfinals

GARLAND, Texas - Kayla West and Morgan Simmons combined for 33 points as Texas Southern upset Jackson State in the first round of the SWAC women's tournament at Special Events Center in Garland, Texas Tuesday.  The Lady Tigers were only 4-25 entering the tournament, but now move on to Wednesday's quarterfinals against top-seeded Mississippi Valley State at 5:30 p.m.

West led all players with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Simmons poured in another 16 points.Jackson State (11-18) led 23-18 at the half, only to see West and Simmons scored six quick points to help TSU take a 26-24 lead.

JSU responded with scoring from Takeya Felder, Tiffany Kellum and Jasmine Greer to retake the lead, 38-33, with 6:34 left. Texas Southern battled back, with West hitting a three-pointer to put the Lady Tigers up 44-42 with 1:24 to play.

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Coppin, Morgan, UMES men ousted in MEAC 1st round

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina - Yannick Crowder put Florida A&M ahead with a tip-in with 27.6 seconds to play and Avery Moore added two free throws with 8.6 seconds left as the Rattlers held off Coppin State, 74-72, in the opening round of theMid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament Tuesday at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Coppin State (14-16) took a 71-70 lead with 46.3 seconds to play when Logan Wiens drilled a 3-pointer.

Crowder put the Rattlers (9-22) ahead to stay at 72-71 with a tip-in with 27.6 seconds left.

The Eagles turned the ball over on their next possession and were forced to foul Moore with 8.6 seconds left in the game.

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Hall of Fame summons Virginia Union's Robbins

Dave Robbins joins distinguished 2012 HOF Class that includes Earl Monroe (WSSU), Willis Reed (Grambling State), Patrick Ewing (Georgetown), Phil Ford (North Carolina) and others.

RICHMOND, Virginia - When Dave Robbins is congratulated on an achievement, he always deflects the praise onto others. Robbins spent 30 years as the men's basketball coach at Virginia Union University. He won three national championships, 13 CIAA championships and had a career record of 713-194.

For all those accomplishments, Robbins has been selected for membership in the National College Basketball Hall of Fame.

"I get the reward, but I had a lot of help along the way," Robbins said. "Good presidents, great assistants, and the kids I coached are the reasons you win. "Any coach who thinks it's not about the players is sadly mistaken, and I had some great ones."


(WWBT) Virginia Union University's legendary men's basketball coach Dave Robbins to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Virginia Union and Robbins, 69, blazed a trail together in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Robbins was the first white coach in the CIAA, which is composed of historically black colleges and universities.

"I met a lot of nice people," Robbins said. "I never had an unkind word said to me at all the schools where we played. People always were respectful."

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CIAA tournament security head abruptly fired

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The CIAA tournament has enjoyed a highly successful run in Charlotte. But there was some drama behind the scenes, and a man hired to be the head of the tournament’s security believes he was the victim of it.  "Six years ago Commissioner Leon Kerry hired me to take over security for the CIAA," said Bobby Rankin.

Last Thursday Rankin’s tenure abruptly came to an end. While he was hired by longtime Commissioner Leon Kerry, he was fired by interim Commissioner Peggy Davis.

"I'm not turning on Commissioner Kerry today, tomorrow, or the next day. He's my friend,” Rankin added.  Officially Rankin was not fired over that friendship. He says that Davis accused him of getting credentials and signage for his security team and was not authorized to do so.

Rankin says the conversation turned heated. "For some ungodly reason she said that I was not telling the truth, that I had breached my contract," added Rankin.

News Channel 36 obtained a copy of the invoice. It shows...


Waka Flocka Flame performed with a live band for the first time in his career down at CIAA this past weekend and brought along a few of his buddies. Wale, French Montana, and Juelz Santana took the stage with Flocka and proceeded to bring the house down.

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Five SU Jaguars earn All-SWAC hoops honors Tuesday

Baton Rouge, Louisiana  -  Quinton Doggett earned first team honors and Kendra Coleman earned Freshman of the Year honors as Southern men's and women's basketball programs placed five Jaguars on the All-SWAC teams, the conference announced Tuesday.

Senior Jamie Floyd and Junior Laneisha Stephens joined Coleman on the Women's All-SWAC third team. The Jaguars trio was instrumental in propelling Southern to a 12-6 SWAC record and a second place tie with Alabama A&M.

Alabama A&M's Whiquitta Tobar earned Player of the Year honors while Nate Kilbert, head coach of the regular season champion Mississippi Valley, took home Coach of the Year honors despite not having one player on the All-SWAC first team.

Mississippi Valley led all schools with four All-SWAC selections.

On the men's side, Quinton Doggett's signature play in the decisive moments of a 56-54 win against Texas Southern in the regular season finale cemented his place on the All-SWAC first team. The 6-1, forward punctuated his career at Southern with a 22-point, 10-rebound performance in Saturday's win.

Doggett, who earned SWAC Player of the Week honors twice during the season, is joined on the first team by Paul Cox, the SWAC's Player of the Year.

Doggett's teammate, Derick Beltran, also earned All-SWAC third team honors providing an exclamation point to a memorable season that witnessed the Jaguars surprise the league with a second place finish under first-year head coach Roman Banks.

Banks' close friend and counterpart at Mississippi Valley, Sean Woods, earned Coach of the Year honors for leading the Delta Devils on the brink of an undefeated conference season. The Delta Devils finished 17-1 after losing at UAPB in the regular season finale.

Mississippi Valley's men's program also led the men's All-SWAC team with four selections.

The 2012 SWAC Basketball Tournament opens play Tuesday from the Special Events Center in Garland, Texas. Fans can follow all the latest developments at the SWAC tournament by visiting www.swachoops.com

2012 Women's All-SWAC Teams

FIRST TEAM
Guard - Whiquitta Tobar (AAMU) and Kiara Ruffin (ALCN)
Forward - Tiffany Kellum (JKST) and Latia Williams (PVAM)
Center - Quentori Alford (ALST)

SECOND TEAM
Guard - Ka'Neisha Smith (MVSU) and Kiara Etienne (PVAM)
Forward - Alia Frank (MVSU) and Chigozianyi Okumabua (UAPB)
Center - Brittney Lakes (MVSU)

THIRD TEAM
Guard - Kendra Coleman (SUBR) and Rachel Jones (JKST)
Forward - Laneisha Stephens (SUBR) and Khristina Clemons (MVSU)
Center - Jamie Floyd (SUBR)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Whiquitta Tobar (AAMU)

DEFENSIVE POY - Quentori Alford (ALST)

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Kendra Coleman (SUBR)

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR - Kiara Etienne (PVAM)

COACH OF THE YEAR - Nate Kilbert (MVSU)

2012 Men's All-SWAC Teams

FIRST TEAM
Guard - Savalace Townsend (UAPB) and Quincy Roberts (GRAM)
Forward - Cor-J Cox (MVSU) and Quinton Doggett (SUBR)
Center - Paul Crosby (MVSU)

SECOND TEAM
Guard - Terrence Joyner (MVSU) and Omar Strong (TXSO)
Forward - Ivory White (ALST) and Fred Sturdivant (TXSO)
Center - Daniel Broughton (UAPB)

THIRD TEAM

Guard - Kevin Burwell (MVSU) and Tremaine Butler (ALST)

Forward - Derick Beltran (SUBR) and Mitchell Anderson (UAPB)

Center - Philip Crawford (ALST)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Paul Crosby (MVSU)

DEFENSIVE POY - Savalace Townsend (UAPB)

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Kelsey Howard (JKST)
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR - Quincy Roberts (GRAM)
COACH OF THE YEAR - Sean Woods (MVSU)

COURTESY: SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Wells Not Retained as TSU Lady Tigers Head Coach

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -  Tennessee State University Athletic Director Teresa Phillips announced on Tuesday that Lady Tigers women's basketball coach Tracee Wells would not be retained for the 2012-13 season.

Wells spent eight seasons at the helm of Tennessee State's women's basketball program finishing with a 77-157 overall record and a 55-103 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play.

The Lady Tigers finished the 2011-12 season 9-20 overall and 5-11 in conference action. TSU fell 70-55 to Eastern Kentucky in the first round of the OVC Tournament last Wednesday.

"We are grateful for Tracee's dedication and truly appreciate what she has done for our student-athletes and the University," said Phillips. "However, we feel it's time to go in a new direction for the women's basketball program."

The Tennessee State University alum made notable strides in her seven seasons, including leading the Lady Tigers to an 18-13 record in 2008-09 --- the school's first winning season since 1994-95.

At the conclusion of the 2007-08 campaign, Wells was named the OVC Coach of the Year after turning the Lady Tigers from a 4-16 mark in conference play to 10-10.

Prior to being named head coach in 2005, Wells spent the 2004-05 season as the interim head coach for TSU. During her interim year, Wells took over a program that was 1-25 overall and winless in conference play during the previous season. As the interim head coach Wells led TSU to an overall record of 11-17 and a league mark of 8-8.

Before returning to TSU, Wells coached at Wright State as the recruiting coordinator and spent time as a graduate assistant at Chicago State.

Tennessee State University will begin a coaching search for a replacement women's basketball head coach immediately.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

S.C. State Lady Bulldogs open MEAC tourney with overtime win

WINSTON-SALEM, North  -  Tiara Knotts scored 21 points and Tiana Hemphill had 17 points and nine rebounds to lead the Lady Bulldogs to a 72-66 overtime win Monday over Delaware State in the opening round of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women’s tournament.

In advancing to Wednesday’s quarterfinal against second-seed Howard, the Lady Bulldogs rallied from a nine-point second half deficit and overcame foul trouble to forwards Paris Alston, who had 12 points and nine rebounds, and Tracey Flowers, who finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Tierra Hawkins, whose layup gave the Lady Hornets (7-23) a 55-53 win over S.C. State four days earlier, finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

S.C. State (13-15) held a 26-21 lead in the first half before Delaware State used a 9-2 run to take a 30-28 halftime lead. The Lady Hornets would hold an advantage for much of the second half, before S.C. State mounted a comeback.

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North Carolina A&T Advances, Will Face Coppin State

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  - - The first time the North Carolina A&T Aggies and Morgan State Bears met this season, MSU won in an offensive battle royal. On Monday afternoon in the MEAC Basketball Tournament at Lawrence Joel Coliseum, the Aggies stifled the Bears offense in a 66-53 win.

The fifth-seed Aggies will advance to the quarterfinals to take on No. 4 Coppin State Thursday afternoon at 2:30. The Aggies will be trying to avenge their entire Baltimore trip this season as CSU defeated the Aggies 85-63 on Jan. 23.

Two days earlier, the Aggies and the Bears combined to score 168 points in an 85-83 overtime Morgan State win. Morgan State was successful on just one field goal in the final 11 minutes of Monday's game.

Monday's victory marked A&T's first tournament win since winning the MEAC Tournament title with a 76-54 win over Hampton on March 14, 2009.

"We knew that they were an up-tempo team, we knew that they were going to be getting the ball up and down the floor," said Aggies head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. "We knew that we'd have to come with some really good defense, and that's what we did. I'm very proud of their rebounding. I told them during pre-game, that in order to win these games, you must rebound and you must knock down free throws. I'm very proud of our rebounding."

The Aggies out-rebounded the Bears 51-45 with 33 defensive boards. The Aggies also had six steals in the contest to help overcome Morgan State. The Aggies held the Bears to a 27 percent shooting.

"We like to give them only one shot at the basket [by making defensive rebounds]. It's all about fundamental basketball, this is what wins for you," Bibbs said.

Junior JaQuayla Berry had a double-double to lead the team with 14 points and 16 rebounds, along with four assists. Freshman guard Adriana Nazario had 13 points and a team-best seven assists. Sophomore Tiffanie Adair had12 points with seven rebounds. Part of Morgan State's game plan was to keep a handle on Adair by double-teaming her.

"They're coming for me. They're doubling down. It's getting tougher down there," Adair said.

But for Bibbs, that added defensive pressure is a sign of something more than just a game plan.

"I call that respect. They have respect for her. She's earned that," Bibbs said. "When they are double and triple teaming her, then guess what, that means two of our people are open. She's got to find them and try not to take on three people."

The Aggies might have had more from Adair if she had not got into foul trouble.

"We had to sit her out a lot, and when she got back in she got another quick foul. But she played well," Bibbs said.

Adair complemented the ability of her teammates to step up and continue to perform well when she was unable to help them from the bench.

"It was good to see that when I got in foul trouble, so many other people stepped up. Nazario, Jessie [Lyons], they all stepped up and that was good to know," Adair said.

The Aggies went on an 8-0 run to stretch their lead to 51-42 early in the second half. The Bears put up six quick points to put pressure on the Aggies. Tracy Carrington ended the run for MSU with a layup at the 11:14 mark to make it 51-48. The Aggies turned up the pressure from there. The Aggies used the athletic Adair to front MSU center Amarah Williams in the post. It resulted in Adair intercepting several entry passes into the post. Ten minutes elapsed between Carrington's field goal and the Bears final field goal of the game by Briana Coardes with 1:01 remaining in the game.

In the meantime, the Aggies got the ball inside to Berry and Adair. The Aggies ended the game by outscoring the Bears 15-5. Berry had six of those points, while Adair added four.

The Aggies found themselves in a 14-6 hole early in the contest before going on a 7-0 run to pull within one point of Morgan State. The Aggies tied the game up at 24-24 on a layup by freshman forward Jaylan Bodiford. A jumper by Nazario at the 5:28 mark gave the Aggies their first lead of the game. From there, the Aggies and the Bears exchanged blows in the opening half, trading the lead. Nazario hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give A&T a 39-37 lead before the Bears tied it up to end the half at 39-39.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY: NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU Rush win third in a row against a top-15 NAIA opponent

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's men defeated Shorter 9-0 Monday at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center for their third consecutive victory against a top-15 NAIA opponent.

Shorter's women defeated Xavier 8-1.

It was the fifth straight victory overall for the ninth-ranked Gold Rush (5-1). Shorter (6-4) is ranked 10th.

Steffen Giles-Osborn clinched the dual with a 6-4, 6-4 decision against Colt Kelley at No. 4 singles. Loic Didavi, Zach Taylor and Viktor Svoboda won at the top three flights in three sets — the latter two in super-tiebreakers — after the dual had been decided. Didavi, playing at No. 1, improved to a team-best 14-2 in singles for the year. Svoboda, playing at No. 3, won for the third straight dual after dropping the first set.

"Shorter played without a couple of their best guys, and we just took advantage of the situation," XU coach Alan Green said. "It was still a good win for us because the other players in Shorter's lineup stepped their games up. I expected them to. That's what I warned our guys about."

Shorter's women (11-2) earned their sixth consecutive victory. Freshman Amanda Materre won at No. 2 singles for the second straight day for the Gold Nuggets (0-9); she defeated Margot Vetter 7-5, 6-1.

Both Xavier teams will play Tennessee Wesleyan at 3 p.m. Tuesday at City Park. Tennessee Wesleyan's men are 21st in the NAIA.

Results: Men Women

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Southern beats Gold Nuggets 6-1; Materre wins in singles

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana freshman Amanda Materre scored her team's lone point Sunday in a 6-1 women's tennis loss at Southern University.

The dual was a makeup of a Saturday rainout.

Materre, winning for the second time in the past five dual matches, defeated Demetria Woods 6-2, 7-5 at No. 2 singles. Woods was the 2010 Southwestern Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year.

For the first time in eight duals, XU's Kourtney Howell's No. 1 singles match did not go to a third set. Howell lost 6-4, 6-3 to Carlista Mohammed, the 2011 SWAC Player of the Year.

Lois Alexis clinched for the Lady Jaguars with her 6-2, 6-1 victory against Jordyn Goody at No. 4 singles.

Southern is 4-6, and Xavier is 0-8. Seven of the Gold Nuggets' losses are against NCAA Division I opponents. Six occurred on the road.

Xavier's men and women will play at 2 p.m. Monday against Shorter at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center. Shorter's men are ranked 10th in the NAIA, and the women are 15th. Xavier's men are ranked ninth.

Results

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

PV savors bowling title

ARLINGTON, Texas - The third time proved to be the charm for the Prairie View A&M women's bowling team. The Panthers struck pay dirt Sunday in their third consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament final, beating Alabama A&M 4-2 and 4-2 in back-to-back matches at Arlington to capture their first conference title.

Prairie View had to beat the Bulldogs twice in the championship round after dropping a 4-3 Saturday decision that placed the Panthers in the elimination bracket. PV beat Texas Southern 4-2 later Saturday to set up a rematch with Alabama A&M in the final.

Prairie View fell behind 2-1 in the first match with Alabama A&M (25-7) before rolling off three consecutive victories to force a winner-take-all match. Anchor Cynthia Veney gave the Panthers a huge lift with 10th-frame heroics in each of the final two games.

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MEAC prepares for Winston-Salem finale

WINSTON SALEM, North Carolina - There will be new blood at this week's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball tournaments. Forward Nick Chasten of N.C. Central can hardly wait.

"The transition time was tough," Chasten said of the four-year move from Division II to Division I, when Central had no conference affiliation and no chance for postseason play. "But now I'm just very excited for the opportunity our university has and for us to compete for something. Everybody is looking forward to it."

In past MEAC tournaments, the Eagles played in what was called "a bonus game," but that was nothing more than an exhibition. Savannah State, the top seed in the men's bracket, is also new to the tournament and played N.C. Central in last season's bonus game.

The MEAC women's tournament will start today at Joel Coliseum with a five-game schedule, including N.C. Central against Coppin State at 4 p.m.

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WSSU To Face West Virginia Wesleyan In NCAA DII Tourney

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Winston-Salem State University Rams will open the 2012 NCAA Division II Men's Tournament against West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday, March 10th.

The Rams will be making their second consecutive trip to the NCAA DII Tournament. WSSU the #5 regional seed, 21-8 and winner of the CIAA Tournament, will be face the Bobcats of West Virginia Wesleyan, 21-8 and the #4 regional seed.

Winston-Salem State University won the 2012 CIAA Tournament with a 62-51 victory over the Elizabeth City State University Vikings Saturday, capturing the school's 11th CIAA Tournament Title.

West Liberty won a hard fought battle against West Virginia Wesleyan, 87-77 on Friday evening in the semifinals of the WVIAC Tournament.

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NCAA D-II Women's Basketball Championship Field Announced

Field of 64 to vie for spot at finals in San Antonio, Texas

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — The NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee announced Sunday the field of 64 teams for the 2012 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship.

Twenty-two conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The committee selected the remaining 42 teams at-large.

All eight teams within the region will travel to one site for first-round, semifinal and final competition at the regional level. First-round games will be played March 9, semifinal games March 10 and the regional championship will be played March 12. The regional champions will advance to the quarterfinals March 20, 21 and 23 at Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio, Texas. St. Mary’s University and San Antonio Sports will host the quarterfinals.



Interactive Bracket 

Printable Bracket

READ MORE AT NCAA.COM

Local Interest 

Shaw University and Fort Vally State University are in as conference champions.  Johnson C. Smith University and University of District of Columbia Lady Firebirds (21-5) are in as at-large berth teams.

NCAA DII championship field teams selected

Field of 64 to vie for spot at finals in Highland Heights, Ky.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- The NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Committee announced Sunday the field of 64 teams that will compete in the 2012 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship.

Twenty-two conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining 42 teams were selected at large by the committee.

Seven of the regional tournaments, consisting of eight teams each, will be conducted March 10, 11 and 13 at regional sites. The West regional will be conducted March 9, 10 and 12. The eight regional champions will advance to the quarterfinals in conjunction with the 2012 NCAA Division II Men’s quarterfinals at the Bank of Kentucky Center in Highland Heights, Ky. The quarterfinals will be conducted March 21, 22 and 24.



Interactive Bracket
Printable Bracket (.pdf)
D-II Rankings

READ MORE AT NCAA.COM

Local Interests

From the HBCU perspective, Winston-Salem State and Benedict College are in as automatic qualifiers for winning the CIAA and SIAC conference titles.  The Shaw University Bears (CIAA) and the University of District of Columbia (overall 22-5, East Coast Conference team) received an at-large berths.   The UDC Firebirds are coached by formal Washington Wizards center/forward, Jeff Ruland, who is in this third season at the school. Ruland, has transformed the Firebirds from a 1-20 team in 2009/10 into a #23 ranked national D-II powerhouse.  UDC hasn't seen this type of success since the Coach Wil Jones, Michael Britt and Earl Jones national championship days in 1982.

Bowie State, on the other hand with its 22-6 record in the powerful CIAA conference, was not selected.

I would love to hear the NCAA explanation on this one, especially in light of the fact that at-large berths were given to St. Leo (18-11), Lewis (17-11), Augustana (SD) (17-10), Adams State (19-8), Columbus State (18-11) and Montana State-Billings (18-11).  In its desire for balanced regional representation, at-large berth teams are being selected by the D-II basketball committee that couldn't carry Bowie State's lunch.  In fact--one word describes them all --CUPCAKES.  None of these teams have a prayer of a chance of winning the national championship or beating the top three CIAA teams. So, why are they in the tournament and not Bowie State?

When will the NCAA stop the hypocrisy of running a rigged championship tournament?  Why is it that the CIAA always get bracketed so that its champion has to play the CIAA at-large team in the second round?  This happened in the women's bracket last season and will happen again this year. 

Enough of this type of foolishness!  We expect better of the NCAA and its time for this organization to be held accountable for the lack of fair treatment to the CIAA, SIAC, MEAC and SWAC.

(beepbeep)

Two former Texas Southern basketball players accused of stealing from coach

HOUSTON, Texas - Tony Harvey, men's basketball coach at Texas Southern University, takes pride in looking out for his players. During Hurricane Ike, Harvey had his entire team stay at his Houston home. He's even invited his players to his house to cook them meals.

So Harvey was shocked and saddened to learn that one of those young men he had over for dinner allegedly returned the favor by ransacking the coach's house near Hermann Park and stealing more than $500,000 of expensive jewelry and other items.



Whithworth Treasure, 23, of Cypress, one of Harvey's former players, and Jasmine Payne, 22, of Houston, who played basketball for TSU's women's team, were charged this week with theft in connection with the Feb. 20 burglary, according to court records.

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Former TSU basketball players accused of stealing $534,000 worth of loot from coach

HOUSTON—Two former Texas Southern University basketball players have been charged with stealing $534,000 worth of goods from the home of the men’s basketball team coach, according to Houston police.
Jasmine R. Payne, 22, of Houston and Whitworth W. Treasure, 23, of Cypress were charged with felony theft.

Coach Tony B. Harvey’s housekeeper called him on February 20 to tell him his home had been burglarized. The head coach was out of town for a TSU basketball game at the time. He arrived home to find more than half a million dollars worth of custom jewelry and other goods had been stolen. The valuables included a watch, two necklaces and two bracelets.

Police said Payne and Whithworth allegedly tried to sell $90,000 worth of jewelry to Plaza Jewelry in the 7500 block of Bellaire for only $3,600.

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Benedict Tigers Win SIAC Men's Basketball Title With 58-42 Victory Over LeMoyne-Owen

ATLANTA, Georgia – The Benedict College Tigers used a 13-0 second-half run to pull away from LeMoyne-Owen College and capture the 2012 SIAC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship with a 58-42 victory over the Magicians on Saturday night at Morehouse College's Forbes Arena.

The victory ensures the Tigers make their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last seven years. Benedict improved to 19-10 overall. Benedict will find out its opponent for the NCAA Tournament during Sunday's NCAA selection show, which will be available on the NCAA website http://www.ncaa.com/.

Marcus Goode, the tournament's Most Valuable Player, led the Tigers with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Tydran Beaty added 13 points.

Benedict's Marcus Goode scores against LeMoyne-Owen in Saturday's SIAC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship.

The Magicians took their first lead of the game 32-29 on a 3-pointer by Deyquan Nesbit with 12:38 left to play. The Tigers came back and tied the game when Trevor Eichelberger drilled a 3-pointer. That bucket kicked off a 13-0 run with Goode scoring back-to-back buckets inside, then Rickie Jackson and Antrjuan Albright hit back-to-back 3-pointers.

The Magicians got a three-point play from Calvin Stoudemire, who led the Magicians with 20 points, but then the Tigers scored eight more straight points, highlighted by a dunk from Beaty from a high-post pass from Goode. Another jumper by Beaty and a driving layup by Goode gave the Tigers a 50-35 lead with 3:19 left to play.

LeMoyne-Owen dropped to 18-11 on the season.

The Tigers shot 44.7 percent for the game. After missing all nine 3-point attempts in the first half, they made 5-of-10 in the second half. The Tigers held LeMoyne-Owen to 30 percent shooting for the game.

The first half was close, with the Tigers taking a 19-11 lead before the Magicians cut the lead to 19-17. Benedict pulled back ahead 23-19 before Stoudemire scored on a dunk and an offensive rebound, sandwiched around a Beaty free throw for a 24-21 halftime Benedict lead.

The championship is Benedict's first since 2008 and their third all-time.

COURTESY: BENEDICT COLLEGE OFFICE OF SPORTS INFORMATION

FVSU Lady Wildcats earn back to back SIAC titles

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The Fort Valley State University (FVSU) Lady Wildcats are the 2012 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Basketball Champions. After defeating the Tigerettes of Tuskegee University in the championship game on Saturday, March 3rd, the Wildcats claimed their second consecutive title. It was eleventh SIAC title in the school’s history.

Trailing 30-25 at halftime, in the second half the Lady Wildcats resorted to the one weapon that has worked repeatedly throughout the regular season: the press! Forcing only 11 first half turnovers, the Lady Wildcats upped the pace of its press in the second half and forced a total of 23 Tigerette miscues. Those turnovers not only resulted in transition baskets for Lady Wildcats; they also prevented the Tigerettes from settling into a half court offense that allowed them to take advantage of their superior size.

In addition to a better defensive second half, the Lady Wildcats were also better from the field in the final 20 minutes of play. After a dismal 28% shooting performance in half (7 of 25), the Lady Wildcats shot 48% from floor after the intermission. FVSU outscored the Tigerettes in the second half, 36-22, on their way to the conference tournament title.

It was the senior Yasheeka Jones who led the Lady Wildcats in scoring with a game-high 16 points. Dominique Collier finished with 10. Nnenna Eze led the Tigerettes with 13 points and Eryn Gray added 10.

For the tournament, Jones scored a total of 46 points and averaged 15.3 points per game. She also finished the tournament with 13 assists and nine steals. For her effort, Jones was named to the SIAC All-Tournament Team and was selected as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

With the regular season SIAC title and conference tournament title in tow, the Lady Wildcats (23-6) will receive the automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Regional Playoffs. Currently ranked fifth in the NCAA Division II South Region, the Lady Wildcats will be making their 19th appearance in the NCAA Regionals.

By Fort Valley State University Office of Sports Information

Shaw women top J.C. Smith to win CIAA championship

Shaw University Women's Basketball Head Coach Jacques Curtis

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The Shaw women won their seventh CIAA conference championship in nine years under coach Jacques Curtis after defeating Johnson C. Smith 72-66 on Saturday in Charlotte.

The Bears and Golden Bulls know each other quite well in the finals. The teams have met five times since 2003 and four of the last seven seasons. Shaw has won them all.

"At this point, there are no secrets between us," Shaw coach Jacques Curtis said. "We knew it would be a hard fought game with them because they are a well coached team, and it's tough playing them in Charlotte."

Shaw's nine total championships ties it with former CIAA member Norfolk State. Curtis has already laid down the gauntlet for next year.

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Nuggets top Talladega for 3rd straight GCAC tourney title

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Tournament MVP SiMon Franklin scored 13 points Saturday to lead top-seeded Xavier University of Louisiana to a 58-50 women's basketball victory against Talladega in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championship game.

Franklin, a junior guard, scored a 3-point play with 11:01 remaining to put the Gold Nuggets ahead to stay, 38-35.

Xavier (25-8), ranked 20th in NAIA Division I, won the tournament for the third consecutive season, the fourth time in five years and the 13th time overall. The Nuggets earned the GCAC's automatic berth in the national tournament, which will begin March 14 at Frankfort, Ky. The 32-team bracket and game times will be announced Wednesday.

Franklin averaged 12 points, three rebounds, 2.7 assists and shot 50 percent from the floor in three tournament games.

"Monee Franklin has had a great year -- her best year with us so far," XU coach Bo Browder said. "She redshirted last season, but she came back focused and locked-in on being a better player, teammate and student. She accomplished all three."

Jazmoné Kelly and Jasmine Grant scored 11 points apiece for Xavier. Grant and Brandi Young were XU's other representatives of the six-player all-tournament team. Young was all-tournament for the second straight year. Kelly led the Nuggets with eight rebounds and four steals.

Stephanie DeFrance scored 14 points for second-seeded Talladega (22-8), and Bianca Thomas had 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Xavier led 21-7 after 13 minutes and 27-18 at halftime. The Nuggets never trailed and were tied twice, both in the first nine minutes of the second half.

"I wasn't worried when Talladega came back on us," Franklin said. "We knew Talladega's a good team and that it would be a hard game to win, but we knew we had enough to finish. We've been preparing for those types of situations all season."

Young's 12-foot jumper on the right baseline gave Xavier a 54-48 lead with 1:21 remaining. Grant scored the game's last three points on free throws in the final 30 seconds.

The Nuggets outshot the Lady Tornadoes 36.1 to 28.1 percent from the floor.

It's the first time a school won three consecutive GCAC women's tournaments since Xavier won five straight from 1994-98. Browder was an assistant during the final season of that earlier streak, and he is 6-3 in GCAC championship games as a head coach.

Xavier has won seven in a row and 18 of its past 21 games. The Nuggets qualified for nationals for the 16th time in 18 seasons and the 11th time in Browder's 13 seasons as head coach. Xavier is 44-2 against GCAC opponents since the start of the 2009-10 season.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

WSSU Rams win CIAA Championship 62-51

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- With the CIAA celebrating its 100-year anniversary, it was appropriate that one of its history-building schools won the whole shooting match.  Winston-Salem State used a stingy defense and a Princeton-like offense to subdue Elizabeth City State 62-51 on Saturday night in front of around 12,000 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The significance of winning the school's 11th CIAA basketball title wasn't lost on hero Stephon Platt, who scored 21 points off the bench and was a beast on the boards with 10 rebounds.



"It feels good to win it for coach (Bobby) Collins, for the university and for the city of Winston," Platt said, "and with it being the 100th year I know that coach (Big House) Gaines is looking down on us smiling right now."Gaines wove an incredible career in his 47 years as coach of the Rams, and Collins also gave credit to Gaines, who died in April of 2005.

"With this being the 100th anniversary of the CIAA, you think Big House Gaines because he was a part of building that legacy and I'm glad we were able to get this for Winston-Salem State and the Gaines' family," Collins said.

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Championship Saturday: Scores That Matters!!

March 3, 2012

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
CIAA
Shaw University (23-6)72, Johnson C. Smith University (22-6) 66

SIAC
Fort Vally State University (23-6)  61, Tuskegee University (20-9)  52

GCAC
Xavier University of Louisiana (25-8) 58, Talladega College (22-8) 50


MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIPS

CIAA
Winston-Salem State University (21-8) 62, Elizabeth City State (17-13)  51

SIAC
Benedict College (19-10) 58, LeMoyne-Owen College (18-11)  42

GCAC
Southern University-New Orleans (17-13) 79, Tougaloo College (25-8) 58

OVC
Murray State (30-1) 54, Tennessee State University (20-12)  52

Tennessee State Tiger's NCAA berth gone in 4.4 seconds

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State’s hopes of earning an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time in nearly two decades vanished in the last 4.4 seconds of the OVC Men’s Tournament championship on Saturday.

In the matter of seconds it took No. 12 Murray State’s Jewuan Long to decide not to give up the ball to teammate Isaiah Canaan, the OVC Player of the Year, and take the shot himself, TSU’s postseason plans were altered.

Long banked in a layup with 4.4 seconds remaining to gave the top-seeded Racers a two-point lead.

A desperation 3-point shot at the buzzer by TSU’s Robert Covington was way off, giving Murray a 54-52 victory and sending a Municipal Auditorium crowd of 6,454, mostly decked out in Murray State blue and yellow, into a frenzy.

“That last play definitely wasn’t made for me,” said Long, who had scored only four points up to that point. “Donte (Poole) drove in and passed me the ball, and my man closed too strong to help on Isaiah, so I drove past him.”

PHOTO GALLERY: TSU vs. MSU

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