JCSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TO FACE EDINBORO IN NCAA DII ATLANTIC TOURNAMENT

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The Johnson C. Smith University women's basketball team has received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Atlantic Regional Championship. The tournament will be hosted by Edinboro University on March 11-12, and 14 inside McComb Field House in Edinboro, PA. JCSU enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed and will face No. 7 Glenville State College.

After capturing the CIAA Southern Division regular season title, J.C. Smith advanced to the 2011 CIAA Tournament Championship Game with victories over Chowan (71-52) and Bowie State (69-64). However, JCSU came up short to Shaw (62-56) in the title game.

Johnson C. Smith will begin their quest for a national championship against Glenville State out of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC).

The Lady Golden Bulls finish the conference post season with the best overall record in the history of the women's program at 24-4; previous mark 22-5 during the 1999-00 season. Reigning CIAA Coach of the Year Vanessa Taylor also set a new career mark for most wins in an individual season; surpassing her mark of 22-5.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Shaw men, women in NCAA field

Shaw's men's and women's basketball teams, who each won a CIAA tournament championship on Saturday, are headed to NCAA Division II tournaments.

The women, who defeated Johnson C. Smith in the CIAA final, have been designated the eighth seed in the Atlantic Region and will begin play on Friday at Edinboro, Pa., taking on No. 1 seed Edinboro. The Bears are 21-11. The Fighting Scots, winners of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, are 26-3.

Johnson C. Smith was seeded second in the Atlantic Region and will face Glenville State.

2011 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship Brackets



Shaw women aim for national glory

Winning the CIAA women’s basketball championship is old hat for Shaw’s Bears. Winning the national title, now that’s a prize that’s worth chasing.

“Shaw’s won the CIAA championship,” said Bears coach Jacques Curtis, who has earned six since 2003. “What we’re trying to do is a little bit different.”

Shaw (21-11) and fellow CIAA member Johnson C. Smith (24-4) are in the Division II tournament, which starts March 11 with the Atlantic Regional in Edinboro, Pa. Shaw will face top-seeded and region host Edinboro (26-3) while the No. 2 Golden Bulls Bulls will play No. 7 Glenville State (23-8).

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

Winston-Salem State Earns At-Large Bid To NCAA Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Winston-Salem State Rams (19-7) received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament, Sunday. Though the Rams fell short in the 2011 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) tournament, they will receive a shot at ultimate redemption when they face the 2011 CIAA champion Shaw Bears in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament.

"We didn't like the way the season ended. This will give us a chance to go out and make it right," WSSU men's basketball head coach Bobby Collins said.



 WSSU gets Division II bid

Winston-Salem State’s season will continue. The Rams (19-7) are seeded fifth in the eight-team Atlantic Region and will take on CIAA champion Shaw (22-8), the fourth seed, in the first round of the 64-team Division II Tournament on Saturday.

The winner of the Shaw-WSSU game will take on the winner of the West Liberty-Slippery Rock game in the second round on Sunday. West Liberty is 29-0 and is the seeded No.1 in the eight-team regional, and Slippery Rock (21-10) is seeded eighth.

West Liberty is located in West Virginia.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

SWAC Tournament 2011 Schedule And Bracket

The SWAC Conference tournament will be held in Garland, Texas, starting on Wednesday and running through Saturday. Most projections have the winner of the SWAC tournament being one of the absolute worst seeds in the NCAA's, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can't pull a win out once they get there.

The Texas Southern Tigers, hailing from Houston, are the #1 seed with a 18-11 mark, including a 16-2 run in conference. Led by senior Kevin Galloway, who almost never leaves the floor, the Tigers defense was the best in the SWAC. They'll open up against the #8 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, which went 7-23 on the season, with all 7 wins coming in-conference. The Tigers went 2-0 against them this season.

The tournament will play four straight days...

That roar is Harvey's TSU Tigers

With conference tournaments in full force, NCAA Tournament bids are there to be won this week, and some teams can turn an otherwise sorry season into a good year by earning an NCAA bid. Texas Southern already has had a good season.

As for local schools, TSU has the best chance to prance in the Big Dance. That is apropos, says head coach Tony Harvey, who believes his Tigers are the best college basketball team in the area.

At 18-11, Harvey's team certainly has the best record, and the SWAC regular-season champions head to Garland this week as the favorite to earn the conference's automatic bid at the league tournament.

2011 SWAC Tournament Bracket: THE MAP FOR THE ROAD TO GLORY

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

VISIT: SWACHOOPS

What to watch: Conference top seeds headed to NIT

USA TODAY takes a look at what to watch for during a pivotal week in college basketball as March Madness looms:

Three to watch

Bethune-Cookman and C.J. Reed: The team won its first Mid-Eastern Athletic regular-season title since joining Division I in 1980. Reed, a junior guard playing for his father, Clifford, is averaging 19.5 points and 4.6 assists overall and 40.2 minutes a game in MEAC play. Four of the Wildcats' MEAC games have gone to overtime; nine others have been decided by seven points or fewer.

So Reed has played 643 of 665 MEAC minutes - a big reason the team is 12-1 in those 13 close games.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE

2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament Preview

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The 40th-annual Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament is set to begin Tuesday, March 8th and run though Saturday, March 12th, with the winner earning a place among the 68-team field in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats earned this year's top-seed and an opening-round bye on the strength of a 13-3 regular-season MEAC record. The Hampton Pirates and the Coppin State Eagles each earned a share of the league's runner-up trophy with 11-5 marks. The Pirates earned the tournament's second-seed by virtue of a tiebreaker over the third-seeded Eagles. Also receiving opening round byes were fourth-seeded, two-time defending MEAC champion Morgan State (10-6) and fifth-seeded North Carolina A&T (9-7).

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

VISIT: meachoops.com/

2011 CIAA All-Tournament Team

Member Institutions

NORTHERN DIVISION
Bowie State
Chowan
Elizabeth City State
Lincoln (PA)
Saint Paul's
Virginia State
Virginia Union

SOUTHERN DIVISION
Fayetteville State
Johnson C. Smith
Livingstone
Saint Augustine's
Shaw
Winston-Salem State

Raheem Smith (Shaw University) was named Tournament MVP, and he joined the Bears' Tony Smith and Devon Mclendon (Shaw)on the All-Tournament team. Other players who made the All-Tournament team include Trent Bivens of Elizabeth City State, Eric Vann of Bowie State, CIAA player of the year Trevin Parks of Johnson C. Smith, Sidney Evans of Fayetteville State, and Charles Rhodes of Chowan. Fayetteville State won the John B. McLendon Sportsmanship Trophy at the tournament.

On the women's side, tournament MVP Demaria Liles (Shaw University), Kyria Buford and Aslea Williams (Shaw) joined Liles on the All-Tournament team. Johnson C. Smith was represented by Terran Quattlebaum and Terrica Jones.

Rounding out the All-Tournament team was: Rhon’Neisha Taylor (Virginia State), Allison Sikes, (St. Augustine’s), Umeka Benson (St. Augustine’s) Ransheda Jennings (Chowan) and Vontisha Woods (Winston-Salem State).

READ MORE, CLICK HERE