Conference Championship Roundup: The Sun Belt Title Goes to James Madison

JMU Dukes Beat Arkansas State

JMU Dukes Beat Arkansas State | Image: Locked On Sun Belt/YouTube

In the Sun Belt championship held in Pensacola, Fla., second-seeded James Madison dominated fourth-seeded Arkansas State with a score of 91-71. Xavier Brown, scoring a total of 21 points, showcased a stellar performance solely in the initial half of the game.

Brown, known for his average of 6.1 points, surprised everyone by consecutively scoring 13 points, achieving a career-high record. Alongside his scoring prowess, Brown also contributed 10 rebounds for the Dukes (31-3), marking their return to the NCAA Tournament after 2013.

Displaying an impressive game, Terrence Edwards Jr. secured 19 points, complemented by Jaylen Carey with 13 points and Noah Freidel with 12. James Madison, known for their victory over Michigan State earlier in the season, maintained a solid lead of 42-32 at halftime, eventually extending it to a remarkable 29 points.

Freddy Hicks led the scoring for Arkansas State with 24 points, while Izaiyah Nelson contributed with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Despite the efforts of Arkansas State (18-16), who had upset top-seeded Appalachian State in the semifinals, they fell short to the dominant performance of James Madison.

Samford 76, East Tennessee State 69

In the Southern Conference title game in Asheville, N.C., top-seeded Samford secured a win against seventh-seeded East Tennessee State with a final score of 76-69. Achor Achor shined with 25 points, nine rebounds, and four blocked shots, while Jermaine Marshall added 23 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs.

Despite East Tennessee State closing in on Samford’s lead, the Bulldogs managed to clinch the game with an 11-5 run towards the end, with Marshall contributing crucial five points. The victory marks Samford’s return to the NCAA Tournament, having previously qualified in 1999 and 2000.

Ebby Asamoah with 18 points and Quimari Peterson with 17 points led the charge for East Tennessee State (19-16), who held a 41-32 rebound advantage over Samford (29-5) but couldn’t secure the win in the end. 

  1. College Sports News

    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

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  2. College Sports News

    Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

    Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.

    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

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  3. College Sports News

    Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.

    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

    Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.

    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

    “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

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