Brian Bennett

Mar 21, 2024 | theathletic.com | Greg Rosenstein |Brian Bennett

No. 10 Colorado defeated fellow No. 10 seed Boise State 60-53 in the NCAA Tourmanent's First Four on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio. The Buffaloes dominated down the stretch, finishing on a 15-4 run, and were particularly impressive on defense. After the Broncos' Chibuzo Agbo hit a jumper with 4:32 remaining in the game, they would not add another point for more than four minutes. "We finally played with unbelievable toughness," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said.

Mar 17, 2024 | theathletic.com | Brian Bennett

Duquesne defeated VCU 57-51 in the Atlantic 10 championship Sunday, securing an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in 46 years. Duquesne finished off their conference tournament run thanks to a team-high 10 points from guard Dae Dae Grant, who led the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game this season. While the Dukes struggled offensively - shooting 29.8 percent from the field and 8-of-25 from 3 - they out-rebounded the Rams 42 to 34 and forced 16 turnovers in the title game.

Mar 17, 2024 | theathletic.com | Brian Bennett

Long Beach State clinched a bid to the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night, while prolonging the tenure of coach Dan Monson, who was fired on Monday. The 49ers beat UC Davis 74-70 in the Big West championship game, less than a week after the school announced a "mutual separation" from Monson, who has led the program since 2007-08.

Mar 16, 2024 | theathletic.com | Brian Bennett

(Editor's note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.) It only took until the day before Selection Sunday, but finally we can say for sure who the top eight seeds will be in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. With Tennessee and Arizona losing on Saturday and North Carolina advancing to the ACC tournament, the Tar Heels will join Purdue, Houston and UConn on the top line.

Mar 15, 2024 | theathletic.com | Brian Bennett

(Editor's note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.) Usually, right around this time, we find ourselves saying, "Do any of these bubble teams actually want to play in the NCAA Tournament?"Not this season. In six years of doing Bracket Watch, we can't remember a time when the cutline has been this competitive two days before Selection Sunday.