Saturday's conference championship results, highlights: Houston and UNC stumble in title games

Selection Sunday is upon us and bids are on the line as the conference championships are on the line.

Before the madness begins, there was a packed slate of action on Saturday as teams punched their tickets to the dance.

With 13 conference finals and plenty of NCAA Tournament implications, there's a lot to watch. Wisconsin won a thriller over Purdue to reach the Big Ten Finals. No. 2 UConn swept No. 10 Marquette in the final of the Big East tournament to claim the No. 1 overall seed. No. 7 Iowa State delivered perhaps the most shocking result of the day, defeating No. 1 Houston 69-41 in the Big 12 title game.

Here is the complete schedule for today's conference tournament finals:

America East: Vermont 66, UMass Lowell 61
MEAC: Howard 70, Delaware State 67
Big 12: Iowa State 69, Houston 41
Mountain West: New Mexico 68, SDSU 61
Big East: UConn 73, Marquette 57
MAAC: Saint Peter's 68, Fairfield 63
MAC: Akron 62, Kent State 61
ACC: NC State 84, UNC 76
Conference USA: Western Kentucky 78, UTEP 71
Pac-12: Oregon 75, Colorado 68
Big West: Long Beach State 74, UC Davis 70
SWAC: Grambling State 75, Texas Southern 66

live96 updates

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 10:46 pm CDT
  

  Final: Grambling State 75, Texas Southern 66

  Grambling State secures its first NCAA Tournament berth in program history by winning the SWAC Tournament!

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 10:39 pm CDT
  

  Final: Long Beach State 74, UC Davis 70

  The Beach wins the Big West title and gets the autobid, which is particularly interesting since Long Beach head coach Dan Monson has been told he is retiring as coach after this season. Not Don

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 10:23 pm CDT
  

  Final: Oregon 75, Colorado 68

  Oregon is in the NCAA tournament! The Ducks clinch the unlikely Pac-12 Tournament title, likely stealing a bid.

  N'Faly Dante was the Ducks' hero, scoring 25 points on 12 of 12 (!!!) shots as well as 9 rebounds, 3 steals and a block.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 10:16 pm CDT

  N'Faly Dante had 23 points to lead Oregon. So far none bigger than these two:

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 10:12 pm CDT

  The Ducks and Buffs go back and forth. Oregon leads 66-62 with 2:42 to play. Can the Ducks do it? There's a lot at stake in Vegas.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 9:55 pm CDT

  The Pac-12 Finals were close the entire game. Oregon is a bubble team and might need this win to reach the Big Dance.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 9:51 pm CDT
  

  Final: NC State 84, UNC 76

  The wolf pack wins after a long ending to the game. DJ Horne is the hero with 29 points, but DJ Burns made a name for himself tonight. The big guy finished with 20 points and 7 assists.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 9:39 pm CDT

  UNC had just a chance to get within four points, but several three-point shots missed the mark. There are only 91 seconds left.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 9:26 pm CDT

  With just a few minutes left, NC State extended its lead to double digits. The wolf pack looks like bidding thief here.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 9:22 pm CDT

  The Wolf Pack reigns supreme in Washington DC

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 9:12 pm CDT
  

  Halftime: Oregon 33, Colorado 30

  A back-and-forth game for the Pac-12 title so far. The Ducks ended the first half with a good run and took the lead.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 9:07 pm CDT

  We have less than 10 minutes left in the ACC title game and the Wolfpack are still ahead by five.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 8:54 pm CDT
  

  Final: Saint Peter's 68, Fairfield 63

  With a win in the MAAC final, the Peacocks secure their ticket to the NCAA tournament.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 8:50 pm CDT
  

  Final: Akron 62, Ken State 61

  Brutal ending in the MAC Finals for Kent State, which had a one-point lead with 6 seconds left, then Julius Rollins made a huge mental mistake by fouling Akron. Zips hit both free throws to win it.

  Akron is headed to the NCAA Tournament, while Kent State is fretting about coming up just short.

  (8) Kent State's Julius Rollins forgets the situation and FOULT 1 WITH 4.8 left, giving Akron the lead back in the MAC Championship. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!! (Video via @cjzero) pic.twitter.com/sJmVgJRL8u

  — NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 17, 2024

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 8:47 pm CDT

  Meanwhile, the Buffs put together a nice little offense.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 8:46 pm CDT

  In the second half, the Wolfpack is back at full strength and can get to the edge at will. They shot over 60 percent from the field in the game.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 8:21 pm CDT
  

  Halftime: UNC 40, NC State 39

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 8:14 pm CDT

  The Tar Heels fought back and tied the score a few minutes before halftime. But NC State's DJ Burns Jr. pulled up from deep with his first career 3-pointer to give the Wolfpack the lead again.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 7:43 pm CDT

  NC State got off to a roaring start in the ACC title game, leading UNC 14-4 at the first media timeout.

• Sat Mar 16, 2024 at 7:39 pm CDT

  In non-tournament news…

  BREAKING: Ohio State is pursuing Jake Diebler as a permanent hire, source tells @TheFieldOf68.

  Diebler took over and did a great job leading the Buckeyes to a 6-2 record following the departure of Chris Holtmann.

  — Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 17, 2024