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The first automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Tournament was awarded Saturday to No. 22 Murray State for its 71-67 win over Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title game. The outcome allowed bubble teams everywhere to breathe a sigh of relief as it ensured that the OVC will be a one-bid league and not a two-bid league come Selection Sunday on March 13.
If Morehead State had won and secured the OVC’s automatic bid, Murray State would likely have reached the Big Dance as an at-large team after an 18-0 run through its regular-season league slate. But the Racers completed the season sweep of their in-state rival and cemented that they will be a serious threat to advance in the NCAA Tournament. Entering Saturday’s action, Murray State was projected as a No. 8 seed, according to CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm.
The win marked 20 in a row for the Racers since they lost at Auburn on Dec. 22. Tevin Brown and Justice Hill led the way with 23 and 21 points, respectively for Murray State, which has now qualified for three of the past four NCAA Tournaments. Johni Broome led Morehead State with 32 points in the loss.
Two more conferences will crown their tournament champions on Sunday as the first week of March comes to a close with postseason play ramping up. In the Big South title game, No. 1 seed Longwood will take on No. 2 seed Winthrop, while in the Missouri Valley, No. 4 seed Loyola-Chicago will take on No. 3 seed Drake. Keep it locked here as we track the 2022 college basketball conference champions on the journey to the NCAA Tournament.
Big South Tournament championship
(2) Winthrop vs. (1) Longwood
Date: Sunday, March 6 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Bojangles Coliseum | Charlotte, North Carolina
TV: ESPN2 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
MVC Tournament championship
(4) Loyola-Chicago vs. (3) Drake
Date: Sunday, March 6 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Enterprise Center | St. Louis
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App
Sunday’s other conference tournaments in action
2022 conference tournament schedules
| Conference | Tournament site | Dates (Final TV) | 2022 Champion |
| AAC | Fort Worth, Texas | March 10-13 (ESPN) | |
| ACC | Brooklyn, N.Y. | March 8-12 (ESPN) | |
| America East | Campus sites | March 6, 9 & 12 (ESPN2) | |
| Atlantic 10 | Washington D.C. | March 9-13 (CBSSN) | |
| ASUN | Campus sites | March 1, 3, 5 & 8 (ESPN) | |
| Big East | New York | March 9-12 (Fox) | |
| Big Sky | Boise, Idaho | March 9-12 (ESPNU) | |
| Big South | Charlotte, N.C. | March 2, 4-6 (ESPN2) | |
| Big Ten | Indianapolis | March 9-13 (CBS) | |
| Big 12 | Kansas City | March 9-12 (ESPN) | |
| Big West | Henderson, Nev. | March 8, 10-12 (ESPN2) | |
| Colonial | Washington D.C. | March 5-8 (CBSSN) | |
| Conference USA | Frisco, Texas | March 8-12 (CBSSN) | |
| Horizon League | Indianapolis | March 1, 3, 7 & 8 (ESPN) | |
| Ivy League | Cambridge, Mass. | March 12-13 (ESPN2) | |
| MAAC | Atlantic City, N.J. | March 8-12 (ESPNU) | |
| MAC | Cleveland, Ohio | March 10-12 (ESPN2) | |
| MEAC | Norfolk, Va. | March 9-12 (ESPN2) | |
| Missouri Valley | St. Louis | March 3-6 (CBS) | |
| Mountain West | Las Vegas | March 9-12 (CBS) | |
| Northeast | Campus sites | Feb. 28, March 2, 5 & 8 (ESPN) | |
| Ohio Valley | Evansville, Ind. | March 2-5 (ESPN2) | Murray State (30-2) |
| Pac-12 | Las Vegas | March 9-12 (Fox) | |
| Patriot | Campus sites | March 1, 3, 6 & 9 (CBSSN) | |
| SEC | Tampa, Fla. | March 9-13 (ESPN) | |
| Southern | Asheville, N.C | March 4-7 (ESPN) | |
| Southland | Katy, Texas | March 9-12 (ESPN2) | |
| Summit | Sioux Falls, S.D. | March 5-8 (ESPN2) | |
| Sun Belt | Pensacola, Fla. | March 3, 5-7 (ESPN2) | |
| SWAC | Birmingham, Ala. | March 9-12 (ESPNU) | |
| WAC | Las Vegas | March 8-12 (ESPNU) | |
| West Coast | Las Vegas | March 3-5 & 7-8 (ESPN) |