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4 more tourneys get under way

Four more leagues begin their conference tournaments today. The West Coast Conference should be particularly interesting as Saint Mary's, which already has nicked Gonzaga's armor, tries to win the league's automatic bid for the second time in three years.

Four more leagues begin their conference tournaments today.

The West Coast Conference should be particularly interesting as Saint Mary's, which already has nicked Gonzaga's armor, tries to win the league's automatic bid for the second time in three years.

Atlantic Sun

Regular-season champ: Belmont won its second consecutive outright title by going 16-2 in the league. The Bruins lost by one at Duke in the season opener and have four starters back from last year's team that went 30-5.

Sun strokes: North Florida's Parker Smith scored 46 points against Mercer on Feb. 20. Smith hit 11-of-17 threes. The game before, he was 1-for-11 . . . USC Upstate is 20-11 this year after going 5-20 in 2010-11. This is its fifth year at the D-I level and first in which it is eligible for the league tournament.

Big Dance prospects: This is a one-bid league. If Belmont emerges, Joe Lunardi has them as a 14-seed.

SCHEDULE

At Macon, Ga. (Mercer)

Today

Belmont (1) vs. Jacksonville (8), 2:30

Mercer (2) vs. Lipscomb (7), 8:30

Tomorrow

East Tennessee St. (4) vs. North Florida (5), 2:30

S. Carolina-Upstate (3) vs. Florida G.C., (6), 8:30

Friday

Belmont/Jacksonville vs. ETSU/N. Fla., 6

Mercer/Lipscomb vs. SCU/FGC, 8:30

CHAMPIONSHIP/Saturday

Semifinal winners, 7 (ESPN2)

Ohio Valley

Regular-season champ: Murray State will be a bracket darling after going 28-1 in the regular season and 15-1 in the OVC to capture its third consecutive league title. The Racers have a double-bye and don't play until Friday.

Valley peeks: Tennessee State was the only team to beat Murray State (Feb. 9). MSU won the rematch two weeks later by 18 . . . Kenny Moore, a senior forward from University City, plays 19 minutes per game and averages 7.5 points for TSU (19-11) . . . Tennessee Tech's Kevin Murphy had 50 against SIU-Edwardsville in January, the most points by a D-I player this season. The Golden Eagles' two losses to Murray State were by eight and five points, respectively.

Big Dance prospects: Bubble teams are rooting for Murray State. If the Racers (RPI: 29) are upset in the conference tournament, the Ohio Valley likely would get two NCAA bids. Murray State's best wins are at Memphis and home against Saint Mary's.

SCHEDULE

At Nashville, Tenn.

Tonight

S.E. Missouri St. (5) vs. E. Kentucky (8), 7

Austin Peay (6) vs. Jacksonville St. (7), 9

Tomorrow

Tenn. Tech (4) vs. SE Missouri St./EKU, 7

Morehead St. (3) vs. Austin Peay/Jax. St., 9

Friday

Murray St. (1) vs. Tenn. Tech/SE Miss. St./EKU, 7

Tennessee St. (2) vs. MSU/Austin Peay/Jax. St., 9

CHAMPIONSHIP/Saturday

Semifinal winners, 2 (ESPN2)

Patriot League

Regular-season champ: Bucknell beat out Lehigh by one game for its second-consecutive crown. Local products Bryan Cohen (Abington Friends) and Cameron Ayers (Germantown Academy) start for Bucknell. Cohen was the PL defensive player of the year for the third straight season.

Red, white and blue notes: Lehigh junior guard C.J. McCollum was this year's Patriot MVP. Teammate B.J. Bailey, a product of Holy Spirit in Absecon, N.J., got caught up in a rip current and nearly drowned off the Jersey coast in the summer of 2010. He'd be dead if three people didn't jump in to save him, Bailey told the (Easton) Express-Times . . . Navy has lost 21 in a row. Its last victory was the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Big Dance prospects: This is a one-bid league. Bucknell went last year and was given a 14 seed.

SCHEDULE

Tonight

Navy (8) at Bucknell (1), 7

Lafayette (5) at Holy Cross (4), 7

Colgate (7) at Lehigh (2), 7

Army (6) at American (3), 7:30

Saturday/At Higher Seed

Bucknell/Navy vs. Holy Cross/Lafayette, 2 or 4:30

Lehigh/Colgate vs. American/Army, 2 or 4:30

CHAMPIONSHIP/Wednesday, March 7

At higher seed, 7 (CBS Sports Network)

West Coast

Regular-season champ: Saint Mary's won its first outright WCC championship since 1989. One of the Gaels' best players is junior guard Matthew Dellavedova, an academic All-America who will be playing for Australia at this summer's Olympics.

West phillers: Gonzaga had at least a piece of the regular-season crown each of the last 11 years, two shy of UCLA's all-time record set from 1967-79. A late loss to San Francisco opened the door for Saint Mary's . . . San Diego guard Darian Norris grew up in a household where dad (Walter) is a police sergeant and mom (Stacey) is a corrections officer. "I liked it," Darian told the San Diego Union Tribune. "I always felt safe."

Big Dance prospects: Saint Mary's and Gonzaga are in. BYU's RPI was at 49 entering the week. The Cougars, in their first season in the WCC, need to get to the finals to strengthen their hopes.

SCHEDULE

At Las Vegas

Tonight

Portland (8) vs. Santa Clara (9), 9

Tomorrow

San Francisco (5) vs. Portland/Santa Clara, 9

San Diego (6) vs. Pepperdine (7), 11:30

Friday

Loyola Marymount (4) vs. USF/Portland/S. Clara, 9

BYU (3) vs. San Diego/Pepperdine, 11:30

Saturday

Saint Mary's (1) vs. LMU/USF/Portland/S. Clara, 9

Gonzaga (2) vs. BYU/San Diego/Pepperdine, 11:30

CHAMPIONSHIP/Monday

Semifinal winners, 9 (ESPN)

Coming tomorrow: America East, Missouri Valley, Northeast