Quint Kessenich: Breaking down the conference tournaments
Championship week is under way, with the NCAA tournament starting next week. It's a 16-team bracket with seven automatic qualifiers and nine at-large selections. This weekend's results strongly affect the field and seedings.
Wednesday night was nearly a disaster for Baltimore-area teams as UMBC and Towson both lost, and Loyola survived a monstrous collapse to beat Denver in overtime.
Lehigh won the Patriot League automatic qualifier Sunday and will advance to the tournament for its first time. Six more conferences have automatic bids up for grabs this weekend. Let's take a closer look at each:
Wednesday night was nearly a disaster for Baltimore-area teams as UMBC and Towson both lost, and Loyola survived a monstrous collapse to beat Denver in overtime.
Lehigh won the Patriot League automatic qualifier Sunday and will advance to the tournament for its first time. Six more conferences have automatic bids up for grabs this weekend. Let's take a closer look at each:
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Loyola coach Charley Toomey
Eastern College Athletic Conference
Loyola vs. Fairfield, Friday Loyola stormed out to a 7-2 lead and held a 13-6 advantage over Denver in the early fourth quarter of their semifinal. But Denver rallied, scoring seven straight goals to tie it. A collapse of this magnitude would have been catastrophic emotionally for the Greyhounds. But Scott Ratliff, a long-pole midfielder, scored off the opening faceoff in overtime. The win sends Loyola to the final today against Fairfield. It also ensures the 'Hounds a home NCAA tournament game May 12 or 13. Fairfield coach Andy Copelan is a former Maryland assistant under Dave Cottle. He is one of the sharpest young minds in the business. His Stags won a nail-biter with Ohio State on Wednesday night. The 'Hounds won the regular-season contest, 8-6. |
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