As conference tournaments continue, we have a great week ahead in College basketball. Check back here often for updates throughout the weekend for the latest in March Madness.

To find out who will be dancing in the NCAA Tournament CLICK HERE

It's Tuesday and Championship Week is rolling along. Here is what is going on today:

Big East The toughest conference of all this season has started their tournament. There are a couple matinee games being played. With 7:46 remaining in the first half, South Florida defeated DePaul by a score of 58-49. St. Johns and Connecticut are under way with St. John's up 35-22 with only seconds left in the first half. UConn likely needs to win the Big East tournament to make it into the field of 65.

Big Sky The Big Sky tournament resumes tonight with their semifinals. Northern Colorado will face Montana in the opening game while top seed, Weber St. takes on Portland State in the night cap.

Horizon The Horizon conference, like many thus far, have their one and two seed facing each other tonight with a trip to the NCAA Tournament rewarded to the winner. It is Butler and Wright State going after each other with tip off at 9pm.

MEAC There are a pair of games tonight to kick off the MEAC Tournament in Winston-Salem. In the first game it's Florida A&M against Bethune-Cookman. In the nightcap it will be North Carolina A&T against Howard.

Atlantic 10 The Atlantic 10 Conference tournament kicks off today with games hosted at Campuses. Charlotte will host Massachusetts, while Dayton hosts George Washington. In other games in the tournament, Rhode Island will host St. Joseph's as St. Bonaventure takes on Duquesne.

Sun Belt The Summit will crown their Champion tonight as top seeded Troy takes on North Texas, the two seed, with a trip to the Big Dance at stake.

Summit Top seeded Oakland will take on IUPUI, the two seed as one of these two teams will play in the NCAA Tournament next week.

Comments may be posted here

As conference tournaments continue, we have a great week ahead in College basketball. Check back here often for updates throughout the weekend for the latest in March Madness.

To find out who will be dancing in the NCAA Tournament CLICK HERE

UPDATE: OLD DOMINION, WOFFORD, ST. MARYS AND SIENA HAVE WON THEIR CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS AND ARE HEADING TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

Championship Week is in full effect as conference tournament's are in full swing. Here are some highlights for Monday night games:

Colonial Athletic Another ticket was punched as Old Dominion defeated William and Mary 60-53. These were two solid basketball teams who had both won over 22 games this season. The Monarchs have proven that they can play with anybody and are a squad who have defeated Georgetown and Charlotte out of conference.

MAAC Siena has defeated Fairfield in overtime, 72-65 to win the MAAC Tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament. The top seeded Saints found themselves in a fight, trailing a good portion of the game. They prevailed in the end after one overtime session and will represent the MAAC in the Big Dance.

Southern Wofford led from wire to wire to win the Southern Conference Championship by a score of 56-51 over Appalachian State. It was the first time the Terriors had advanced to the Championship Game since joining the Southern Conference. The Mountaineers fought back but came up short and will now look to play in the NIT. Wofford is a team to keep an eye on when you fill out your brackets next week if you are looking for an upset.

Summit Oakland has held on to defeat IPFW by a score of 71-58 and will face IUPUI who took care of Oral Roberts to advance to the finals with a score of 69-65.

Sun Belt Top seeded Troy has advanced past Western Kentucky and into the finals of the Sun Belt Tournament with a 54-48 victory. North Texas advanced with a 63-56 win against Denver and advance to the Championship game of the Sun Belt Tournament. North Texas was led by George Odufuwa, who finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds.

West Coast Gonzaga clashed with St. Mary's in the West Coast Conference Championship. The Gaels made sure that they would not be left out of this year's Big Dance by disposing of the Zags 81-62. St. Mary's opened up a close game with a 51 point explosion in the second half. Gonzaga will certainly be in the NCAA Tournament but this loss will likely drop their seed somewhat.

Comments may be posted here

As conference tournaments continue and the regular season winds down to an end, we have a great weekend of College basketball. Check back here often for updates throughout the weekend for the latest in March Madness.

To find out who will be dancing in the NCAA Tournament CLICK HERE

UPDATE: NORTHERN IOWA HAS WON THE MISSOURI VALLEY TOURNAMENT AND ARE HEADING TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

Missouri Valley Another ticket was punched as Top Seeded Northern Iows defeated Wichita State, 67-52 and are going dancing. Will both of these teams make the tournament despite the outcome of this game? Remains to be seen.

America East Boston University advanced, defeating Stony Brook by a score of 70-63. Vermont opened up a close game in the second half and defeated New Hampshire, 57-38. They will face Boston University in the Championship game on March 13.

Colonial Athletic A pair of Semifinals on tap for today, featuring four teams with 20 or more wins. Should be great tournament action. In a back and forth game, Old Dominion fought back and won in overtime against Virginia Commonwealth, 73-69. Ben Finney caught fire in the overtime session hitting a key three pointer to help send the Monarch's to victory. William and Mary held on to edge Northeastern by a score of 47-45.

MAAC Siena, the top seed, defeated Rider in the first semifinal game. The final score was 72-62. Fairfield toppled Niagara, 69-63 to advance to the Finals against Siena.

Mid American The four quarterfinal games are now into the second half and Ball State and Ohio was a barnburner which went to Overtime, Ohio prevailed 85-77. Western Michigan has advanced after a tight one against Bowling Green. The Broncos held on to win, 75-73. Meanwhile, in a seesaw game, Eastern Michigan edged Northern Illinois, 65-59 to advance. Lastly, Buffalo cruised into the next round defeating Toledo, 72-54.

Northeast Two semifinals were played today: Quinnipiac appears to be finishing off LIU-Brooklyn, 77-70 with 25 seconds left. Robert Morris has defeated Mount St. Mary's, 80-62 to advance to the Finals.

Patriot Lafayette held on to a 3 point victory over Holy Cross to advance to the Finals, 66-63. In the second semifinal, Lehigh has defeated American by a score of 79-57 and will take on Lafayette in the Championship game on March 12.

Southern The semifinals move to Time Warner Cable Arena in uptown Charlotte, home of the Charlotte Bobcats. It features two very competitive games. Wofford moved on with an impressive 77-58 win over Western Carolina. College of Charleston had no answer for Appalachian State in the second semifnal. The Mountaineers cruised to the Finals with a 77-54 victory over College of Charleston. The Mountaineers will be a tough out if they are able to make it to the NCAA Tournament but will first have to get by a very good Wofford team on Monday night.

Summit Two more quarterfinals to be played today: IPFW has sewn it up against South Dakota State to advance in a tight one, 71-66. Another tournament game went to overtime as Oral Roberts and North Dakota State dueled in a barnburner. Oral Roberts held on to win the game by a score of 65-64 to move to the semifinals of the tournament.

Sun Belt Quarterfinals are played today: Western Kentucky edged Arkansas State by a score of 65-64 to move to the semifinals. Troy has moved on after their win against South Alabama, 67-55. Top seeded Troy will face Western Kentucky in what promises to be a good basketball game on Monday. Louisiana-Monroe and North Texas turned into a good ballgame with North Texas holding on to a 69-66 win in their quarterfinal game. The Mean Green overcame an early defecit to advance on to the semifinals. Denver has closed out Middle Tennessee. The final score was 73-58, so the Pioneers advance to the semifinals.

West Coast Two Semifinals are in store for tonight. The first game is a final as #14 Gonzaga defeated Loyola-Marymount, 77-62. LMU, made a run to close the gap and made the game interesting but Gonzaga was able to get things back under control to advance. St. Mary's kept Portland at arm's length and advanced with a 69-55 victory and will face top seeded, Gonzaga in the Championship on Monday. The Gaels are trying to play themselves off the bubble despite an impressive record. They are in the same exact position as last season, a season in which they missed the big dance.

Comments may be posted here

As conference tournaments continue and the regular season winds down to an end, we have a great weekend of College basketball. Check back here often for updates throughout the weekend for the latest in March Madness.

To find out who will be dancing in the NCAA Tournament CLICK HERE

UPDATE..WINTHROP, EAST TENNESSEE STATE, MURRAY STATE AND CORNELL HAVE ADVANCED TO THE BIG DANCE.THERE WILL LIKELY BE A NEW NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE NATION AS LOUISVILLE DEFEATED TOP RANKED SYRACUSE IN THE LAST GAME TO BE PLAYED AT FREEDOM HALL, 78-68!

America East Top seeded Stony Brook defeated Albany 68-59 in the first quarterfinal from Hartford, Ct. In the second game, Boston University had no problems with Hartford, winning by a score of 87-46 to move to the semifinals. Meanwhile, Vermont defeated Maryland-Baltimore County with ease. New Hampshire has defeated Maine, 70-55 to advance to the semifinals.

Atlantic Sun Either E. Tennessee State punched their ticket to the big dance by defeating Mercer by a score of 72-66 in a tightly contested game.

Big South Winthrop defeated Coastal Carolina 64-53, to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Winthrop was a regular in the big dance under Gregg Marshall. He took them to the tourney 7 out of his 9 seasons as head coach. Now Winthrop return again, this time under Randy Peele.

Colonial Athletic Old Dominion rolled over Towson in the first quarterfinal of this tournament. ODU, the top seed is the prohibitive favorite to win this tournament and head to the NCAA Tournament. The seoond matchup saw a second half surge by Virginia Commonwealth to power them to a 75-40 win against George Mason. Northeastern held off Hofstra 74-71 and William & Mary rallied to defeat James Madison 70-65 to advance to the semi's

MAAC Rider played a solid ball game to defeat #4 St. Peter's 69-57. That game was followed by top seeded Siena, who could be dangerous in the NCAA Tournament if they make it. Tonight, they took care of Manhatten by a score of 78-61. Fairfield and Canisius have completed play with Fairfield advancing behind a 67-57 victory.

Missouri Valley Top seed, Northern Iowa advanced with no problems 57-40 over Bradley. NIU is one of those teams to watch when you start filling out your brackets in a week. In the second game Wichita State, coached by Gregg Marshall who has a lot of experience getting to the big dance with a mid-major while at Winthrop, defeated Illinois State 65-61. The Shockers are playing well and have a great chance to upset top seed Northern Iowa, in tomorrow's Championship game.

Ohio Valley Murray State has advanced to the NCAA Tournament after a 62-51 victory over Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Tournament in Nashville.

Southern In a very competitive Southern Conference tournament, Western Carolina has moved on defeating Elon, a team who took down Davidson College in their own backyard on Friday 68-57. 3 other quarters are to come today from Charlotte. Wofford defeated NC-Greensboro by 12, 59-47. Appalachian State has defeated The Citadel 71-61 to advance. College of Charleston has put up points by the buckets and rolled to a 96-60 win over Chattanooga and look poised to make it to the Championship game in the tournament.

Summit League The Summit League tournament is underway with top seeded Oakland defeating UMKC in the first quarterfinal by a score of 85-70. In the nightcap, IUPUI pulled away at the end to defeat Western Illinois by a 77-68 score. Oakland is the top seed with only one conference loss out of 18 games and are the big favorites to gain a birth to the NCAA Tournament.

Sun Belt The Sun Belt quarterfinals are underway South Alabama edging out Florida Atlantic on a game winning shot by Bryan Sherrer, who scored with 4 seconds to go to move the Jaguars on to the semifinals. In action now, Arkansas State has advanced after an 89-82 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock. Western Kentucky disposed of New Orleans by a score of 83-58 to advance. Two other quarterfinal games were played Saturday evening. Louisiana-Monroe won on a buzzer beater by Tony Hooper who knocked down a three pointer with 1 second left to defeat Louisiana-Lafayette, 76-75, while Denver and Florida International battled it out in the late game. Denver came away with the win, 71-64.

West Coast Loyola-Marymount tangled with San Francisco and came away with an 84-76 victory in the first quarterfinal while Portland pulled away from San Diego and cruised to a 72-57 win to move to the semifinals. Top Seeded Gonzaga has the bye to the semifinals in this tournament.

Comments may be posted here

March Madness has started with early round conference tournament action underway in conference's such as the Southern, Colonial Athletic, MAAC and others. Keep it here for the latest in conference tournament action as the automatic bids are awarded, Selection Sunday and the eventual crowning of the 2010 National Champion in Indianapolis. The Smoking Pen is your source for everything involving March Madness. Check back often for updates.

Colonial Athletic Conference UNC-Wilmington is the first North Carolina team to be eliminated in post season play losing in the CAA Tournament first round to Towson 91-74. The Seahawks finish the season at 9-22. Towson goes on to face top seeded Old Dominion on Saturday. Virginia Commonwealth had little problem advancing by the Delaware Blue Hens and will face George Mason tomorrow. In late play, Hofstra held off Georgia State 68-67 and will take on #2 Northeastern at 6pm on Saturday, in the quarterfinals. The other late game in the tournament was a mild upset as James Madison took care of Drexel, 77-65, to advance.

Southern Conference The Davidson Wildcats, playing in their back yard in Charlote, fell to Elon by a score of 66-59 in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament. Davidson was one of the schools who had a legitimate chance to win this tightly contested tournament. But that will end today at the hands of a team who had only won 9 ball games this season. The post-Stephen Curry era has started at Davidson but the Wildcats recruit well and are well coached and as the second half of this season showed, the Wildcats will be back sooner rather than later. Another team from the State of North Carolina advanced this afternoon. NC-Greensboro edged Furman 66-65. The win was only the eighth for the Spartans who move on to play Wofford on Saturday. In late play, The Citadel and Chattanooga cruised to the next round.

Missouri Valley Conference Top-seeded Northern Iowa rallied from behind to defeat Drake 55-40 in the MVC quarterfinals. UNI will face #5 Bradley on Saturday. Bradley took care of Creighton by a score of 81-62 on Friday. Missouri State and Wichita State battled in the evening session and it was Wichita State coming out ahead in that one, 73-63. Two good teams played in the late game in what is a good conference who could get a few teams into the field of 65. It was Illinois State defeating Indiana State, 69-65 in a game that was tight throughout.

Horizon League In the first quarterfinal game, Detroit took care of Green Bay 62-53. No, this is not an NFL game but a game between two solid teams with 20 wins. Detroit will take on #2 Wright State in Saturday's first Semifinal game. In the second game, Wisconsin-Milwaukee defeated Cleveland State by 7 to move on.

MAAC In the #8-9 game, Manhatten rolled over Loyola-Maryland, 94-79 and Canisius had little problem taking care of Marist in the nightcap.

Ohio Valley Conference Murray State edged Eastern Illinois by four in the first game of the session, while Morehead State who now has 23 wins, rolled over Tennesse Tech in the late game.

Atlantic Sun East Tennessee State took care of Kennesaw State and Mercer upset Jacksonville in Friday action.

West Coast Conference Loyola-Marymount disposed of a struggling Pepperdine in the opening game by 3. San Diego edged out Santa Clara by two in an evenly matched game in the nightcap.

Comments may be posted here