NCAA Notables - 3/6

At-large hopefuls got the job done, and four more teams won automatic bids to the NCAA tournament.

KUDOS

Connecticut and Seton Hall
For Seton Hall, a first round loss in the Big East tournament to Providence (after consecutive losses to Rutgers and DePaul) would have been catastrophic. And UConn would've loathed to end its season on a loss to DePaul. Neither team had to live its nightmare scenario. The Pirates easily quieted Providence 79-47 and Jeremy Lamb's shooting pushed the Huskies past DePaul 81-67. UConn now faces West Virginia, but Jim Calhoun's revitalized team has probably re-secured its bid already; Seton Hall, however, is still competing with South Florida and can end much of the drama by beating Louisville on Wednesday.

Dayton and Saint Joseph's
Unlike UConn and Seton Hall, these two Atlantic 10 teams are on the wrong side of the bubble. At least neither was tripped up in the first round of the A-10 tournament, though. Dayton advances to a do-or-die game against Xavier by beating George Washington, and Saint Joseph's win over Charlotte pits them against St. Bonaventure in the quarterfinals.

Western Kentucky
Two months ago, the Hilltoppers lost to a team that used six players on its final possession, then proceeded to fire their coach. Now they're in the NCAA tournament. Despite all the turmoil that the season brought, the seventh-seeded Hilltoppers (with only a 15-18 record) won the Sun Belt championship game over North Texas 74-70.

Harvard
The Crimson didn't even play on Tuesday, but Penn's loss at Princeton was all they needed to seal the Ivy League championship and avoid a one-game playoff with the Quakers. Harvard will make its first NCAA touranament appearance since 1946.

Detroit
The Titans entered the season expected to play for the Horizon title, only went 11-7, then swept the conference tournament to lock up an automatic bid. Detroit doubled up Valparaiso in the second half to take the 70-50 championship win over Valparaiso.

South Dakota State
The Jackrabbits were the fourth team to earn an NCAA tourney bid on Tuesday. Star guard Nate Wolters only made 5 of 22 shots from the field, but led South Dakota State with 14 points in their 52-50 overtime victory against Western Illinois in the Summit League finals.