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Late Night Snacks: Two tickets punched, two conference tournament upsets

Will Artino

Creighton’s Will Artino kisses the championship trophy after his team defeated Wichita State 68-65 for the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship in an NCAA college basketball game on Sunday, March 10, 2013, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

AP

Tickets Punched: Liberty (Big South), Creighton (Missouri Valley)

Game of the Day: No. 2 Indiana 72, No. 7 Michigan 71

After taking some heat for cutting down the nets following a “Senior Night” loss to Ohio State on Tuesday, the Hoosiers clinched the outright Big Ten title in Ann Arbor. Cody Zeller’s layup with 13 seconds remaining proved to be the difference as two Michigan shots missed the mark. Michigan was out-rebounded 53-30, and while Indiana managed to score just 17 second-chance points this is an area the Wolverines need to address heading into the Big Ten tournament.

Important Outcomes

1. Creighton 68, Wichita State 65

Doug McDermott didn’t go off like he did in the regular season finale between the two Missouri Valley rivals, when he scored 41 points. But Ethan Wragge hit five three-pointers and Jahenns Manigat scored a team-high 16 points, which included a key jumper to give the Bluejays a 68-65 lead with 13 seconds remaining, to lead Creighton to its second consecutive MVC tournament crown. Malcolm Armstead scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Shockers, who will also hear their name called on Selection Sunday.

2. Florida International 61, Middle Tennessee 57

For the second consecutive season a Middle Tennessee team with 26 or more wins will have to wait a week to learn its NCAA tournament fate. The 28-5 Blue Raiders were upset in the Sun Belt semifinals, and the hope now is that their win total and non-conference strength of schedule (ranked 11th) is enough to get them into the field. FIU reaches the title game in Richard Pitino’s first season running the program, which is quite the achievement for this group.

3. Temple 84, No. 21 VCU 76

Temple struggled some with the VCU press early but once their seniors got things under control the Owls were good to go. Khalif Wyatt hit just one of his eight three-point attempts but still scored 30 points, Jake O’Brien added 19 and Will Cummings scored 13 points off the bench to lead Temple. The win likely seals an at-large bid for Temple, which will be the three-seed in next week’s Atlantic 10 tournament. VCU will be the two-seed, and their loss means that Saint Louis is the outright regular season champion.

Starred

1. G C.J. Harris (Wake Forest)

In his final home game Harris helped lead the Demon Deacons past Virginia Tech, scoring 29 points (6-of-6 3PT) and dishing out three assists in the 90-79 victory.

2. G Malcolm Armstead (Wichita State)

Armstead was sensational in a losing effort for the Shockers, tallying 28 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists in the Shockers’ 68-65 loss to Creighton in the MVC title game.

3. F David Laury III (Iona)

Laury accounted for 20 points (7-of-12 FG), 17 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in Iona’s 79-73 MAAC semifinal victory over top-seed Niagara.

Struggled

1. G Treveon Graham (VCU)

Graham didn’t make a three-pointer (0-of-4) and shot just 5-of-16 in the Rams’ 84-76 loss at Temple.

2. G Devon Saddler and G Jarvis Threatt (Delaware)

Saddler and Threatt struggled in the Blue Hens’ 58-57 loss to James Madison in the CAA semifinals, combining to score 16 points on 7-of-27 shooting. They also combined for eight turnovers, with Threatt committing five.

3. G Pe’Shon Howard (Maryland)

Howard struggled in the Terrapins’ 61-58 overtime loss at Virginia, going scoreless and accounting for just two assists and one rebound in 25 minutes of action.

Three Facts

1. Liberty became the first NCAA tournament team with 20 losses since Coppin State pulled off the feat in 2008. Dale Layer’s Flames began the season 1-10 due to injuries and other roster issues, but they got rolling at precisely the right time. Look for Liberty to play its next game in Dayton.

2. Stony Brook may not be in the same position as Middle Tennessee but the Seawolves’ hopes of an NCAA tournament bid came to a painful end. Albany’s Mike Black scored a layup in the final seconds to give the Great Danes a 61-59 win over the America East regular season champions.

3. Virginia’s work isn’t done in regards to getting back to the NCAA tournament but the Cavaliers avoided a loss they could not afford, beating Maryland 61-58 in overtime. Tony Bennett’s team earned a first-round by in next week’s ACC tournament with the victory.

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.