All 32 automatic bids for the NCAA Tournament have now been won. The major conference tournaments wrapped up early, with national title contenders such as South Carolina, Iowa and UConn winning their respective leagues. This weekend it was time for the mid-majors to shine.
Kent State got things started Saturday by beating Buffalo to clinch the MAC title, while California Baptist pulled off a comeback to take down Stephen F. Austin for the WAC championship. Elsewhere, Fairfield pulled off a huge comeback to beat Niagara for the MAAC trophy, Norfolk State held off Howard to win the MEAC, while Princeton cruised past Columbia for the Ivy League crown.
Later in the day, Jackson State (SWAC), Middle Tennessee State (C-USA), UC Irvine (Big West) and Florida Gulf Coast (ASUN) all put together dominant performances to win their respective championships.
On Sunday, Holy Cross joined the party by taking down Boston University to win the Patriot League, while Sacred Heart officially claimed the Northeast crown with a dominant win over Le Moyne. Drake then won a thriller over Missouri State to win the MVC and Drexel stunned Stony Brook to earn the CAA's bid.
Here's a look back at the 13 automatic bids earned this weekend. Note: All seeds are respective to their conferences.
Atlantic Sun: Florida Gulf Coast
Championship
- No. 1 Florida Gulf Coast 76, No. 3 Central Arkansas 47
Florida Gulf Coast made it back to the ASUN Tournament championship game for a stunning 13th season in a row, and, after a lopsided win over Central Arkansas, will be making their seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Eagles have now won 22 games in a row, with their last loss coming way back on Dec. 10. Emani Jefferson showed why she was the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year by putting up 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Saturday's win.
Big West: UC Irvine
Championship
- No. 2 UC Irvine 53, No. 5 UC Davis 39
The UC Irvine Anteaters are going dancing for the second time in program history after a big win over UC Davis in the Big West Tournament championship game. After a low-scoring first half, the Anteaters broke the game open with a stunning 23-4 third quarter, and coasted the rest of the way. Big West Player of the Year Deja Lee put up 21 points and six rebounds and Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba chipped in 13 points and nine rebounds
Coastal Athletic Association: Drexel
Championship
- No. 7 Drexel 68, No. 1 Stony Brook 60
Drexel completed a Cinderella run through the CAA Tournament on Sunday with a major upset over top-seeded Stony Brook. The Dragons were under .500 less than a month ago, but ripped off seven wins in a row, including four by a combined 11 points in the last four days to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Dragons jumped out to an early lead on Sunday, then held off the Seawolves down the stretch. Amaris Baker went for 19 points to lead the way in the scoring department, while Brooke Mullin put up 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and five assists and Erin Sweeney chipped in a career-high 16 points off the bench.
Conference USA: Middle Tennessee State
Championship
- No. 1 Middle Tennessee State 67, No. 2 Liberty 51
Middle Tennessee State still has not lost since Dec. 30. The Blue Raiders ran their winning streak to 19 games in a row with a 16-point win over Liberty in the Conference USA Tournament championship on Saturday. After a competitive first quarter, the Blue Raiders grabbed the lead early in the second and never trailed again. Anastasiia Boldyreva went for 21 points and six assists, while C-USA Player of the Year Savannah Wheeler shook off a poor shooting night to finish with 15 points and nine assists. This is the third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years for Middle Tennessee State.
Ivy League: Princeton
Championship
- No. 1 Princeton 75, No. 2 Columbia 58
Princeton picked up a third consecutive Ivy League Tournament championship on Saturday with a comfortable win over Columbia, and have now made the NCAA Tournament 11 times since 2010. The Tigers have pulled off an upset in the first round of the Big Dance in each of the last two years, and will be looking to do so again this time around. Kaitlyn Chen played all 40 minutes and finished with 17 points and six assists, while Madison St. Rose led the way in the scoring department with 18 of her own.
Metro Atlantic Athletic: Fairfield
Championship
- No. 1 Fairfield 70, No. 2 Niagara 62 (OT)
This has been a magical season for Fairfield, who are 31-1 and ranked No. 25 in the country. When the Stags broke into the national rankings on March 5, it was the first time they had done so in program history. Now, they've guaranteed a sixth NCAA Tournament appearance with a dramatic overtime win over Niagara. The Stags trailed by as much as 13 in the second half, but locked in defensively to get the job done. They outscored the Purple Eagles 21-8 from the 6:48 mark of the fourth quarter onwards.
Mid-American Conference: Kent State
Championship
- No. 3 Kent State 78, No. 4 Buffalo 60
Kent State is going back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. The Golden Flashes ended their 22-year drought with a comfortable win in Saturday's MAC Tournament championship. As she has all season long, Katie Shumate led the way with 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, and Kent State's defense proved too much for Buffalo, who shot just 39.7% from the field and turned the ball over 15 times.
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: Norfolk State
Championship
- No. 1 Norfolk State 51, No. 2 Howard 46
Norfolk State continued its recent dominance over the MEAC by holding off Howard to win the conference tournament for the second year in a row. The Spartans' defense came up big in a low-scoring contest, as they held the Bison to just two points over the final 3:45. As expected, MEAC Player of the Year Kierra Wheeler led the way on both ends of the court for the Spartans and registered a 20-point, 15-rebound double-double.
Missouri Valley Conference: Drake
Championship
- No. 1 Drake 76, No. 3 Missouri State 75
The showdown between Drake and Missouri State lived up to expectations. After a competitive first half, the Bulldogs built a double-digit lead and were up by as much as 14 in the middle of the fourth quarter. They were cruising to victory until the Lady Bears ripped off a 14-0 run to tie the game with 2:48 to play. From there, the two teams went back and forth down the stretch. Lacy Stokes scored a runner to put the Lady Bears in front with two seconds to play, but Anna Miller responded with a bucket at the buzzer to win it for the Bulldogs. Miller finished with 25 points and seven rebounds to get Drake to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.
Northeast Conference: Sacred Heart
Championship
- No. 1 Sacred Heart 69, No. 2 Le Moyne 48
Le Moyne is ineligible to participate in the NCAA Tournament until 2028 due to the rules on teams transitioning to Division I, so the automatic bid for the Northeast Conference belonged to Sacred Heart regardless of what happened on Sunday. The Dolphins, to little surprise, looked like a team with nothing to play for. The Pioneers dominated from start to finish to officially punch their ticket to the Big Dance for the second consecutive season. Back-to-back Northeast Player of the Year Ny'Ceara Pryor led the way with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Patriot League: Holy Cross
Championship
- No. 1 Holy Cross 61, No. 3 Boston University 55
Holy Cross jumped out to an early lead, then held off Boston University in the second half to clinch its second consecutive Patriot League title. This is the first time Holy Cross will make back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances since 2000-01. Dublin native Bronagh Power-Cassidy led the way on St. Patrick's Day with 21 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Cara McCormack added 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Southwestern Athletic Conference: Jackson State
Championship
- No. 1 Jackson State 68, No. 6 Alcorn State 44
Jackson State made easy work of Alcorn State on Saturday to win its 21st game in a row and earn a third NCAA Tournament trip in the last four years. The Lady Tigers jumped out to an 8-0 lead, and the game was never in doubt after that point, as they held the Lady Braves to just 24.1% shooting. Ti'lan Boler went for 13 points and seven rebounds, whlile Andriana Avent added a game-high 17 points off the bench.
Western Athletic Conference: Cal Baptist
Championship
- No. 1 Cal Baptist 75, No. 3 Stephen F. Austin 74
Cal Baptist is going dancing for the first time in school history after a dramatic win over Stephen F. Austin in the WAC tournament championship game. The Lancers trailed for most of the game, but surged in front late in the fourth quarter by holding the Lady Jacks scoreless for over four minutes, then held on in the final seconds. WAC Player of the Year Chloe Webb led the way with 24 points and 15 rebounds.