UC San Diego pulled away late to beat UC Irvine, 75-61 to earn its first Big West Conference Tournament championship and its first NCAA Tournament berth on Saturday night.

Led by Bent Leuchten's 21 points, the second-seeded UC Irvine Anteaters defeated the Cal Poly Mustangs 96-78 in the Big West Conference Tournament semifinals on Friday

UC San Diego, in its first season of NCAA Tournament eligibility, is going to the Big Dance after clinching its first Big West championship with a 75-61 victory over UC Irvine on Saturday night in Henderson,

The West Virginia basketball program was surprisingly left out of the NCAA Tournament on selection Sunday, despite what looked like a solid resume. West Virginia basketball went 19-13 overall and 10-10 in Big 12 play this season,

The Hoosiers (19-13) have no plans to play elsewhere this season after being one of the first four teams left out of the 68-team NCAA field revealed Sunday, along with 24-win Boise State, West Virginia and fellow Big Ten team Ohio State.