Oral For Everyone!!!!

The College Basketball Closer is written by the gang at Storming the Floor.

When Oral Roberts beat IUPUI 71-64, they made a lot of people happy. And some of them even went to the school. Our fearless leader has demanded Oral for the Deadspin Pants Party, and he will get it. And this isn't some one-sided affair, either. There is reciprocity. The ORU women's team pounded IUPUI in their conference final, making sure everyone goes home happy tonight.

(Innuendo not sanctioned by Oral Roberts University or by Coach Scott Sutton's Bobblehead)

Conference Tournament Results

Horizon League Final: Butler 70, Cleveland State 55. You've become accustomed to their faces, but did you know that Butler has been getting into the NCAA tournament the hard way recently? For a team that has been dominant on the national scene, the Bulldogs seem to have a difficult time with the Horizon tournament, having to resort to the at-large bid for the past two years. They almost did it again this year, blowing a 14-point first-half lead before they decided to get busy livin'. Mike Green was a force for Butler, scoring 24 points and snatching 13 rebounds.

Sun Belt Final: Western Kentucky 67, Middle Tennessee State 57. We're going to forgive Western Kentucky for having a mascot that looks like the illegitimate offspring of McDonalds' Grimace. Pundits have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of star Guard/Forward Courtney Lee on the national airwaves for some time. C-Lee did score 13, but it was Sophomore big man Jeremy Evans who put on a show, scoring 20 and hauling down 14 to lead the towel-waving Hilltoppers to the Big Dance.

Big Sky Semis: Northern Arizona 75, Weber State 70. Lumberjack Kyle Landry was the only Northern Arizonaman to score in double figures, but with nine other players scoring in the contest, you could say he got by with a little help from his friends.

Big Sky Semis: Portland State 72, Idaho State 61. The Bengals circled PSU big man Scott Morrison, holding him to one point and two rebounds for the evening, but the Viking guards turned them to butter with a barrage of three pointers.

Other Scores

MEAC First Round: Coppin State 55, Howard 54. South Carolina State 78-Bethune-Cookman 69. WAC First Round: San Jose State 64-Louisiana Tech 62.

In the Tournament

Cornell (Ivy), Winthrop (Big South), Belmont (Atlantic Sun), Austin Peay (Ohio Valley), Drake (Missouri Valley), George Mason (CAA), Siena (MAAC), San Diego (WCC), Davidson (SoCon), Oral Roberts (Summit), Western Kentucky (Sun Belt)

On the line tomorrow: NEC Championship. Previews of tonight's games, and a Motivational Platitude from Gourmet Spud, in the evening edition of the Closer.

Eric Angevine writes about college basketball at Storming the Floor and CAAZone. He can be reached at [email protected].