Bracketology 2012: Lamar Looks To Potentially Line Up Vs. No. 1 Seed Michigan State

The Lamar Cardinals will likely face a No. 1 seed when the NCAA tournament brackets are announced on Sunday.

Selection Sunday 2012: Time, TV Schedule And More

The Lamar Cardinals won't have to sweat out their wait on Selection Sunday after punching their ticket for the Big Dance by winning the Southland Conference Tournament. Others like the Texas Longhorns will be huddled around the TV at 6 p.m. on Sunday and will be hoping to hear their name called.

Texas A&M didn't have a tournament worthy performance in its final season in the Big 12 as the Aggies struggled through a 14-18 campaign while going 4-14 in the conference under new coach Billy Kennedy. A&M did knock off Oklahoma in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament before falling to top seed Kansas in the second round.

The NCAA Selection Show will begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday and will be televised on CBS. SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean projects Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina and Kansas as top seeds in the tournament.

Date/Time: Sunday, March 11, 6:00 p.m. ET

TV CBS

For more March Madness news and analysis head on over to SB Nation's College Basketball page.

Lamar Vs. McNeese State Final Score: Lamar Runs Away From McNeese State To Garner Southland Conference Championship, NCAA Automatic Bid

The Lamar Cardinals raced out to a 33-21 halftime lead and kept their foot on the pedal in the second half to douse any upset hopes McNeese State had, earning a70-49 win over the Cowboys in the championship game of the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy, Texas.

With the victory, Lamar receives the Southland's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week. Mike James led the Cardinals with a game-high 26 points on just-under 50 percent shooting, and also grabbed nine rebounds.

Patrick Richard knocked down 16 points but only connected on four of his 20 field-goal attempts, and Dontae Cannon had 13 for McNeese State, which finished second to Lamar in the regular season East Division standings, with a 10-6 record in the conference and 17-15 overall. The Cowboys upset top-seed UT Arlington in the semifinal round to get their championship shot against Lamar.

This was the third meeting this season between these two schools. Each won on its home floor, but Lamar took the season series with the Southland Tournament win. Lamar upped its overall season record to 23-11. The Cardinals shot 47 percent from the field, and played tough defense, holding the Cowboys to just 31 percent shooting. The Cardinals also pounded the boards, taking a 38-27 rebound advantage for the game.

Coach Pat Knight's victorious Cardinals will now await the NCAA tournament pairings, which come out on Sunday, to learn where they will play and who their opponent will be.

For more March Madness news and information, be sure to go to SB Nation's college basketball page.

Southland Conference Basketball Tournament 2012, Day Four: Bracket, Schedule And More

The 2012 Southland Conference Tournament draws to a close Saturday, with Lamar emerging as the favorite to win the conference following the upset win of McNeese State over favorite UT-Arlington. Since Lamar head coach Pat Knight's now-infamous sound bites regarding the play and behavior of his seniors, the team has won five straight.

The winner of the McNeese / Lamar final will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, and at the moment SB Nation's resident bracketologist Chris Dobbertean has the Cardinals as a sacrificial No. 16 seed, playing No. 1 seed Kansas in the first round. That positioning isn't likely to change if McNeese can carry through and make an amazing upset run for the Southland bid, considering the Cowboys (17-14) have a weaker record than Lamar (22-11).

Click here for a complete look at the 2012 Southland Tournament bracket.

For more March Madness news and info, be sure to check out SB Nation's college basketball page.

2012 Southland Conference Tournament: Finals Preview

Southland Conference Basketball Tournament 2012: Bracket, Schedule And More

The 2012 Southland Tournament has reached the semifinal stage, as four remaining teams look to punch the conference's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The quarterfinals was all chalk, with the top four seeds moving on with convincing victories. That should set up a compelling series of games at the Merrill Center in Katy, TX on Thursday.

In the night's first game, No. 3 Lamar will take on No. 2 Stephen F Austin at 7 p.m. EST. Lamar topped No. 6 Northwestern State, 76-69, while Stephen F. Austin routed Sam Houston State, 68-46. In the nightcap, top-seeded UT-Arlington will square off against No. 4 seed McNeese State. UT-Arlington dismantled No. 8 Nicholls State, 96-48, while McNeese State edged UT-San Antonio, 78-74, in overtime. All games will be broadcasted on the Southland Conference TV network. To watch each game, click here.

For a complete look at the Southland Conference Tournament Bracket, click here. For all your March Madness news and scores, go check out SB Nation's college basketball page.

UT-San Antonio Vs. McNeese State: Roadrunners Fall 78-74 In Overtime

UT San Antonio led 30-21 at halftime but were outscored 42-33 in the second half and 15-11 in overtime to fall 78-74 to McNeese State.

After blowing the halftime lead in the second half, the Roadrunners were able to force overtime thanks to a Kannon Burrage three-pointer with just eight seconds remaining that tied the score at 63-63. The Cowboys pushed the lead out to 74-67 in overtime before UT San Antonio once again made a charge cutting the lead down to three with just seven seconds remaining. Desharick Guidry made one of two free throws to seal the victory with just five seconds remaining for McNeese State.

Dontae Cannon led the way for the Cowboys with 18 points while Patrick Richard added 16. Desharick Guidry pitched in 14 off the bench. Melvin Johnson III scored 19 points to lead UT San Antonio and Igor Nujic added 13.

For all your March Madness news and scores, go check out SB Nation's college basketball page.

UT-San Antonio Vs. McNeese State Halftime Score: Roadrunners Lead 30-19

At the half it is the No. 5 seed Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners leading the No. 4 McNeese St. Cowboys 30-19. UT-San Antonio is being led by Melvin Johnson III who came off the bench to lead all scorers with 15 points.

Overall, the offense for UT-San Antonio has been impressive as they are shooting 52 percent from the field and their defense possibly even better as they are holding McNeese State to 27 percent shooting. Even with that disparity in shooting the ball McNeese State is not out of this game and somehow are only down 11 points.

The first half was close until the midway point when UT-San Antonio built a lead when they got hot and went on a 16-3 run to double up McNeese State 28-14. McNeese State was able to cut into the lead some by scoring the next five points heading into the half trailing 30-19.

UT-Arlington Vs. Nicholls State Final Score: Mavericks Easily Defeat Colonels, 96-48

The top seeded Texas-Arlington Mavericks had no trouble when they double up the No. 8 seed Nicholls St. Colonels 96-48 and now move on to the semifinal round of the Southland Conference tournament. Arlington's defense was stifling tonight as they held Nicholls State to 23 percent shooting on the night. Nicholls State took 35 shots from beyond three-point range in an attempt to make this game respectable, but they only made four of those.

As for Arlington their offense was clicking as they shot 52 percent from the field and made 11-of-23 from three-point range. Arlington had four players in double digits with Bo Ingram leading the with 23 points which included going 5-of-10 from three-point range and he also had eight rebounds.

Arlington will play the winner of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners and McNeese St. Cowboys.

For all your March Madness news and scores, go check out SB Nation's college basketball page.

UT-Arlington Vs. Nicholls State Score Update: Mavericks Lead 42-19 At Halftime.

The 2012 Southland Tournament is underway in Katy, TX. The third game of Wednesday's quarterfinals pits the top seed in the entire tournament, Texas-Arlington Mavericks, against the No. 8 seed Nicholls St. Colonels. At halftime, Arlington leads by a score of 42-19

The Mavericks jumped out to a big lead and did a good job at keeping the distance.They opened a double-digit lead and before long, they stretched that lead to over 20 points. They are doing a fine job of proving that their 15-1 record in the Southland conference over the past season was no fluke.

Mavericks forward Bo Ingram is leading all scorers in the game. At halftime, he has 18 points and three rebounds.

If the Mavericks prevail, which they likely will, they will advance to the semifinals. Their opponents on Thursday will be the winner of Wednesday's quarterfinal nightcap pitting No. 5 Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners vs. No. 4 McNeese St. Cowboys.

Northwestern Vs. Lamar Final Score: Demons Eliminated From Southland Tournament With 76-69 Loss

Play rolls along on Wednesday at the 2012 Southland Tournament in Katy. The field has been narrowed even further as teams compete for the conference title and an automatic 2012 NCAA Tournament berth. In the second game of the day, the No. 6 seed Northwestern St. Demons fell short against the third-seeded Lamar Cardinals by a final score of 76-69.

Northwestern fell behind early and trailed 35-26 entering halftime. Although they put up a whopped 43 points in the second half, the early deficit proved to be the difference, as the Demons will now be heading home.

Northwestern center William Mosley led all scorers with 22 points, just missing out on a double-double with nine rebounds. Mike James of Lamar also had a big game, with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Lamar will face off against the No. 2 seed Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in the semifinals on Thursday.

For a complete look at the Southland Conference Tournament Bracket, click here.

For all your March Madness news and scores, check out SB Nation's college basketball page.

Stephen F. Austin Runs Past Sam Houston St. In Southland Tourney Opener

The opening salvo of the Southland Conference tournament has been fired, with No. 2 seed Stephen F. Austin beating Sam Houston State 68-46 on Wednesday at the Merrell Center in Katy.

That's the sixth straight victory for SFA, as they attempt to make a late-season run at an NCAA bid. It's also the third straight victory for SFA over SHSU this season, as the Lumberjacks won 58-47 a week ago in Huntsville. It was also a bit of revenge for SFA, since Sam Houston beat the Lumberjacks in the past two Southland tournaments.

SFA advances to meet the winner of No. 3 seed Lamar and No. 6 Northwestern State at 6 p.m. Thursday. Lamar and Northwestern St. tips at 2:30 p.m. in the second of four games in Katy on Wednesday. The other games will be tournament favorite UT-Arlington and Nicholls at 6 p.m. Wednesday and UT-San Antonio vs. McNeese St. in the nightcap at 8:30 p.m.

Southland Conference Tournament 2012: Bracket, Preview And More

UT-Arlington is the favorite to earn the Southland's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, after winning the regular season title in convincing fashion.