Davidson, Winthrop And Belmont Earn NCAA Tournament Berths

UNDATED (AP) Davidson is going to the NCAA tourney. Davidson captured the Southern Conference title by rallying to beat College of Charleston, 72-65. That's Davidson's 29th victory of the season.

Saturday, March 3rd 2007, 2:45 pm

By: News On 6

UNDATED (AP) Davidson is going to the NCAA tourney. Davidson captured the Southern Conference title by rallying to beat College of Charleston, 72-65. That's Davidson's 29th victory of the season. Freshman Stephen Curry, son of former NBA standout Dell Currty, scored 29.

It denied College of Charleston coach Bobby Cremins, the former Georgia Tech coach, a trip to the NCAAs in his first year after returning to coaching. Cremins was trying to take his third different team to the NCAA tourney.

Several other teams played their way into the NCAA
tournament:

-- Winthrop is going to the tourney for a seventh time in nine years under coach Gregg Marshall thanks to an 84-81 victory over VMI in the Big South Conference championship. The Eagles had never been to the Big Dance before Marshall took over the program. Torrell Martin had 17 points to lead Winthrop to their 28th victory in 32 games.

-- Belmont is Atlantic Sun Conference champion and is going to the NCAA tourney for the second straight year. Andy Wicke and Andrew Preston each scored 18 in Belmont's 94-67 win over East Tennessee State.

-- Eastern Kentucky held top-seed Austin Peay without a basket for a 9-minute stretch of the 2nd-half and beat the Governors 63-62 for the Ohio Valley Conference title. Josh Taylor made his only basket of the game with 2.9 seconds left to win it for the Colonels.