Colorado is surprise Pac-12 king

LOS ANGELES -- Snubbed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee last year, then picked to finish next-to-last as a new member of the Pac-12, Colorado had many grudges going into its matchup against league powerhouse Arizona.

Freshman Spencer Dinwiddie scored 14 points, Carlon Brown had 13 and the Buffaloes won 53-51 in the league tournament final Saturday to earn the school's first NCAA Tournament bid since 2003.

"If you believe in destiny, you believe in the Colorado Buffaloes because it was meant to be for us," coach Tad Boyle said.

The sixth-seeded Buffaloes (23-11), who left the Big 12 after last season, won four games in four days, the first time Colorado has done that in the program's 111-year history.

Kyle Fogg scored 14 points, but his off-balance 3-pointer to win missed at the buzzer for Arizona (23-11).

CONFERENCE USA

■ MEMPHIS RIPS MARSHALL IN FINAL -- At Memphis, Tenn., top-seeded Memphis (26-8) won its sixth Conference USA tournament title with an 83-57 blowout of sixth-seeded Marshall (21-13).

BIG WEST

■ WARE POWERS LONG BEACH -- At Anaheim, Calif., Casper Ware had 33 points, and Long Beach State (25-8) gained a 77-64 victory over UC Santa Barbara (20-10) to capture the Big West title.

MID-AMERICAN

■ REPLAY CONFIRMS OHIO WIN -- At Cleveland, D.J. Cooper scored 23 points, and Ohio (27-7) waited out a TV replay of a disputed free-throw tip-in before emerging with a 64-63 win over Akron (22-11) in the MAC tournament final.

SOUTHLAND

■ KNIGHT GUIDES LAMAR TO BERTH -- At Katy, Texas, Lamar (23-11) gained a 70-49 win over McNeese State (17-15) in the Southland final, sending Pat Knight to the NCAA Tournament for the first time as a head coach.

MID-EASTERN ATLANTIC

■ NORFOLK STATE GAINS FIRST BID -- At Winston-Salem, N.C., Norfolk State (25-9) earned its first NCAA berth, holding on for a 73-70 victory over Bethune-Cookman (18-17) to win its first MEAC title.

AMERICA EAST

■ VERMONT NETS FIFTH NCAA BID -- At Stony Brook, N.Y., Vermont (22-11) gained a 51-43 victory over Stony Brook (22-8) in the America East final for its fifth NCAA bid, all since 2003.

SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC

■ DELTA DEVILS NCAA BOUND -- At Garland, Texas, Mississippi Valley State (21-12) won the SWAC tournament with a 71-69 victory over Texas Southern (15-18).