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Stocks are fluctuation wildly as March Madness grinds on in college basketball. Illinois is feeling good, SLU is feeling somewhat better, and slumping Missouri must regroup.

But no program in this region is feeling better than SIU Edwardsville, which became the nation's first team to punch its NCAA Tournament ticket this season by defeating Southeast Missouri State 69-48 in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title game Saturday night in Evansville, Ind.

SIUE’s long struggle at the Division I has ended during the last three seasons as the Cougars went 19-14, 17-16 and 22-11 (so far) under coach Brian Barone.

Now they have some limelight to bask in with the OVC's automatic NCAA berth in hand.

“Not it’s time to go dance,” SIUE guard Desmond Polk said.

“Ever since I came to the U.S. I wanted to enjoy the feeling, so I’m ready,” forward Ring Malith said.

“It means the world to me,” guard Ray’Sean Taylor, who persevered through multiple knee surgeries to reach this high point. “Three years ago I got hurt right out on that court, same side, everything. So it just means a lot.”

While SEMO failed to earn its second NCAA berth in three years under Brad Korn, it finished 21-12 and won the OVC regular season title. This was a special season for a school that endured much futility during the two decades preceding Korn’s arrival.

“Tournaments are tournaments.” Korn said. “(If Tennessee State) hits a 3 last night, we don’t even play Edwardsville. And now they are going to the NCAA Tournament. That’s sport. You have 40-minute games, two hours.”

Illinois will roll into the Big Ten Tournament with positive vibes after rallying past No. 18 Purdue 88-80 Friday in Champaign for its third straight victory.

SLU closed its regular season on a high note by defeating Duquesne 90-88 in overtime for its fourth victory in its last five games. The Billikens fell short of winning a double bye at the Atlantic 10 Tournament, but they will head into the postseason feeling better about their offense.

Meanwhile Missouri’s fade into the middle of the NCAA Tournament bracket continued with its 96-84 loss at Oklahoma on Wednesday and its 91-83 tumble at home to Kentucky on Saturday.

Elsewhere in the region, Missouri State ended its time in the Missouri Valley Conference with a lopsided loss at Arch Madness and Lindenwood bowed out of the OVC tourney in the first round.

Here is how the region’s Division I teams stack up:

ILLINOIS (20-11)

Will Riley just keeps getting better, as you would expect from an elite freshman with immediate NBA potential. He stepped up to score 50 points during the Illini’s three-game winning streak. Riley has combo guard skills at 6-foot-8, and he does damage the paint as well. While fellow freshmen Kasparas Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic make the Illinois offense click with their court vision and passing, Riley is the X-factor on this team. Put the ball in his hands and he can take over. With Tre White back on track and Kylan Boswell bringing the toughness, Underwood has his starting five in a great place heading into postseason play. And with rebounder Morez Johnson Jr. recovering from his broken wrist, Illinois could restore its full playing rotation ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

MISSOURI (21-10)

Mark Mitchell had a fine offensive game at Oklahoma, scoring 18 points in 25 minutes while shooting 7-for-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Caleb Grill chipped in 16 points, but Anthony Robinson II was limited to two points in 13 minutes by foul trouble. The Tigers played turnstile defense in the loss, prompting coach Dennis Gates to rotate through 13 players. The game’s only positive was the opportunity for deep reserves like freshmen T.O. Barrett and Annor Boateng to get some run outside of garbage time. Gates wanted to give Aidan Shaw some minutes, too, but Shaw seemed befuddled during his short stint. Mizzou’s woes continued against Kentucky; after enjoying an 11-4 start, the Tigers wilted once the Wildcats knocked down some shots. Marques Warrick scored 11 of his 17 points in the last 6:26 of the game to help keep the score respectable. Jacob Crews had five of his 12 points in that span. Mitchell (22 points, seven rebounds three assists) was the only starter who played well.

SIU EDWARDSVILLE (22-11)

Ray’Sean Taylor was the best player in the OVC tourney. He demonstrated that while scoring 24 points as the Cougars held off Tennessee State 71-69 Friday night to advance to the title game against SEMO. Barone used a 10-man rotation to keep fresh legs on the floor and five players scored six points or more in support of Taylor. In his seventh game back from the injured list, center Arnas Sekenis had six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot in 22 minutes off the bench as Barone got production from his three-man rotation of big men. Bench production proved crucial in the victory over SEMO, with Barone underscoring Jordan Pickett’s plus-24 rating in his 13 minutes and Declan Dillon’s plus-22 rating in 18 minutes. Taylor finished with 20 points to become the school’s all-time career scoring leader.

SLU (18-13)

The Billikens played a fabulous first half at Dayton while building a 41-28 lead. They came out knocking down shots. But the Flyers stiffened up their resistance and SLU ran out of gas during its 75-67 loss Tuesday. Isaiah Swope (28 points) and Gibson Jimerson (23 points) stepped up again, but Dayton contained Robbie Avila (10 points, four rebounds, three assists) and exploited its depth while building an 18-4 edge in bench scoring. The Billikens bounced back to outlast Duquesne in overtime Saturday with Jimerson pouring in 35 points and Avila producing 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and three steals. SLU heads to the Atlantic 10 Tournament as the No. 5 seed needing to win three times to earn the automatic NCAA bid.

SEMO (21-12)

The Redhawks withstood early defensive pressure from Little Rock Friday and rolled into the OVC tourney title game with a 78-59 victory. SEMO exploited its superior depth while rotating through 10 players against the shorthanded Trojans. Troy Cole Jr. got them the Redhawks rolling, scoring 17 points and pulling six rebounds in 19 minutes, and Rob Martin kept them at bay with 21 points. Teddy Washington Jr. only scored seven points, but he had six rebounds and four steals while setting his team’s tempo with intensity. SEMO started fast Saturday while taking a 14-7 lead. They struggled for the rest of the first half, then they staged a second half rally to tie the game 38-38 with 14:17 left. They seemed headed for a classic finish . . .  and then they hit a wall, allowing SIUE to outscore them 31-10 the rest of the way. Martin finished with 18 points and Terry scored 16, but they didn’t get much help.

SIU CARBONDALE (14-19)

The Salukis opened Arch Madness with an exciting 86-85 victory over Indiana State Thursday at Enterprise Center. Ali Dibba played the entire game and produced 30 points and nine rebounds. Our Town’s Kennard Davis Jr. showed well in front of family and friends with 22 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. But then SIUC’s season ended against top-seeded Drake with a 70-53 loss Friday afternoon. Dibba finished his strong season for the Salukis with 19 points and three assists.

LINDENWOOD (16-17)

The Lions were still in their transition from Division II to Division I this season, so they weren’t eligible to earn an NCAA berth. But they did have the opportunity to play spoiler at the OVC Tournament after finishing 10-10 in league play. Alas, they fell well short during their season-ending 69-55 loss to Tennessee State. Lindenwood shot just 36.7 percent from the floor overall while missing 14-of-19 shots from 3-point range. Anias Futrell scored 12 points and made four steals and Markeith Browning II had 10 rebounds and three assists to go with his seven points.

MISSOURI STATE (9-23)

This school had a proud history in the Valley. It was a conference mainstay dating back to its Southwest Missouri State days. But the Bears exited the league in embarrassing fashion, going 2-18 in league play and then falling 70-54 to Illinois State in the first round at Arch Madness at Enterprise Center Thursday afternoon. Dez White, Vincent Brady II and Chase Martin combined to miss 27-of-33 shots from the floor in the school’s basketball farewell. Now it’s on to the far-flung Conference USA, a league that stretches from Kentucky to South Florida to El Paso, Texas. The C-USA is the ultimate See the USA league.