It’s March. We made it, fam. The Madness is in full swing.
Whether you’re looking to lay down some conference-specific bets or eye sleepers for the NCAA Tournament, here’s a rundown on them all with picks to win from Brian Bennett, who is our resident bracketologist and writes our “This Week in Mid-Major” column.
(Note: This post will be updated as conference regular seasons finish and brackets are finalized.)
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American Athletic Conference tournament
Title game:March 14 in Fort Worth, Texas
The skinny:Houston is No. 5 in the NET and No. 6 in KenPom … and the No. 2 seed here. That’s because Wichita State claimed the regular-season crown. One win in this tourney should get the Shockers into the field of 68. Houston and Memphis, who staged a thriller on Sunday, could meet again in the semifinals. SMU, which hasn’t played since Feb. 8, is the event’s biggest mystery.
TWMM pick:Houston (5:7). With apologies to Wichita State, the Cougars are the class of this conference — even if they need this title less than anybody.
Spoiler:Memphis (11:2)
League POY:Quentin Grimes, Houston
Atlantic Coast Conference tournament
Title game:March 13 in Greensboro, N.C.
The skinny:Is there a dominant team? No. 1 seed Virginia and No. 2 Florida State have looked the part at times but have also had their lapses. Virginia Tech, the 3 seed, has played twice since Feb. 6 and not since Feb. 27. Georgia Tech and North Carolina have some momentum. Syracuse and Louisville are on the bubble, while Duke needs a miracle.
TWMM pick:Florida State (11:4). While the Seminoles have had too many clunkers — Saturday at Notre Dame being the latest — we can’t shake last month’s 21-point beatdown of Virginia out of our noggins.
Spoiler:North Carolina (11:2)
League POY:Moses Wright, Georgia Tech
Big East Conference tournament
Title game: March 13 at Madison Square Garden, New York
The skinny:Villanova is the top seed, but the season-ending knee injury to Collin Gillespie opens things up. The Wildcats lost their first full game without him at Providence. Creighton is now the betting favorite. Xavier and Seton Hall are the desperate teams on the bubble.
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TWMM pick:UConn (3:1). Creighton is the obvious pick, but I’m going to take a shot on the hot Huskies, who finished 6-1. And there’s a lot of history with UConn in MSG. Glad to have this tournament back where it belongs.
Spoiler: St. John’s (20:1)
League POY:Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova
Big Ten Conference tournament
Title game:March 14 in Indianapolis
The skinny:No big deal, just nine probable NCAA Tournament teams and two likely No. 1 seeds converging in one traffic pileup. Maryland and Michigan State need to avoid early losses. Oh, and two coaches (Indiana’s Archie Miller and Minnesota’s Richard Pitino) could be fighting for their jobs.
TWMM pick:Illinois (3:1). Given the unknown status of Iowa’s Joe Wieskamp and Michigan’s Eli Brooks, we’ll play it safe and take the Illini, who merely have won 11 of their last 12.
Spoiler:Ohio State (10:1)
League POY:Luka Garza, Iowa
Big 12 Conference tournament
About the tournament
Title game: March 13 in Kansas City, Mo.
The skinny:In a parallel universe without this version of Baylor, we could call this most open and competitive league tournament in years. Seven NCAA Tournament (and low-digit seed) locks will duke it out. But this version of Baylor exists, and somebody will have to beat the Bears. A Baylor-West Virginia, Kansas-Texas semifinal round could be Final Four quality. And we haven’t even mentioned red-hot Oklahoma State or always dangerous Texas Tech. Whew.
TWMM pick: Baylor (20:29). Have you heard of these guys? They’re pretty good.
Spoiler:Oklahoma State (10:1)
League POY:Jared Butler, Baylor
Pac-12 Conference tournament
Title game:March 13 in Las Vegas
The skinny:Oregon, which started 4-3 in conference play while dealing with injuries and COVID-19 issues, finished 10-1 to take the No. 1 seed.The Ducks are still ranked in most metrics and by most bracketologists behind USC and Colorado. Stanford harbors long-shot at-large hopes.
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TWMM pick:Oregon (5:2). It’s tempting to pick the flashier USC, but the Ducks have put it all together and have a coach in Dana Altman who knows how to get his team peaking this time of year.
Spoiler:Utah (25:1)
League POY:Evan Mobley, USC
Southeastern Conference tournament
About the tournament
Title game:March 14 in Nashville
The skinny:Alabama won the league by two games and has an outside shot at a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed. The Tide might have to play Kentucky in their first game, which they must be thrilled about. There are seven fairly safe NCAA Tournament teams in the bracket, including two (Florida and Missouri) that would have to win four games in four days.
TWMM pick:Arkansas (7:2). Eric Musselman’s team won its final 11 SEC games, including a 15-point home victory over ’Bama. Plus, the second-seeded Razorbacks are on the other side of the bracket from Alabama, Tennessee and Florida; they match up well with LSU and Missouri.
Spoiler:Kentucky (16:1)
League POY:Cameron Thomas, LSU
MEAC tournament
Title game: March 13 in Norfolk, Va.
The skinny: Only six teams are participating, with regular-season champion North Carolina A&T and No. 2 seed Coppin State earning byes into the semifinals. Will Jones’ Aggies lost only one game during conference play and has one of the deepest teams in college basketball; NC A&T ranks third nationally in bench minutes. This is the school’s final season in the MEAC, as it will move to the Big South next year.
TWMM pick: Coppin State. Juan Dixon’s team didn’t play NC A&T in the regular season but faced a nonconference grind (at Duke, at Georgetown, at Virginia Tech) that toughened the Eagles. And they can counter the Aggies’ depth in a one-game showdown thanks to big-time scorer Anthony Tarke.
Spoiler: Morgan State
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League POY: Anthony Tarke, Coppin State
MAAC tournament
Title game: March 13 in Atlantic City, N.J.
The skinny: Siena finished as regular-season champs despite not starting its season until Jan. 3. Iona technically had the third-best conference record but played only 13 games total and went through two long shutdowns. Rick Pitino’s team is the No. 9 seed. It was a strange year in the league, and that could make for some strange developments in the tournament.
TWMM pick: Siena. Feels like it’s time for Jalen Pickett to take over.
Spoiler: Saint Peter’s
League POY: Manny Camper, Siena
Mountain West Conference tournament
Title game: March 13 in Las Vegas
The skinny: San Diego State is the No. 1 seed and a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Colorado State, Boise State and Utah State are all in various states of bubble-dom and will need good showings in Vegas to augment their case.
TWMM pick: Utah State (5:2). The Aggies have won this event two years in a row and have a pretty good draw, potentially only having to beat UNLV and Colorado State to make the finals. And they did sweep San Diego State at home, though the Aztecs didn’t have a healthy Matt Mitchell during that series.
Spoiler: Nevada (16:1)
League POY: Neemias Queta, Utah State
SWAC tournament
Title game: March 13 in Birmingham, Ala.
The skinny: Here’s something you don’t see often: two teams went undefeated in conference play. Prairie View A&M is the No. 1 seed because it played two more games than Jackson State. Texas Southern wasn’t far behind.
TWMM pick: Prairie View A&M (3:2). Byron Smith’s team has won the league three years in a row and has things rolling. A matchup with Jackson State in the final would be fun.
Spoiler: Southern (7:1)
League POY: Tristan Jarrett, Jackson State
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Big Sky Conference tournament
Title game: March 13 in Boise, Idaho
The skinny: Southern Utah won its final seven league games to clinch the No. 1 seed over defending champion Eastern Washington. The Thunderbirds’ only NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2001
TWMM pick: Eastern Washington (5:4). The Eagles have the best metrics and lost by a possession each on the road against Arizona and Washington State to start the year. They split their home series with Southern Utah and should be motivated by not getting to play in last year’s NCAA Tournament with one of the best teams in school history.
Spoiler: Weber State (7:2)
League POY: Tanner Groves, Eastern Washington
WAC tournament
Title game: March 13 in Las Vegas
The skinny: Grand Canyon and Utah Valley split the regular-season title and are byed into the semis in this six-team field. New Mexico State, which has earned the league’s auto-bid in each of the past four seasons, looms as a No. 3 seed after an itinerant regular season.
TWMM pick: New Mexico State (5:2). We’ll take a flyer on the Aggies, who might appreciate playing in the same city for a few days.
Spoiler: Seattle (10:1)
League POY: Darrion Trammell, Seattle
Southland Conference tournament
Title game: March 13 in Katy, Texas
The skinny: The league race was a scrum for most of the season, with Abilene Christian, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin jockeying for position. Nicholls State emerged as the No. 1 seed by winning 13 of its final 14 conference games. SFA is serving a postseason ban and won’t participate. This could go a lot of ways.
TWMM pick: Abilene Christian (1:2). The Wildcats are the only top 100 KenPom team in the conference, and Nicholls avoided playing them in the regular season. Joe Golding’s team had the most efficient defense and second-most efficient offense during league action.
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Spoiler: Sam Houston State (3:1)
League POY: Gavin Kensmil, Stephen F. Austin
Big West Conference tournament
Title game: March 13 in Las Vegas
The skinny: UC Santa Barbara won its first league title since 2010, which was also the last time the Gauchos went dancing. UC Irvine won the autobid the past two seasons and will be a threat here as the No. 2 seed. The conference was as deep as it has been in years, ranking 15th among leagues on KenPom.com
TWMM pick: UC Santa Barbara (5:4). The Gauchos are loaded with high-major talent, rank in the top 80 of KenPom and have lost only one game since Dec. 28.
Spoiler: UC Riverside (13:4)
League POY: JaQuori McLaughlin, UC Santa Barbara
Mid-American Conference tournament
Title game: March 13 in Cleveland
The skinny: Toledo went 15-4 in league play to clinch the No. 1 seed and looks for its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1980. Buffalo made a strong late push to secure the No. 2 seed. The conference is full of great guards, any of whom could carry his team for a few days.
TWMM pick: Buffalo (9:4). The Bulls are the hottest team in the league and have the most efficient defense and third-best offense in conference play.
Spoiler: Ohio (8:1)
League POY: Marreon Jackson, Toledo
Conference USA tournament
Title game: March 13 in Frisco, Texas
The skinny: Western Kentucky finished with the league’s best overall record and has an outside shot at an at-large bid thanks to its win at Alabama early in the season. A quirky schedule setup and postponements meant the Hilltoppers did not play fellow contenders UAB and North Texas, and they split a series with West Division champs Louisiana Tech. WKU will have to work hard for this autobid.
TWMM pick: Western Kentucky (7:2). Rick Stansbury is due, and this is his best team in Bowling Green.
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Spoiler: Marshall (5:1)
League POY: Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky
Horizon League tournament
Title game:March 9 in Indianapolis
The skinny:The tournament began Feb. 25 and will take place on campus sites until the semifinals shift to Indy. Cleveland State and Wright State tied for the regular-season title, with Cleveland State earning the No. 1 seed through tiebreakers. But Wright State won 10 of its last 11 games. Fourth-place Northern Kentucky has won this tournament the past two years.
TWMM pick:Wright State. The preseason favorite is red hot.
Spoiler:Northern Kentucky
League POY:Loudon Love, Wright State
America East Conference tournament
Title game:March 13 at highest remaining seed
The skinny:The top two seeds, UMBC and Vermont, get a bye into the semifinals. The rest of the tournament began last weekend on campus sites. The Retrievers and Catamounts split their series to finish in a tie for first place, but UMBC clinched the No. 1 seed. That snapped an eight-game win streak for Vermont.
TWMM pick:Vermont. Bank on John Becker.
Spoiler:Albany
League POY:Ryan Davis, Vermont
Big South Conference tournament
Title game:March 7 at highest remaining seed
The skinny: The tournament started Saturday with everyone taking aim at Winthrop. The Eagles’ only loss all season came to UNC Asheville by a bucket.
TWMM pick:Winthrop (1:3 odds). No reason to pick against a team this dominant.
Spoiler:Gardner-Webb (6:1)
League POY:Chandler Vaudrin, Winthrop
Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament
The bracket: Will be finalized Monday
Title game:March 14 in Dayton, Ohio
The skinny: St. Bonaventure is the No. 1 seed, but at least four teams could win this thing, and preseason favorites Richmond and Saint Louis need the autobid to get into the NCAA Tournament. Can the A-10 avoid being a one-bid league?
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TWMM pick: Saint Louis (2.5:1). Well, I picked the Billikens to do big things in the preseason, so might as well stick with that. A fresh slate could do some good.
Spoiler: Richmond (4:1)
League POY: Bones Hyland, VCU
Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament
Title game:Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla.
The skinny:Liberty wrapped up its third straight regular-season title by winning at Bellarmine on Saturday. Bellarmine is the No. 2 seed even though it is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament in its first year of transition into Division I.
TWMM pick: Liberty. Winning is ingrained in Ritchie McKay’s guys.
Spoiler: Lipscomb
League POY: Darius McGhee, Liberty
Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
Title game:Saturday in Evansville, Ind.
The skinny:Belmont took the regular-season title by winning its first 18 conference games and 30 straight dating to last season. But the Bruins lost their last two games to Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky after an undisclosed injury to leading scorer Nick Muszynski. His availability is the story to follow here.
TWMM pick: Belmont. But if Muszynski isn’t anywhere near 100 percent, it’s pretty wide open.
Spoiler:Eastern Kentucky
League POY: Terry Taylor, Austin Peay
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Title game:Sunday in St. Louis
The skinny:Round 3 of Loyola Chicago vs. Drake in the title game would be fun. But the Bulldogs are missing their two best players to foot injuries and look vulnerable to an early-round upset, as evidenced by their damaging loss to Bradley on Saturday.
TWMM pick: Loyola Chicago. But weird things happen at Arch Madness.
Spoiler: Valparaiso
League POY: Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Chicago
West Coast Conference Tournament
Title game:March 9 in Las Vegas
The skinny:Gonzaga looks to go into the NCAA Tournament undefeated. As long as the Zags are healthy and interested, they should do just that. They and BYU have byes until the semifinals.
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TWMM pick: Gonzaga. It’s as obvious as the fact that Gonzaga is not a mid-major.
Spoiler: COVID-19
League POY: Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
Southern Conference Tournament
Title game:March 8 in Asheville, N.C.
The skinny:A regular-season traffic pileup ended in fitting fashion. UNC Greensboro coughed up the league lead with a home loss to Western Carolina but bounced back to beat ETSU in overtime on the road. Then Wofford beat Furman to clinch the No. 1 seed for Wes Miller’s Spartans. There’s not much separation from 1 through 8. Should be wild.
TWMM pick: Furman. The talent has been there. Consistency has not. Maybe this is the week it all comes together.
Spoiler:VMI
League POY: Isaiah Miller, UNC Greensboro
Sun Belt Conference Tournament
Title game:March 8 in Pensacola, Fla.
The skinny: Texas State, which pushed out Danny Kaspar in September, clinched its first Sun Belt title under interim coach Terrence Johnson, who celebrated with his players in unusual fashion because he was in COVID-19 quarantine. Georgia State won the East and is the No. 2 seed.
TWMM pick: Georgia State. The Panthers ended the season on a six-game winning streak and have the league’s most efficient offense.
Spoiler: Louisiana
League POY: Devante’ Jones, Coastal Carolina
Patriot League Conference Tournament
Title game:March 14 at highest remaining seed
The skinny: The league reversed course last week and decided to invite all 10 members instead of just the top four. Colgate has gotten all of the attention for its top-10 ranking in the NET. But 15-2 Navy clinched the No. 1 seed on Sunday. Colgate and Navy did not meet in the regular season. Are they on a crash course toward the title game?
TWMM pick: Colgate. The NET must know something, right?
Spoiler: Army
League POY: Jordan Burns, Colgate
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Colonial Conference Tournament
Title game: March 9 at James Madison
The skinny: James Madison earned the No. 1 seed for the first time since 1994 despite losing its finale at home to Drexel. The Dukes get to play this event at home. Northeastern owns the best league’s best defense and metrics.
TWMM pick: Northeastern. The Huskies won their first seven league games.
Spoiler: Hofstra
League POY: Tyson Walker, Northeastern
Northeast Conference Tournament
Title game:March 9 at highest remaining seed
The skinny: Only the top four teams will advance to the NEC postseason. While some jockeying for the final two spots remains, Bryant and Wagner are close to locking up the top two seeds.
TWMM pick: Bryant. The Bulldogs swept Wagner at home in December.
League POY: Alex Morales, Wagner
Summit League Tournament
Title game:March 9 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The skinny: South Dakota’s loss to North Dakota State on Sunday cleared the path for South Dakota State to win its fourth consecutive regular-season title. But each of the top four seeds split their regular season series against the other top contenders.
TWMM pick: South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits were good enough to blow out Utah State and win at Iowa State earlier this year and have a top-60 offense.
Spoiler: North Dakota State
League POY: Max Abmas, Oral Roberts
(Top photo of Saint Mary’s Logan Johnson: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
