CBB: Conference Championship Preview
ACC Tournament: The ACC is the best conference in the country, with three team ranked in the top in Virginia (#2), North Carolina (#3), and Duke (#5), and two more in the final regular season top-25: Florida State (#12) and Virginia Tech (#16). The Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 28-2 overall record and a 16-2 conference record, having won eight straight games. They are led by Kyle Guy (15.3 points, 2.1 assists per game), while North Carolina has a trio of seniors in Luke Maye (14.6 points, 10.5 rebounds), Cameron Johnson, and Kenny Williams leading them into March. The Tar Heels also went 16-2 in the ACC, but finished with a 26-5 overall clip. R.J. Barrett (23.4 points, 7.5 rebounds) will try to keep Duke in the thick of things, before ACC Player of the Year, Zion Williamson, possibly returns.
Staff Picks:
Blake Stoll: Virginia
Caleb Henderson: North Carolina
Charles Post: Virginia
Chinedum Wejinya: North Carolina
Max Heningburg: North Carolina
Raven Martin: North Carolina
Tyler Taylor: Virginia
American Tournament: The American Conference has likely four locks for the NCAA Tournament in Houston, Cincinnati, Temple, and UCF. The Cougars, who are 29-2 and 16-2 in the conference, have proven they can win away from home and will attempt to do so in Memphis for the conference tournament. Houston is 10-1 on the road. Corey Davis Jr. (16.6 points, 2.9 assists per game) will try to keep his great season going. The Bearcats and Knights have been impressive this year, but haven't been nearly as good away from their home floor. Cincinnati is 25-6, but just 7-4 on the road. UCF has struggled outside of their home court too, despite their victory at Houston a couple weeks ago. Jarron Cumberland (18.4 points, 3.5 assists per game) leads the league in scoring and will look to lead Cincinnati to a title.
Staff Picks:
Blake Stoll: Houston
Caleb Henderson: Houston
Charles Post: Houston
Chinedum Wejinya: Cincinnati
Max Heningburg: Houston
Raven Martin: Houston
Tyler Taylor: Houston
Big East Tournament: The Big East is generally one of the most talked about tournaments ever year because of Madison Square Garden and the history of great games. And this year should be no different. Villanova is the favorite heading in, as they have been for the last five years. The Wildcats, even after losing a lot from their national title team from last season, have a couple of veteran leaders in Phil Booth (18.6 points, 3.9 assists) and Eric Paschall. Marquette is 23-8 (12-6), but have lost four in a row to end the year. However, they have one of the best pure scorers in the nation in Markus Howard (25.0 points, 4.0 assists), who can single-handily win them games. Georgetown, who is 19-12 (9-9) will look for Mac McClung (13.4 points, 2.0 assists) to help push them into the NCAA Tournament.
Staff Picks:
Blake Stoll: Villanova
Caleb Henderson: Villanova
Charles Post: Villanova
Chinedum Wejinya: Villanova
Max Heningburg: Marquette
Raven Martin: Villanova
Tyler Taylor: Villanova
Big Ten Tournament: The Big Ten has had a great resurgence this season after only getting four teams into the NCAA Tournament last year. This season? It looks like anywhere between 7-9 teams will reach the Big Dance. Purdue (23-8, 16-4) and Michigan State (25-6, 16-4) tied for the regular season title, but the Spartans will be the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan State's Cassius Winston (19.0 points, 7.6 assists per game) was named Big Ten Player of the Year, according to the Detroit Free Press. The Boilermakers' Carsen Edwards (23.4 points, 3.0 assists per game) might have something to say about that though. And finally, Michigan (26-5, 15-5) is another team to look out for, despite struggling down the stretch after starting 17-0. Also keep an eye on Indiana, Maryland, and Wisconsin.
Staff Picks:
Blake Stoll: Michigan
Caleb Henderson: Michigan State
Charles Post: Michigan
Chinedum Wejinya: Purdue
Max Heningburg: Michigan
Raven Martin: Michigan State
Tyler Taylor: Michigan State
Big 12 Tournament: The Big 12 has a brand new champion! After 14 consecutive years of earning at least a share of the regular season title, Kansas has failed to do so. Kansas State (24-7, 14-4) and Texas Tech (26-5, 14-4) are the top seeds in the conference tournament, while Kansas (23-8, 12-6) is the seeded 3rd. The Wildcats are one of the best defensive teams in the Big 12, but have some noteworthy scorers as well. Barry Brown Jr. (15.1 points, 2.8 assists per game) and Dean Wade are dangerous players who have experience in March as they got to the Elite Eight last season. Texas Tech, who also reached the Elite Eight a year ago, are led by Jarrett Culver (18.3 points, 6.2 rebounds per game), the Big 12 Player of the Year, according to the Dallas News. Baylor (19-12, 10-8) is the 4th seed.
Staff Picks:
Blake Stoll: Kansas State
Caleb Henderson: Kansas
Charles Post: Kansas
Chinedum Wejinya: Texas Tech
Max Heningburg: Texas Tech
Raven Martin: Kansas
Tyler Taylor: Kansas State
MAC Tournament: The MAC has been owned by Buffalo (28-3, 16-2) over the last several years. The Bulls have won three titles in the last four years, and are looking to do so again. They are a lock for the NCAA Tournament after beating West Virginia and Syracuse in the non-conference, and dominating the conference slate. C.J. Massinburg (18.5 points, 6.4 rebounds per game) is looking to win a third MAC title in his career. There are a couple of teams that have the ability to upset Buffalo, including Toledo (25-6, 13-5) and Bowling Green (20-11, 12-6). Jaelan Sanford (15.4 points, 3.1 assists per game) and Justin Turner (18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds per game) will try to lead their teams to an upset victory over Buffalo. The MAC Tournament will be played at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, starting March 14th.
Staff Picks:
Blake Stoll: Buffalo
Caleb Henderson: Buffalo
Charles Post: Buffalo
Chinedum Wejinya: Buffalo
Max Heningburg: Buffalo
Raven Martin: Toledo
Tyler Taylor: Buffalo
Pac-12 Tournament: The Pac-12 was...not good this year. It's hard to put into words just how much this conference has dropped off in the past couple seasons. It looks like only two teams will get at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament: Washington (24-7, 15-3) and Arizona State (21-9, 12-6). The only way the Pac-12 gets another team in is if they win the conference tournament. And with the way this conference has played out, it's certainly possible. Some teams to watch out for are Utah (17-13, 11-7), Oregon (19-12, 10-8), and Oregon State (18-12, 10-8), who all ended the regular season with at least one win. The Ducks have won four in a row, including a win at Washington. According to the Pac-12, the Huskies' Jaylen Nowell (16.3 points, 5.4 rebounds per game) was conference Player of the Year.
Staff Picks:
Blake Stoll: Washington
Caleb Henderson: Washington
Charles Post: Washington
Chinedum Wejinya: Arizona State
Max Heningburg: Arizona State
Raven Martin: Washington
Tyler Taylor: Washington
SEC Tournament: The SEC has three legitimate teams that can win the national championship, but beyond them, this conference is the deepest it's been in years. There are six teams that should be in the NCAA Tournament, and another three that are on the bubble and need to do some damage this week. LSU (26-5, 16-2) leads the way with Tremont Waters (15.3 points, 5.9 assists per game) at the helm, but most people believe Tennessee (27-4, 15-3) and Kentucky (26-5, 15-3) should be considered the favorites going forward. The Volunteers have back-to-back SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams (19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds per game), according to ESPN, while the Wildcats have the most overall talent with guys like Keldon Johnson and P.J. Washington. The tournament will be played in Nashville, Tennessee.
Staff Picks:
Blake Stoll: Kentucky
Caleb Henderson: Tennessee
Charles Post: Tennessee
Chinedum Wejinya: Kentucky
Max Heningburg: Tennessee
Raven Martin: Kentucky
Tyler Taylor: LSU
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated.
