Conference Tournament Roundup
The road to the Final Four has begun in earnest.
College basketball’s regular season drew to a close Sunday, leaving us one step closer to the unpredictability of March Madness
Before we get to the NCAA tournament though, there’s the small matter of conference tournaments to be played.
For some teams this is a time to build on a solid regular season. For others it’s a final chance to gatecrash the tournament, wiping away the bad taste of a woeful regular season.
To get you up to speed, BettingSports.com brings you an overview of the conference tournament landscape as it stands today, ahead of Selection Sunday.
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American Athletic Conference
When: Mar. 12-15
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, TN
Cincinnati (26-5, 15-3 American) will enter the first ever American Athletic Conference tournament as the No. 1 seed thanks to a coin toss. Can the Bearcats hold-off Louisville (26-5, 15-3 American) – who took a share of the regular season title – or will the Cardinals make their getaway to the ACC with a trophy in tow?
Seeding:
1. Cincinnati
2. Louisville
3. Southern Methodist
4. Connecticut
5. Memphis
6. Houston
7. Rutgers
8. Temple
9. Central Florida
10. Southern Florida
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Atlantic Coast Conference
When: Mar. 12-16
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
Virginia (25-6, 16-2 ACC) suffered a shock loss over the weekend which could put the Cavaliers on the wrong foot when tournament plays begins later this week. Duke (24-7, 13-5 ACC) ended North Carolina’s (23-8, 13-5 ACC) 12-game winning streak on Saturday. Will that be enough to get the Blue Devils over, or will the Tar Heels bounce back in style? Or will Syracuse (27-4, 14-4 ACC) break out of its slump and win the title in its first year in the conference?
Seeding:
1. Virginia
2. Syracuse
3. Duke
4. North Carolina
5. Pittsburgh
6. Clemson
7. North Carolina State
8. Maryland
9. Florida State
10. Miami (FL)
11. Georgia Tech
12. Wake Forest
13. Notre Dame
14. Boston College
15. Virginia Tech
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Big 12
When: Mar. 12-15
Where: Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
Kansas (23-8, 14-4 Big 12) climbed out of the pact to take the regular season title and will enter the Big 12 tournament as a favorite. With a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament on the line, can the Jayhawks fend off Oklahoma (23-8, 12-6 Big 12) and the eight other teams looking for an upset?
Seeding:
1. Kansas
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Iowa State
5. Kansas State
6. West Virginia
7. Baylor
8. Oklahoma State
9. Texas Tech
10. TCU
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Big East
When: Mar. 12-15
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Thanks to conference realignment, the Big East tournament will arrive at the Garden with a very different look and feel to it this year. Top-seeded Villanova (28-3, 16-2 Big East) will hope that these changes bring a first title since 1995, while newcomer Creighton (24-6, 14-4 Big East) will be looking to prove its worth. Xavier (20-11, 10-8 Big East) meanwhile could play spoiler.
Seeding:
1. Villanova
2. Creighton
3. Xavier
4. Providence
5. St. John’s
6. Marquette
7. Georgetown
8. Seton Hall
9. Butler
10. DePaul
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Big Ten
When: Mar. 13-16
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Michigan (23-7, 15-3 Big Ten) may have had some early woes but the college basketball season proved to be a marathon not a sprint as the Wolverines wrapped up the Big Ten regular season title with a three-game cushion. Can the side from Ann Arbor now fend off the likes of Wisconsin (25-6, 12-6 Big Ten) and Michigan State (23-8, 12-6 Big Ten) to double up on trophies, or will another side sneak in for the victory?
Seeding:
1. Michigan
2. Wisconsin
3. Michigan State
4. Nebraska
5. Ohio State
6. Iowa
7. Minnesota
8. Indiana
9. Illinois
10. Penn State
11. Northwestern
12. Purdue
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Mountain West Conference
When: Mar. 12-15
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas,NV
San Diego State (27-3, 16-2 MWC) won the Mountain West title outright with a come-from-behind win over New Mexico (24-6, 15-3 MWC) on Saturday, giving the Aztecs the top seed in this week’s tournament in Las Vegas. The regular season proved to be a two-horse race that went down to the finish. Can anybody else in the conference prevent that from happening again ahead of Saturday’s final?
Seeding:
1. San Diego State
2. New Mexico
3. Nevada
4. UNLV
5. Wyoming
6. Boise State
7. Fresno State
8. Utah State
9. Colorado State
10. Air Force
11. San Jose State
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Pac-12
When: Mar. 12-15
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Arizona (28-3, 15-3 Pac-12) finished the regular season with a three-game lead over UCLA (23-8, 12-6 Pac-12) despite losing on the final day of the season. The Wildcats will be favored heading into the tournament but this will by no means be a cakewalk. Oregon (22-8, 10-8 Pac-12) closed out the year with seven straight wins, which means the Ducks will be hot heading to Las Vegas. Does Arizona have enough to fend off the Ducks, and others, to cling onto a No. 1 seed?
Seeding:
1. Arizona
2. UCLA
3. Arizona State
4. California
5. Colorado
6. Stanford
7. Oregon
8. Utah
9. Washington
10. Oregon State
11. Washington State
12. Southern California
*****
SEC
When: Mar. 12-16
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
Florida (29-2, 18-0 SEC) finished its perfect in-conference season with an 84-65 trouncing of Kentucky (22-9, 12-6 SEC) on Saturday afternoon, setting up what will all but assuredly be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. A slip-up in the SEC tournament might be enough to place a question mark besides the Gators’ name, so winning still remains vital. For the likes of Kentucky and Georgia (18-12, 12-6 SEC0, emerging with a tournament trophy would be very useful come Selection Sunday.
Seeding:
1. Florida
2. Kentucky
3. Georgia
4. Tennessee
5. Arkansas
6. Ole Miss
7. LSU
8. Missouri
9. Texas A&M
10. Alabama
11. Vanderbilt
12. Auburn
13. South Carolina
14. Mississippi State
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There’s still plenty of action going on outside of the so-called power conferences. Some conference tournaments have drawn to a close; some have finals in place; while others still have yet to tip-off. Here’s an overview of how the rest of college basketball stands as we enter championship week.
Complete
Atlantic Sun Conference: (2) Mercer def. (1) Florida Gulf Coast
Big South Conference: (1) Coastal Carolina def. (4) Winthrop
Ivy League: No tournament – Harvard qualifies for NCAA tournament as regular season champion
Missouri Valley Conference: (1) Wichita State def. (2) Indiana State
Ohio Valley Conference: (3) Eastern Kentucky def. (1) Belmont
Tournament Finals (Monday)
Colonial Athletic Conference: Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, MD
(1) Delaware vs. (3) William & Mary (matchup)
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference: MassMut Center, Springfield, MA
(1) Iona vs. (2) Manhattan (matchup)
Southern Conference: Asheville Civic Center, Asheville, NC
(3) Wofford vs. (5) Western Carolina (matchup)
In Progress
America East Conference: Final – (4) Albany at (2) Stony Brook (Mar. 15)
Horizon League: Final – (5) Milwaukee at (3) Wright State (Mar. 11)
Northeast Conference: Final – (4) Mount St. Mary’s at (1) Robert Morris (Mar. 11)
Patriot League: Final – (2) American at (1) Boston University (Mar. 12)
Summit League: Sioux Falls Arena, Sioux Falls, SD (Final: Mar. 11)
West Coast Conference: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV (Final: Mar. 11)
Starts Today
Mid-American Conference:Â Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH (Mar. 10-15)
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: Scope Arena, Norfolk, VA (Mar. 10-15)
Still to Come
Atlantic 10: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY (Mar. 12-16)
Big Sky Conference: Dee Events Center, Ogden, UT (Mar. 13-15)
Big West Conference: Honda Center, Anaheim, CA (Mar. 13-15)
Conference USA: Don Haskins Center, El Paso, TX (Mar. 11-15)
Southland Conference: Merrell Center, Katy, TX (Mar. 12-15)
Southwestern Conference: Health & PE Center, Houston, TX (Mar. 11-15)
Sun Belt Conference: Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, LA (Mar. 13-16)
Western Athletic Conference: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV (Mar. 13-15)
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