March is officially here. When the First Four tips off in two and a half weeks it'll have been 710 days since the last NCAA Tournament game. It's been a long long long long long long long long long long long long long long nearly two years but the smell of March Madness is finally back in the air. There are several conferences kicking off their tournaments this week, with a few that've already started, and by the time Vol 2 is published next Tuesday, six teams will have punched their tickets to the Big Dance.
For mid-major conferences, such as the ones tipping off this week, the conference tournaments are the sole way most of these teams have at making the Big Dance. This year they'll also most likely be how alternatives will be selected as well. For leagues with only one team making the tournament, they are able to select who would replace their representative should they have to pull out of the tournament. Obviously, we all hope that doesn't happen but if it does conference will be left with deciding if they take whoever was their tournament runner-up or the highest remaining team in the regular-season standings.
Conference Profiles
Times Listed are in EST
America East
- Championship Info: Saturday 3/13 @ 11 AM - ESPN 2
- Tournament Dates: 2/27-8, 3/6, 3/13
- Tournament Location: Campus Sites
- Thoughts: The America East conference is our first example of a two-team race. Fan-favorite UMBC will host every game they play with their main competition being perennial mid-major power Vermont.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: Vermont Catamounts
- Troy's Predicted Winner: Vermont Catamounts
Atlantic Sun
- Championship Info: Sunday 3/7 @ 3 PM - ESPN
- Tournament Dates: 3/3-5, 3/7
- Tournament Location: Jacksonville, Florida
- Thoughts: The ASun comes down to two teams: Liberty and Bellarmine. The Flames have won the past two conference tournaments and beat the Knights in their only matchup of the season. Bellarmine is in their first season in Division 1 and thus can't compete in the NCAA Tournament because of arbitrary and outdated rules that make it so a whole class of athletes can't display their skills on the national stage. Sorry, this is one of the things about the NCAA that I hate. Anyway, if the Knights win the conference tournament the team they beat in the finals would be the automatic qualifier.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: Liberty Flames
- Troy's Predicted Winner: Bellarmine Knights
Atlantic 10
- Championship Info: Sunday 3/14 @ 1 PM - CBS
- Tournament Dates: 3/3-6, 3/14
- Tournament Location: Richmond, Virginia (Opening Rounds), Dayton, Ohio (Championship Game)
- Thoughts: The Atlantic 10 has been its own enemy all this season. They have several good teams that all had prime opportunity to get an at-large bid but have suffered losses within their own conference. I believe they'll get multiple teams in the Big Dance and that it'll be one of the hardest tournaments to predict.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: St. Bonaventure Bonnies
- Troy's Predicted Winner: VCU Rams
Big South
- Championship Info: Sunday 3/7 @ 1 PM - ESPN
- Tournament Dates: 3/2, 3/4, 3/5, 3/7
- Tournament Location: Campus Sites
- Thoughts: There is one favorite and one favorite only in this tournament. Winthrop ended the regular season with one loss and one loss only. The interesting thing will be the potential of Winthrop playing the only team to beat them this year, UNC Asheville, in the semifinals.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: Winthrop Eagles
- Troy's Predicted Winner: Winthrop Eagles
Colonial
- Championship Info: Tuesday 3/9 @ 7 PM - CBS Sports
- Tournament Dates: 3/6-9
- Tournament Location: Harrisonburg, Virginia
- Thoughts: This is a league with some great school names. You have a founding father in James Madison. English royalty in William & Mary. Dogecoin enthusiast Elon (Musk). Drexel sounds like a Pokemon. Hamilton side character James Madison won the regular-season crown and serves as the host of the tournament.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: James Madison Dukes
- Troy's Predicted Winner: James Madison Dukes
Horizon
- Championship Info: Tuesday 3/9 @ 7 PM - ESPN
- Tournament Dates: 2/25, 3/2, 3/8-9
- Tournament Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Thoughts: The Horizon tournament has kicked off last week with their first-round already concluded. I could see this tournament being won by one of three schools: Wright State, Cleveland State, and Northern Kentucky. Two of these teams are no strangers to competing in this tournament but Cleveland State, who will henceforth be known as the Lake Erie Vikings, is a surprise having improved their conference play record by 9 victories.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: Cleveland State Vikings
- Troy's Predicted Winner: Wright State Raiders
Missouri Valley
- Championship Info: Sunday 3/7 @ 2 PM - CBS
- Tournament Dates: 3/4-7
- Tournament Location: Saint Louis, Missouri
- Thoughts: Arch Madness is one of my favorite mid-major tournament, partially because it's one of the few with a good nickname. The Missouri Valley is attempting to get multiple teams in the NCAA Tournament. Loyola should be safely in but Drake will likely need a really good showing to get on the right side of the bubble. A team seeded fourth or lower in the has won three out of the last five editions of Arch Madness so we'll have to see if it happens once more.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: Loyola Chicago Ramblers
- Troy's Predicted Winner: Drake Bulldogs
Northeast
- Championship Info: Tuesday 3/9 @ 7 PM - ESPN 2
- Tournament Dates: 3/6, 3/9
- Tournament Location: Campus Sites
- Thoughts: The NEC hasn't officially finished their regular season so there isn't a bracket out yet but their conference tournament does start this weekend so you're getting a picture of the best bird known to man and the official mascot of North South Dakota State of Minneapolis Saint Paul. The league is only taking the top four teams to their conference tournament so I don't even officially know who all is going to be playing but the two teams that have already locked in their place, Wagner and Bryant, are definitely the favorites to win the event.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: Mount Saint Mary's Mountaineers
- Troy's Predicted Winner: Wagner Seahawks
Ohio Valley
- Championship Info: Saturday 3/6 @ 8 PM - ESPN 2
- Tournament Dates: 3/3-6
- Tournament Location: Evansville, Indiana
- Thoughts: If you asked me a week ago who I thought would win the OVC I would've said it was easily going to be Belmont. That was until the Bruins lost their last two games of the season. I still think Belmont will be the first team to claim an automatic spot in the Big Dance but I'm less sure than I was earlier in February.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: Morehead State Eagles
- Troy's Predicted Winner: Belmont Bruins
Patriot League
- Championship Info: Sunday 3/14 @ Noon - CBS Sports
- Tournament Dates: 3/6, 3/10, 3/14
- Tournament Location: Campus Sites
- Thoughts: The Patriot League didn't make it easy to compare teams this year to make this prediction. They essentially broke their teams into three divisions and they played mostly within their divisions so there was less head-to-head. Navy and Colgate both topped their divisions but haven't played yet. Navy did play the leader of the third division, Lafayette, but Colgate didn't square off against them. Basically what I'm saying is I'm not sure what to think here.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: Colgate Raiders
- Troy's Predicted Winner: Navy Midshipmen
Southern
- Championship Info: Monday 3/8 @ 7 PM - ESPN
- Tournament Dates: 3/5-8
- Tournament Location: Asheville, North Carolina
- Thoughts: The SoCon is another favorite of mine. It's a competitive league that has produced multiple coaches in recent years who took power conference jobs and are succeeding. I could see any of the top five seeds winning this thing next Monday.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: Wofford Terriers
- Troy's Predicted Winner: Wofford Terriers
Summit League
- Championship Info: Tuesday 3/9 @ 9 PM - ESPN 2
- Tournament Dates: 3/6-9
- Tournament Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Thoughts: The Summit League has often been dominated of late by the Dakota schools and this year will be no different. We'll have to see if the Coyotes, Jackrabbits, or Bison win this thing. Coincidentally those are also the main characters of the animated movie I'm writing.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: South Dakota State Jackrabbits
- Troy's Predicted Winner: South Dakota State Jackrabbits (or Jackbunnies if you're cool)
Sun Belt
- Championship Info: Monday 3/8 @ 7 PM - ESPN 2
- Tournament Dates: 3/5-8
- Tournament Location: Pensacola, Florida
- Thoughts: It's always a party down in the Fun Belt. This league should be pretty open but I ultimately like Texas State to pull this out.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: Georgia State Panthers
- Troy's Predicted Winner: Texas State Bobcats
West Coast
- Championship Info: Tuesday 3/9 @ 9 PM - ESPN
- Tournament Dates: 3/4-6, 3/8-9
- Tournament Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
- Thoughts: The thing that you should be trying to figure out is who Gonzaga is going to beat in the finals. It's not really going to be too much of a contest. The Zags are really just here to stay fresh and not get hurt. The only other team of note would be BYU who is still hopeful of getting an at-large bid.
- Grant's Predicted Winners: Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Troy's Predicted Winner: Gonzaga Bulldogs
Championship Game Schedule
Saturday 3/6
- Ohio Valley - 8 PM - ESPN 2
Sunday 3/7
- Big South - 1 PM - ESPN
- Missouri Valley - 2 PM - CBS
- Atlantic Sun - 3 PM - ESPN
Monday 3/8
- Southern - 7 PM - ESPN
- Sun Belt - 7 PM - ESPN 2
Tuesday 3/9
- Colonial - 7 PM - CBS Sports
- Horizon - 7 PM - ESPN
- Northeast - 7 PM - ESPN 2
- Summit - 9 PM - ESPN 2
- West Coast - 9 PM - ESPN
Saturday 3/13
- America East - 11 AM - ESPN 2
- MEAC - 1 PM - ESPN 2
- MAAC - 4 PM - ESPN U
- Big 12 - 6 PM - ESPN
- Mountain West - 6 PM - CBS
- SWAC - 6 PM - ESPN U
- Big East - 6:30 PM - Fox
- MAC - 7:30 PM - ESPN 2
- Big Sky - 8 PM - ESPN U
- ACC - 8:30 PM - ESPN
- Conference USA - 9 PM - CBS Sports
- Southland - 9:30 PM - ESPN 2
- WAC - 10 PM - ESPN U
- PAC-12 - 10:30 PM - ESPN
- Big West - 11:30 PM - ESPN 2
Sunday 3/14
- Patriot League - Noon - CBS Sports
- Atlantic 10 - 1 PM - CBS
- SEC - 1 PM - ESPN
- AAC - 3:15 PM - ESPN
- Big Ten - 3:30 PM - CBS
To stay up to date on the newest Head in the Game articles (and general sports commentary), follow @headingameblog on Twitter. You can also find us on Twitter @T_RoyStory (Troy) and @G_Tingley (Grant)
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