We are here again. March 1st starts the most fun month of the year in sports. March Madness isn’t just for the Big Dance, but starting this week Conference Tournaments when the real Cinderellas arrive at the ball.

March Madness

For the uninitiated, March is the month when the college basketball season changes from a secondary sport to the main sport for rabid and casual fans alike to chase the dreams of those young college kids. Unlike most sports in college or the professional ranks, College Basketball allows nearly every team to play for the National Title. If you win, then you advance, and if you lose, you go home. It’s simple. No favoritism, no popularity contests, but game after game of drama when teams play to win it all.

Champ Week Part 1

Championship Week starts this week when the smaller conference tournaments start. I’ll go through the conferences, dates and teams to watch, but before that, let’s understand what we are watching. There are hundreds of Division I basketball teams. Most of these smaller conference tournaments may narrow the field to 8 or even 4 to play for what is known as the Automatic Bid. A team that had the best record in their conference will not automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament. A team has to win their conference tournament to qualify. Very few teams in these so called Mid-Majors will get an “at large” bid, which means they will get invited to participate in the NCAA Tournament based on their resume. So, even if a team has gone 30-0 in their season, that team at this level will likely have to win their tournament to get to the Big Dance. That is why these kids play their hearts out for that one chance to be a real Cinderella team once the actual NCAA Championship which begins March 15th with the First Four.

Tournaments Starting This Week (11):

KJ Williams Is the Best Player You’ve Never Seen for Murray State
  • Northeast Conference (NEC): Started Monday, 2/28 with Final on Tuesday, 3/8 – Favorite is Bryant (19-9, 16-2 in NEC) – This conference produces a 15 or 16 Seed in the Big Dance each year.
  • Atlantic Sun (ASUN): Starts Tuesday, 3/1 with Final on Tuesday, 3/8 – Favorites are Liberty (21-10, 12-4 in ASUN) and Jacksonville State (20-9, 13-3 in ASUN) – Liberty has been in the Dance a lot, but need to earn it this year.
  • Horizon League: Starts Tuesday, 3/1 with Final on Tuesday, 3/8 – Favorite is Cleveland State (19-9, 15-6 in Horizon) – the Vikings will need to earn it with other teams right in the mix.
  • Patriot League: Starts Tuesday, 3/1 with Final on Wednesday, 3/9 – Favorite is Colgate (21-11, 16-2 in the Patriot) – the Raiders could actually win a game in the Big Dance.
  • Big South: Starts Wednesday, 3/2 with Final on Sunday, 3/6 – Favorite is Longwood (23-6, 15-1 in Big South) – a team that has never made the NCAA Tournament.
  • Ohio Valley (OVC): Starts Wednesday, 3/2 with Final on Saturday, March 5th – Murray State (28-2, 18-0 in OVC) will make the field regardless, and they could be dangerous once they get it. Belmont is another good team. The OVC is the first to punch their ticket to The Dance.
  • Sun Belt: Starts Thursday, 3/3 with Final on Monday, 3/7 – Texas State (21-6, 12-3 in Sun Belt) is the leader of the pack here, but there are several teams that can take the tournament. Sun Belt teams can score big upsets in the Tournament.
  • Missouri Valley (MVC): Starts Thursday, 3/3 with Final on Sunday, 3/6 – Also known as Arch Madness, as it is held in St. Louis, this is a great tournament to watch, and the 2 favorites are Northern Iowa (18-10, 14-4 in MVC) and Loyola-Chicago (22-7, 13-5 in MVC), the Ramblers. The Ramblers did have good enough metrics to be on the Bubble, but they will need to get to the Final to have a shot, if they don’t win it.
  • West Coast Conference (WCC): Starts Thursday, 3/3 with Final on Tuesday, 3/8 – The #1 team in the nation is Gonzaga (24-3, 13-1 in WCC), but beyond the Zags there are at least 2 more teams (St. Mary’s, 24-6 and San Francisco, 23-8) that will make the field with BYU (21-9, 9-6 in WCC) trying to grab a 4th spot.
  • Southern Conference (SoCon): Starts Friday, March 4th with Final on Monday, 3/7 – This year the favorite is Chattanooga (24-7, 14-4 in SoCon), but traditionally teams like Wofford or Furman not only win the conference, but a game in the main field. So, you should watch this Final.
  • Summit League: Starts Saturday, March 5th with Final on Tuesday, March 8th – The Favorite Jackrabbits of South Dakota State are legit. They have scored over 100 points several times, so they are not only fun to watch, but can definitely win a game in the Big Dance. They do need to win the tournament, and that means beating Oral Roberts who got to the Sweet 16 last year. Should be a great Final.

KenPom Review – Top 20

  1. Zags (24-3) – They lost at St. Mary’s, so they can be beaten, but still on top of the heap.
  2. Kentucky (23-6) – The Wildcats lost along with several other Top 10 teams, their loss at Arkansas.
  3. Baylor (25-5) – The wounded Bears took out Kansas with ease on Saturday, so maybe they can repeat.
  4. Arizona (25-3) – These Wildcats lost at Boulder to Colorado, which shows vulnerability.
  5. Duke (25-4) – The Dukies did not get knocked off, and Coach K’s last game at Cameron is on Saturday against the Heels.
  6. Houston (24-4) – Unscathed this week, and they are back near the top of KP.
  7. Kansas (23-5) – The beating at Baylor opens some eyes to me as to if they should be a #1 Seed.
  8. Auburn (25-4) – The still lead the SEC, but another loss on the road to the Vols makes me think they are not a #1 Seed.
  9. Texas Tech (23-7) – Even the mighty Red Raiders lost this week at TCU.
  10. UCLA (22-6) – The Bruins need to get healthy before the Big Dance.
  11. Tennessee (21-7) – The Vols D is so legit (3rd rated).
  12. Villanova (21-7) – The loss at UConn cost them the regular season Big East crown.
  13. Purdue (24-5) – Sparty took them out in a surprisingly low scoring effort on Saturday.
  14. Iowa (21-8) – The Hawkeyes are putting things together at the right time.
  15. Texas (21-9) – The Longhorns are hanging tough.
  16. Illinois (20-8) – Up and down week with loss at home versus Ohio State, but win at Michigan was solid.
  17. St. Mary’s (24-6) – The Gaels slayed the Zags’ Goliath. Can they do it in the WCC tourney?
  18. LSU (20-9) – 4th in D will help in March.
  19. UConn (21-7) – Huskies had a great week, so they need to finish strong.
  20. Arkansas (23-6) – My favorite team this year, as they now have won 13 of 14 with the big win over Kentucky.

Marquee Games of Interest

Johnny Davis Tries to Lead Wisconsin to Big Ten Title
  • Providence at Nova – Tuesday, 3/1 at 5:30 PM Central – The Friars have secured the regular season crown, but that doesn’t mean Nova won’t try to establish who is really the best team. I like Villanova to beat Providence in a good game.
  • Purdue at Wisconsin – Tuesday, 3/1 at 8 PM Central – The Badgers can win the Big Ten crown effectively with this one. Purdue is more talented, but winning at Cole is not easy. I do like the Boilers to win this one.
  • Arkansas at Tennessee – Saturday, 3/5 at 11 AM Central – The 2 best Defenses in the SEC face off. It could be a rough watch, but I’m excited to see it – gonna keep riding the Hogs.
  • USC at UCLA – Saturday, 3/5 at 9 PM Central – The Battle for LA Part 2 – UCLA got taken out last time, and they are undermanned now. However, I think they find a way to get this one for pride going into the PAC 12 Tourney next week.

Let yourself give into the Madness.

Wegs

About the author

I'm a 49 year old, twice divorced guy with a 20 year old. The blog has morphed a bit lately. Not just sports or dating, social commentary and now some stories from my past experience.