If you read Tuesday’s blog you are well aware by now how much I truly love the prelude to March Madness. With that, I figured I’d share my love and offer some insight into when you should be turning your televisions (or computers/phones) onto ESPN+, Big 10+, (or maybe even Mountcock+) as we approach Selection Sunday.
Since we are a brand that loves giving out some spicy futures I’ll throw some of my favorites in as we go along too.
Anyway, here is part two of every important date/game you should tune into over the next week and a half of the college basketball season.
- SOCON Championship
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Samford Athletics When/Where: March 11 at 7:00 PM EST ESPN or ESPN 2
The Contenders: Samford (1 seed), UNCG (2 seed), Chattanooga (3 seed), Western Carolina (4 seed), Furman (5 seed), Wofford (6 seed)
Furman and Wofford get consideration as contenders in this tournament based on recent SOCON and NCAA Tournament success but probably don’t have the talent to pull off three wins in a row this year.
As for the other top seeds, Samford is the clear favorite in this tournament and pretty much the only team possibly able to pull on an upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs come into the postseason boasting a 15-3 SOCON record and 26 wins over.
The top three scorers, Achor Achor, A.J. Staton-McCray, and Jaden Campbell are all shooting well above 42% from the 3-point line.
Conference Tournament Winner: Samford (+155)
- Horizon League Championship
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Oakland Atheltics When/Where: March 12, 7 PM EST ESPN or ESPN 2
Contenders: Oakland (1 seed), Cleveland State (7 seed), Northern Kentucky (5 seed), Milwaukee (7 seed)
We are now in the semi-finals of the Horizon League Tournament and the two, three, four, and six seeds have gone down. At this point the automatic bid is Oakland’s to lose, but don’t sleep on Northern Kentucky after they pulled off some “March Magic” in the quarterfinals.
At the end of the day, you can write off the winner of this conference to win a first-round NCAA Tournament game. No program has accomplished a win since Butler made it to the Final Four in 2011.
Conference Tournament Winner: Northern Kentucky (+300)
- NEC Championship
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Getty Images When/Where: March 12, 7 PM EST, ESPN 2
Contenders: Merrimack (2 seed), Central Conn. (1 seed), Le Moyne (4 seed), Wagner (6 seed)
I’m sorry to break everyone the news, but FDU will not be returning to the Big Dance after its improbable upset of Purdue last season.
The best chance this conference will have at another upset in the tournament would be if 2-seed Merrimack can take care of business. The Warriors rank 81st in defensive efficiency among Division 1 programs. Coach Joe Gallo’s brand of basketball isn’t pretty, but it should be good enough to win the NEC Tournament.
Conference Tournament Winner: Merrimack (no line)
- CAA Championship
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USATS When/Where: March 12, 7 PM EST CBS Sports Network
Contenders: Charleston (1 seed), Drexel (2 seed), Hofstra (3 seed), UNCW (4 seed), Towson (5 seed), Delaware (6 seed)
Charleston, Drexel, Hofstra, and UNCW have a massive advantage going into the long grind of the CAA Tournament. The 5 sets of games in 5 days makes it extremely difficult for lower seeds to make noise, but Towson and Delaware have the talent, especially if Charleston were to go down.
My fellow Section 400 contributor Matt is extremely high on UNCW because of its early-season upset of Kentucky, so I’ll lean with the Seahawks to get the job done in D.C.
Whoever comes out of this bracket has a chance to win a first-round NCAA Tournament game over a 4-seed or 3-seed.
Tournament Winner: UNCW (+360)
- WCC
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USATS When/Where: March 12, 6 PM EST ESPN
Contenders: Saint Mary’s (1 seed), Gonzaga (2 seed)
As it does nearly every year, the WCC is tournament is going to come down to Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga. Both squads are locks for the NCAA Tournament, but the Zags could improve their seeding with a tournament win (Saint Mary’s is probably locked into a 5-seed).
If Mark Few’s squad does manage to run the table in the WCC I may have them as far as my Elite 8.
Conference Winner: Gonzaga (-120)
See you right back here tomorrow for the next 5 mid-major tournaments!
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