The power conferences are set to begin their postseason tournaments this week, but there are plenty of other leagues that will also have a playoff that should grab your attention.
These conferences could offer several “bid thief” scenarios — see Brad Wachtel’s latest Bubble Watch column for details — so if you’re a fan of a bubble team, you need to hope the right team wins. Here’s how Hoops HQ breaks it all down.
Big West
Dates: March 12-15
TV: ESPN+, ESPN2
Notables: UC San Diego (28-4, 18-2) is projected to be in as an at-large team, though it may need to at least get to finals to be sure.
The Tritons have emerged as one of the top non-high major stories in the country, having won 13 straight games entering the week. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, a 6-foot-6 senior forward who averages 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds per game,and 3.4 assists per game, has been one of the best players in the country, with three others in double figures for the team.
That being said, No. 2 seed UC Irvine (27-5, 17-3) has also been dominant and, while not an at-large candidate, could win a game or two if it gets to the NCAA Tournament. The Anteaters are led by 7-foot senior center Bent Leuchten (15.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game). Keep an eye on No. 3 seed UC Riverside (21-11, 13-6), led by the top scorer in the Big West, 6-foot senior guard Barrington Hargress (20.6 points per game).
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WAC
Dates: March 11-15
TV: ESPN+, ESPN2
Notables: Top 2 seeds (Utah Valley and Grand Canyon) finished four games over the rest of the conference.
It’s not a surprise that Grand Canyon (23-7, 13-3) was one of the top teams in the WAC, but the dominance that Utah Valley (23-7, 15-1) showed was highly impressive. Dominick Nelson, a 6-foot-5 junior guard (15.5 points per game), led the Wolverines in scoring, with 6-foot-11 sophomore center Carter Welling (12.7 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game) being one of the top interior defenders in the conference.
Grand Canyon and Utah Valley split their regular season matchups with each other and are favored to reach the finals. Yet if there was one darkhorse to watch for, it would be No. 5 seed Seattle (13-17, 8-8). The Redhawks have been competitive with both top teams in the regular season and they also have a win over UC San Diego in the non-conference portion of their schedule. Senior forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (15.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game) is the kind of player capable of leading a team to an upset for Seattle.
Atlantic 10
Dates: March 12-16
TV: USA Network, CBSSN, CBS
Notables: There are no surefire at-large teams in the field, though both 1-seed VCU (25-6, 15-3) and 3-seed Dayton (22-9, 12-6), have a shot if they don’t win the tournament. Will also be the final games for longtime head coach Fran Dunphy of 14-seed La Salle (13-18, 5-13).
Considering that all four top seeds lost in the quarterfinals last year, anything can happen in D.C. VCU is the favorite, while surprise squad George Mason (24-7, 15-3) may be a team many views on upset watch after a sporadic couple of weeks.
Multiple teams have the talent to make a potential run, including No. 5 seed Saint Louis (18-13, 11-7) and No. 6 seed St, Joe’s (20-11, 11-7). The big storyline will be whether VCU needs to make the finals for an at-large spot or if the Atlantic 10 is doomed to be a one-bid league.
AAC
Dates: March 12-16
TV: ESPN+, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN
Notables: Memphis (26-5, 16-2) is the lone at-large candidate in the field
In a way, the AAC will be one of the most important tournaments to watch for many bubble teams, with Memphis needing to win to avoid a clear bid thief situation. The Tigers have had several close calls as of late so outside of seeding for the NCAA Tournament, there might not be a ton of motivation.
This creates a path for teams such as North Texas (23-7, 14-4) and UAB (20-11, 13-5). The Blazers have one of the best forwards in the country in 6-foot-9 senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who leads the team with 17.1 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game, and 4.1 assists per game. Something else to watch is the status of 6-foot-2 senior guard Jamal Mashburn (22 points per game), who has missed the last month of games for 7-seed Temple with a foot injury. He’s reportedly still day-to-day so he may or may not play this week.
Mountain West
Dates: March 12-15
TV: Mountain West Network, CBSSN, CBS
Notables: San Diego State, Utah State, New Mexico are projected to be in the NCAA Tournament. Boise State (22-9, 14-6) and Colorado State (22-9, 16-4) are on the bubble
The conference won’t get six bids again, but the Mountain West still has contenders that can cause some damage in March. Junior guard Donovan Dent (20.2 points per game) leads the conference in scoring for regular season champion New Mexico (25-6, 17-3), while San Diego State (21-8, 14-6) is always a threat to win the tournament title.
All eyes will be on the bubble teams, as No. 2 seed Colorado State may need to make a run to the finals to be in at-large contention. If the seeding holds up, that semifinal matchup with Utah State will be one of the most important games in all of Championship week.
Ivy League
Dates: March 15-16th
TV: ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN2
Notables: Only the top four teams make this exclusive conference tournament, with Harvard being a rare exclusion from the Ivy postseason play
It was a complete domination from Yale (20-7, 13-1) from start to finish in the conference. The Bulldogs are led by 6-foot-5 senior guard John Poulakidas, who led the Ivy League with 19.3 points per game. Senior forward Nick Townsend (15.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game) flies under the radar as a star in his own right.
Yet there’s still a chance that the Bulldogs can lose. Preseason favorite Princeton (19-10, 8-6) has a dynamic star in 6-foot-3 junior guard Xaivian Lee (17 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists per game). No. 2 seed Cornell (17-10, 9-5) has a top-6 scoring offense in the country. Dartmouth (14-13, 8-6) gets credit for its turnaround, going from six total wins a year ago to making the conference tournament, which is a feat in itself.
