The last weekend of the college basketball regular season features some quality matchups, including Duke vs. North Carolina, Florida vs. Kentucky and Texas Tech vs. BYU. But there are also some games with even higher stakes, as conference tournaments from the mid-major ranks are set to begin.
There are 11 conference tournaments beginning this week, with the Horizon League already starting on Monday (Cleveland State topped IU Indy in the play-in game). Here’s a look at the next five leagues soon to tipoff postseason play, including the headliner in Las Vegas.
Ohio Valley
Dates: March 4-7
TV: ESPN+, ESPNU, ESPN2
Notable: Tennessee Tech (13-18, 8-12), Southern Indiana (7-23, 4-16) and Western Illinois (5-26) failed to qualify for the tournament
One of the more balanced fields during the first half of Championship Week, Tennessee State (21-9, 15-5) earned the No. 1 seed in Coach Nolan’s Smith’s first season at the helm. They’re led by two of the league’s top three scorers in 6-foot-6 seniors Aaron Nkrumah (17.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game) and Travis Harper (17.4 points). No. 2 seed Morehead State (19-12, 15-5) is a more balanced unit and split the regular-season matchups, setting up a potential rubber match in the finals.
Lindenwood (17-14, 11-9) stands out as a threat due to having a trio of 15-plus points per game scorers, led by 6-foot-5 senior guard Anias Futrell (17.9 points, 6.0 rebounds), who paces all of the OVC in scoring. UT-Martin (21-10, 13-7) actually led the Ohio Valley midway through league play before losing five of the last seven games, but if their offense gets back into form, the Skyhawks can be a darkhorse team to watch.
Summit League
Dates: March 4-8
TV: Midco Sports/SLN, CBSSN
Notable: This is the first year St. Thomas (23-8, 12-4) is eligible for the NCAA Tournament, completing its transition period
Regular season champ North Dakota State (24-7, 14-2) doesn’t have a top-eight individual scorer in the conference but is balanced as a unit, with six players averaging between 9.3 and 14.1 points per game. The Bison also rank first in overall defense in the Summit League, allowing just 71 points per game. Their biggest threat is St. Thomas, which is responsible for one of North Dakota State’s two losses. They’re led by 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Nolan Minessale (19.8 points, 4.4 assists), a top candidate for Conference Player of the Year.
The obvious darkhorse candidate to watch is Denver (15-16, 8-8), the only team to have wins over both North Dakota State and St. Thomas in the regular season. They’re led by 6-foot sophomore guard Carson Johnson (20.2 points), who dropped 25 points in the upset win over the Tommies on Feb. 21. The Pioneers may not win the event, but they’ve shown they’re capable of upsetting a top team.
MAAC
Dates: March 5-10
TV: ESPN+, ESPN2/ESPN
Notable: Niagara (8-22, 5-15), Cansius (10-21, 5-15), and Rider (4-25, 3-17) failed to qualify for the MAAC Tournament
The top seed in the MAAC Tournament is Merrimack (21-10, 17-3), which won the regular-season title by three games. In a season filled with elite freshmen, one who flies under the radar is Kevair Kennedy, a 6-foot-2 guard who leads the Warriors with 18.5 points and 4.2 assists per game. One of Merrimack’s losses came at the hands of No. 2 seed Saint Peter’s (17-11, 14-6), which is looking for its third trip to the NCAA Tournament in five years.
Other threats to watch include Siena (20-11, 13-7), led by 6-foot-5 sophomore guard and POY candidate Gavin Foty (17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds). Preseason favorite Quinnipiac (19-12, 12-8) may have been more inconsistent than expected, but they still have last season’s Player of the Year in 6-foot-7 senior forward winner Amarri Monroe, who leads the team with 15.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
It’s the Same Old Story at Gonzaga
The Bulldogs won a regular season title in their final season in the West Coast Conference. Is another deep March run coming next?
Missouri Valley
Dates: March 5-8
TV: ESPN+, CBSSN, CBS
Notable: Last season’s MVC Tournament champion Drake (12-19, 6-14) is the No. 9 seed this year
The No. 1 seed in the MVC Tournament is Belmont (26-5, 16-4), which had won 14 of 15 regular-season games up until the finale. The Bruins are one of the most efficient teams in the country, ranking fourth nationally at 52 percent from the field. They’re led by 6-foot-6 senior guard Tyler Lundblade (15.8 points), who shoots 41 percent from deep on nearly nine attempts a game.
There are several teams capable of beating the Bruins in this event, including the one that defeated them in the regular-season finale, Illinois State (20-11, 12-8). The preseason favorites have had ups and downs but are still capable of making a run this March, along with Bradley (20-11, 13-7), Murray State (20-11, 12-8) and perennial MVC Tournament threat Northern Iowa (19-12, 11-9).
WCC
Dates: March 5-10
TV: ESPN+, ESPN2, ESPN
Notable: This is the last WCC Tournament for Gonzaga, Oregon State and Washington State before moving to the Pac-12
Same year, same top seeds for the WCC, with Gonzaga (28-3, 16-2) and Saint Mary’s (27-4, 16-2) sharing the regular-season title for the last time. And with Saint Mary’s beating the Bulldogs in Moraga last weekend, they’re a likely safe bet to make the NCAA Tournament along with Gonzaga, which is still projected as a No. 4 seed.
That leaves Santa Clara (24-7, 15-3) as the only other team in the field with a conference record above .500. Bracketology projections have them firmly on the bubble, likely needing a win over Saint Mary’s in a potential semifinal matchup to get into the Big Dance. If not, then we could have one final matchup in the West Coast rivalry between Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga.
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