Conference Tournament Previews for the MAC, MEAC, SWAC, MAAC and CUSA

Notable: Saint Peter’s, which won the MAAC Tournament a year ago, failed to qualify after Fairfield defeated first-place Quinnipiac in the regular season finale. 

We’re guaranteed to have a new NCAA Tournament representative from the MAAC. The favorite will be Quinnipiac (19-12, 15-5), the regular season champions, which are led by 6-foot-7 junior forward Amarri Tice (17.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game). The Bobcats are the most balanced unit in the conference, though there are plenty of threats.

Two contenders are newcomers to the MAAC, including Sacred Heart (14-17, 10-10) and 2-seed Merrimack (17-14, 14-6), which defeated Quinnipiac over a week ago. The Warriors have arguably the best player in the league in Adam Clark, a 5-foot-10 guard who leads the team with 20.2 points and 5.8 assists per game. 

MEAC

Dates: March 12-15

TV: ESPN+, ESPN2

Notable: North Carolina Central (13-18, 6-8), one of the previous dominant programs in the MEAC, finished under .500 in league play for the first time in a decade. 

Norfolk State (21-10, 11-3) has been the model of consistency in the MEAC, winning 20 or more games total in each of the last four years. Brian Moore Jr., a 6-foot-3 junior guard, averages 19 points per game and is a MEAC Player of the Year candidate, while the Spartans are in the top two in the conference in most categories on both ends of the court.

The obvious threat to Norfolk State is co-regular season champion South Carolina State (18-12, 11-3), the only other team with double-digit conference wins. The Bulldogs don’t have an individual star but do have a good depth. These teams split their regular season matchups in tight games. A potential Round 3 matchup between the co-champs is worth monitoring. 

SWAC

Dates: March 11-15

TV: ESPN+, ESPNU

Notables: Seven of the 10 participants won at least 10 conference games.

Last year’s tournament champion, Grambling (10-21, 7-11), has taken a step back this year. Southern (20-11, 15-3) won the regular season and uses its depth to win games, with 10 players averaging at least four points a game. But their last game was a loss to Alabama State (16-15, 12-6), one of several darkhorse candidates.

Jackson State (14-17, 14-4) is a different team with a healthy Daeshun Ruffin. A 5-foot-10 guard and former Ole Miss starter has recovered from a knee injury earlier in the season to produce 15.3 points and 4.2 assists per game. The Tigers have the most potent offense with Ruffin in the lineup; that could be the deciding factor this week.

CUSA

Dates: March 11-15

TV: ESPN+, CBSSN

Notables: Jacksonville State (20-11, 12-6) finished tied for second after being picked to finish eighth in the preseason. Sam Houston (13-18, 6-12) was picked to finish third but ended up in ninth.

Liberty (25-6, 13-5) won the regular season title and has an emerging star in 6-foot-4 senior guard Taelon Peter. He’s coming off a career-high 33 points in a road win at Middle Tennessee.

Jacksonville State was able to overachieve because of conference leading scorer Jaron Pierre Jr. The 6-foot-5 senior guard averages 21.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, including five games of at least 30 points. He’s the type of player capable of an individual run that can lead his team to an automatic bid. 

MAC

Dates: March 13-15

TV: ESPN+, CBSSN, ESPN2

Notables: The bottom four teams did not qualify, including Central Michigan and Ball State, which each went 7-11 in league play.

All eyes will be on Akron (25-6, 17-1), which has dominated the conference from start to finish. The Zips are 10th in scoring in Division I (84 points per game) with nine players scoring at least six points per game led by 6-foot-3 junior guard Nate Johnson (13.5 points and 3.3 assists per game.)

The MAC has its usual contenders to watch in Kent State (21-10, 11-7) and Toledo (17-14, 10-8). One team with the offensive punch to keep pace with Akron could be Miami (Ohio), which finished second in the standings at 14-4. Eight players average six or more points a game, including three in double figures. The Redhawks average 81 points a game. A championship game match with the Zips could light up the scoreboard.