By Bill Badour
UNIVERSITY CENTER – March Madness will soon be upon us, with men’s basketball conference tournaments starting on Monday, March 9. Every team that wins their conference tournament automatically gets a spot in the March Madness tournament.
Major conference powerhouses
The Big 12 houses some of the best teams in basketball this season such as Baylor, who at one point won a conference record for 23 straight games. Kansas, who is 25-3, is also projected to be a one seed in the big tournament. They are led by two stars, Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike.
West Virginia, Texas Tech and Oklahoma are also expected to make March Madness. Texas is a bubble team who will likely be judged based on how they perform for the rest of the season. A strong showing to end the regular season with a good conference tournament showing would be enough to secure a spot in the big tournament.
The Big 10 is the deepest conference this season, with nine teams nearly securing their spot in March Madness. The best teams in the conference are Maryland, Michigan State and Penn State. Michigan State is led by Cassius Winston, who is averaging more than 18 points and nearly six assists.
Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana should have also played themselves in. Iowa is led by national player of the year candidate Luke Garza, who is averaging nearly 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Michigan Wolverines are led by pass-first point guard Zavier Simpson. Rutgers and Purdue are the two bubble teams in the conference.
The Big East houses three powerhouse teams: Creighton, Villanova, and Seton Hall. Other teams that have secured their place in the tournament are Butler, Providence, Marquette and Xavier. Marquette is led by Markus Howard, who is averaging 27.2 points per game on 40% shooting from three. Georgetown is the bubble team in the conference.
The SEC is led by two strong teams in Kentucky and Auburn, both likely to be three seeds in the big tournament. The Kentucky Wildcats are led by Immanuel Quickley, who is one of the best shooting players in the nation. LSU, Florida, Mississippi State and Alabama are also likely to make the tournament.
The PAC-12 holds four powerhouse teams: Oregon, Arizona, Colorado and Arizona State. Oregon is fighting for a one seed in the big tournament, with point guard Payton Pritchard averaging more than 20 points and five assists per game. Arizona and Colorado are also expected to be a four or five seed.
The ACC is the last of the major conferences. This conference holds two true powerhouses in Duke and Florida State. Both of these teams will be one or two seeds in the tournament. Vernon Carey Jr. has led the Duke Blue Devils to being a top five team in the country behind his dominating interior presence on both ends of the floor.
Louisville is another strong team, led by Jordan Nwora who has been an efficient scoring machine. The defending national champions, Virginia, are also supposed to make the tournament. North Carolina State is a bubble team for the conference. The North Carolina Tar Heels, an annual powerhouse, will not make the tournament due to their surprisingly bad 11-17 season.
Mid-major contenders
In the American Athletic Conference, both Houston and Cincinnati are expected to be in March Madness. Jarron Cumberland is the best player in the conference and he plays for Cincinnati. Cumberland is a two-way point guard that anchors one of the best defenses in the country.
The Atlantic 10 also holds two teams expected to compete in March in Dayton and Rhode Island. Dayton is projected to be a two seed in March Madness. The Dayton Flyers are led by Obi Toppin, who will likely be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Toppin averages nearly 20 points and eight rebounds, while shooting nearly 70% inside of the three-point line.
The West Coast Conference is another conference with two teams likely to make the tournament. Those teams are Gonzaga and BYU. Gonzaga is likely to be a one seed following a 27-2 season. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are led by all-around efficient forward Filip Petrusev.
The Mountain West Conference also houses a powerhouse. The San Diego State Aztecs will likely be a two or three seed for the final tournament as they currently have a 27-1 record and were the last undefeated team in the country. The Aztecs are led by defensive point guard Malachi Flynn, who is averaging 17 points, five assists and two steals. They will certainly be a team to watch in March.