Duke's Cameron Boozer (12) reacts while battling with North Carolina State's Terrance Arceneaux. AP The best part of the college basketball calendar is here.
Conference tournaments have begun, signaling the true tip-off of March Madness, as games will run nearly nonstop for the next three-plus weeks.
Below, we take a lay of the land of what the conference tournaments have in store for us, including the favorites of each conference as the brackets come into focus.
The Power 5 conference tournament begins the week of March 9, though some smaller conferences will crown their champions beginning the week of March 2.
Favorite: Tennessee State (+220, DraftKings)
Tennessee State has given teams fits, with seniors Travis Harper II, Aaron Nkrumah and Dante Harris leading the way. They will be tightly contested with the University of Tennessee Martin (+370), Southeast Missouri State (+400) and Morehead State (+400).
Favorite: High Point (-165, DraftKings)
High Point has dominated this league most of the season, going 15-1 in conference. Their major challenger will be the Winthrop Eagles (+300) with no other team below 10/1 to win this conference.
Followed by Northern Iowa (+475), Illinois State (+500), and Bradley (+750), the conference should be highly competitive. The Bruins went 26-5 with a strong 16-4 conference record.
Favorite: Austin Peay (+225, BetMGM)
Central Arkansas (+250) is surely the most tempting bet, considering its incredible conference record. The Bears went 15-3 in the ASUN, tied with Austin Peay, who is also 15-3 in conference.
Prediction: Central Arkansas (+250 DraftKings)
Sunday, March 8, 9 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Favorite: St. Thomas-Minnesota (+135, Caesars)
North Dakota State Bison are the top seed in the Summit League, but just below is St. Thomas-Minnesota, which is the favorite. The Bison went 14-2 in conference play this season, and no other team is below 10/1.
Prediction: St. Thomas-Minnesota (+135, Caesars)
Favorite: East Tennessee State (+190, FanDuel)
The odds for this conference tournament are fascinating. KenPom rates East Tennessee State at 141, while FTN ranks them 146. Furman, Mercer, and Samford are rated between 167 and 173 on FTN. Of those three, Mercer is rated the highest; they’re the team you should be targeting here.
Prediction: Mercer (+550, Caesars)
Monday, March 9, 7 p.m., ESPN Networks
The dark horse of this conference is Arkansas State, which has been dealing with some injuries, though it is unclear whether Chudi Dioramma will miss significant time. If he is healthy, Arkansas State is a great bet as they’re rated higher than every team in the conference.
Prediction: Arkansas State (+800, FanDuel)
Favorite: Wright State (+200, theScore Bet)
Heat check spot here for Green Bay and Doug Gottlieb’s group that is playing red-hot hoops right now. Oakland is an interesting wager as currently constructed, as well, with most ranking systems having them very close to the favorites, Wright State.
Prediction: Green Bay (+1000, FanDuel)
Tuesday, March 10, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Favorite: Long Island University (-150, DraftKings)
Le Moynne is rated far too high according to the national markets to be sitting at +800. Most other oddsmakers have them closer to +600 and dropping.
Prediction: Le Moyne (+800, Caesars)
Tuesday, March 10, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network
This conference is sneaky good with a bunch of very strong teams to consider. Santa Clara is one that interests me at +900. Those odds will surely evaporate soon, but Gonzaga is too talented to bail on here.
Tuesday, March 10, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Favorite: Merrimack (+280, Caesars)
My other pick for this conference is Marist (+575, Caesars), but Merrimack is getting quite a bit of love from KenPom to make me rethink my position there. KenPom has Merrimack rated in the 170s, while FTN has Marist as the No. 1 rated MAAC team. It’s an interesting thought experiment for these two ranking systems.
Wednesday, March 11, 5 p.m., ESPN2
Favorite: McNeese (+115, DraftKings)
McNeese is clearly the highest-rated Southland squad and should be able to walk through the conference until the championship game with Stephen F. Austin.
Wednesday, March 11, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Favorite: Navy (-180, Fanatics Sportsbook)
Navy is the only team on KenPom that’s rated better than 200, coming in at 136 overall. Some betting sites have Navy as high as -240 so there’s legitimate value on this spot.
Favorite: Montana State (+340, DraftKings)
This conference is wide open, and it could go anywhere. No prediction, for now.
Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m., ESPN2
Saturday, March 14, 6 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, March 14, 6:30 p.m., FOX
UConn smashed St. John’s embarrassingly last time out, and it’s hard to pick Rick Pitino’s group right now. Dan Hurley’s squad is rated No. 10 overall for a reason.
Saturday, March 14, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday, March 14, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday, March 14, 8:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Saturday, March 14, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, March 14, 10 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday, March 14, midnight, ESPN2
Yale is 21-5 this year and is ranked higher than an undefeated Miami (Ohio) squad. Anything can happen in this rivalry games but I got Yale to win this one goingn away.
Sunday, March 15, 3:15 p.m., ESPN
Sunday, March 15, 3:30 p.m., CBS
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