Updated Championship Week Predictions: "What's Left of the Flag"

Today's Championship Week song is Flogging Molly's "What's Left of the Flag" because we've got what's left of Championship Week today and tomorrow, so let's raise it (whatever that means) and, well, it's St. Patrick's Day observed.

We're getting down to the nitty gritty, with 12 bids up for grabs today, and 5 conferences with semifinals.  The bubble has shrunk a little, as teams that were close to being locks won and all but secured at large spots should they not win their conference titles.

Here's what happened yesterday and what we have to look forward to today:

• In the ACC semis, 1-seed Duke survived a scare and beat 5-seed North Carolina, 74-71, 2-seed Louisville squeaked one out against 3-seed Clemson, 76-73, to advance to tonight's title game.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Blue Devils will be playing in their 47th and 4th in a row, and the Cardinals will be playing in their 44th and first since 2019.
• In the Big 12 semifinals, top seed Houston crushed 4-seed BYU, 74-54, and 3-seed Arizona topped 2-seed Texas Tech, 86-60, advancing to this evening's championship games.  Both teams are locks.  The Cougars will be playing in their 26th NCAA Tournament and 7th in a row, and the Wildcats will be playing in their 39th and 4th in a row.
• In the Big East semis, 1-seed St. John's disposed of 5-seed Marquette, 79-63, and 2-seed Creighton solidified its NCAA Tournament resume with an 72-63 victory over 3-seed UConn.  When they meet in tonight's title game, both will be locks for the Bid Dance.  The Red Storm will be playing in their 31st NCAA Tournament and first since 2019, and the Bluejays will be playing in their 27th and 5th in a row.
• In the Big West semifinals, top seed UC San Diego trounced 5-seed UC Santa Barbara, 69 (ha!)-51, and 2-seed UC Irvine dominated 7-seed Cal Poly.  When they face off in tonight's championship game, the Tritons will be playing for their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid, and the Anteaters will be playing for their 3rd and first since 2019.
• In the C-USA semis, 1-seed Liberty came back from a 13-point deficit in the last ten minutes to overtake 4-seed Kennesaw State, 81-79, and 2-seed Jacksonville State got two free throws with 22 seconds left to top 3-seed Middle Tennessee State, 70-68.  In tonight's title game, the Flames will be playing for their 6th NCAA Tournament bid and first since 2021, and the Gamecocks will be playing for their 3rd bid and first since 2022.
• In the MAAC semifinals, we had two upsets, destroying the chance at a title game between two teams that have never been to the NCAA Tournament.  4-seed Iona upset top seed Quinnipiac, 81-73, and 6-seed Mount St. Mary's upset 2-seed Merrimack, 57-55.  When they match up in tonight's championship game, the Gaels will be playing for their 17th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2023, and the Mountaineers will be playing for their 7th berth and first since 2021.
• In the MAC semis, 1-seed Akron beat 4-seed Toledo in a high-scoring 100-90 game, and 2-seed Miami (OH) downed 3-seed Kent State, 72-64.  When they battle in tonight's title game, the Zips will be seeking their 7th NCAA Tournament appearance and second in a row, and the RedHawks will be seeking their 18th appearance and first since 2007.
• In the MEAC semifinals, top seed Norfolk State held off 5-seed Morgan State, 58-55, and 2-seed South Carolina State crushed 6-seed North Carolina Central, 88-67.  In this afternoon's championship game, the Spartans will be playing for their 4th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2022, and the Bulldogs will be playing for their 6th berth and first since 2003.
• In the Mountain West semis, the two bubble teams who needed wins the most came through, as 5-seed Boise State upset 1-seed New Mexico, 72-69, and 2-seed Colorado State dropped 3-seed Utah State, 83-72.  When they meet in this evening's title game, the Broncos (who are probably in now) will be playing for their 11th NCAA Tournament bid and 4th in a row, while the Rams (who may probably be in now) will be playing for their 13th berth and 2nd in a row.
• In the SWAC semifinals, 2-seed Jackson State destroyed 3-seed Bethune-Cookman, 71-50, and 5-seed Alabama State eked out a 64-62 win over 8-seed Grambling.  When they face off in tonight's championship game, the Tigers will be seeking their 4th NCAA Tournament bid and first since 2007, and the Hornets will be seeking their 5th bid and first since 2011.
• In the WAC semis, 1-Utah Valley got one game closer to the dream with a 68-56 win over 5-seed Seattle, and 2-seed Grand Canyon ruined 3-seed Cal Baptist's dream with a 75-66 win.  In tonight's title game, the Wolverines will be playing for their first-ever trip to the Big Dance, and the Antelopes will be playing for their  4th trip and third in a row.
• In the AAC quarterfinals, 1-seed Memphis escaped with a win over 8-seed Wichita State, 83-80, 2-seed North Texas dominated 10-seed Tulsa, 77-59, 3-seed UAB made easy work of 6-seed East Carolina, 94-77, and 4-seed Tulane dropped 5-seed FAU, 83-76, to advance to today's semis.
• In the A-10 quarters, top seed VCU cruised past 8-seed St. Bonaventure, 76-59, 2-seed George Mason won the battled of the Georges, beating 7-seed George Washington, 80-65, 6-seed St. Joseph's upset 3-seed Dayton in OT, 73-68 (and ending the Flyers' slim NCAA Tournament hopes), and 4-seed Loyola (IL) downed 5-seed St. Louis, 72-64, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the Big Ten quarterfinals, 1-seed Michigan State ousted 8-seed Oregon, 74-64, 2-seed Maryland stomped 7-seed Illinois, 88-65, 3-seed Michigan beat 6-seed Purdue, 86-68, and 5-seed Wisconsin dominated 4-seed UCLA, 86-70, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the SEC quarters, 1-seed Auburn survived against 8-seed Mississippi State, 62-57, 2-seed Florida dropped 7-seed Missouri, 95-81, 3-seed Alabama annihilated 6-seed Kentucky, 99-70, and 4-seed Tennessee finished off 13-seed Texas, 83-72, to advance to today's semis.
• Conference tournaments starting today:  1
• Conference tournaments with games today: 17
• Conference tournaments with title games today:  12
• Conference tournaments with semifinals today:  5 (AAC, A-10, Big Ten, Ivy, SEC)
• Here are the teams still playing in the conference tournaments that have never been to the NCAA Tournament (not including teams who are ineligible for this year's NCAA Tournament or who didn't qualify for their conference tournament):
• America East:  3-seed Maine
• Big West:  1-seed UC San Diego
• WAC:  1-seed Utah Valley
• Bubble teams that won yesterday:  Boise State, Colorado State, Liberty, Memphis, North Texas, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, VCU
• Bubble teams that lost yesterday:  Dayton, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, Utah State

With that, here are the tournaments starting today, the tournaments with games today, bids up for grab today, who has already clinched an automatic berth, and my predictions for the remaining conference tournaments.

Tournaments starting today

-Ivy League

Tournaments with games today

-AAC

-ACC

-America East

-Atlantic 10

-Big 12

-Big East

-Big Ten

-Big West

-Conference USA

-Ivy League

-MAAC

-MAC

-MEAC

-Mountain West

-SEC

-SWAC

-WAC

Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern)

-America East:  (3) Maine at (1) Bryant (11 a.m.; ESPN2)

-MEAC:  (1) Norfolk State vs. (2) South Carolina State (1:00 p.m.; ESPN2)

-Big 12:  (1) Houston vs. (3) Arizona (6 p.m.; ESPN)

-Mountain West: (2) Colorado State vs. (5) Boise State (6 p.m.; CBS)

-Big East:  (1) St. John's vs. (2) Creighton (6:30 p.m.; Fox)

-MAAC:  (4) Iona vs. (6) Mount St. Mary's (7:30 p.m.; ESPNU)

-MAC:  (1) Akron vs. (2) Miami (OH) (7:30 p.m.; ESPN2)

-ACC:  (1) Duke vs. (2) Louisville (8:30 p.m.; ESPN)

-Conference USA:  (1) Liberty vs. (2) Jacksonville State (8:30 p.m.; CBSSN)

-SWAC:  (2) Jackson State vs. (5) Alabama State (9:30 p.m.; ESPNU)

-Big West: (1) UC San Diego vs. (2) UC Irvine (9:40 p.m.; ESPN2)

-WAC: (1) Utah Valley vs. (2) Grand Canyon (11:40 p.m.; ESPN2)

Already clinched automatic berths (I will add in parentheses the NCAA tournament appearances for each school, including the bid just clinched and last NCAA Tournament appearance where applicable, and for conferences whose tournaments have not yet ended, I'll list the date of the championship game)

-AAC (March 16)

-ACC (March 15)

-America East (March 15)

-Atlantic 10 (March 16)

-Atlantic Sun:  Lipscomb (2; 2018)

-Big 12 (March 15)

-Big East (March 15)

-Big Sky:  Montana (13; 2019)

-Big South:  High Point (1)

-Big Ten (March 16)

-Big West (March 15)

-Coastal:  UNC Wilmington (7; 2017)

-Conference USA (March 15)

-Horizon:  Robert Morris (9; 2015)

-Ivy League (March 16)

-MAAC (March 15)

-MAC (March 15)

-MEAC (March 15)

-Missouri Valley:  Drake (8; 2024)

-Mountain West (March 15)

-Northeast Conference:  St. Francis (PA) (2; 1991)

-Ohio Valley:  SIU Edwardsville (1)

-Patriot League:  American (4; 2014)

-SEC (March 16)

-Southern Conference: Wofford (6; 2019)

-Southland:  McNeese (4; 2024)

-Summit:  Omaha (1)

-Sun Belt:  Troy (3; 2017)

-SWAC (March 15)

-WAC (March 15)

-West Coast:  Gonzaga (27; 2024)

Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern)

AAC (March 12-16; Fort Worth)

3/15 – Semifinals

3 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Memphis vs. (4) Tulane.  Predicted winner:  Memphis

5 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) North Texas vs. (3) UAB.  Predicted winner:  North Texas

3/16 – Finals

3:15 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Memphis vs. (2) North Texas.  Predicted winner:  Memphis

ACC (March 11-15; Charlotte)

3/15 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Duke vs. (2) Louisville.  Predicted winner:  Duke

America East (March 8, 11, 15; campus of higher seed)

3/15 – Finals

11 a.m. (ESPN2) (3) Maine at (1) Bryant.  Predicted winner:  Maine

Atlantic 10 (March 12-16; Washington, DC)

3/15 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) VCU vs. (4) Loyola (IL).  Predicted winner:  VCU

3:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) George Mason vs. (6) St. Joseph's.  Predicted winner:  George Mason

3/16 – Finals

1 p.m. (CBS) (1) VCU vs. (2) George Mason.  Predicted winner:  VCU

Big 12 (March 11-15; Kansas City)

3/15 – Finals

6 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Houston vs. (3) Arizona.  Predicted winner:  Houston

Big East (March 12-15; New York)

3/15 – Finals

6:30 p.m. (Fox) (1) St. John's vs. (2) Creighton.  Predicted winner:  St. John's

Big Ten (March 12-16; Indianapolis)

3/15 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (CBS) (1) Michigan State vs. (5) Wisconsin.  Predicted winner:  Michigan State

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (2) Maryland vs. (3) Michigan.  Predicted winner:  Michigan

3/16 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (1) Michigan State vs. (3) Michigan.  Predicted winner:  Michigan State

Big West (March 12-15; Henderson, NV)

3/15 – Finals

9:40 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) UC San Diego vs. (2) UC Irvine.  Predicted winner:  UC Irvine

Conference USA (March 11-15; Huntsville, AL)

3/15 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) Liberty vs. (2) Jacksonville State.  Predicted winner:  Liberty

Ivy League (March 15-16; Providence)

3/15 - Semifinals

11 a.m. (ESPNU) (1) Yale vs. (4) Princeton.  Predicted winner:  Yale

2 p.m. (ESPNews) (2) Cornell vs. (3) Dartmouth.  Predicted winner:  Cornell  

3/16 - Finals

12 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Yale vs. (2) Cornell.  Predicted winner:  Yale

MAAC (March 11-15; Atlantic City, NJ)

3/15 – Finals

7:30 p.m. (ESPNU) (4) Iona vs. (6) Mt. St. Mary's.  Predicted winner:  Iona

MAC (March 13-15; Cleveland)

3/15 – Finals

7:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Akron vs. (2) Miami (OH).  Predicted winner:  Akron

MEAC (March 12-15; Norfolk, VA)

3/15 – Final

1:00 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Norfolk State vs. (2) South Carolina State.  Predicted winner:  Norfolk State

Mountain West (March 12-15; Paradise, NV)

3/15 – Finals

6 p.m. (CBS) (2) Colorado State vs. (5) Boise State.  Predicted winner:  Boise State

SEC (March 12-16; Nashville)

3/15 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Auburn vs. (4) Tennessee.  Predicted winner:  Auburn

3:30 p.m. (ESPN) (2) Florida vs. (3) Alabama.  Predicted winner:  Alabama

3/16 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Auburn vs. (3) Alabama.  Predicted winner:  Auburn

SWAC (March 11-15; College Park, GA)

3/15 – Finals

9:30 p.m. (ESPNU) (2) Jackson State vs. (5) Alabama State.  Predicted winner:  Jackson State

WAC (March 11-15; first round at St. George, UT; remaining rounds at Paradise, NV)

3/15 – Finals

11:40 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Utah Valley vs. (2) Grand Canyon.  Predicted winner:  Grand Canyon