Final Championship Week Predictions: "Vehicle"

Here we are, you sons of bitches (no offense to your mothers).  We're at Selection Sunday.  It's the fucking Ides of March, so here's your Vehicle.  Enjoy a young Jim Peterik introducing you to his genius.

It was another day of close scores.  Of the 21 Championship Week games yesterday, 12 were decided by 10 points or less, 8 were decided by 5 points or less, and two went into OT.

With several other 1-seeds going down in the last couple days, we're up to 15 1-seeds that have lost in this year's Championship Week:  Belmont (MVC), Bethune-Cookman (SWAC), Central Arkansas (A-Sun), East Tennessee State (SoCon), Florida (SEC), Liberty (C-USA), Merrimack (MAAC), Miami (OH) (MAC), Navy (Patriot), Portland State (Big Sky), St. Louis (A-10), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), UC Irvine (Big West), UNC Wilmington (CAA), Utah Valley (WAC). 

Following up on my comment from a couple days ago, this year's Championship Week continues to be far more unpredictable than last year, where all but five conference tournaments were won by 1-seeds or 2-seeds (17 1-seeds and 9 2-seeds won) -- while only three schools seeded four or lower won.  By contrast, of the 26 conference tournaments that have already finished, five teams seed four or lower have won.  Here are the number of each seeds that have won:

• Thirteen 1-seeds (Arizona, Big 12; Duke, ACC; Gonzaga, WCC; High Point, Big South; Howard, MEAC; LIU, NEC; North Dakota State, Summit; St. John's, Big East; Tennessee State, OVC; Troy, Sun Belt; UMBC, America East; Utah State, Mountain West; Wright State, Horizon)
• Five 2-seeds (Akron, MAC; Cal Baptist, WAC; Hawaii, Big West; Lehigh, Patriot; McNeese, Southland)
• Three 3-seeds (Hofstra, CAA; Queens, A-Sun; Siena, MAAC)
• Three 6-seeds (Furman, SoCon; Kennesaw State, C-USA; Northern Iowa, MVC)
• One 7-seed (Idaho, Big Sky)
• One 8-seed (Prairie View A&M, SWAC)

So even if all three of the 1-seeds playing today win their conference tournaments, we would still have fewer 1-seeds who won their conference tournaments than last year.

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

• In the ACC title game, those fucking twats top seed Duke topped beat 2-seed Virginia, 74-70, setting up yet another disappointing NCAA Tournament for the Blue Devils, who will be playing in their 48th NCAA Tournament and 5th in a row.
• In the America East final, 1-seed UMBC beat the fuck out of 2-seed Vermont, 74-59.  The Retrievers will be playing in their 3rd Big Dance and first since 2018, when they were the first ever.
• In the Big 12 championship, 1-seed Arizona outlasted 2-seed Houston dominated, 79-74, which is a complete bullshit score.  The Wildcats will be playing in their 40th NCAA Tournament and 5th in a row, and they aren't going to win anything important.
• In the Big East title, top seed St. John's completely beat the everliving shit out of 2-seed UConn, 72-52.  The Red Storm will be playing in their 32nd NCAA Tournament and second in a row. 
• In the Big West championship game, 2-seed Hawaii vol-fucking-canoed 1-seed UC Irvine, 71-64.  The Rainbow Warriors will be playing in their 6th NCAA Tournament and first since 2016, when they upset Cal in the first round as a 13-seed.
• In the Conference USA final, 6-seed Kennesaw State downed 4-seed Louisiana Tech like a shot of Fireball, 71-60, to clinch the Owls' second NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2023.
• In the miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-MAC title game 2-seed Akron beat 4-seed Toledo, 79-76, in a game very few south of I-80 gave a single shit about.  The Zips will be playing in their 8th NCAA Tournament and third in a row.  Maybe this'll be the year they finally get their first NCAA Tournament win.
• In the MEAC championship, top seed Howard decided not to be fucking pieces of shit and beat 3-seed North Carolina Central, 70-63.  The Bison will be playing in their 5th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2024.
• In the Mountain West final, 1-seed Utah State cut the throats out of 2-seed San Diego State, 73-62. I want to be crystal fucking clear:  the Aggies will be playing in their 26th NCAA Tournament and 4th in a row.
• In the SWAC title game, 8-seed Prairie View A&M did the un-fucking-thinkable, beating 3-seed Southern. 72-66. The Panthers will be playing in their 3rd Big Dance and first since 2019.
• In the wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-WAC winning game, 2-seed Cal Baptist got a game-winning three with 17 seconds left to beat 1-seed Utah Valley, clinching the Lancers' first-ever NCAA Tournament berth
• In the AAC semifinals, top seed South Florida beat the piss out of the 5-seed Charlotte, 86-64, and 2-seed Wichita State didn't do much shocking, if you know what I mean, when they beat 3-seed Tulsa, 81-68.  When they face off in tomorrow afternoon's title game, the Bulls will be seeking their 4th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2012, when they downed Temple as a 12-seed (remember when Temple was good?), and the Shockers will be seeking their 17th appearance and first since 2021.
• In the A-10 semis, 4-seed Dayton beat top seed St. Louis, 70-69, in a pretty fucking exciting game, while 2-seed VCU didn't have a fucking problem with 3-seed St. Joseph's, 77-64.  When these fuckers face off tomorrow for the whole damn thing, the Flyers will be playing for their 20th trip to the Big Dance and first since 2024, while the Rams will be playing for their 21st trip and second in a row.
• In the Big Ten semifinals, 1-seed Michigan got a 3 with less than a second left to beat the everlastingly annoying 5-seed Wisconsin, 68-65, while 7-seed Purdue played better than they ever will in the NCAA Tournament, beating 6-seed UCLA, 73-66.  Both are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Wolverines will be playing in their 32nd NCAA Tournament and second in a row.  The Boilermakers will be playing in their 37th NCAA Tournament and 11th in a row they didn't win.
• In the Ivy League semis, top seed Yale handled 4-seed Cornell, 88-76, while 3-seed Penn beat some fucking smaht kids in OT, downing 2-seed Harvard, 62-60.  When they face off like a bunch of fucking academic phenoms, the Bulldogs will be playing for their 9th NCAA Tournament and 3rd in a row, while the Quakers will be playing for their 25th and first since 2018.
• In the SEC semifinals, 4-seed Vanderbilt beat top seed Florida with a tire iron, 91-74, and 3-seed Arkansas crushed 15-seed Mississippi's Cinderella hopes with a 93-90 win.   They're both locks.  What the fuck ever.  The Commodores -- no relation to Lionel Richie's band -- will be playing in their 19th NCAA Tournament berth and second in a row, while the Razorbacks will be playing in their 37th and second in a row.
• We have the remaining 5 conference tournament championship games today.
• Bubble teams that won yesterday (in conference tournaments):  San Diego State, South Florida, VCU
• Bubble teams that lost yesterday (in conference tournaments):  St. Louis

Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern)

-Ivy (12 p.m.; ESPN2):  (1) Yale vs. (3) Penn

-Atlantic 10 (1 p.m.; CBS):  (2) VCU vs. (4) Dayton

-SEC (1 p.m.; ESPN2):  (3) Arkansas vs. (4) Vanderbilt

-AAC (3:15 p.m.; ESPN):  (1) South Florida vs. (2) Wichita State

-Big Ten (3:30 p.m.; CBS):  (1) Michigan  vs. (7) Purdue

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 15)

-ACC: Duke (48; 2025)

-America East:  UMBC (3; 2018)

-Atlantic 10 (March 15)

-Atlantic Sun:  Queens (1)

-Big 12:  Arizona (40; 2025)

-Big East: St. John's (32; 2025)

-Big Sky:  Idaho (5; 1990)

-Big South:  High Point (2; 2025)

-Big Ten (March 15)

-Big West:  Hawaii (6; 2016)

-Coastal:  Hofstra (5; 2001)

-Conference USA:  Kennesaw State (2; 2021)

-Horizon:  Wright State (5; 2022)

-Ivy League (March 15)

-MAAC:  Siena (7; 2010)

-MAC: Akron (8; 2025)

-MEAC:  Howard (5; 2024)

-Missouri Valley:  Northern Iowa (9; 2016)

-Mountain West:  Utah State 26; 2025)

-Northeast Conference:  LIU (8; 2018)

-Ohio Valley:  Tennessee State (3; 1994)

-Patriot League:  Lehigh (6; 2012)

-SEC (March 15)

-Southern Conference:  Furman (8; 2023)

-Southland:  McNeese (5; 2025)

-Summit:  North Dakota State (5; 2019)

-Sun Belt:  Troy (4; 2025)

-SWAC:  Prairie View A&M (3; 2019)

-WAC:  Cal Baptist (1)

-West Coast:  Gonzaga (28; 2025)

Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern)

AAC (March 11-15; Birmingham)

3/15 – Finals

3:15 p.m. (ESPN) (1) South Florida vs. (2) Wichita State.  Predicted winner:  Wichita State

Atlantic 10 (March 11-15; Pittsburgh)

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (CBS) (2) VCU vs. (4) Dayton.  Predicted winner:  Dayton

Big Ten (March 10-15; Chicago)

3/15 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (1) Michigan vs. (7) Purdue.  Predicted winner:  Michigan

Ivy League (March 14-15; Ithaca, NY)

3/15 - Finals

12 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Yale vs. (3) Penn.  Predicted winner:  Yale

SEC (March 11-15; Nashville)

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (3) Arkansas vs. (4) Vanderbilt.  Predicted winner:  Vanderbilt

Updated Championship Week Predictions: "Rebel Rebel"

Today's song is David Bowie's glam rag "Rebel Rebel," in honor of 15-seed Ole Miss's win over 2-seed Alabama in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.  On top of that, a few more bubble teams lost, and three of the top four seeds in the Big Ten Tournament went down.

Yesterday was another day filled with a lot of close games.  Out of the 34 games yesterday, 22 were decided by ten points or less, 13 were decided by five points or less, and we had two overtime games, including one that went to triple overtime. 

And today we have 11 conference championship games and another 10 semifinal games.

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

• In the ACC semifinals, top seed Duke topped 5-seed Clemson, 73-61, and 2-seed Virginia crushed 3-seed Miami, 84-62, to advance to tonight's final.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Blue Devils will be playing in their 48th NCAA Tournament and 5th in a row, and the Cavaliers will be playing in their 27th and first since 2024.
• In the Big 12 semis, 1-seed Arizona got a jumper at the buzzer to beat 5-seed Iowa State, 82-80, and 2-seed Houston dominated 3-seed Kansas, 69-47, to advance to this evening's title game.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament, and this could be a battle for a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.  The Wildcats will be playing in their 40th NCAA Tournament and 5th in a row, while the Cougars will be playing in their 27th and 8th in a row.
• In the Big East semifinals, top seed St. John's dropped 4-seed Seton Hall, 78-68, and 2-seed UConn disposed of 11-seed Georgetown, 67-51, to advance to tonight's championship game.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Red Storm will be playing in their 32nd NCAA Tournament and second in a row, and the Huskies will be playing in their 39th NCAA Tournament and 6th in a row. 
• In the Big West semis, 1-seed UC Irvine handled 4-seed Cal State Northridge, 93-78, and 2-seed Hawaii sailed past 3-seed Cal State Fullerton, 78-63.  When they face of in tonight's title game, the Anteaters will be seeking their 3rd NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2019, when they upset Kansas in the first round as a 14-seed, and the Rainbow Warriors will be seeking their 6th berth and first since 2016, when they upset Cal in the first round as a 13-seed.
• In the Conference USA semifinals, 2-seed Sam Houston held off 6-seed Kennesaw State, 79-73, and 4-seed Louisiana Tech made it past 9-seed Missouri State.  When they play in tonight's final, the Bearkats will be playing for their 3rd trip to the Big Dance and first since 2010, and the Bulldogs will be playing for their 6th trip and first since 1991.
• In the miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-MAC semifinals, 2-seed Akron beat rival 3-seed Kent State, 75-68, and 4-seed Toledo downed 8-seed UMass, 77-67.  When they meet in tonight's championship game, the Zips will be seeking their 8th NCAA Tournament bid and third in a row, and the Rockets will be seeking their 5th bid and first since 1980.
• In the MEAC semis, top seed Howard cruised past 5-seed South Carolina State, 78-61, while 3-seed North Carolina beat 7-seed Delaware State, 59-53.  When they face off in this afternoon's title game, the Bison will be playing for their 5th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2024, and the Eagles will also be playing for their 5th berth and first since 2019.
• In the Mountain West semifinals, 1-seed Utah State triumphed over 5-seed Nevada, 79-66, and 2-seed San Diego State edged 3-seed New Mexico, 64-62.  When they play each other in this evening's championship, the Aggies are likely a lock regardless and will be playing in their 26th NCAA Tournament and 4th in a row.  The Aztecs likely need to win to go to the Big Dance, and they'll be playing for their 18th berth and 6th in a row.
• In the SWAC semis, 3-seed Southern bounced 2-seed Florida A&M, and 8-seed Prairie View A&M throttled 5-seed Alabama A&M, 74-55.  When they play in tonight's final, the Jaguars will be playing for their 10th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2016, and the Panthers will be playing for their 3rd appearance and first since 2019.
• In the wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-WAC semifinals, 1-seed Utah Valley survived a scare, but ended up beating 4-seed UT-Arlington, 67-65, and 2-seed Cal Baptist bounced 3-seed Utah Tech, 86-72.  Both the Wolverines and the Lancers will be playing for their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth!
• In the AAC quarterfinals, 5-seed Charlotte took out 4-seed UAB, 83-78, and 3-seed Tulsa topped 6-seed North Texas in a highly entertaining 90-84 triple overtime game, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the A-10 quarters, top seed St. Louis survived 9-seed George Washington, 88-81, 2-seed VCU held off 7-seed Duquesne, 71-66, 3-seed St. Joseph's downed 6-seed Davidson, and 4-seed Dayton staved off 13-seed St. Bonaventure, 68-63, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the Big Ten quarterfinals, 1-seed Michigan beat archrival 8-seed Ohio State, 71-67, 7-seed Purdue upset 2-seed Nebraska, 74-58, 6-seed UCLA upset 3-seed Michigan State, 88-84, and 5-seed Wisconsin fought past 4-seed Illinois in an exciting 91-88 OT game, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the SEC quarters, top seed Florida avoided disaster with a 71-63 win over 9-seed Kentucky, 15-seed Mississippi continued its improbably run by beating 2-seed Alabama, 80-79, 3-seed Arkansas survived 11-seed Oklahoma, 82-79, and 4-seed Vanderbilt topped in-state rival 5-seed Tennessee, 75-68, to advance to today's semifinals.
• One conference tournament start today, and 16 conference tournaments have games today.
• 5 conference tournaments have semifinals today (AAC, A-10, Big Ten, Ivy, and SEC) and 11 conference tournaments have championship games until tomorrow (ACC, America East, Big 12, Big East, Big West, C-USA, MAC, MEAC, Mountain West, SWAC, WAC).
• Here are the teams that have never been to the NCAA Tournament (not including teams who are ineligible for this year's NCAA Tournament) that are still alive:
• WAC:  1-seed Utah Valley, 2-seed Cal Baptist
• Bubble teams that won yesterday (in conference tournaments):  San Diego State, St. Louis, VCU
• Bubble teams that lost yesterday (in conference tournaments):  New Mexico, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Seton Hall
• Bubble teams that have not yet started conference tournaments:  South Florida

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

-MAC

-MEAC

-Mountain West

-SEC

-SWAC

-WAC

Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern)

-America East (11 a.m.; ESPN2):  (2) Vermont at (1) UMBC

-MEAC (1 p.m.; ESPN2):  (1) Howard vs. (3) North Carolina Central

-Big 12 (6 p.m.; ESPN):  (1) Arizona vs. (2) Houston

-Mountain West (6 p.m.; CBS):  (1) Utah State vs. (2) San Diego State

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

-SWAC (7:30 p.m.; ESPNU):  (3) Southern vs. (8) Prairie View A&M

-MAC (8 p.m.; ESPN2):  (2) Akron vs. (4) Toledo

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

-Conference USA (8:30 p.m.; CBSSN):  (2) Sam Houston vs. (4) Louisiana Tech

-Big West (10 p.m.; ESPN2):  (1) UC Irvine vs. (2) Hawaii

-WAC (11:59 p.m.; ESPN2):  (1) Utah Valley vs. (2) Cal Baptist

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 15)

-ACC (March 14)

-America East (March 14)

-Atlantic 10 (March 15)

-Atlantic Sun:  Queens (1)

-Big 12 (March 14)

-Big East (March 14)

-Big Sky:  Idaho (5; 1990)

-Big South:  High Point (2; 2025)

-Big Ten (March 15)

-Big West (March 14)

-Coastal:  Hofstra (5; 2001)

-Conference USA (March 14)

-Horizon:  Wright State (5; 2022)

-Ivy League (March 15)

-MAAC:  Siena (7; 2010)

-MAC (March 14)

-MEAC (March 14)

-Missouri Valley:  Northern Iowa (9; 2016)

-Mountain West (March 14)

-Northeast Conference:  LIU (8; 2018)

-Ohio Valley:  Tennessee State (3; 1994)

-Patriot League:  Lehigh (6; 2012)

-SEC (March 15)

-Southern Conference:  Furman (8; 2023)

-Southland:  McNeese (5; 2025)

-Summit:  North Dakota State (5; 2019)

-Sun Belt:  Troy (4; 2025)

-SWAC (March 14)

-WAC (March 14)

-West Coast:  Gonzaga (28; 2025)

Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern)

AAC (March 11-15; Birmingham)

3/14 – Semifinals

3 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) South Florida vs. (5) Charlotte.  Predicted winner:  South Florida

5:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Wichita State vs. (3) Tulsa.  Predicted winner:  Wichita State

3/15 – Finals

3:15 p.m. (ESPN) (1) South Florida vs. (2) Wichita State.  Predicted winner:  Wichita State

ACC (March 10-14; Charlotte)

3/14 – Finals

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

America East (March 7, 10, 14; campus of higher seed)

3/14 – Finals

11 a.m. (ESPN2) (2) Vermont at (1) UMBC.  Predicted winner:  Vermont

Atlantic 10 (March 11-15; Pittsburgh)

3/14 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) St. Louis vs. (4) Dayton.  Predicted winner:  St. Louis

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

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (CBS) (1) St. Louis vs. (2) VCU.  Predicted winner:  St. Louis

Big 12 (March 10-14; Kansas City)

3/14 – Finals

6 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Arizona vs. (2) Houston.  Predicted winner:  Houston

Big East (March 11-14; New York)

3/14 – Finals

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

Big Ten (March 10-15; Chicago)

3/14 – Semifinals

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

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (6) UCLA vs. (7) Purdue.  Predicted winner:  UCLA

3/15 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (1) Michigan vs. (6) UCLA.  Predicted winner:  Michigan

Big West (March 11-14; Henderson, NV)

3/14 – Finals

10 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) UC Irvine vs. (2) Hawaii.  Predicted winner:  UC Irvine

Conference USA (March 10-14; Huntsville, AL)

3/14 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) Sam Houston vs. (4) Louisiana Tech.  Predicted winner:  Sam Houston

Ivy League (March 14-15; Ithaca, NY)

3/14 - Semifinals

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

2 p.m. (ESPNews) (2) Harvard vs. (3) Penn.  Predicted winner:  Harvard

3/15 - Finals

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

MAC (March 12-14; Cleveland)

3/14 – Finals

8 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Akron vs. (4) Toledo.  Predicted winner:  Akron

MEAC (March 11-14; Norfolk, VA)

3/14 – Final

1:00 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Howard vs. (3) North Carolina Central.  Predicted winner:  Howard

Mountain West (March 11-14; Paradise, NV)

3/14 – Finals

6 p.m. (CBS) (1) Utah State vs. (2) San Diego State.  Predicted winner:  Utah State

SEC (March 11-15; Nashville)

3/14 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Florida vs. (4) Vanderbilt.  Predicted winner:  Florida

3:30 p.m. (ESPN) (3) Arkansas vs. (15) Mississippi.  Predicted winner:  Alabama

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Florida vs. (3) Arkansas.  Predicted winner:  Florida

SWAC (March 9-14; Atlanta)

3/14 – Finals

7:30 p.m. (ESPNU) (3) Southern vs. (8) Prairie View A&M.  Predicted winner:  Florida A&M

WAC (March 11-14; Paradise, NV)

3/14 – Finals

11:59 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Utah Valley vs. (2) Cal Baptist.  Predicted winner:  Utah Valley

Hair Band Friday - 3/13/26

1.  "Girls, Girls, Girls" by Mötley Crüe

2.  "Voodoo Kiss" by Mr. Big

3.  "In 'N' Out" by Van Halen

4.  "Crossfire" by Scorpions

5.  "Stay Hungry" by Twisted Sister

6.  "Nobody Knows" by Roxy Blue

7.  "Nice On Ice" by Kix

8.  "The Great Misconceptions of Me" by W.A.S.P.

9.  "Hide Your Heart" by KISS

10.  "Strange Things" by Black 'N Blue

Updated Championship Week Predictions: "When Worlds Collide"

This is my 5000th (!) post on GMYH, and if it wasn't gonna be Hair Band Friday, I'm glad it was a March Madness post.  In honor of this unholiest of milestones, today's song is Powerman 5000's "When Worlds Collide."

Yesterday was another disastrous one for many bubble teams, but I think the biggest news was previously unbeaten and MAC 1-seed Miami (OH)'s inexplicable loss to 8-seed UMass in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals.  How the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee handles the RedHawks will be interesting, but with the number of bubble teams shitting the bed this week, it's quite possible the MAC is a two-bid league this year.

It was also a day filled with a lot of close games.  Out of the 44 games yesterday, 28 were decided by ten points or less, 16 were decided by five points or less, and we had 3 overtime games.

With Miami (OH)'s loss, that means we're up to eleven 1-seeds that have lost in this year's Championship Week:  Belmont (MVC), Bethune-Cookman (SWAC), Central Arkansas (A-Sun), East Tennessee State (SoCon), Liberty (C-USA), Merrimack (MAAC), Miami (OH) (MAC), Navy (Patriot), Portland State (Big Sky), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), UNC Wilmington (CAA).  It should be a fun and competitive NIT.

And today, from tip off of the St. Louis/George Washington game in the A-10 Tournament quarterfinals at 11:30 a.m. ET to the end of the Mountain West semifinal between San Diego State and New Mexico, which is scheduled to tip at 11:59 p.m. ET, we have 34 conference tournament games over about 15 hours.

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

• In the ACC quarterfinals, injury-riddled top seed Duke survived a major scare and beat 8-seed Florida State, 80-79, 2-seed Virginia ousted 7-seed NC State, 81-74, 3-seed Miami dropped 6-seed Louisville, 78-73, and 5-seed Clemson early blew a 15-point lead with five minutes left, but held on to beat 4-seed North Carolina, 80-79, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the Big 12 quarters, 1-seed Arizona dominated 8-seed UCF, 81-59, 2-seed Houston snuck by 10-seed BYU, 73-66, 3-seed Kansas outlasted 6-seed TCU in a back-and-forth 78-73 affair, and 5-seed Iowa State made easy work of 4-seed Texas Tech, 75-53, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the Big East quarterfinals, top seed St. John's cruised by 9-seed Providence, 85-72, 2-seed UConn crushed 10-seed Xavier, 93-68, 11-seed Georgetown upset 3-seed Villanova, 78-64, and 4-seed Seton Hall topped 5-seed Creighton, 72-61, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the Big West quarters, 3-seed Cal State Fullerton downed 6-seed UC Davis, 82-70, and 4-seed Cal State Northridge stopped 5-seed UC San Diego, 80-70, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the second half of the Conference USA quarters, 6-seed Kennesaw State upset 3-seed Western Kentucky, 96-87, and 4-seed Louisiana Tech dropped 5-seed Middle Tennessee State, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-MAC quarterfinals, as noted above 8-seed UMass upset previously unbeaten 1-seed Miami (OH), 87-83, 2-seed Akron snuck by 7-seed Buffalo, 73-70, 3-seed Kent State handled 6-seed Ohio, 86-75, and 4-seed Toledo made two free throws with 10 seconds left to beat 5-seed Bowling Green, 77-76, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the second half of the MEAC quarterfinals, 3-seed North Carolina Central needed OT to dispense with 6-seed Maryland Eastern Shore, 83-76, and 5-seed South Carolina State bounced 4-seed Norfolk State, 88-82, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the Mountain West quarters, top seed Utah State dominated 8-seed UNLV, 80-60, 2-seed San Diego State beat 7-seed Colorado State, 71-62, 3-seed New Mexico toppled 11-seed San Jose State, 93-77, and 5-seed Nevada held off 4-seed Grand Canyon, 84-80, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the second half of the SWAC quarterfinals, 3-seed Southern survived 6-seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 84-81, and 5-seed Alabama A&M beat 4-seed Texas Southern, 85-74, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-WAC quarterfinals, 3-seed Utah Tech beat 6-seed Abilene Christian, 80-74, and 4-seed UT Arlington topped 5-seed Southern Utah, 69-63, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the Third Round of the Big Ten, 5-seed Wisconsin squeezed by 12-seed Washington, 72-69, 6-seed UCLA got the first triple-double in Big Ten Tournament history from Donovan Dent to take down 14-seed Rutgers, 72-59, 7-seed Purdue beat 15-seed Northwestern, 81-68, and 8-seed Ohio State outlasted 9-seed Iowa, 72-69, to advance to today's quarterfinals.
• In the Second Round of the AAC, 5-seed Charlotte took down 9-seed Tulane, 74-60, and 6-seed North Texas toughed out a 74-70 win over 7-seed FAU, to advance to today's quarterfinals.
• In the Second Round of the A-10, 13-seed St. Bonaventure upset 5-seed George Mason, 63-57, 6-seed Davidson survived 14-seed Loyola (IL), 64-59 in OT, 7-seed Duquesne topped 10-seed Rhode Island, 67-61, and 9-seed George Washington beat 8-seed Fordham, 66-62, to advance to today's quarterfinals.
• In the Second Round of the SEC, 5-seed Tennessee pulled away late to beat 12-seed Auburn, 72-62, 11-seed Oklahoma significantly helped its NCAA Tournament hopes with a convincing 83-63 win over 6-seed Texas A&M, 15-seed Mississippi upset 7-seed Georgia, 76-72, and 9-seed Kentucky took out 8-seed Missouri, 78-72, to advance to today's quarterfinals.
• No conference tournaments start today, and 14 conference tournaments have games today.
• 4 conference tournaments have quarterfinals today (AAC, A-10, Big Ten, SEC), 10 conference tournaments have semifinals today (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big West, C-USA, MAC, MEAC, Mountain West, SWAC, WAC), and no conference tournaments have championship games until tomorrow.
• Here are the teams that have never been to the NCAA Tournament (not including teams who are ineligible for this year's NCAA Tournament) that are still alive:
• WAC:  1-seed Utah Valley, 2-seed Cal Baptist, 3-seed Utah Tech
• Bubble teams that won yesterday (in conference tournaments):  New Mexico, Ohio State, Oklahoma, San Diego State, Seton Hall, UCLA
• Bubble teams that lost yesterday (in conference tournaments):  Auburn, Iowa, Miami (OH), Missouri, NC State, Texas A&M, TCU, UCF
• Bubble teams that have not yet started conference tournaments:   South Florida, St. Louis, VCU

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

-None

Tournaments with games today

-AAC

-ACC

-Atlantic 10

-Big 12

-Big East

-Big Ten

-Big West

-Conference USA

-MAC

-MEAC

-Mountain West

-SEC

-SWAC

-WAC

Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern)

-None

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 15)

-ACC (March 14)

-America East (March 14)

-Atlantic 10 (March 15)

-Atlantic Sun:  Queens (1)

-Big 12 (March 14)

-Big East (March 14)

-Big Sky:  Idaho (5; 1990)

-Big South:  High Point (2; 2025)

-Big Ten (March 15)

-Big West (March 14)

-Coastal:  Hofstra (5; 2001)

-Conference USA (March 14)

-Horizon:  Wright State (5; 2022)

-Ivy League (March 15)

-MAAC:  Siena (7; 2010)

-MAC (March 14)

-MEAC (March 14)

-Missouri Valley:  Northern Iowa (9; 2016)

-Mountain West (March 14)

-Northeast Conference:  LIU (8; 2018)

-Ohio Valley:  Tennessee State (3; 1994)

-Patriot League:  Lehigh (6; 2012)

-SEC (March 15)

-Southern Conference:  Furman (8; 2023)

-Southland:  McNeese (5; 2025)

-Summit:  North Dakota State (5; 2019)

-Sun Belt:  Troy (4; 2025)

-SWAC (March 14)

-WAC (March 14)

-West Coast:  Gonzaga (28; 2025)

Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern)

AAC (March 11-15; Birmingham)

3/13 – Quarterfinals

1 p.m. (ESPN2) (4) UAB vs. (5) Charlotte.  Predicted winner:  UAB

9 p.m. (ESPN2) (3) Tulsa vs. (6) North Texas.  Predicted winner:  Tulsa

3/14 – Semifinals

3 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) South Florida vs. (4) UAB.  Predicted winner:  South Florida

5:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Wichita State vs. (3) Tulsa.  Predicted winner:  Wichita State

3/15 – Finals

3:15 p.m. (ESPN) (1) South Florida vs. (2) Wichita State.  Predicted winner:  Wichita State

ACC (March 10-14; Charlotte)

3/13 – Semifinals

7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (2) Virginia vs. (3) Miami (FL).  Predicted winner:  Virginia

9:30 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (1) Duke vs. (5) Clemson.  Predicted winner:  Duke

3/14 – Finals

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

America East (March 7, 10, 14; campus of higher seed)

3/14 – Finals

11 a.m. (ESPN2) (2) Vermont at (1) UMBC.  Predicted winner:  Vermont

Atlantic 10 (March 11-15; Pittsburgh)

3/13 – Quarterfinals

11:30 a.m. (USA) (1) St. Louis vs. (9) George Washington.  Predicted winner:  St. Louis

2 p.m. (USA) (4) Dayton vs. (13) St. Bonaventure.  Predicted winner:  Dayton

5 p.m. (USA) (2) VCU vs. (7) Duquesne.  Predicted winner:  VCU

7:30 p.m. (CNBC) (3) St. Joseph's vs. (6) Davidson.  Predicted winner:  St. Joseph's

3/14 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) St. Louis vs. (4) Dayton.  Predicted winner:  St. Louis

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

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (CBS) (1) St. Louis vs. (2) VCU.  Predicted winner:  St. Louis

Big 12 (March 10-14; Kansas City)

3/13 – Semifinals

7 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Arizona vs. (5) Iowa State.  Predicted winner:  Iowa State

9:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Houston vs. (3) Kansas.  Predicted winner:  Houston

3/14 – Finals

6 p.m. (ESPN) (2) Houston vs. (5) Iowa State.  Predicted winner:  Houston

Big East (March 11-14; New York)

3/13 – Semifinals

5:30 p.m. (Fox) (1) St. John's vs. (4) Seton Hall.  Predicted winner:  St. John's

8 p.m. (FS1) (2) UConn vs. (11) Georgetown.  Predicted winner:  UConn

3/14 – Finals

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

Big Ten (March 10-15; Chicago)

3/13 – Quarterfinals

12 p.m. (BTN) (1) Michigan vs. (8) Ohio State.  Predicted winner:  Michigan

2:30 p.m. (BTN) (4) Illinois vs. (5) Wisconsin.  Predicted winner:  Illinois

6:30 p.m. (BTN) (2) Nebraska vs. (7) Purdue.  Predicted winner:  Nebraska

9 p.m. (BTN) (3) Michigan State vs. (6) UCLA.  Predicted winner:  Michigan State

3/14 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (CBS) (1) Michigan vs. (4) Illinois.  Predicted winner:  Illinois

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

3/15 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (3) Michigan State vs. (4) Illinois.  Predicted winner:  Michigan State

Big West (March 11-14; Henderson, NV)

3/13 – Semifinals

9 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) UC Irvine vs. (4) Cal State Northridge.  Predicted winner:  UC Irvine

11:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Hawaii vs. (3) Cal State Fullerton.  Predicted winner:  Hawaii

3/14 – Finals

10 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) UC Irvine vs. (2) Hawaii.  Predicted winner:  UC Irvine

Conference USA (March 10-14; Huntsville, AL)

3/13 – Semifinals

12:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (4) Louisiana Tech vs. (9) Missouri State.  Predicted winner:  Louisiana Tech

3 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) Sam Houston vs. (6) Kennesaw State.  Predicted winner:  Sam Houston

3/14 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) Sam Houston vs. (4) Louisiana Tech.  Predicted winner:  Sam Houston

Ivy League (March 14-15; Ithaca, NY)

3/14 - Semifinals

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

2 p.m. (ESPNews) (2) Harvard vs. (3) Penn.  Predicted winner:  Harvard

3/15 - Finals

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

MAC (March 12-14; Cleveland)

3/13 – Semifinals

5 p.m. (CBSSN) (4) Toledo vs. (8) UMass.  Predicted winner:  Toledo

7:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) Akron vs. (3) Kent State.  Predicted winner:  Akron

3/14 – Finals

8 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Akron vs. (4) Toledo.  Predicted winner:  Akron

MEAC (March 11-14; Norfolk, VA)

3/13 – Semifinals

6 p.m. (ESPN+) (1) Howard vs. (5) South Carolina State.  Predicted winner:  Howard

8 p.m. (ESPN+) (3) North Carolina Central vs. (7) Delaware State.  Predicted winner:  North Carolina Central

3/14 – Final

1:00 p.m. (TBD) (1) Howard vs. (3) North Carolina Central.  Predicted winner:  Howard

Mountain West (March 11-14; Paradise, NV)

3/13 – Semifinals

9:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) Utah State vs. (5) Nevada.  Predicted winner:  Utah State

11:59 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) San Diego State vs. (3) New Mexico.  Predicted winner:  San Diego State

3/14 – Finals

6 p.m. (CBS) (1) Utah State vs. (2) San Diego State.  Predicted winner:  Utah State

SEC (March 11-15; Nashville)

3/13 – Quarterfinals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Florida vs. (9) Kentucky.  Predicted winner:  Florida

3:30 p.m. (ESPN) (4) Vanderbilt vs. (5) Tennessee.  Predicted winner:  Tennessee

7 p.m. (SEC Network) (2) Alabama vs. (15) Mississippi.  Predicted winner:  Alabama

9:30 p.m. (SEC Network) (3) Arkansas vs. (11) Oklahoma.  Predicted winner:  Arkansas

3/14 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Florida vs. (5) Tennessee.  Predicted winner:  Tennessee

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

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (2) Alabama vs. (5) Tennessee.  Predicted winner:  Alabama

SWAC (March 9-14; Atlanta)

3/13 – Semifinals

2 p.m. (ESPN+) (5) Alabama A&M vs. (8) Prairie View A&M.  Predicted winner:  Texas Southern

8:30 p.m. (ESPN+) (2) Florida A&M vs. (3) Southern.  Predicted winner:  Florida A&M

3/14 – Finals

7:30 p.m. (TBD) (2) Florida A&M vs. (5) Alabama A&M.  Predicted winner:  Florida A&M

WAC (March 11-14; Paradise, NV)

3/13 – Semifinals

9 p.m. (ESPN+) (1) Utah Valley vs. (4) UT Arlington.  Predicted winner:  Utah Valley

11:30 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPNU) (2) Cal Baptist vs. (3) Utah Tech.  Predicted winner:  Cal Baptist

3/14 – Finals

11:59 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Utah Valley vs. (2) Cal Baptist.  Predicted winner:  Utah Valley