Updated Championship Week Predictions

It's Selection Sunday (!), and yesterday there were some bid thieves, which does not bode well for my beloved Hoosiers.  UConn better lose today.  Here is a rundown of everything that happened yesterday:

• The day started out with a bang.  In the America East title game, Peter Hooley of 1-seed Albany, playing on its home court, hit a 3 with 1.6 seconds left to beat 3-seed Stony Brook, 51-50.  It was especially emotional for Hooley, who is Australian and had to go back to Australia in January to be with his mom, who was dying of cancer.  This is the 5th NCAA Tournament appearance for the Great Danes and 3rd in a row.  It was another heartbreaker for the Seawolves, who have never been to an NCAA Tournament and have now lost in the America East title game four times in the last six years.
• In the ACC title game, 3-seed Notre Dame had a second-half run to take down 5-seed UNC, 90-82.  ND will be going to its 34th NCAA Tournament, and UNC will be going to its 46th.
• In the Big 12 championship, 2-seed Iowa State overcame a 17-point second-half deficit to beat 1-seed Kansas.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  Kansas will be going to its 44th NCAA Tournament, and Iowa State will be going to its 17th.
• In the Big East, top seed Villanova dominated 6-seed Xavier for the title.  Both of these teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament, with the Wildcats going to their 34th, and the Musketeers will be going to their 25th.
• In the Big Sky final, 2-seed Eastern Washington beat top seed Montana in Missoula to clinch the Eagles' 2nd NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2004.
• In the Big West title game, 2-seed UC Irvine took down 5-seed Hawaii.  The Anteaters will be playing in their first ever NCAA Tournament.
• In Conference USA, 6-seed Middle Tennessee State's magical run finally came to an end at the hands of 4-seed UAB.  The Blazers are going to their 15th NCAA Tournament and first since 2011.
• In the one-game playoff in the Ivy League, Harvard beat Yale 53-51 for its fourth straight Ivy League title and NCAA Tournament berth (and fifth overall).
• In the miggity miggity miggity miggity miggity miggity MAC, 2-seed Buffalo -–coached by former Duke standout Bobby Hurley -- ended all bubble speculation by beating top seed Central Michigan for the Bulls' first ever NCAA Tournament berth.
• In the MEAC, 6-seed Hampton's Cinderella run was capped off by a championship game victory over 5-seed Delaware State.  The Pirates are going to their 5th appearance and first since 2011.
• In the Mountain West title game, 4-seed Wyoming stole an NCAA Tournament at-large bid from someone (hopefully not IU) by beating 2-seed San Diego State.  The Cowboys will be playing in their 15th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2002.  The Aztecs are a tournament lock, and they will be going to their 11th NCAA Tournament and 6th in a row.
• In the Pac-12 final, top seed Arizona routed 2-seed Oregon, 80-52.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Wildcats will be going to their 31st, and the Ducks will be going to their 14th.
• In the Southland championship game, 1-seed Stephen F. Austin topped 2-seed Sam Houston State.  The Lumberjacks will be playing in their 3rd NCAA Tournament and second in a row.
• In the SWAC, top seed Texas Southern -– coached by former IU head coach Mike Davis -- beat 3-seed Southern for their 6th NCAA Tournament berth and second in a row.
• In the wiggity wiggity wiggity wiggity wiggity wiggity WAC title game, 1-seed New Mexico State beat up on 3-seed Seattle, 80-61, to clinch the Aggies' 19th NCAA Tournament berth and fourth in a row. 
• In the AAC semis, 1-seed SMU beat 4-seed Temple, while 6-seed and defending NCAA champ UConn beat 2-seed Tulsa.  If the Huskies win, they would steal a bid from someone and would go to their 32nd NCAA Tournament.  SMU is a lock and will be going to their 11th NCAA Tournament and first since 1993.
• In the A-10 semis, 5-seed VCU destroyed 1-seed Davidson, and 2-seed Dayton held off 3-seed Rhode Island.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Rams will be going to their 14th NCAA Tournament, and the Flyers will be going to their 16th.
• In the Big Ten semis, top seed Wisconsin exposed 4-seed Purdue for the frauds they are, outscoring the Boilermakers 41-16 in the second half, en route to a 71-51 victory.  In the other semi, 3-seed Michigan State topped 2-seed Maryland.  Both Wisconsin and Michigan State are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Badgers will be going to their 21st, and the Spartans will be going to their 29th.
• In the SEC semis, the only two decent teams in the SEC, 1-seed Kentucky and 2-seed Arkansas advanced.  I don't care enough about them to tell you anything else.
• In the Sun Belt semis, both Georgia teams, 1-seed Georgia Southern and 2-seed Georgia State advanced to today's final.  The Eagles will be playing for their 4th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 1992, and the Panthers will be playing for their 3rd berth and first since 2001.
• Here are the bubble teams that won yesterday:  Buffalo, VCU
• Here are the bubble teams that lost yesterday:  Purdue, Temple, Tulsa
• The final five bids are up for grabs today.

Here are 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 with games today:

-AAC

-Atlantic 10

-Big Ten

-SEC

-Sun Belt

Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern, in chronological order):

-Atlantic 10:  (2) Dayton vs. (5) VCU (1 p.m.; CBS)

-SEC:  (1) Kentucky vs. (2) Arkansas (1 p.m.; ESPN)

-Sun Belt:  (1) Georgia State vs. (2) Georgia Southern (1 p.m.; ESPN2)

-AAC:  (1) SMU vs. (6) UConn (3:15 p.m.; ESPN)

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

Already clinched automatic berths (in parentheses is the NCAA tournament appearances, including the bid just clinched):

-ACC:  Notre Dame (34)

-America East:  Albany (5)

-Atlantic Sun:  North Florida (1)

-Big 12:  Iowa State (17)

-Big East:  Villanova (34)

-Big Sky:  Eastern Washington (2)

-Big South:  Coastal Carolina (4)

-Big West:  UC Irvine (1)

-Colonial:  Northeastern (8)

-Conference USA:  UAB (15)

-Horizon League:  Valparaiso (9)

-Ivy League:  Harvard (5)

-MAC:  Buffalo (1)

-MAAC:  Manhattan (8)

-MEAC:  Hampton (5)

-Missouri Valley:  Northern Iowa (7)

-Mountain West:  Wyoming (15)

-Northeast Conference:  Robert Morris (8)

-Ohio Valley:  Belmont (7)

-Pac-12:  Arizona (31)

-Patriot League:  Lafayette (4)

-Southern Conference:  Wofford (4)

-Southland:  Stephen F. Austin (3)

-Summit League:  North Dakota State (3)

-SWAC:  Texas Southern (6)

-WAC:  New Mexico State (19)

-West Coast Conference:  Gonzaga (18)

Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern):

AAC (March 12-15; Hartford)

3/15 – Finals

3:15 p.m. (ESPN) (1) SMU vs. (6) UConn.  Predicted winner:  SMU

Atlantic 10 (March 11-15; Brooklyn)

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (CBS) (2) Dayton vs. (5) VCU.  Predicted winner:  VCU

Big Ten (March 11-15; Chicago)

3/15 – Finals

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

SEC (March 11-15; Nashville)

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Kentucky vs. (2) Arkansas.  Predicted winner:  Kentucky

Sun Belt (March 12-15; New Orleans)

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Georgia State vs. (2) Georgia Southern.  Predicted winner:  Georgia Southern

Updated Championship Week Predictions

More bubbles were burst yesterday, and 5 top seeds went down.  Today, we have 22 more games, and championship games beginning as early as 11 a.m. Eastern and as late as 11:30 p.m. Eastern.  So enjoy some basketball while you are drinking yourself into a coma today.  (Please don't drink yourself into a coma today.)  Here is a rundown of all of the semifinals that happened yesterday, all of the quarterfinals in the Big Ten, and anything else I found to be noteworthy:

• In the Big Ten quarterfinals, the Hoosiers were within 2 of Maryland with less than a minute left, but couldn't get over the hump and lost 75-69, which may or may not knock IU out of the NCAA Tournament.  Based on how many other bubble teams lost the last few days, I'm hoping not.  Wisconsin got all it could handle from Michigan, but ended up pulling away for a 71-60 win.  Purdue squeaked by Penn State, 64-59, just as the Boilers have seemed to do in most of their wins.  In my opinion, their 12-6 Big Ten record is a little misleading because Purdue is not that good.  And yes, I'm bitter.  Fuck Purdue.  Finally, 3-seed Michigan State beat 6-seed Ohio State.
• In the ACC semis, 5-seed UNC took down top seed Virginia.  That may knock Virginia out of a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, depending on how some other conference tournaments shake out.  Failing to seize on a huge opportunity, 2-seed Duke lost to 3-seed Notre Dame in the other semi, potentially costing the Blue Devils a 1-seed in the Big Dance.  Both UNC and ND are obviously locks for the NCAA Tournament.  UNC will be going to its 46th NCAA Tournament, and will be going to its 34th.
• In the A-10 quarters, 5-seed VCU continued to wreak havoc, beating 4-seed Richmond and putting a nail in the Spiders' NCAA coffin.  Meanwhile, 1-seed Davidson needed a last-second shot to beat 9-seed LaSalle.
• In the Big 12 semis, 1-seed Kansas beat 4-seed Baylor 62-52, while 2-seed Iowa State got a huge break as 3-seed Oklahoma missed a layup that would have tied the game with 3 seconds left.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  Kansas will be going to its 44th NCAA Tournament, and Iowa State will be going to its 17th.
• In the Big East semis, top seed Villanova spurned 4-seed Providence's upset bid, beating the Friars 63-61, while 6-seed Xavier held off 2-seed Georgetown 65-63.  Both of these teams are also locks for the NCAA Tournament, with the Wildcats going to their 34th, and the Musketeers will be going to their 25th.
• In the Big Sky semis, 2-seed Eastern Washington took down 3-seed Sacramento State, while top seed (and tournament host) Montana hit a layup with 1 second left to beat 4-seed Northern Arizona 61-59.  The Eagles are going for their 2nd NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2004, while the Grizzlies are going for their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2013.
• In the Big West semis, 5-seed Hawaii upset top seed UC Davis, while 2-seed UC Irvine beat 3-seed UC Santa Barbara in OT in the other semi.  The Rainbow Warriors will be playing for their 5th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2002, and the Anteaters (yes, the Anteaters) will be playing for their first ever NCAA Tournament berth.
• In Conference USA semis, the top two seeds fell.  6-seed Middle Tennessee State continued its run, beating 2-seed UTEP, while top seed Louisiana Tech lost to 4-seed UAB.  That will likely knock Louisiana Tech out of the NCAA Tournament picture.  The Blue Raiders will be going for their 8th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2013, while the Blazers are going for their 15th and first since 2011.
• In the miggity miggity miggity miggity miggity miggity MAC, top seed Central Michigan beat 4-seed Toledo, and 2-seed Buffalo beat 7-seed Akron to advance to the final.  The Chippewas are playing for their 5th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2003, and the Bulls are playing for their first ever NCAA Tournament berth (although they may get an at-large bid regardless).
• In the MEAC semis, top-seed North Carolina Central –- which had gone 16-0 in the regular season in the MEAC –- lost to 5-seed Delaware State, while 6-seed Hampton continues to shock the world, beating 2-seed Norfolk State.  The Hornets will be going for their 2nd ever NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2005, while the Pirates are playing for their 5th appearance and first since 2011.
• In the Mountain West semis, 4-seed Wyoming upset 1-seed Boise State in OT, which may spell doom for the Broncos' NCAA hopes.  In the other semi, 2-seed San Diego State topped 3-seed Colorado State.  The Cowboys will be playing for their 15th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2002.  The Aztecs are an NCAA Tournament lock, and they will be going to their 11th NCAA Tournament and 6th in a row.  Last year, they went to the Sweet 16 for the second time in school history.
• In the Pac-12 semis, top seed Arizona beat 4-seed UCLA, which keeps the Bruins on the bubble.  In the other semi, 2-seed Oregon beat 3-seed Utah 67-64 on a buzzer beater.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Wildcats will be going to their 31st, and the Ducks will be going to their 14th.
• In the SEC, 13-seed Auburn continues its destruction of its horrible conference bubble team opponents, this time dispatching 4-seed LSU and likely dispatching LSU to the NIT in the process.  As thanks for their three wins in a row, Auburn gets to face #1 Kentucky in the semis.  Can the War Eagles do the unthinkable?  Probably not.
• In the Southland semis, 1-seed Stephen F. Austin beat 4-seed Northwestern State, and 2-seed Sam Houston State came from behind to beat 3-seed Texas A&M Corpus Christi.  Both teams will be going for their 3rd NCAA Tournament appearance, with the Lumberjacks going for their second in a row (as you may recall, they were a 12-seed in last year's NCAA Tournament and beat 5-seed VCU), and the Bearkats haven't been since 2010.
• In the SWAC semis, top seed Texas Southern beat 4-seed Prairie View A&M.  Meanwhile, 3-seed Southern beat 2-seed Alabama State to advance to the finals, but the championship game is a moot point because Southern is not eligible for post-season play, which means the Tigers will be going to the NCAA Tournament regardless of the result of the title game.  This will be their 6th NCAA Tournament and second in a row.
• In the wiggity wiggity wiggity wiggity wiggity wiggity WAC semis, 1-seed New Mexico State took down 4-seed Cal State Bakersfield 57-52, and 3-seed Seattle topped 2-seed UMKC (whose mascot, by the way, is the Kangaroo).  The Aggies will be playing for their 19th NCAA Tournament berth and fourth in a row, while the Redhawks will be playing for their 12th NCAA Tournament berth, first since 1969, and first since rejoining Division 1 in 2009 after nearly 40 years.  Of course, Seattle was a relative power in the '50s and '60s, with a variety of future NBA players, most notably Elgin Baylor, who led Seattle to its only Final Four in 1958, where they lost to the overtly racist Adolf Rupp and his Kentucky Wildcats, who were most likely cheating. 
• Here are the bubble teams that won yesterday:  Buffalo, Purdue, Temple, Tulsa, VCU
• Here are the bubble teams that lost yesterday:  Boise State, Colorado State, Indiana, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Richmond, UCLA
• 19 tournaments have games today, and there are 15 bids up for grabs today (including the one-game playoff between Harvard and Yale in the Ivy League).

Here are 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 with games today:

-AAC

-ACC

-America East

-Atlantic 10

-Big 12

-Big East

-Big Sky

-Big Ten

-Big West

-Conference USA

-MAC

-MEAC

-Mountain West

-Pac-12

-SEC

-Southland

-Sun Belt

-SWAC

-WAC

Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern, in chronological order):

-America East:  (3) Stony Brook at (1) Albany (11:00 a.m.; ESPN2)

-MEAC:  (5) Delaware State vs. (6) Hampton (1:00 p.m.; ESPN2)

-Conference USA:  (4) UAB vs. (6) Middle Tennessee (3:30 p.m.; Fox Sports 1)

-Ivy League:  Harvard vs. Yale (in Philadelphia) (4:00 p.m.; ASN, ESPN3)

-Big 12:  (1) Kansas vs. (2) Iowa State (6 p.m.; ESPN)

-Mountain West:  (2) San Diego State vs. (4) Wyoming (6 p.m.; CBS)

-SWAC:  (1) Texas Southern vs. (3) Southern (6:30 p.m.; ESPNU)

-MAC:  (1) Central Michigan vs. (2) Buffalo (7:30 p.m.; ESPN2)

-ACC:  (3) Notre Dame vs. (5) North Carolina (8:30 p.m.; ESPN)

-Big East:  (1) Villanova vs. (6) Xavier (8:30 p.m.; Fox Sports 1)

-Big Sky:  (1) Montana vs. (2) Eastern Washington (9 p.m.; ESPNU)

-Southland:  (1) Stephen F. Austin vs. (2) Sam Houston State (9:30 p.m.; ESPN2)

-Pac-12:  (1) Arizona vs. (2) Oregon (11 p.m.; ESPN)

-WAC:  (1) New Mexico State vs. (3) Seattle (11 p.m.; ESPNU)

-Big West:  (2) UC Irvine vs. (5) Hawaii (11:30 p.m.; ESPN2)

Already clinched automatic berths (in parentheses is the NCAA tournament appearances, including the bid just clinched):

-Atlantic Sun:  North Florida (1)

-Big South:  Coastal Carolina (4)

-Colonial:  Northeastern (8)

-Horizon League:  Valparaiso (9)

-MAAC:  Manhattan (8)

-Missouri Valley:  Northern Iowa (7)

-Northeast Conference:  Robert Morris (8)

-Ohio Valley:  Belmont (7)

-Patriot League:  Lafayette (4)

-Southern Conference:  Wofford (4)

-Summit League:  North Dakota State (3)

-SWAC:  Texas Southern (6)

-West Coast Conference:  Gonzaga (18)

Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern):

AAC (March 12-15; Hartford)

3/14 – Semifinals

3 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) SMU vs. (4) Temple.  Predicted winner:  SMU

5 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Tulsa vs. (6) UConn.  Predicted winner:  Tulsa

3/15 – Finals

3:15 p.m. (ESPN) (1) SMU vs. (2) Tulsa.  Predicted winner:  SMU

ACC (March 10-14; Greensboro)

3/14 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (ESPN) (3) Notre Dame vs. (5) North Carolina.  Predicted winner:  Notre Dame

America East (March 4, 8, 14; campus of higher seeds)

3/14 – Finals

11:00 a.m. (ESPN2) (3) Stony Brook at (1) Albany.  Predicted winner:  Albany

Atlantic 10 (March 11-15; Brooklyn)

3/14 – Semifinals

1:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) Davidson vs. (5) VCU.  Predicted winner:  VCU

4 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) Dayton vs. (3) Rhode Island.  Predicted winner:  Dayton

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (CBS) (2) Dayton vs. (5) VCU.  Predicted winner:  VCU

Big 12 (March 11-14; Kansas City)

3/14 – Finals

6 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Kansas vs. (2) Iowa State.  Predicted winner:  Kansas

Big East (March 11-14; New York)

3/14 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (1) Villanova vs. (6) Xavier.  Predicted winner:  Villanova

Big Sky (March 12-14; hosted by regular season champion (Montana))

3/14 – Finals

9 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) Montana vs. (2) Eastern Washington.  Predicted winner:  Eastern Washington

Big Ten (March 11-15; Chicago)

3/14 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (CBS) (1) Wisconsin vs. (4) Purdue.  Predicted winner:  Wisconsin

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

3/15 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (1) Wisconsin vs. (2) Maryland.  Predicted winner:  Wisconsin

Big West (March 12-14; Anaheim)

3/14 – Finals

11:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (5) Hawaii vs. (2) UC Irvine.  Predicted winner:  UC Irvine

Conference USA (March 11-14; Birmingham, AL)

3/14 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (4) UAB vs. (6) Middle Tennessee.  Predicted winner:  Middle Tennessee

MAC (March 9, 11-14; first round at campus sites of higher seed; remaining rounds in Cleveland)

3/14 – Finals

7:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Central Michigan vs. (2) Buffalo.  Predicted winner:  Central Michigan

MEAC (March 9-14; Norfolk, VA)

3/14 – Final

1:00 p.m. (ESPN2) (5) Delaware State vs. (6) Hampton.  Predicted winner:  Delaware State

Mountain West (March 11-14; Las Vegas)

3/14 – Finals

6 p.m. (CBS) (2) San Diego State v. (4) Wyoming.  Predicted winner:  San Diego State

Pac-12 (March 11-14; Las Vegas)

3/14 – Finals

11 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Arizona vs. (2) Oregon.  Predicted winner:  Arizona

SEC (March 11-15; Nashville)

3/14 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Kentucky vs. (13) Auburn.  Predicted winner:  Kentucky

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

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Kentucky vs. (2) Arkansas.  Predicted winner:  Kentucky

Southland (March 11-14; Katy, TX)

3/14 – Finals

9:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Stephen F. Austin vs. (2) Sam Houston State.  Predicted winner:  Sam Houston State

Sun Belt (March 12-15; New Orleans)

3/14 – Semifinals

2 p.m. (ESPN3) (1) Georgia State vs. (4) Louisiana Lafayette.  Predicted winner:  Georgia State

4:30 p.m. (ESPN3) (2) Georgia Southern vs. (3) Louisiana Monroe.  Predicted winner:  Georgia Southern

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Georgia State vs. (2) Georgia Southern.  Predicted winner:  Georgia Southern

SWAC (March 10-14; Houston)

3/14 – Finals

6:30 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) Texas Southern vs. (3) Southern.  Predicted winner:  Texas Southern

**Southern is ineligible for post-season play this year, so it will go to the NCAA Tournament if it wins the SWAC Tournament.  Thus, even if Southern wins today, Texas Southern will receive the conference's NCAA tournament bid.

WAC (March 12-14; Las Vegas)

3/14 – Finals

11 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) New Mexico State vs. (3) Seattle.  Predicted winner:  New Mexico State

Listen to Hair Band Friday - 3/13/15

Updated Championship Week Predictions

Can today match yesterday's madness?  Today there will be another 44 games, beginning with three games (in the AAC, A-10, and Big Ten) tipping off at Noon Eastern and ending with the UC Irvine/UC Santa Barbara tilt in the Big West that tips off at 11:59 Eastern.  This is probably the most exciting pre-NCAA Tournament day of college basketball, as 13 conferences have their semifinals and another five have their quarterfinals.  But before we can think about today, let's talk about yesterday, when many bubbles were likely burst.  Rather than run down everything that happened, I'll just do that for the Big Ten, since that's the league I care about most, and then, for the other leagues, I'll only note if a Top 4 seed lost, if there was an upset by a really low-seeded team, or if there was an exciting game:

• In the Big Ten, the Hoosiers finally played well, beating Northwestern handily in a must-win for IU's NCAA Tournament hopes.  Illinois saw its NCAA Tournament bubble burst with a 17-point loss to Michigan.  Ohio State beat Minnesota.  Iowa lost to Penn State, which is a bad loss but probably not enough to knock the Hawkeyes out of the NCAA Tournament.  Unfortunately, this means that Purdue gets to play Penn State instead of Iowa.  Then again, if the Nittany Lions continue their little run and beat Purdue, that might very well knock Purdue out of the NCAA Tournament.  A guy can dream, can't he?
• In the ACC, 5-seed UNC beat 4-seed Louisville.  That's not too much of an upset, but noteworthy nonetheless.
• In the Big 12, 7-seed Texas blew a late 10-point lead, giving up the final 12 points to 2-seed Iowa State, who won on a buzzer beater, potentially blowing the Longhorns' NCAA Tournament chances.
• In the Big East, 3-seed Butler fell to 6-seed Xavier.  The Bulldogs are a lock for the NCAA Tournament, however.
• In the Conference USA quarters, 3-seed Old Dominion lost to 6-seed Middle Tennessee State, which all but shatters the Monarchs' NCAA Tournament hopes.
• In the MAC, 3-seed Kent State fell to 7-seed Akron in a battle for Northeastern Ohio supremacy, or whatever you might call a third-round MAC Tournament game.
• In the MEAC, 3-seed Maryland-Eastern Shore lost to 6-seed Hampton.  First Iowa State as a 15-seed in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament and now this?  What's next, Hampton?!  Also, 4-seed Howard lost to 5-seed Delaware State.
• The SEC continues to prove it's the worst major conference in men's college basketball, as two of the conference's bubble teams lost to bad teams.  First, 13-seed Auburn won its second game in a row, beating 5-seed Texas A&M, which likely boots the Aggies to the NIT.  Then, 6-seed Ole Miss (which was on Joe Lunardi's Last Four Byes) laid an egg against 11-seed South Carolina, which may very well mean the Rebels are banished from the Big Dance.
• Here are the bubble teams that won yesterday:  Boise State, Colorado State, Indiana, UCLA, VCU
• Here are the bubble teams that lost yesterday:  Illinois, Miami, Mississippi, Old Dominion, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M
• 18 tournaments have games today.
• There are no bids up for grabs today, before the remaining 20 automatic bids will be clinched tomorrow and Sunday.

Here are 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 with games today:

-AAC

-ACC

-Atlantic 10

-Big 12

-Big East

-Big Sky

-Big Ten

-Big West

-Conference USA

-MAC

-MEAC

-Mountain West

-Pac-12

-SEC

-Southland

-Sun Belt

-SWAC

-WAC

Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern):

-None

Already clinched automatic berths (in parentheses is the NCAA tournament appearances, including the bid just clinched):

-Atlantic Sun:  North Florida (1)

-Big South:  Coastal Carolina (4)

-Colonial:  Northeastern (8)

-Horizon League:  Valparaiso (9)

-MAAC:  Manhattan (8)

-Missouri Valley:  Northern Iowa (7)

-Northeast Conference:  Robert Morris (8)

-Ohio Valley:  Belmont (7)

-Patriot League:  Lafayette (4)

-Southern Conference:  Wofford (4)

-Summit League:  North Dakota State (3)

-West Coast Conference:  Gonzaga (18)

Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern):

AAC (March 12-15; Hartford)

3/13 – Quarterfinals

12 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) SMU vs. (8) ECU.  Predicted winner:  SMU

2 p.m. (ESPN2) (4) Temple vs. (5) Memphis.  Predicted winner:  Temple

7 p.m. (ESPNU) (3) Cincinnati vs. (6) UConn.  Predicted winner:  Cincinnati

9 p.m. (ESPNU) (2) Tulsa vs. (10) Houston.  Predicted winner:  Tulsa

3/14 – Semifinals

3 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) SMU vs. (4) Temple.  Predicted winner:  SMU

5 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Tulsa vs. (3) Cincinnati.  Predicted winner:  Cincinnati

3/15 – Finals

3:15 p.m. (ESPN) (1) SMU vs. (3) Cincinnati.  Predicted winner:  SMU

ACC (March 10-14; Greensboro)

3/13 – Semifinals

7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (1) Virginia vs. (5) North Carolina.  Predicted winner:  Virginia

9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (2) Duke vs. (3) Notre Dame.  Predicted winner:  Duke

3/14 – Finals

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

America East (March 4, 8, 14; campus of higher seeds)

3/14 – Finals

11:30 a.m. (ESPN2) (3) Stony Brook at (1) Albany.  Predicted winner:  Albany

Atlantic 10 (March 11-15; Brooklyn)

3/13 – Quarterfinals

12 p.m. (NBCSN) (1) Davidson vs. (9) LaSalle.  Predicted winner:  Davidson

2 p.m. (NBCSN) (4) Richmond vs. (5) VCU.  Predicted winner:  VCU

6:30 p.m. (NBCSN) (2) Dayton vs. (7) St. Bonaventure.  Predicted winner:  Dayton

9 p.m. (NBCSN) (3) Rhode Island vs. (6) George Washington.  Predicted winner:  Dayton

3/14 – Semifinals

1:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) Davidson vs. (5) VCU.  Predicted winner:  VCU

4 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) Dayton vs. (3) Rhode Island.  Predicted winner:  Dayton

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (CBS) (2) Dayton vs. (5) VCU.  Predicted winner:  VCU

Big 12 (March 11-14; Kansas City)

3/13 – Semifinals

7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (1) Kansas vs. (4) Baylor.  Predicted winner:  Kansas

9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (2) Iowa State vs. (3) Oklahoma.  Predicted winner:  Iowa State

3/14 – Finals

6 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Kansas vs. (2) Iowa State.  Predicted winner:  Kansas

Big East (March 11-14; New York)

3/13 – Semifinals

7 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (1) Villanova vs. (4) Providence.  Predicted winner:  Villanova

9 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (2) Georgetown vs. (6) Xavier.  Predicted winner:  Georgetown

3/14 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (1) Villanova vs (2) Georgetown.  Predicted winner:  Villanova

Big Sky (March 12-14; hosted by regular season champion (Montana))

3/13 – Semifinals

7:30 p.m. (WatchBigSky.com) (2) Eastern Washington vs. (3) Sacramento State.  Predicted winner:  Eastern Washington

10 p.m. (WatchBigSky.com) (1) Montana vs. (4) Northern Arizona.  Predicted winner:  Montana

3/14 – Finals

9 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) Montana vs. (2) Eastern Washington.  Predicted winner:  Eastern Washington

Big Ten (March 11-15; Chicago)

3/13 – Quarterfinals

12 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Wisconsin vs. (9) Michigan.  Predicted winner:  Wisconsin

2:30 p.m. (ESPN) (4) Purdue vs. (13) Penn State.  Predicted winner:  Purdue

6:30 p.m. (BTN) (2) Maryland vs. (7) Indiana.  Predicted winner:  Indiana

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

3/14 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (CBS) (1) Wisconsin vs. (4) Purdue.  Predicted winner:  Wisconsin

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (6) Ohio State vs. (7) Indiana.  Predicted winner:  Indiana

3/15 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (1) Wisconsin vs. (7) Indiana.  Predicted winner:  Indiana

Big West (March 12-14; Anaheim)

3/13 – Semifinals

9:30 p.m. (ESPNU – tape delayed) (1) UC Davis vs. (5) Hawaii.  Predicted winner:  UC Davis

11:59 p.m. (ESPN3) (2) UC Irvine vs (3) UC Santa Barbara.  Predicted winner:  UC Irvine

3/14 – Finals

11:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) UC Davis vs. (2) UC Irvine.  Predicted winner:  UC Davis

Conference USA (March 11-14; Birmingham, AL)

3/13 – Semifinals

4 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) UTEP vs. (6) Middle Tennessee.  Predicted winner:  UTEP

6:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) Louisiana Tech vs. (5) Western Kentucky.  Predicted winner:  Louisiana Tech

3/14 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (1) Louisiana Tech vs. (2) UTEP.  Predicted winner:  Louisiana Tech

MAC (March 9, 11-14; first round at campus sites of higher seed; remaining rounds in Cleveland)

3/13 – Semifinals

6:30 p.m. (1) Central Michigan vs. (4) Toledo.  Predicted winner:  Central Michigan

9 p.m. (2) Buffalo vs. (7) Akron.  Predicted winner:  Buffalo

3/14 – Finals

7:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Central Michigan vs. (2) Buffalo.  Predicted winner:  Central Michigan

MEAC (March 9-14; Norfolk, VA)

3/13 – Semifinals

6:00 p.m. (1) North Carolina Central vs. (5) Delaware State.  Predicted winner:  North Carolina Central

8:00 p.m. (2) Norfolk State vs. (6) Hampton.  Predicted winner:  Norfolk State

3/14 – Final

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

Mountain West (March 11-14; Las Vegas)

3/13 – Semifinals

9 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) Boise State vs. (4) Wyoming.  Predicted winner:  Boise State

11:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) San Diego State vs. (3) Colorado State.  Predicted winner:  San Diego State

3/14 – Finals

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

Pac-12 (March 11-14; Las Vegas)

3/13 – Semifinals

9 p.m. (Pac-12 Network) (1) Arizona vs. (4) UCLA.  Predicted winner:  Arizona

11:30 p.m. (ESPN) (2) Oregon vs. (3) Utah.  Predicted winner:  Utah

3/14 – Finals

11 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Arizona vs. (3) Utah.  Predicted winner:  Utah

SEC (March 11-15; Nashville)

3/13 – Quarterfinals

1 p.m. (SEC Network) (1) Kentucky vs. (8) Florida.  Predicted winner:  Alabama

3 p.m. (SEC Network) (4) LSU vs. (13) Auburn.  Predicted winner:  LSU

7 p.m. (SEC Network) (2) Arkansas vs. (10) Tennessee.  Predicted winner:  Arkansas

9 p.m. (SEC Network) (3) Georgia vs. (11) South Carolina.  Predicted winner:  Georgia

3/14 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Kentucky vs. (4) LSU.  Predicted winner:  Kentucky

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

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Kentucky vs. (2) Arkansas.  Predicted winner:  Kentucky

Southland (March 11-14; Katy, TX)

3/13 – Semifinals

6 p.m. (ESPN3) (1) Stephen F. Austin vs. (4) Northwestern State.  Predicted winner:  Stephen F. Austin

8:30 p.m. (ESPN3) (2) Sam Houston State vs. (3) Texas A&M-CC.  Predicted winner:  Sam Houston State

3/14 – Finals

9:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Stephen F. Austin vs. (2) Sam Houston State.  Predicted winner:  Sam Houston State

Sun Belt (March 12-15; New Orleans)

3/13 – Second Round

6 p.m. (ESPN3) (4) Louisiana Lafayette vs. (8) Texas State.  Predicted winner:  Louisiana Lafayette

8:30 p.m. (ESPN3) (3) Louisiana Monroe vs. (6) South Alabama.  Predicted winner:  Louisiana Monroe

3/14 – Semifinals

2 p.m. (ESPN3) (1) Georgia State vs. (4) Louisiana Lafayette.  Predicted winner:  Georgia State

4:30 p.m. (ESPN3) (2) Georgia Southern vs. (3) Louisiana Monroe.  Predicted winner:  Georgia Southern

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Georgia State vs. (2) Georgia Southern.  Predicted winner:  Georgia Southern

SWAC (March 10-14; Houston)

3/13 – Semifinals

3:30 p.m. (2) Alabama State vs. (3) Southern.  Predicted winner:  Alabama State

9:30 p.m. (1) Texas Southern vs. (4) Prairie View A&M.  Predicted winner:  Texas Southern

3/14 – Finals

6:30 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) Texas Southern vs. (2) Alabama State.  Predicted winner:  Texas Southern

**Southern and Alabama State are both ineligible for post-season play this year, so neither will got to the NCAA Tournament if they win the SWAC Tournament.  If one of the ineligible teams wins the tournament, the team among the seven eligible teams that advances the furthest in the tournament will receive the conference's NCAA tournament bid.  If there is a tie (for example, all remaining tournament-eligible teams are eliminated in the same round), the automatic berth will go to the highest-seeded team.

WAC (March 12-14; Las Vegas)

3/13 – Semifinals

9 p.m. (1) New Mexico State vs. (4) Cal State Bakersfield.  Predicted winner:  New Mexico State

11:30 p.m. (2) UMKC vs. (3) Seattle.  Predicted winner:  Seattle

3/14 – Finals

11 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) New Mexico State vs. (3) Seattle.  Predicted winner:  New Mexico State

Updated Championship Week Predictions

The insanity is here.  Today there will be 60 games.  Here's what happened yesterday:

• In the Patriot League final, 4-seed Lafayette needed two free throws with 14.5 seconds left to clinch its 65-63 victory over 6-seed (and defending Patriot League champ) American.  The Leopards are the lowest seed in Patriot League history to win the conference tournament, but that doesn't matter because they are going to the Big Dance.  They will be playing in their 4th NCAA Tournament and first since 2000.
• Most of the major conference tournaments started yesterday.  There weren't any huge upsets.
• In the Big Ten, Penn State beat Nebraska, which is only significant because it assures the Nittany Lions of a winning record, which means they can qualify for the NIT.  In the other game, Minnesota beat Rutgers, which it should have done.
• Here are the bubble teams that won yesterday:  Miami, Stanford, Texas
• Here are the bubble teams that lost yesterday:  Kansas State, Pitt
• The remaining 4 tournaments start today, and 18 tournaments have games.
• There are no bids up for grabs today or tomorrow, before the remaining 21 automatic bids will be clinched Saturday and Sunday.

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:

-AAC

-Big Sky

-Big West

-Sun Belt

Tournaments with games today:

-AAC

-ACC

-Atlantic 10

-Big 12

-Big East

-Big Sky

-Big Ten

-Big West

-Conference USA

-MAC

-MEAC

-Mountain West

-Pac-12

-SEC

-Southland

-Sun Belt

-SWAC

-WAC

Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern):

-None

Already clinched automatic berths (in parentheses is the NCAA tournament appearances, including the bid just clinched):

-Atlantic Sun:  North Florida (1)

-Big South:  Coastal Carolina (4)

-Colonial:  Northeastern (8)

-Horizon League:  Valparaiso (9)

-MAAC:  Manhattan (8)

-Missouri Valley:  Northern Iowa (7)

-Northeast Conference:  Robert Morris (8)

-Ohio Valley:  Belmont (7)

-Patriot League:  Lafayette (4)

-Southern Conference:  Wofford (4)

-Summit League:  North Dakota State (3)

-West Coast Conference:  Gonzaga (18)

Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern):

AAC (March 12-15; Hartford)

3/12 – First Round

3:30 p.m. (ESPNU) (8) ECU vs. (9) UCF.  Predicted winner:  ECU

6 p.m. (ESPNews) (7) Tulane vs. (10) Houston.  Predicted winner:  Tulane

8 p.m. (ESPNews) (6) UConn vs. (11) USF.  Predicted winner:  UConn

3/13 – Quarterfinals

12 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) SMU vs. (8) ECU.  Predicted winner:  SMU

2 p.m. (ESPN2) (4) Temple vs. (5) Memphis.  Predicted winner:  Temple

7 p.m. (ESPNU) (3) Cincinnati vs. (6) UConn.  Predicted winner:  Cincinnati

9 p.m. (ESPNU) (2) Tulsa vs. (7) Tulane.  Predicted winner:  Tulsa

3/14 – Semifinals

3 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) SMU vs. (4) Temple.  Predicted winner:  SMU

5 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Tulsa vs. (3) Cincinnati.  Predicted winner:  Cincinnati

3/15 – Finals

3:15 p.m. (ESPN) (1) SMU vs. (3) Cincinnati.  Predicted winner:  SMU

ACC (March 10-14; Greensboro)

3/12 – Quarterfinals

12 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (1) Virginia vs. (9) Florida State.  Predicted winner:  Virginia

2 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (4) Louisville vs. (5) North Carolina.  Predicted winner:  North Carolina

7 p.m. (ESPN) (2) Duke vs. (7) NC State.  Predicted winner:  Duke

9 p.m. (ESPN) (3) Notre Dame vs. (6) Miami.  Predicted winner:  Notre Dame

3/15 – Semifinals

7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (1) Virginia vs. (5) North Carolina.  Predicted winner:  Virginia

9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (2) Duke vs. (3) Notre Dame.  Predicted winner:  Duke

3/16 – Finals

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

America East (March 4, 8, 14; campus of higher seeds)

3/14 – Finals

11:30 a.m. (ESPN2) (3) Stony Brook at (1) Albany.  Predicted winner:  Albany

Atlantic 10 (March 11-15; Brooklyn)

3/11 – First Round

3/12 – Second Round

12 p.m. (NBCSN) (8) UMass vs. (9) LaSalle.  Predicted winner:  UMass

2:30 p.m. (NBCSN) (5) VCU vs. (12) Fordham.  Predicted winner:  VCU

6:30 p.m. (NBCSN) (7) St. Bonaventure vs. (10) St. Joseph's.  Predicted winner:  St. Bonaventure

9 p.m. (NBCSN) (6) George Washington vs. (11) Duquesne.  Predicted winner:  George Washington

3/13 – Quarterfinals

12 p.m. (NBCSN) (1) Davidson vs. (8) UMass.  Predicted winner:  Davidson

2 p.m. (NBCSN) (4) Richmond vs. (5) VCU.  Predicted winner:  VCU

6:30 p.m. (NBCSN) (2) Dayton vs. (7) St. Bonaventure.  Predicted winner:  Dayton

9 p.m. (NBCSN) (3) Rhode Island vs. (6) George Washington.  Predicted winner:  Dayton

3/14 – Semifinals

1:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) Davidson vs. (5) VCU.  Predicted winner:  VCU

4 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) Dayton vs. (3) Rhode Island.  Predicted winner:  Dayton

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (CBS) (2) Dayton vs. (5) VCU.  Predicted winner:  VCU

Big 12 (March 11-14; Kansas City)

3/12 – Quarterfinals

12:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (4) Baylor vs. (5) West Virginia.  Predicted winner:  Baylor

3 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Kansas vs. (9) TCU.  Predicted winner:  Kansas

7 p.m. (ESPNU) (2) Iowa State vs. (7) Texas.  Predicted winner:  Iowa State

9:30 p.m. (ESPNU) (3) Oklahoma vs. (6) Oklahoma State.  Predicted winner:  Oklahoma

3/14 – Semifinals

7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (1) Kansas vs. (4) Baylor.  Predicted winner:  Kansas

9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2) (2) Iowa State vs. (3) Oklahoma.  Predicted winner:  Iowa State

3/15 – Finals

6 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Kansas vs. (2) Iowa State.  Predicted winner:  Kansas

Big East (March 11-14; New York)

3/12 – Quarterfinals

12 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (1) Villanova vs. (9) Marquette.  Predicted winner:  Villanova

2:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (4) Providence vs. (5) St. John's.  Predicted winner:  Providence

7 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (2) Georgetown vs. (10) Creighton.  Predicted winner:  Georgetown

9 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (3) Butler vs. (6) Xavier.  Predicted winner:  Butler

3/13 – Semifinals

7 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (1) Villanova vs. (4) Providence.  Predicted winner:  Villanova

9 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (2) Georgetown vs. (3) Butler.  Predicted winner:  Butler

3/14 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (1) Villanova vs (3) Butler.  Predicted winner:  Butler

Big Sky (March 12-14; hosted by regular season champion (Montana))

3/12 – Quarterfinals

1 p.m. (WatchBigSky.com) (2) Eastern Washington vs. (7) Idaho.  Predicted winner:  Eastern Washington

3:30 p.m. (WatchBigSky.com) (3) Sacramento State vs. (6) Portland State.  Predicted winner:  Sacramento State

7:30 p.m. (WatchBigSky.com) (4) Northern Arizona vs. (5) Northern Colorado.  Predicted winner:  Northern Arizona

10 p.m. (WatchBigSky.com) (1) Montana vs. (8) Weber State.  Predicted winner:  Montana

3/13 – Semifinals

7:30 p.m. (WatchBigSky.com) (2) Eastern Washington vs. (3) Sacramento State.  Predicted winner:  Eastern Washington

10 p.m. (WatchBigSky.com) (1) Montana vs. (4) Northern Arizona.  Predicted winner:  Montana

3/14 – Finals

9 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) Montana vs. (2) Eastern Washington.  Predicted winner:  Eastern Washington

Big Ten (March 11-15; Chicago)

3/12 – Second Round

12 p.m. (BTN) (8) Illinois vs. (9) Michigan.  Predicted winner:  Illinois

2:30 p.m. (BTN) (5) Iowa vs. (13) Penn State.  Predicted winner:  Iowa

6:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (7) Indiana vs. (10) Northwestern.  Predicted winner:  Indiana

9 p.m. (ESPN2) (6) Ohio State vs. (11) Minnesota.  Predicted winner:  Ohio State

3/13 – Quarterfinals

12 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Wisconsin vs. (8) Illinois.  Predicted winner:  Wisconsin

2:30 p.m. (ESPN) (4) Purdue vs. (5) Iowa.  Predicted winner:  Iowa

6:30 p.m. (BTN) (2) Maryland vs. (7) Indiana.  Predicted winner:  Indiana

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

3/14 – Semifinals

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

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (6) Ohio State vs. (7) Indiana.  Predicted winner:  Indiana

3/15 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (1) Wisconsin vs. (7) Indiana.  Predicted winner:  Indiana

Big West (March 12-14; Anaheim)

3/12 – Quarterfinals

3 p.m. (Fox Sports West Prime Ticket) (1) UC Davis vs. (8) Cal State Northridge

5:30 p.m. (Fox Sports West Prime Ticket) (4) Long Beach State vs. (5) Hawaii.  Predicted winner:  Hawaii

9 p.m. (Fox Sports West Prime Ticket) (3) UC Irvine vs. (6) UC Riverside.  Predicted winner:  UC Irvine

11:30 p.m. (Fox Sports West Prime Ticket) (2) UC Santa Barbara vs. (7) Cal Poly

3/13 – Semifinals

9:30 p.m. (ESPNU – tape delayed) (1) UC Davis vs. (5) Hawaii.  Predicted winner:  UC Davis

11:59 p.m. (ESPN3) (2) UC Irvine vs (3) UC Santa Barbara.  Predicted winner:  UC Irvine

3/14 – Finals

11:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) UC Davis vs. (2) UC Irvine.  Predicted winner:  UC Davis

Conference USA (March 11-14; Birmingham, AL)

3/12 – Quarterfinals

1 p.m. (ASN) (2) UTEP vs. (10) FIU.  Predicted winner:  UTEP

3:30 p.m. (ASN) (3) Old Dominion vs. (6) Middle Tennessee.  Predicted winner:  Old Dominion

7 p.m. (ASN) (4) UAB vs. (5) Western Kentucky.  Predicted winner:  Western Kentucky

9:30 p.m. (ASN) (1) Louisiana Tech vs. (9) Rice.  Predicted winner:  Louisiana Tech

3/13 – Semifinals

4 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) UTEP vs. (3) Old Dominion.  Predicted winner:  Old Dominion

6:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) Louisiana Tech vs. (5) Western Kentucky.  Predicted winner:  Louisiana Tech

3/14 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) (1) Louisiana Tech vs. (3) Old Dominion.  Predicted winner:  Louisiana Tech

MAC (March 9, 11-14; first round at campus sites of higher seed; remaining rounds in Cleveland)

3/12 – Third Round

6:30 p.m. (4) Toledo vs. (8) Eastern Michigan.  Predicted winner:  Bowling Green

9 p.m. (3) Kent State vs. (7) Akron.  Predicted winner:  Kent State

3/13 – Semifinals

6:30 p.m. (1) Central Michigan vs. (5) Bowling Green.  Predicted winner:  Central Michigan

9 p.m. (2) Buffalo vs. (3) Kent State.  Predicted winner:  Kent State

3/14 – Finals

7:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Central Michigan vs. (3) Kent State.  Predicted winner:  Central Michigan

MEAC (March 9-14; Norfolk, VA)

Quarterfinals

3/12

6 p.m. (3) Maryland Eastern Shore vs. (6) Hampton.  Predicted winner:  Maryland Eastern Shore

8 p.m. (4) Howard vs. (5) Delaware State.  Predicted winner:  Howard

3/13 – Semifinals

6:00 p.m. (1) North Carolina Central vs. (4) Howard.  Predicted winner:  North Carolina Central

8:00 p.m. (2) Norfolk State vs. (3) Maryland Eastern Shore.  Predicted winner:  Norfolk State

3/14 – Final

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

Mountain West (March 11-14; Las Vegas)

3/12 – Quarterfinals

3 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) Boise State vs. (9) Air Force.  Predicted winner:  Boise State

5:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (4) Wyoming vs. (5) Utah State.  Predicted winner:  Wyoming

9 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) San Diego State vs. (7) UNLV.  Predicted winner:  San Diego State

11:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (3) Colorado State vs. (6) Fresno State.  Predicted winner:  Colorado State

3/13 – Semifinals

9 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) Boise State vs. (4) Wyoming.  Predicted winner:  Boise State

11:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) San Diego State vs. (3) Colorado State.  Predicted winner:  San Diego State

3/14 – Finals

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

Pac-12 (March 11-14; Las Vegas)

3/12 – Quarterfinals

3 p.m. (Pac-12 Network) (1) Arizona vs. (8) Cal.  Predicted winner:  Arizona

5:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network) (4) UCLA vs. (12) USC.  Predicted winner:  UCLA

9 p.m. (Pac-12 Network) (2) Oregon vs. (10) Colorado.  Predicted winner:  Oregon

11:30 p.m. (ESPN) (3) Utah vs. (6) Stanford.  Predicted winner:  Utah

3/13 – Semifinals

9 p.m. (Pac-12 Network) (1) Arizona vs. (4) UCLA.  Predicted winner:  Arizona

11:30 p.m. (ESPN) (2) Oregon vs. (3) Utah.  Predicted winner:  Utah

3/14 – Finals

11 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Arizona vs. (3) Utah.  Predicted winner:  Utah

SEC (March 11-15; Nashville)

3/12 – Second Round

1 p.m. (SEC Network) (8) Florida vs. (9) Alabama.  Predicted winner:  Alabama

3 p.m. (SEC Network) (5) Texas A&M vs. (13) Auburn.  Predicted winner:  Texas A&M

7 p.m. (SEC Network) (7) Vanderbilt vs. (10) Tennessee.  Predicted winner:  Vanderbilt

9 p.m. (SEC Network) (6) Mississippi vs. (11) South Carolina.  Predicted winner:  Mississippi

3/13 – Quarterfinals

1 p.m. (SEC Network) (1) Kentucky vs. (9) Alabama.  Predicted winner:  Alabama

3 p.m. (SEC Network) (4) LSU vs. (5) Texas A&M.  Predicted winner:  LSU

7 p.m. (SEC Network) (2) Arkansas vs. (7) Vanderbilt.  Predicted winner:  Arkansas

9 p.m. (SEC Network) (3) Georgia vs. (6) Mississippi.  Predicted winner:  Georgia

3/14 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Kentucky vs. (4) LSU.  Predicted winner:  Kentucky

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

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Kentucky vs. (2) Arkansas.  Predicted winner:  Kentucky

Southland (March 11-14; Katy, TX)

3/12 – Second Round

6 p.m. (SLCDN) (4) Northwestern State vs. (5) McNeese State.  Predicted winner:  Northwestern State

8:30 p.m. (SLCDN) (3) Texas A&M-CC vs. (7) New Orleans.  Predicted winner:  Texas A&M-CC

3/13 – Semifinals

6 p.m. (ESPN3) (1) Stephen F. Austin vs. (4) Northwestern State.  Predicted winner:  Stephen F. Austin

8:30 p.m. (ESPN3) (2) Sam Houston State vs. (3) Texas A&M-CC.  Predicted winner:  Sam Houston State

3/14 – Finals

9:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Stephen F. Austin vs. (2) Sam Houston State.  Predicted winner:  Sam Houston State

Sun Belt (March 12-15; New Orleans)

3/12 – First Round

6 p.m. (ESPN3) (5) UT-Arlington vs. (8) Texas State.  Predicted winner:  UT-Arlington

8:30 p.m. (ESPN3) (6) South Alabama vs. (7) UALR.  Predicted winner:  UALR

3/13 – Second Round

6 p.m. (ESPN3) (4) Louisiana Lafayette vs. (5) UT-Arlington.  Predicted winner:  Louisiana Lafayette

8:30 p.m. (ESPN3) (3) Louisiana Monroe vs. (7) UALR.  Predicted winner:  Louisiana Monroe

3/14 – Semifinals

2 p.m. (ESPN3) (1) Georgia State vs. (4) Louisiana Lafayette.  Predicted winner:  Georgia State

4:30 p.m. (ESPN3) (2) Georgia Southern vs. (3) Louisiana Monroe.  Predicted winner:  Georgia Southern

3/15 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Georgia State vs. (2) Georgia Southern.  Predicted winner:  Georgia Southern

SWAC (March 10-14; Houston)

Quarterfinals

3/12

3:30 p.m. (3) Southern** vs. (6) Alabama A&M.  Predicted winner:  Southern

9:30 p.m. (4) Prairie View A&M vs. (5) Jackson State.  Predicted winner:  Prairie View A&M

3/13 – Semifinals

3:30 p.m. (2) Alabama State vs. (3) Southern.  Predicted winner:  Alabama State

9:30 p.m. (1) Texas Southern vs. (4) Prairie View A&M.  Predicted winner:  Texas Southern

3/14 – Finals

6:30 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) Texas Southern vs. (2) Alabama State.  Predicted winner:  Texas Southern

**Southern and Alabama State are both ineligible for post-season play this year, so neither will got to the NCAA Tournament if they win the SWAC Tournament.  If one of the ineligible teams wins the tournament, the team among the seven eligible teams that advances the furthest in the tournament will receive the conference's NCAA tournament bid.  If there is a tie (for example, all remaining tournament-eligible teams are eliminated in the same round), the automatic berth will go to the highest-seeded team.

WAC (March 12-14; Las Vegas)

3/12 – Quarterfinals

5 p.m. (4) Cal State Bakersfield vs. (5) Utah Valley.  Predicted winner:  Cal State Bakersfield

7:30 p.m. (2) UMKC vs. Texas-Pan American.  Predicted winner:  UMKC

10 p.m. (3) Seattle vs. (6) Chicago State.  Predicted winner:  Seattle

3/13 – Semifinals

9 p.m. (1) New Mexico State vs. (4) Cal State Bakersfield.  Predicted winner:  New Mexico State

11:30 p.m. (2) UMKC vs. (3) Seattle.  Predicted winner:  Seattle

3/14 – Finals

11 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) New Mexico State vs. (3) Seattle.  Predicted winner:  New Mexico State