That's really all you get as a winner of a conference tournament--the right to brag about it until next year. Why? Well, if you are Kansas, would you rather win the Big 10 or the NCAA tournament? Exactly. Most of the teams that win their conference tournaments are in the Big Dance at the end of the regular season anyway.
The ONLY aspect of conference tournaments that makes them even remotely exciting is the always lingering possibility that a team like 13-16 TCU could win the MWC tournament and gain that automatic Dance ticket, where, of course, they lose to another pitiful team in the play-in or get face-planted by Ohio State in the first round. Sounds exciting.
All that to say, let's get down to our conference tournament breakdowns:
America East
Who should win: Vermont
Who may win: Well, considering that the tournament started earlier this week and that Vermont plays Albany Saturday in the championship game, it would seem like Albany would be the only team to fit into this category.
Surprise: Be very surprised if neither Vermont or Albany win since they will be the only teams playing.
Atlantic 10
Who should win: Xavier. Better than UMass.
Who may win: Well, UMass. They are a better rebounding team than Xavier and have more experience against top-50 teams this season.
Surprise: Don't count out St. Louis or even Dayton to win this tournament.
ACC
Who should win: Maryland. If they haven't peaked already then they should be able to ride their momentum all the way to win the ACC.
Who may win: Georgia Tech. Also streaking and getting better each game.
Surprise: The big surprise will be that Duke will not get past the first round as they will lose to NC State tonight. Of course, we won't be surprised, but you might. Billy Packer will certainly be surprised, and will blame the loss on Tyler Hansbrough making it look like Gerald Henderson fouled him.
Big 12
Who should win: Texas. If Durant's ankle is good to go then so are the Longhorns. We hope Kevin enjoys his first--and last--Big 12 Tournament.
Who may win: Kansas.
Surprise: Texas A&M wins if their upperclassmen step up and use their experience.
Big East
Who should win: Georgetown. Loss to Syracuse last week set a fire under the best team in the Big East.
Who may win: Louisville. This is not Rick Pitino's first oyster fest, and the Cardinals have been winning a lot lately.
Surprise: If Pitt wins the Big East we will be surprised.
Big 10
Who should win: Ohio State. Another big man possibly on a farewell tour.
Who may win: Wisconsin. Still one of the best teams in the country. Can they get their shti together, though?
Surprise: Michigan State. They are a motivated seller as they need to sell the idea of the Spartans in the Big Dance to the NCAA selection committee.
Big West
Who should win: Long Beach State. Where "The History of the Surf Board" is actually a class.
Who may win: Cal Poly. On a 7-game win streak.
Surprise: UC Irvine. The Anteaters have a cool name and they have 8 guys averaging 18+ minutes a game--5 of them either a junior or senior. They could win this tournament.
Conference USA
Who should win: Memphis without a doubt.
Who may win: UCF.
Surprise: Southern Miss is coming into this tournament strong, and, if Memphis somehow loses, don't count out the Golden Eagles.
Mid-American
Who should win: Akron. An experienced line-up will be their key.
Who may win: Miami-OH.
Surprise: Any team could win the championship. This is a deceptively strong conference--sort of a "Baby A-10."
Mid-Eastern Athletic
Who should win: Delaware State.
Who may win: Florida A&M.
Surprise: That Hampton lost in the first round.
Mountain West
Who should win: BYU. The Mormons are deep and they will be the only team to stay in their hotel rooms each night while the other teams are downstairs gambling in the casinos all night.
Who may win: UNLV. They have only lost 2 of their last 13 games. Plus, they get home-court advantage.
Surprise: The flop of Air Force. The Falcons are in a nose-dive, which is a shame considering they looked so promising early on.
PAC-10
Who should win: If you listen to the hype, then all of the teams except UCLA shouldn't even show up.
Who may win: Washington State. A balanced team that does not lose focus when down.
Surprise: Stanford could win. Yeah, we know--they don't look right now like they could, but we know they can play, so if the stars align and no one gets injured or a bout of diarrhea, then the Cardinals could be the champs. They need to win, also, because they are floating on a bubble.
OK, we're going to take a break. Bobby Knight is on the phone again with another question about how not to fall apart in the post-season. He's wearing us out.
We'll be back later today.
Er hyggelig til noen i dag.
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