For most of college basketball, this week is for the conference tournaments. Every conference tournament results in an automatic bid for the winner, and some have already been earned. Teams can come from nowhere to claim bids. Highly ranked teams can dominate, or get ambushed by their conference’s bottom feeders. Bubble teams can move safely into the bracket, fall off the radar completely, or just hold their tenuous bubble positions. I thought I’d share some predictions for Championship Week.

Let’s start with our local teams’ conferences:

Atlantic 10: Dayton. They’re a serious national title threat. Get ready to hear Obi Toppin’s name early and often. St. Bonaventure would do well to reach the semis, but if the Flyers are waiting for them there, well… Next year should be even better for the Bonnies, who have a young team this year. 

MAAC: Siena. The Saints have won nine straight and 12 of 13 to end the season. Take the hot hand here. I would’ve said that Niagara caught a break by drawing last place Marist in the opening round, but Marist just beat them last weekend. And Canisius faces Iona, a team that’s lost three in a row while the Griffs have won their last two (and lost narrowly to St. Peter’s). Anything beyond the quarterfinals will be an accomplishment for either team.

MAC: Akron. Not only have they done well against the teams in their end of the bracket, but the tournament is being played in nearby Cleveland, so it’s virtually at home for them. UB ought to get to the semis, but I’m taking Akron in that one. 

And now for the major conferences (number in parentheses is their conference tourney seed, not all of which were available at this writing):

Big 12: Kansas (1). Because why would I go against the best team in the country? They will be the #1 overall seed, even if they lose early.

SEC: Kentucky (1). They are head and shoulders above the rest of the SEC, despite their recent loss to Tennessee. With an SEC tournament title, the Wildcats will get a 2-seed.

Big East: Creighton (1). The Big East Tournament is played in Brooklyn, and so is fairly close to Seton Hall (NJ) and Villanova (Philly). But I’m taking the team from Omaha that swept Seton Hall, split with Villanova, and finished the year on a 12-2 run. If they win, they’re sure to get a 2-seed.

ACC: Virginia (2). Virginia has a great defense, they’ve won eight straight and 11 of 12, and they are experienced. They’ve beaten Duke, Florida State, and Louisville this year already this year, and beating Louisville and possibly Duke or Florida State could net them a 4- or 5-seed (they’re in the 6-7 range today).

Pac 12: UCLA (2). They lost their season finale but finished 9-2, and they have a great draw, since Arizona State and Colorado have both gone cold. UCLA would come in as a 9 or 10  if they make it.

Big 10: Ohio State (TBA). This is definitely the hardest call to make. Michigan State is rounding into form. Maryland has faded recently but was playing like a 2-seed most of the year. Illinois and especially Wisconsin are dangerous. There are ten tournament-worthy teams here! But I’ll take the Buckeyes. They’re playing well, and they’ve done well against the Big Ten heavyweights recently. OSU is a 4 in our bracket today, but will certainly move up if they pull this off; how far depends on the teams ahead of them.

American: Cincinnati (TBA). Houston’s not playing well lately. The Bearcats finished on a 9-3 run, and league leader Tulsa has beaten up on the lowly teams but struggled against the top of the league. The American isn’t a “power conference” but they will definitely be a multiple bid conference, with Cincy and Houston getting in under this scenario.

One-seeds: Kansas, Baylor, Gonzaga, Dayton. All but Baylor will win their conference tourneys, and Baylor will hold their spot.

Let the Madness begin!