Happy March, everyone! By far, this is my favorite month. I’d rank it #1 March, #2 August, #3 June. March is when all the madness happens. It’s when the count of Bill Raftery “onions” is at an all-time high. Buzzer beaters, upsets, tears, and glory. It all begins today. One of my favorite parts of the college basketball season is Champ Week. Champ Week is when all the conference tournaments start. One game has already happened, and Central Connecticut State is moving on in the NEC Tournament. Today, the Horizon League, Atlantic Sun, and Patriot League all begin their tournaments. Whether it’s the major conference tournaments or the mid-to-low major conference tournaments, I’ll keep you covered on all of them. This will be updated throughout Champ Week. In the order of when the final round happens, here are the tournaments:
Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Tournament presented by TicketSmarter
CHAMPION: Murray State (18th NCAA Tournament appearance, first since 2019)
Hercules Tires Big South Conference Tournament
CHAMPION: Longwood (1st ever NCAA Tournament appearance)
Arch Madness (Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament) presented by StateFarm
CHAMPION: Loyola Chicago (8th NCAA Tournament appearance, 2nd consecutive)
Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Tournament
CHAMPION: Georgia State (6th NCAA Tournament appearance, first since 2019)
Ingles Southern Conference (SoCon) Tournament
CHAMPION: Chattanooga (12th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2016)
ASUN Conference Tournament
CHAMPION: Bellarmine (ineligible for NCAA Tournament, Jacksonville State earns the automatic bid; 2nd NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2017)
Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament Presented by Jersey Mike’s
CHAMPION: Delaware (6th NCAA Tournament appearance, first since 2014)
KEEPS Horizon League Tournament
CHAMPION: Wright State (4th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2018)
Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament
CHAMPION: Bryant (1st ever NCAA Tournament appearance)
Summit League Tournament
CHAMPION: South Dakota State (6th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2018)
University Credit Union West Coast Conference (WCC) Tournament)
CHAMPION: Gonzaga (24th NCAA Tournament appearance, 23rd consecutive)
PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Tournament
CHAMPION: Colgate (5th NCAA Tournament appearance, 2nd consecutive)
America East Conference Playoffs
CHAMPION: Vermont (8th NCAA Tournament appearance, first since 2019)
MEAC Tournament
CHAMPION: Norfolk State (3rd NCAA Tournament appearance, 2nd consecutive)
Hercules Tires MAAC Tournament
CHAMPION: Saint Peter’s (4th NCAA Tournament appearance, first since 2011)
Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Tournament
CHAMPION: Kansas (50th NCAA Tournament appearance, 32nd consecutive)
Cricket Wireless SWAC Tournament
CHAMPION: Texas Southern (4th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2011)
Big East Tournament Presented by Jeep
CHAMPION: Villanova (41st NCAA Tournament appearance, 9th consecutive)
Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament
CHAMPION: Akron (5th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2013)
Big Sky Conference Tournament
CHAMPION: Montana State (4th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 1996)
New York Life ACC Tournament
CHAMPION: Virginia Tech (13th NCAA Tournament appearance, 5th consecutive)
Heritage Conference USA Tournament
CHAMPION: UAB (16th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2015)
Southland Conference Tournament
CHAMPION: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2nd NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2007)
Air Force Reserve Mountain West Conference (MWC) Tournament
CHAMPION: Boise State (8th NCAA Tournament appearance, first since 2015)
Hercules Tires WAC Tournament
CHAMPION: New Mexico State (26th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2019)
Pac-12 Tournament presented by New York Life
CHAMPION: Arizona (36th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2018)
Hercules Tires Big West Tournament Presented by the Hawaiian Islands
CHAMPION: Cal State Fullerton (4th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2018)
Ivy League Tournament presented by TIAA
CHAMPION: Yale (6th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2019)
Atlantic 10 (A-10) Tournament
CHAMPION: Richmond (10th NCAA Tournament appearance, 1st since 2011)
SEC Tournament
CHAMPION: Tennessee (24th NCAA Tournament appearance, 4th consecutive)
Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament
CHAMPION: Houston (23rd NCAA Tournament appearance, 4th consecutive)
Big Ten Tournament Presented by TIAA
CHAMPION: Iowa (28th NCAA Tournament appearance, 3rd consecutive)
Calhoun's Corner 