Let me preface this by saying a handful of conference tourney winners have already been crowned and officially punched their ticket to March Madness. But this week is the real start of the madness.

Conference tournament week is more than a warm up and certainly more than an appetizer. This week is celebrated by real ball knowers. You don’t get the NC State Cinderella run last season without the Wolfpack earning an automatic bid from winning their conference tournament. It’s more games, more chaos then you’ll get in the first weekend of the tournament.

Let’s talk about the major conference tournaments.

ACC

The ACC goes through Duke. They’ve controlled this conference from the start of the season onwards. It certainly doesn’t help the programs like UNC, Syracuse and Virginia have regressed. The safe play here is to take Duke -340. But for a fun value play take a look at Louisville +700. Pat Kelsey came over from College of Charleston and revitalized the Louisville program which had largely struggled since Rick Pitino departed several years ago.

Big East

Maybe it’s a local thing but I always get goosebumps at the thought of the Big East tournament at the Garden. It’s actually a bucket list sporting event for me. I haven’t done it yet but plan to eventually. So many great memories, although I must say Cardiac Kemba is the pick of the bunch from me.

The story of story of the Big East and maybe the story of the college basketball season has been St. John’s who won their first Big East regular season title for 33 years. My pick for this tournament is a bit of a long shot. I’m going with Xavier +950. Sean Miller’s team comes in having won 7 games in a row. Zach Freemantle the big man from Bergen Catholic is playing as well as anybody in the Big East.

Big Ten

There isn’t a dominant team in the Big Ten this season. It’s hard to go against a Tom Izzo team in March but I’m not totally convinced by Sparty’s offense. I don’t trust Michigan or Wisconsin. Illinois was ravaged by injury. So my pick will be Maryland +430. Derik Queen has impressed as a freshman and they boast a bunch of shooters that can hurt you.

Big XII

Houston came into the Big 12 and took the ball from the Kansas Jayhawks. Much credit goes to Coach Kelvin Sampson who has established a clear identity for Cougars basketball. Much like Pitino’s St. John’s the Cougars play lights out defense. They rely on guys like LJ Cryer and Emmanuel Sharp for offense. I’m always weary of a team like Houston come March because when they struggle for offense it’s like there’s a lid on the basket. My pick for this tournament will be the 2 seed Texas Tech Red Raiders +340. I like their path to the final. I’m not a believer in Arizona or Baylor. Not to mention Tech has been fantastic this season. JT Toppin, know the name.

SEC

I’m not sure if you heard but the SEC might be a basketball conference now. Top to bottom this conference is loaded. I talked to you about Auburn but Florida and Alabama can absolutely shoot the lights out. Texas A&M and Ole Miss can frustrate anybody with their defenses. Even towards the bottom of the bracket Oklahoma was dominant in non conference play. My pick for the conference tournament is the Florida Gators +240. Some key names to know Walter Clayton, a fantastic guard who’s led the way in scoring. Alex Condon anchors the defense and leads the team in rebounds. This Florida team can grind it out or win a high scoring game.

Don’t think this blog is going to end without a hat tip to the mid majors. Specifically the A-10.

A-10

This conference is pure basketball with great fan bases. It’s a down year for Dayton despite being near the top of the conference ranking. Look out for St. Joe’s. Let me preface this by saying I have no bias here despite the fact my girlfriend Sam is an alum. But I like how the field breaks for the Hawks. They can get by Dayton then you’re looking at a semifinal with George Mason. Take a look at the Hawks +800.

Thank you for reading along and please enjoy some hoops.

Be on the lookout for some additional pieces as we start to focus on March Madness and the Saint Patrick’s Day holiday as well. On Twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!