Wednesday: Top 5 mid-major conference tournaments to watch

Happy Ash Wednesday! It’s time for this week’s top 5.

We’re in early March, which can only mean one thing. Conference tournaments! This is where Cinderellas are born. Take a look at Kemba Walker and Steph Curry; both made runs in their respective tournaments en route to deep tournament runs.

This week’s edition is going to focus on the little guys: Top 5 mid-major conference tournaments to watch.

1.     Atlantic 10, March 13-16: This conference has been one of the most competitive all season. St. Louis is the favorite, but its now lost two straight games and has Saint Joseph’s and VCU hot on its heels. Also, Massachusetts was a top 15 team at one point this season and George Washington has wins against Creighton and Georgia. This is a deep league that has provided a lot of drama in the past, and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone steals an NCAA Tournament bid in this one. Watch out for Dayton, who’s playing on a very thin bubble right now.

2.     Mountain West, March 12-15: There are a couple really good teams in this tournament. I’m talking Final Four good. San Diego State is a top 10 team hands down, while New Mexico has a ton of veteran leadership to go along with two of the conference’s best players in Kendall Williams and Cameron Baristow. The Aztecs and Lobos are the clear favorites, but don’t forget this was a league that had five teams in the Big Dance last season. Both UNLV and Boise State are solid squads while Wyoming has shocked some people. Even if all else fails and the top two teams make it to the conference title matchup, that’s still going to be one heck of a game.

3.     Missouri Valley, March 6-9: One word for this tournament: perfection. Can Wichita State harness the pressure and continue its magical season? That’s going to make a great tournament regardless. The Shockers are going to receive everyone’s best shot. The national media is going to be breathing down their throats. Lose one game, and their chances of a No. 1 seed decrease significantly. I think Wichita State takes care of business, but it’s going to be closer than expected. Expect the Shockers’ first game to be their most competitive. It might take a game against a cupcake opponent to get this team to focus.

4.     West Coast Conference, March 6-11: Much like the Mountain West, this league has a rivalry that ranks as one of college basketball’s best. How many times has Gonzaga faced St. Mary’s in the title game of this tournament? It seems like its every year. This tournament will be different though as the only time the Gaels could play the Bulldogs would be in the semifinals as it was a down year for Randy Bennett’s bunch. Gonzaga enters the tournament as the favorite once against, but BYU and San Francisco will be the top challengers along with St. Mary’s. Gonzaga tends to play down to its competition, so that always leaves for some excellent games. You don’t want to miss this one.

5.     Big South, March 5-9: This tournament is the most obscure of the bunch, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be any less entertaining. It seems that everyone in this league loves to score. Five of the 12 teams rank in the nation’s top 50 in points scored, with all well over 75 points a game. Virginia Military Institute leads the nation in offense and will be one of the favorites in this season’s tournament along with High Point, who might be the only team to play defense in this conference. Watch out for Coastal Carolina and Winthrop as well, who will be the top two seeds in the other division. Every year I watch this conference’s championship game, and it’s always entertaining. This season should be no different.

Top Videos:

-Syracuse loses again to a terrible opponent at home.

-Michigan claimed the Big Ten title Tuesday night with a hot shooting performance at Illinois.

-Inspiring story about a high school football team.

-This isn’t a video, but a fascinating story about a Canadian basketball dynasty that you’ve never heard of.

Thanks for reading! Look for a Nebraska basketball notes package tonight after the Huskers take on Indiana in Bloomington.

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