March Madness: Monday's conference tournament breakdown

To true college basketball aficionados, Monday marks the real start of “March Madness.” That’s because it’s the start of the “lesser” conference tournaments — the leagues in which you must win to even get into the Big Dance.

Here’s a look at the tournament that starts today. Three more start Tuesday. (And here’s a look at the complete conference tournament schedule so you can plan your March Madness.)

Northeast Conference

When: February 28, March 2, 5, 8 (the schedule is here)
Where: Campus sites
TV for final: March 8, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Regular-season champ: Bryant
Format: Nine of the 10 teams are in the tourney; Merrimack moved up to Division I from Division II two years ago and has a four-year reclassification period in which it is ineligible for the Division I tournament. Merrimack finished fourth in the regular season.
Projected NCAA bids: 1.
The buzz: Bryant (19-9) beat Wagner (19-5) on Saturday to win the regular-season title and clinch home-court advantage throughout the tourney. Worth noting: Only four times in the past 14 seasons has the No. 1 seed won the tourney. Bryant and Wagner split the season series, with each winning at home. But while Bryant has won 13 of its past 14, Wagner comes in having lost two in a row, including a road loss to last-place Fairleigh Dickinson, and three of five. Bryant has the nation’s leading scorer in 6-foot-5 G Peter Kiss, a one-time Rutgers transfer who averaged 29.0 points per game in league play and 25.1 overall. He has had nine 30-point outings this season. Bryant prefers a fast pace, while Wagner is a halfcourt team that gets the bulk of its scoring in the paint. Bryant is 11-1 at home, Wagner 10-1. The only other team that looks to have a legit shot is third-seeded LIU (15-13), which split with Bryant but was swept by Wagner.
The pick: Wagner