KSR's Incomplete Guide to 2023 Conference Tournaments

The Madness is upon us. Conference tournament season is already underway. Before we get too far into the action, let’s take a closer look at all of the non-Power Six men’s basketball tournaments around the country in the most ridiculous manner possible.

OVC

The Favorite: Despite losing Johni Broome, Preston Spradlin led Morehead State to a 14-4 record in OVC play. The Eagles are led by Mark Freeman (14.8 ppg.) and Alex Gross (12.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg.). They’ve appeared in the last two OVC title games, winning in 2021 and falling to Belmont last season.

Prediction: John Pelphrey’s second-seeded Tennessee Tech will make this interesting, but it’s Morehead State’s tournament to lose.

Championship Game: March 4, 8 pm, ESPN2

ASUN Conference

The Favorite: Liberty is playing host in Lynchburg during the final season of ASUN play. They’ll transition to C-USA next year.

Prediction: Kennesaw State is technically the 1-seed, but this is Liberty’s tournament to lose.

Championship Game: March 5, 3 pm, ESPN

Big South

Did You Know: Tubby Smith stepped down from coaching last year and handed the reins of the High Point men’s basketball team to his son, G.G. Smith, the former standout at Georgia. The No. 8 seed in the Big South Tournament, they’ll need to win at least three games in the conference tournament to get to .500 in G.G.’s first full season as head coach.

Prediction: UNC-Asheville went 16-2 in league play, led by Tennessee transfer Drew Pember who’s lighting up opponents by scoring better than 20 points per game.

Championship Game: March 5, 1 pm, ESPN

Missouri Valley

The Favorite: Drake is the betting favorite, despite losing to top-seeded Bradley on the final day of the regular season. However, Drake won the home game against Bradley by 25 points.

Prediction: Neither of the top two seeds will survive. Belmont is poised to shake things up and continue its winning ways in its first season outside of the OVC.

Championship Game: March 5, 2 pm, CBS

SoCon

The Favorite: Furman clinched the top seed in the tournament with a 35-point performance from Mike Bothwell in a 14-point victory over Samford. The Paladins have not been to the NCAA Tournament since 1980.

Prediction: Furman has a Top 35 offense in America. Only Indiana State is more efficient at knocking down 2-pointers. They might be a team that can play Cinderella in the Big Dance.

Championship Game: March 6, 7 pm, ESPN

Sun Belt

The Favorite: Marshall is the betting favorite in Las Vegas as the No. 3 seed in the tournament because they are the most balanced team in the field, with the league’s second-ranked offense and No. 4 defense. They are led by 6-foot-5 wing Taevion Kinsey, who averages more than 22 points per game.

Prediction: While Marshall has the best player, the Dukes of James Madison have a pair of talented guards in Vado Morse and Takal Molson that combine for for 23.4 points and 4.6 assists per game.

Championship Game: March 6, 7 pm, ESPN2

Horizon League

History Watch: Pete Maravich’s unbreakable scoring record is about to get broken. Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis only needs 26 points to surpass Pistol Pete as the top scorer in Division I college basketball history. Unlike Maravich, Davis has the benefit of the three-point line and two more years (freshman were not allowed to play varsity and Davis got an extra COVID year). Stipulations aside, it’s still impressive as hell. He’s currently averaging 28.1 points per game. The Titans are facing a Youngstown State team they’ve lost to twice, but there’s plenty of time for Davis to get 26 points.

Wide Open: Youngstown State is the No. 1 seed, but Milwaukee, Cleveland State and Northern Kentucky each only had one more loss in league play than the Penguins. The final four at Indiana Farmers Coliseum should be ELECTRIC.

Championship Game: March 7, 7 pm, ESPN/ESPN2

Colonial

The Favorite: College of Charleston is -115 to take home the title, but they tied with Hofstra at 16-2 in league play. Both teams rank 1 and 2 in offensive and defensive efficiency. The two faced off only once during the regular season when Hofstra handed No. 18 CofC their first loss of the year.

Familiar Name: Remember when Jameer Nelson led undefeated St. Joe’s to a No. 1 seed back in 2004? Now his son, Jameer Nelson Jr., is a star for Delaware. One of the 20 best scorers in all of college basketball, he’s scoring 20.5 points per game for the Blue Hens.

Championship Game: March 7, 7 pm, CBSSN

West Coast

The Favorite: Gonzaga has won nine of the last ten WCC Tournaments, because it’s not a real conference that any reputable college basketball program should be a part of.

Championship Game: March 7, 9 pm, ESPN

Prediction: Kick rocks Zags. Let’s go Saint Mary’s!

Northeast

Dumb Rule Returns: Merrimack is the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament, but like Bellarmine a year ago, they are ineligible to compete in the NCAA Tournament after making the move up to the Division I ranks.

Prediction: Fairleigh Dickinson has the best offense in the conference, putting them in position to win and likely receive a bid to play as a No. 16 seed in the First Four in Dayton.

Championship Game: March 7, 7 pm, ESPN2

Summit League

The Favorite: Oral Roberts went undefeated in Summit League play and they field an offense that ranks 25th nationally in efficiency.

Prediction: Picking favorites is boring, but this senior-laden Oral Roberts squad is led by players who were a part of the 2021 Sweet 16 team. They will be hungry to to make some more noise in the Big Dance.

Championship Game: March 7, 9 pm, ESPN2

Big Sky

The Favorite: Montana State is the No. 2 seed, but they’re the betting favorite to win the Big Sky in Vegas. Eastern Washington was undefeated in conference play until it dropped the final two games of the season, including a Senior Night L to Montana State.

Don’t Look Now: Montana might be the hottest team in the conference. The Griz have won eight of their last nine.

Championship Game: March 8, 11:30 pm, ESPN2

Elite Mascot: Northern Arizona’s “Louie the Lumberjack is one of a kind.

Patriot League

Something You Didn’t Know: Army and Navy play in the Patriot League. Who woulda thunk it? The Midshipmen are the second-choice in Vegas to win the Patriot League.

Prediction: Colgate is an excellent toothpaste with a Top 50 offense that will be tough to slow down. They won the Patriot League in 2022.

Championship Game: March 8, 7:30 pm, CBS Sports Network

Southland

The Favorite: After losing five teams this offseason, the door is open for Nicholls State to receive its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1998. The regular season champs are led by Ty Gordon, a Troy transfer who scored 36 points in the regular season finale.

Upset Special?: Southeast Louisiana swept Nicholls with three regular season wins thanks to excellent three-point shooting. It’s hard to beat a team four times in one season, but they have enough offensive firepower to make it happen.

Championship Game: March 8, 5 pm, ESPN2

Conference USA

Surprising Monolith: Some thought WKU or UAB might rise to the top of the C-USA. Instead, Florida Atlantic messed around and didn’t lose until February. Even though they spent time in the Top 25 and are ranked No. 30 overall in KenPom, they might not have the resume to make it as an at-large bid. UAB has taken one from FAU and won the tournament previously. Andy Kennedy could burst a bubble this postseason.

Championship Game: March 11, 8:30, CBSSN

MAAC

What We Need: One more NCAA Tournament appearance by Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels. It will likely be his last before he moves back up the coaching ladder one more time. Last year the top-seeded Gaels were upset by Rider in their opener, leaving the door open for Saint Peter’s to punch an NCAA Tournament ticket. Sigh.

Upset Special? Iona is the tops in the conference at 15-3, but Rider is not far behind. Surely, Rick won’t lose to the same team in the conference tournament in back-to-back seasons, and don’t call me Shirley.

Championship Game: March 11, 7:30 pm, ESPNU

MAC

Three-Horse Race: Toledo is the top team in the MAC, thanks to the No. 8 offense in America. Kent State is one game back, thanks to excellent defensive play. Akron has the best 2-man game of the bunch with Xavier Castenada (21.8 ppg) and Enrique Freeman (16.2 pts, 11.1 rebs). Whoever can make it to the MAC Championship without playing one another will have the advantage in what should be an exciting tournament.

Familiar Name: The biggest name in the conference is Emoni Bates, yet he won’t even be in the conference tournament. He averaged 19.7 points per game, but Eastern Michigan is 8-22 overall, 5-12 in conference play, outside of the cut for the MAC Tournament. It was still enough wins for my radio producer, Justin Kaelin, to win $500 off Mike Rutherford’s producer, Trevor Kelsey, because UofL won fewer games. The Cards are that bad at basketball.

Championship Game: March 11, 7:30 pm, ESPN2

MEAC

Remember? Kentucky defeated two MEAC schools early in the season, South Carolina State and Howard. The former is in last place, but Howard might mess around and win the MEAC. They’re currently tied for second in the league.

The Favorite: is Norfolk State, who has been to consecutive NCAA Tournaments as representatives of the MEAC. You probably remember them best for their appearance in the 2012 Title team’s “One Shining Moment” when Kyle O’Quinn had 26 and 12 to upset No. 2 seed Missouri.

Championship Game: March 11, 1 pm, ESPN2

Mountain West

Keep in Mind: There is no greater conference to fade in the NCAA Tournament. They received four bids in 2022 and went 0-4 in the Big Dance.

Familiar Name: Jamal Mashburn Jr. is the leading scorer in the MWC, averaging 19.4 points per game for Richard Pitino’s New Mexico team. They were one of college basketball’s last unbeaten teams, but have slid to 21-9 into the middle of the conference standings.

Favorite: Even though Steve Fisher isn’t walking through that door, San Diego State is still the top dog in the conference. Despite a recent loss to Boise State, they’re a Top 25 team that will likely make the Big Dance regardless of what happen in Las Vegas.

Championship Game: March 11, 6 pm, CBS

America East

Don’t Bother: Vermont is the odds-on favorite. If anyone besides the Catamounts wins the America East it will be one of the biggest upsets of conference tournament season.

Championship Game: March 11, 11 am, ESPN2

Big West

Did You Know: This is a conference. While I’m familiar with some of the teams, particularly the UC-Irvine Anteaters, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the Big West Conference, let alone seen a single second of their postseason tournament.

California Conference: Hawaii is the only team outside of California in the Big West.

Top 10 Scorer: UC-Davis’ Elijah Pepper is the No. 8 scorer in college basketball, averaging 22 points per game.

Championship Game: March 11, 9:30 pm, ESPN2

WAC

A Disastrous Season: Not long after Chris Jans left for Mississippi State, the New Mexico State basketball program has fallen apart. Last year the Aggies won an NCAA Tournament game. This year they ended the season prematurely following multiple scandals. A player was involved in a deadly shooting, three were accused of hazing and the head coach was ultimately fired.

Guess Who? Billy Gillispie is still rocking and rolling at Tarleton State. The Texans will be playing in their first postseason as a Division I team and just moved over .500 on the season after Shamir Bogues had 30 points and 11 steals on Senior Night.

Championship Game: March 11, 11:30 pm, ESPN Network

SWAC

The Favorite: At the top of the conference standings, Grambling State is the SWAC’s only Top 200 team in KenPom.

Upset Special: Prairie View A&M is lurking, led by one of the SWAC’s top scorers, Will Douglas (14.4 points per game).

Championship Game: March 11, 5:30, ESPN Network

Atlantic 10

Flyers Sinking: Dayton has been the A-10’s top team for most of Anthony Grant’s tenure. Once again picked to win the title, they’ve been inconsistent all season long. They’re 20-10 and have dropped five games in A-10 play. VCU is back on top of the league thanks to the nation’s No. 16 defense.

Sorry, Sister Jean: The Ramblers haven’t been the same since Porter Moser left town and Loyola Chicago departed the MVC for the A-10. They’re the worst team in the conference and will probably fail to reach 10 total wins this season. Sister Jean will have to just cheer for the Wildcats this March.

Championship Game: March 12, 1 pm, CBS

Ivy League

That’s Weird: The Ivy League held out until 2017, previously giving the regular season champs an automatic bid. COVID has canceled two of the Ivy League Tournaments. When Yale won in 2022 they became the first team to win multiple Ivy League Tournaments. However, it’s only a four-team event, hardly a conference tournament.

Back-2-Back? Yale is in position to return to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The Bulldogs have the most efficient offense and defense in the league. Even so, they have not run away with the Ivy League, as Princeton and Penn nip at their heels. Kentucky beat Yale 69-59 in November thanks to a 28-point, 12-rebound performance from Oscar Tshiebwe.

Championship Game: March 12, Noon, ESPN2

American Athletic Conference

History on Houston’s Side: The Cougs broke through and made the COVID-plagued 2021 Final Four in Indianapolis. This year they have a chance to play in the Final Four in Houston where Jim Nantz (a Houston alum who started his career calling games for Phi Slamma Jamma) will be calling his final NCAA Tournament Games. The stars are aligning for some March Magic.

Something to Prove: Memphis is currently a No. 10 seed in the Bracket Matrix. They will likely be in the field of 68, but they can’t go lifeless into March. Ending the season at home against Houston, they could have two chances to pull off the upset, secure an at-large bid and rise up a seed line.

Championship Game: March 12, 3:15 pm, ESPN