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The Big Ten Tournament is underway in New York City. The Big Ten players will have a nice, week-long rest next week while the rest of the country is fighting for their conference tournament lives. It was a challenge to narrow all of next week’s action to just five must-watch conference tournaments, but here’s what we came up with.
Five Conference Tournaments To Watch
ACC Tournament
When: March 6-10
Where: Brooklyn
Last year’s winner: Duke Blue Devils
What makes this tournament intriguing: The last six ACC Tournaments have produced six different winners, which is pretty unusual considering how dominant Duke and North Carolina usually are. The Clemson Tigers have the potential to win their first-ever ACC Tournament.
Predicted winner: Virginia Cavaliers
Atlantic 10 Tournament
When: March 7-11
Where: Washington D.C.
Last year’s winner: Rhode Island Rams
What makes this tournament intriguing: Rhode Island should be the favorite, but Tuesday night’s home loss to St. Joseph’s on senior night was one of the most shocking results of the year. The Rams were blown out, which opens the door for teams like Davidson and St. Bonaventure to come in and stamp their tickets to the NCAA Tournament.
Predicted winner: St. Bonaventure Bonnies
Big 12 Tournament
When: March 7-10
Where: Kansas City
Last year’s winner: Iowa State Cyclones
What makes this tournament intriguing: Texas Tech, West Virginia and Kansas have all taken turns leading this conference throughout the season. Texas Tech has never won this tournament and it would cap off a miracle season if they were to win this thing.
Predicted winner: West Virginia Mountaineers
Big East Tournament
When: March 7-10
Where: New York City
Last year’s winner: Villanova Wildcats
What makes this tournament intriguing: One can argue that this is pound for pound the best conference in college basketball. Madison Square Garden is just as famous for hosting New York Knicks and New York Rangers games as it is for hosting Big East Tournament basketball. Villanova and the Xavier Musketeers have been ranked in top 5 most of this season.
Predicted winner: Villanova
SEC Tournament
When: March 7-11
Where: St. Louis
Last year’s winner: Kentucky Wildcats
What makes this tournament intriguing: For the first time in SEC Tournament history, this game takes place in St. Louis. The Auburn Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers have been a lot better than usual torchbearer Kentucky. Missouri has some NBA-level talent. Arkansas is quietly putting together a nice season. Mississippi State and Alabama cannot be taken lightly. Florida is still Florida. It’s been impossible to predict SEC games this year. This tournament is no different.
Predicted winner: Tennessee Volunteers