Now that it is March, Championship Week is now upon us.

It begins Saturday, and over the next nine days 31 conference champions will be crowned and 34 others will enter the NCAA tournament as at-large entries.

While the major conference tournaments don’t start till next week, there will be plenty of excitement Saturday and beyond as small schools fight to get their ticket punched to the big dance as a 13-16 seed.

It is one of the few chances where small conferences get the spotlight, as every small school has the dream of being this year's George Mason or Davidson.

Here is what to expect in the mid and low major tournaments over the next week out of those conferences whose regular season is over with.

 

America East Conference

Vermont has been at the top of the conference for much of the decade, and this year hasn’t been any different.

However, the top rivals have changed as Binghamton comes in as the No. 1 seed and Boston U the No. 3.

The conference championship game is on March 14, nearly a week later than the semifinal round.

In the final, after two close losses, expect Vermont to get revenge on Binghamton, as the third time will be the charm on the road.

Champ: Vermont

 

Atlantic Sun

Belmont has been the top dog the past few years, and everyone remembers its near miss last year against Duke in the tournament.

This year the No. 3 seed will have to get by No. 2 East Tennessee State and No. 1 Jacksonville.

The Bruins will have the advantage of playing in their home town of Nashville, on top of their tournament experience.

It is hard to pick against Belmont with its recent success, and I think that will continue for one more year.

Champ: Belmont

 

Big Sky

Portland State went to its first NCAA tournament last year, and things were going well again this year after beating Gonzaga.

However, it got swept during the regular season by Weber State and now has to travel to Ogden for the semifinals and finals.

Weber State has lost just once in conference and has been dominant at home.

It is tough to beat a good team three times, but the home court of 10,000 fans will help the Wildcats Wednesday night in the championship game.

Champ: Weber State

 

Big South

Winthrop has owned this conference throughout the 2000s, but this year’s team isn’t the same.

For much of the season it looked like Virginia Military would be the team to beat, but Radford surged late to get the No. 1 seed and will play at home as long as it is in the tournament.

No. 3 Liberty could also be a threat to VMI in the semifinals, but look for a Radford-VMI showdown.

VMI has come close before this decade with its up-and-down style, and this year should be the year the Runnin' Rods break through, even on the road.

Champ: VMI

 

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