March Madness: 3 Reasons to Watch Each of the Major Conference Tournaments

The regular season is coming to a close and that can only mean one thing: March is coming quickly.

Before the top-68 teams in the country duke it out in an attempt to claim the national championship, the conference champions must be crowned.

Within the next couple of weeks, these tournaments will begin and the only thing that is certain is that each of the major conferences will undoubtedly hold a tournament worth watching. 

The following is an explanation of the top three reasons to watch each of the major conference tournaments. 

Atlantic 10

Dates: March 6; 9-11, 2012

The best team in the Atlantic 10, hands down, is Temple.

The Owls have been a consistent top-25 team and viable threat in big games throughout the season.

What to watch for with Temple is its defense. The steals and pressure that the Owls apply on defense is what puts them above others and that is what viewers should be on the lookout for when Temple takes the court.

Also look for the Owls to get hot before the NCAA tournament or else they probably will not make it far. They are not a highly explosive or dangerous team offensively, but becoming such could do wonders for a deep run come late March.

Xavier is the other interesting team to note in this conference.

20 games after the fight with Cincinnati, the Xavier Musketeers have gone a feeble 10-10 on the season. The conference tournament will be the chance for this team to shine and repair its image with a big title win.

Finally, Saint Louis is looking to garner some marquee wins in order to pad its season. Though it won't face any elite teams in the conference tournament, Saint Louis can show whether or not it can play under pressure and provide at least one big win if it can pull out the conference title. 

Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)

Dates: March 8-11, 2012

It seems as though the ACC is one of the most upset-minded groups in the country.

With the big three in Duke, North Carolina and Florida State at the top of their class, the other teams always play them extremely tough, some even coming out on top in stunning upsets.

This is the first reason to watch the ACC conference.

To these teams it does not matter what happened in the regular season, the tournament is a brand-new season and a win here could mean just as much. With the likes of Virginia and Miami attempting to prove that they are title contenders, it would not be a huge surprise if they were able to knock off one of the three elites.

Second, it will be interesting to see where the Virginia Cavaliers go in this tournament. Falling out of the top-25 rankings, the Cavaliers need to show what they are capable of in the ACC tournament and use whatever momentum they garner there in the NCAA tournament. In two games versus Duke and North Carolina, this Virginia team only lost by a combined six points, maybe this time the Cavaliers can come out on the wining end.

Third, one would be hard pressed to find a college basketball fan who does not want to see a rematch of Duke versus North Carolina. No matter how many times these two teams play, the level of competition and fierce rivalry never seem to get old. Not much needs to be said about these two, but the fact that a rematch is a distinct (and likely) possibility is enough to stay glued to the television. 

Big 12

Dates: March 7-10, 2012

Let’s just get this out of the way fast: a rematch of the Kansas Jayhawks versus the Missouri Tigers is one game no true college basketball fan is going to miss.

In their last matchup, Kansas fought to overcome a 19-point second-half deficit to bring the game into overtime where they secured the victory.

With a matchup at stake, the Missouri Tigers will be asking for blood from the Jayhawks if the two meet in the championship.

Speaking of the Jayhawks, the second reason to watch the Big 12 tournament is to see how Thomas Robinson plays in March. He has already made a case for National Player of the Year, but with a continued high-level of play that Robinson has shown and with a little help from Anthony Davis of Kentucky, Robinson may just lock up the trophy for himself.

Lastly, the recent resurgence of the Kansas State Wildcats in the Big 12 has caused many to take notice. They managed to walk into Waco and fend of the Baylor Bears, then turn around and head up to Columbia to hand Missouri its first loss of the week.

The question now is, will Kansas State be able to pull off a March-time Cinderella performance when it comes to the tournament and fight its way to finals?

This is clearly not a time to be taken lightly. 

Big East

Dates: March 6-10, 2012

It is hard to debate that Syracuse is not deserving of its second-place spot in the nation. As such, a team with only one loss is going to try and avenge that one tick in the loss column.

Notre Dame is the reason that the Orange do not have a perfect season (assuming Syracuse can beat Louisville), and it is going to be waiting for the Fighting Irish to come knocking once again. If the tournament started today, these two teams would only face off the in the Big East championship game.

In Syracuse’s eyes, no other stage would be more fitting to take revenge.

Yet, these are not the only good teams that play in the Big East. The Georgetown Hoyas have had an interesting season this year and currently sit at fourth place in the conference, but they have a higher national ranking than both Marquette and Notre Dame, the two teams ahead of them. Therefore, the conference tournament is going to give Georgetown a stage to show the nation that it is, in fact, better than its conference standing.

In the end, what most people are going to be watching is the play of Connecticut. Last year’s national champions have struggled this season and currently find themselves on the bubble of even making it to the NCAA tournament. With a strong showing in the conference tournament, the Huskies could have one last chance at making a final (and desperate) plea to the selection committee that they are deserving of a spot among the top 68 teams in the nation. 

Big Ten

Dates: March 8-11,2012

The Big Ten may not be seeing nearly as many teams make the tournament as it thought earlier this season, but that does not take away from the competitiveness of this conference.

The first thing that people should keep their eyes on is the play of Ohio State.

Once thought to be legitimate national title contenders, the Buckeyes have dropped their last three games against ranked opponents. If Ohio State can reconvene and figure out what has caused this collapse, then they have a legitimate shot at the Big Ten title.

However, anything but an appearance in the championship game might be seen as a huge shot to both Ohio State’s seeding and national title chances in the eyes of the selection committee.

Speaking of proving something to the selection committee, that is exactly what the Michigan State Spartans can do to prove they deserve a first-place seed, as many predict will happen. By winning a conference tournament in which five teams are ranked within the top 25 (four in the top 15), the Spartans will hold a very convincing argument for a top spot.

Be on the lookout for how Northwestern and Purdue play in the tournament, as well. It will likely determine whether they make the NCAA tournament at all.

Both teams have to pull off a couple convincing wins against the elites in this conference in order to show they have what it takes, but it is not outside the realm of possibility. 

Mountain West Conference (MWC)

Dates: March 8-10, 2012

The Mountain West conference has built a very respectable group of teams this season.

However, who is going to win the tournament is a toss-up and that is exactly the reason to watch.

In the end, the winner is going to be determined by whichever team plays its heart out on March 10, and those are the games most worth watching. Whether it be between the University of North Las Vegas versus New Mexico or if San Diego State can sneak its way in, this is certainly going to be a championship worth watching.

Even though they have not been expected to make the NCAA tournament until very recently (and even then not by many), TCU is capable of being an upset team itself. The Horned Frogs stunned then No. 11 UNLV in overtime a couple of weeks ago and even beat No. 21 New Mexico in their last game. Clearly, TCU is a legitimate contender when it comes to the MWC crown, but one, first, has to see whether or not it plays its best ball.

Lastly, this may seem repetitive, but Colorado State is currently on the outside looking in and the selection committee and basketball fans will have their eyes glued to the Rams’ games to determine whether or not the Mountain West Conference will be represented by more than three or four teams this  year. 

Pac-12

Dates: March 7-10, 2012

As of right now, California is the only Pac-12 school that is pretty much a lock for the NCAA tournament. They are a team with some talent and potential, but nothing extraordinary on the court.

Before their loss to Colorado, the Golden bears won six in a row. The problem is the Pac-12 conference schedule is not the most impressive.

Be on the lookout for California to prove that they are, in fact, the chief among these teams with a win in the tournament.

Aside from the Bears, the Washington Huskies are the other good team in the conference (especially as of late) and will be a dangerous squad if allowed to play in the NCAA tournament. The Huskies are 9-1 in their last 10 games and have shown significant strides since non-conference play. That said, the Huskies still need to show the selection committee that they are better than California and the conference tournament is the perfect stage to do so.

The interesting thing to look at as far as the Pac-12 tournament is to see whether or not a lesser team makes a Cinderella run. The Huskies and Bears are by no means among the best in the country, and that sets up nicely for a big upset in the tournament by other contenders such as Oregon and Arizona, two teams in need of signature wins. 

South Eastern Conference (SEC)

Dates: March 8-11, 2012

The Kentucky Wildcats are playing the best basketball in college right now.

Therefore, many expect them to easily win the SEC.

The thing to watch with this Kentucky team is the play of Anthony Davis, freshman star and record breaker. He is in a two-way race with Thomas Robinson for National Player of the Year and deservedly so. Without him, the Wildcats would not be sitting at the top spot in the nation or easily on their way to a number one seed in the NCAA tournament.

If Davis can keep up his high level of play, he will make his case for the trophy that much stronger.

As for the other players in SEC, Bradley Beal of Florida is next to keep your eye on. He has drawn comparison to Ray Allen with his shooting ability and is a difference maker for this Gators squad. If anyone is going to beat Kentucky it will be the Florida Gators, but only if Beal continues his high-percentage shooting ability.

The team to watch in the tournament is Mississippi State. When the Bulldogs played Kentucky they held a substantial lead over the Wildcats. That is until Kentucky decided to turn on its actual engines.

This has caused some to question whether or not Mississippi State would be able to handle the big dance. By making their way through the conference tournament and finishing at a respectable place, the Bulldogs may be able to create just enough momentum to act as a respectable team if they make it through the selection committee.