Final Predictions for the Champions of Every 2025 MCBB Conference Tournament

Five of the 31 automatic tickets for the 2025 men's NCAA tournament have already been punched, but this is where Champ 'Week' really starts cooking with gas.

At a national level, the regular season is officially over. No more of the chaos from the past week where you need to keep reminding yourself whether you're watching a regular-season game or a conference tournament game.

Nothing but single-elimination chaos from here on out.

So, who wins the other 26 tournaments yet to be decided?

Well, I'll do my best to let you know, but they do call it March Madness for a reason. In most years, even the winner of "The Jerome" only correctly picks around 20 of the conference tournament champions, and most are lucky to get 40 percent correct.

We'll save the leagues guaranteed to send at least three teams to the dance for the end, but let's start out with a few words on the five teams officially in the dance before building up to those free-for-all extravaganzas.

5 Champions Already Crowned

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SIUE's Ray'Sean Taylor

Ohio Valley—SIU-Edwardsville Cougars. Ray'Sean Taylor went for 24 points in the semifinal victory over Tennessee State before scoring another 20 in the title game against Southeast Missouri State, becoming SIUE's all-time leading scorer in the process. The Cougars are very likely headed for a No. 16 seed in their first-ever dance, but that's not the automatic loss that it used to be, is it?

Atlantic Sun—Lipscomb Bisons. Despite shooting a woeful 7-for-20 (35 percent) on two-point attempts, Lipscomb hit a dozen three-pointers and more than two dozen free throws in winning Sunday's championship matchup with North Alabama. The Bisons are probably headed for a No. 13 seed, where they hope A-Sun POY Jacob Ognacevic guides them to their first-ever NCAA tournament victory.

Big South—High Point Panthers. The Alan Huss Bus will enter the NCAA tournament on a 14-game winning streak. Things didn't look good midway through the Big South championship against Winthrop, but the Panthers finished the game on a 48-21 run for their first tournament ticket.

Missouri Valley—Drake Bulldogs. Mercifully, we can stop wondering whether what is now a 30-win Drake squad has done enough for a possible at-large bid. Mitch Mascari had a brutal run through the MVC tournament, shooting 3-for-18 from the field. Bennett Stirtz did his thing, though, with 24 points in the semifinal against Belmont and 24 more in the title game against Bradley.

Summit League—Omaha Mavericks. They didn't need to win the game, having already punched their ticket by virtue of drawing tournament-ineligible St. Thomas in the championship game. But it's clear the Mavericks wanted a reason to smash up another trash can, as JJ White and Marquel Sutton propelled them to an 85-75 victory.

10 Tournaments Well Underway

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Augustus Marciulionis

Southern Conference (7 p.m. ET, Monday, ESPN)—Furman Paladins. The most March Madness-y of the early tournaments, Nos. 2, 3, 4 were ousted in the SoCon quarters, followed by Furman upsetting No. 1 seed Chattanooga in overtime in the semis. The 25-win Paladins will take on Wofford in a game that might feature close to 70 combined three-point attempts.

Sun Belt (7 p.m. ET, Monday, ESPN2)—Arkansas State Red Wolves. Six rounds down, one to go. The Royal Rumble for the Sun Belt is down to either Arkansas State or Troy. They split the regular-season series, both games coming right down to the wire. If the Red Wolves secure the bid, though, this will be a dangerous No. 12/13 seed who already won at Memphis and battled at Alabama.

Coastal Athletic (7 p.m. ET, Tuesday, CBS Sports Network)—UNC-Wilmington Seahawks. Towson won the regular-season title, but UNCW had the best overall campaign from an efficiency perspective. They'll need Donovan Newby to snap out of the funk he was in over the final few weeks of the regular season, though.

Horizon League (7 p.m. ET, Tuesday, ESPN)—Robert Morris Colonials. Forever remembered as the team that beat Kentucky in the 2013 NIT, RMU enters the Horizon semifinals having won 14 of its last 15 games.

Northeast (7 p.m. ET, Tuesday, ESPN2)—Central Connecticut Blue Devils. CCSU almost blew it in the NEC semis, needing OT to survive Fairleigh Dickinson. But it did survive, extending its nation-leading winning streak to 14 games and setting up a title game at home against a Saint Francis team it twice defeated by double digits.

West Coast (9 p.m. ET, Tuesday, ESPN)—Gonzaga Bulldogs. Hands down the biggest tourney in this tier, particularly if we get a third showdown between the Zags and the Gaels of Saint Mary's. Tough to ever bet against the Bulldogs in this tournament, as they've played in the championship game in 27 consecutive years, winning 20 of them. Maybe the Gaels sweep the three-game series, though.

Southland (5 p.m. ET, Wednesday, ESPN2)—McNeese Cowboys. Including the 2024 Southland tournament, McNeese has won 38 of its last 40 games against this conference, most of them by double-digit margins. There's only one possible pick here.

Patriot League (7 p.m. ET, Wednesday, CBS Sports Network)—American Eagles. Colgate had represented this league in five consecutive NCAA tournaments, but the fightin' toothpastes were squeezed out by American on Sunday. Meanwhile, Navy upset Bucknell and will be looking to complete a three-game sweep of American in this championship.

Big Sky (11:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, ESPN2)—Northern Colorado Bears. One of the best shooting teams in the country, the "other" UNC has won 18 of its last 21 games with five three-point weapons leading the charge. Should be a fun championship if they run into Montana, though.

America East (11 a.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN2)—Bryant Bulldogs. This league usually runs through Vermont, but the America East has a non-Catamounts best team for the first time since Jameel Warney and Stony Brook in 2016. Earl Timberlake led Bryant to a 14-2 record, and having home-court advantage for the final two games will be huge.

7 Other One-Bid Leagues

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Yale's John Poulakidas

Mid-Eastern Athletic (1 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN2)—Norfolk State Spartans. South Carolina State is one of the hottest teams in the nation, entering this tournament on a nine-game winning streak, including a three-point win over Norfolk State. But in what figures to be a two-horse race, the Spartans have been a bit better over the course of the season and will be effectively hosting the tournament in Norfolk.

Mid-American (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN2)—Akron Zips. They weren't quite able to run the table, but 17-1 in league play is no joke. The law firm of (Nate) Johnson, (Tavari) Johnson and (Isaiah) Gray will stay hot and win this thing for the third time in four years.

Metro Atlantic Athletic (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPNU)—Merrimack Warriors. Death, taxes and the No. 1 seed not winning the MAAC tournament. It has happened just twice in the past 13 tournaments, when Iona won in 2019 and in 2023, so top dog Quinnipiac might be a bit cursed here. Merrimack as the No. 2 seed, though, could be a problem in the big dance if it wins this little one. The Warriors are terrible on the glass but elite in the turnovers department, and in what is their first year of NCAA tournament eligibility, they'll try to scrap and claw their way to a monumental upset.

Conference USA (8:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS Sports Network)—Liberty Flames. If Liberty does win, remember the name Zach Cleveland. The Flames' power forward averages five assists per game and is the linchpin of their offensive attack. Not a bad defender, either, which is where Liberty bakes its bread. (If Jacksonville State wins, though, remember the name Jaron Pierre Jr., as he ranks top-five in the nation in scoring.)

Southwestern Athletic (9:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPNU)—Alabama State Hornets. Southern started out 10-0 in league play but has limped to the finish line, including getting swept by the Hornets. Maybe head coach Tony Madlock and senior small forward TJ Madlock can deliver a little dose of Ron/RJ Hunter father-son magic.

Western Athletic (11:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN2)—Grand Canyon Antelopes. Utah Valley secured the No. 1 seed and has some legitimate "12-over-5 upset" potential. But GCU has won this league three of the last four years and is right there with UVU as a co-favorite to do it again. Whether Tyon Grant-Foster is able to play (and play effectively) should have a big impact on this tournament, but the 'Lopes have shown they can win without him, as needed.

Ivy League (Noon ET, Sunday, ESPN2)—Yale Bulldogs. Though Yale sliced through this league like a hot knife through butter, watch out for that semifinal against Princeton. The Tigers woefully underachieved this season, but they still have talent. Yale is definitely the pick, though, sitting at 14-1 thus far in this calendar year.

4 Mid-Majors with Bid Thief Potential

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Memphis' PJ Haggerty

Mountain West (6 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS)—Utah State Aggies. Aside from the Big Ten, this might be the most wide-open tournament of them all this year. From New Mexico as the No. 1 seed down to Nevada as the No. 7 seed, anyone could win it.

USU has been on a bit of a schneid since Valentine's Day, losing three straight road games against New Mexico, Boise State and Colorado State. But give us the Aggies getting back on track in Vegas and winning their first MWC tournament since 2019.

Big West (9:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN2)—UC Irvine Anteaters. The Big West's at-large hopeful is UC San Diego, and the Tritons are going to have a strong case for a bid if they make it to this title game with what would be a 29-4 record before losing to UC Irvine.

But the Anteaters are pretty darn good, too, winning at UCSD back in January and bound to be highly motivated for this rubber match, as their at-large case is nowhere near as strong, even with 27 wins already to their credit.

Atlantic 10 (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, CBS)—VCU Rams. If the A-10 isn't the nation's most frequent source of bid thievery over the past decade, it's certainly near the top of the list. And with Dayton, George Mason, Saint Joseph's and Saint Louis all lurking as viable threats in a league where VCU is the only great at-large candidate, the probability of another A-10 bid-stealer is pretty high.

The Rams have lost just two game since New Year's, though, and had to shoot a combined 10-for-61 from three-point range suffer that fate. They should win.

American (3:15 p.m. ET, Sunday, ESPN)—Memphis Tigers. Given their M.O. all season long has been playing up or down to match the level of competition, goodness knows it'll probably come right down to the wire if they do make it to Sunday's championship game.

And if the bracket holds true for a showdown with North Texas, that would be one heck of a game. Give us the Tigers, though, who are beyond sick of hearing that they aren't actually that good and having their middling KenPom ranking thrown in their face.

Atlantic Coast

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Duke's Cooper Flagg

Dates: Tuesday-Saturday, championship at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

NCAA Locks: Duke, Clemson, Louisville

On the Bubble: North Carolina, Wake Forest

Predicted Winner: Duke Blue Devils

Duke was already a freight train for the first three months of the regular season, but something about that early February loss to Clemson lit a fire in this team, winning its final eight regular-season games by an average margin of 29.5 points.

Even in Saturday's regular-season finale at North Carolina, when the Tar Heels battled back from an early double-digit deficit to take a seven-point lead early in the second half, the Blue Devils never blinked. They finished the game on a 33-13 run, quite possibly driving the final stake into the faintly beating heart of their archrival's at-large hopes.

Look, anything could happen in Charlotte.

Perhaps it happens in a third showdown with North Carolina in the semifinals. More likely it happens in the championship game against either Clemson or Louisville.

But Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils are going to be heavily favored to win the ACC tournament, and probably slightly favored to win the NCAA tournament if and when they take care of business in this one.

NC State pulled off a shocker in winning this tournament last year, but the Wolfpack didn't even finish top-15 to qualify. Don't bet on anyone outside the top six seeds reaching the semis this year.

Big 12

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Iowa's State's Keshon Gilbert and TJ Otzelberger

Dates: Tuesday-Saturday, championship at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN

NCAA Locks: Houston, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Arizona, BYU, Kansas

On the Bubble: West Virginia, Baylor

Predicted Winner: Iowa State Cyclones

In the 27-year history of the Big 12 tournament, a top-three seed has won 24 times.

The three exceptions to the rule: Iowa State as the No. 4 seed in 2014, Iowa State as the No. 4 seed in 2017 and Iowa State as the No. 5 seed in 2019.

So, why not the No. 5 seed Cyclones this year?

They went just 8-7 down the stretch, but they were absent at least one of Keshon Gilbert, Curtis Jones or Milan Momcilovic for six of those seven losses.

In fact, when all six of their leading scorers have been available this season, the Cyclones have gone 19-2, those two losses a double-overtime game against red-hot BYU and the Maui Invitational opener against Auburn that the Tigers won on a last-second Johni Broome tip-in.

Now, as the No. 5 seed in this tournament, they'll need to go through Cincinnati/Oklahoma State, BYU and Houston just to reach the championship game, so the odds aren't great. And after Gilbert missed the season finale against Kansas State with a groin strain, the Cyclones frankly might be content to just rest up and accept what would probably be a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament if they get immediately bounced in Kansas City.

Alternatively, they might be out to prove they truly are better than they've shown over the past two months, motivated to win a tournament that they've won five of the past 10 times it has been held.

Big East

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St. John's Kadary Richmond

Dates: Wednesday-Saturday, championship at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX

NCAA Locks: St. John's, Marquette, Connecticut, Creighton

On the Bubble: Xavier

Predicted Winner: St. John's Red Storm

For years and years while St. John's was an NCAA tournament-missing, mediocre mess, you still always had to throw out that reminder heading into the Big East tournament: Don't forget it's at Madison Square Garden.

Some lot of good that home-court advantage has been for the Johnnies, though, last partaking in a Big East title game in 2000.

But they almost toppled mighty UConn in the semifinals last year. And this year, for the first time in a quarter century, St. John's will be the hunted instead of the hunter.

Between MSG and Carnesecca Arena, St. John's went a perfect 18-0 at home this season.

By no means were they all cakewalks. Providence took them right to the wire. Xavier forced overtime. But the Red Storm always found a way, and they ought to do it again this week with quite possibly the No. 2 seed in the East Region hanging in the balance.

What a major development that would be: Big East tournament at home, first-round and second-round games in Providence (Rick Pitino's former stomping grounds) and second-weekend games in nearby Newark. If they win the Big East tournament, chances are they'll go almost a month without needing to get on a plane.

All that said, it wouldn't be shocking if Connecticut has something to say about that dream scenario for the Johnnies.

Big Ten

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Michigan State's Jase Richardson

Dates: Wednesday-Sunday, championship at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS

NCAA Locks: Michigan State, Wisconsin, Maryland, Purdue, Michigan, Oregon, Illinois, UCLA

On the Bubble: Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio State

Predicted Winner: Michigan State Spartans

In trying to pick a Big Ten champ, it's almost a question of which potential pitfalls worry you the least.

Both Maryland and Purdue have limited depth, which is particularly a concern for Purdue which doesn't get the double bye.

Both Michigan and Wisconsin limped to the finish line, including multiple home losses in the final few weeks.

Illinois might be the most Jekyll and Hyde team in the country, liable to win or lose its opener (likely against Ohio State) by 25. The Illini have probably the most talent in this league, but four wins in four days feels improbable for them.

UCLA did finally get a couple of narrow wins outside the Pacific time zone at Indiana and Northwestern, but really struggled with that portion of life in the Big Ten.

Among teams who posted a winning record in league play, that just leaves Michigan State and Oregon, both of whom have been red hot since mid-February—MSU in particular, reeling off five consecutive wins (three of them on the road) against Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Maryland and Wisconsin.

And while we're talking time zones, the No. 8 seed Ducks will be playing at 9 a.m. PT against Indiana on Thursday for the right to face Michigan State at the same time the following day. Kind of have to like the Spartans in that one, as well as their next two.

Southeastern

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Florida's Walter Clayton Jr.

Dates: Wednesday-Sunday, championship at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN

NCAA Locks: Auburn, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Missouri, Ole Miss, Mississippi State

On the Bubble: Vanderbilt, Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas

Predicted Winner: Florida Gators

Our official stance is that it would be all sorts of fun if No. 9 seed Arkansas took a page from 2011 UConn's or 2024 NC State's book by winning five games in five days to quickly turn life on the bubble into a distant memory.

It does seem likely, however, that one of the four teams with both a double bye and a shot at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament will emerge with the trophy.

And the hottest of that bunch has been the Florida Gators.

Save for one game at Georgia in which a desperate bubble team jumped out to a 39-13 lead against them—and Florida even battled all the way back to briefly take the lead in the final minutes of that one—the Gators have gone undefeated over the past five weeks.

That's an impressive feat in this year's SEC regardless of the schedule, but that even includes a road win over Auburn and a road win over Alabama.

Since the befuddling 64-44 loss at short-handed Tennessee, Florida has scored at least 79 points in each game, averaging 87.0. So, not only are the Gators winning on a regular basis, but their offense has been absolutely relentless.

Their likely path to a title is Missouri-Alabama-Auburn, which is quite the gauntlet. But, you know, someone is going to have to survive a near-impossible 48/72/96-hour stretch of games. Might as well be the Gators.