HoopsHD keeps celebrating the greatest time of the year with Part 2 of our 3-part preview of every single conference tourney in the nation. Jon Teitel continues our coverage with his predictions for 6 more conference tourneys getting underway in the days ahead. Tweet us if you have any comments, check back later next week for his picks on the remaining 15 conference tourneys, and if you missed his picks last weekend about 10 other conference tourneys you can find them at:
https://hoopshd.com/2026/03/02/conference-tourney-previews-part-1-of-3-2
America East tourney predicted champ: UMBC (#1 seed)
Dates: March 7-14
Location: Campus sites
2025 tourney champ: Bryant (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Vermont has won 5 of past 8 tourneys
Seeding: 8 of past 10 champs were #1-seed
The Catamounts have owned this tourney since before COVID but might have difficulty with the campus site format based on their 13-PT loss at UMBC last month. I was leaning towards choosing NJIT after they won 10 of their 1st 12 conference games, but a 3-game losing streak to finish February has finished any momentum they had. In contrast, UMBC coach Jim Ferry has only lost 2 games since Christmas while going 8-0 at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena (rolls right off the tongue!) so they get the nod. The big question is whether the Retrievers are prepared for the postseason, as their strength of schedule is literally the worst in the nation. On the plus side, they do an excellent job of defending without fouling (their 13.5 fouls/game ranks #3 in the nation)…but I wonder if they should get a little more handsy since their opponents’ 68.1 FT% is 8th-worst in the nation. P.S. If you are casting a vote for the all-name team, I strongly recommend you consider SR G Cougar Downing!
Big Sky tourney predicted champ: Eastern Washington (#3 seed)
Dates: March 7-11
Location: Boise, ID
2025 tourney champ: Montana (#2 seed)
Fun fact: 6 of past 7 winners are from state of Montana
Seeding: 4 of past 5 champs were not #1 seed
Portland State looked unstoppable after starting conference play 11-1 with just a 4-PT loss to Montana in January. The bad news is that they lost 4 of 5 to finish February with an entire foot full of stubbed toes, the good news is that they are still the #1 seed, but the worst news is that this tourney does not like #1 seeds. Therefore, I will go with the unlikeliest of contenders in Eastern Washington. Coach Dan Monson lost 22 games last year during his debut season in Cheney, then started out this season 5-17…but somehow flipped the switch in February with an 8-game winning streak that helped them move all the way up to 3rd place in the standings. Their defense has been pretty terrible all year, but so has their luck, as their opponents have combined to shoot a ridiculous 75.9 FT%. Their brutal non-conference schedule included trips to UCLA/Colorado/BYU/Utah, which has certainly prepared them for conference play, and for you religious scholars, how in God’s name could you bet against a team whose best player is named Isaiah Moses?!
CAA tourney predicted champ: UNCW (#1 seed)
Dates: March 6-10
Location: Washington, DC
2025 tourney champ: UNCW (#2 seed)
Fun fact: 6 different champs in past 7 years
Seeding: 8 of past 10 champs were top-2 seed
The sentimental pick (as always) is the Tribe because they are 1 of only 3 original D-1 schools (along with Army/Citadel) who have never made the NCAA tourney…but even though they swept UNCW this year I am going with the sweepee (is that even a word?) over the sweeper. This tourney likes teams who have not won it in awhile, but even though the Seahawks are the defending champ this has been a pretty good year for Seahawks in the postseason (sadly for this Patriots fan). Since winning just 7 games in his debut season in 2021, Coach Takayo Siddle has won 21+ games for the 5th year in a row and has turned into 1 of the best mid-major coaches in the country. The key to their success is perimeter defense, as their 29.4 3P% allowed is #8 in the nation. They also won the portal battle, as JR PF Patrick Wessler did very little during his 2 years at Virginia Tech, but is now averaging nearly a double-double with 13.5 PPG/9.5 RPG while leading the league with 60.1 FG%.
MAAC tourney predicted champ: Siena (#3 seed)
Dates: March 5-10
Location: Atlantic City, NJ
2025 tourney champ: Mt. St. Mary’s (#6 seed)
Fun fact: only 3 champs since 2016 are Iona/Mt. St. Mary’s/St. Peter’s
Seeding: 11 of past 13 champs were not #1 seed
I know that Merrimack is the best team in the conference, but this tourney simply despises #1 seeds. Siena coach Gerry McNamara had a rough year #1 with 18 losses, but has shown great improvement in year #2 with 20 wins: for anyone who watched the 2003 NCAA tourney when G-Mac played at Syracuse, I assure you that he knows a few things about winning games in March. The Saints started the season 9-2, and had a 6-game winning streak in the middle of conference play, so they have proven that they can string together several wins in a row. They were swept by the Warriors this year, but the 1st loss was by 4 PTS and the 2nd loss was in OT so you know they can hang with the regular season champs. It is dangerous to pick a team that is so underwhelming from behind the arc (30 3P% is bottom-25 in the nation), but if it has not ruined them yet then perhaps it will not ruin them at all.
MVC tourney predicted champ: Belmont (#1 seed)
Dates: March 5-8
Location: St. Louis, MO
2025 tourney champ: Drake (#1 seed)
Fun fact: each of past 3 championship schools won multiple titles in a row
Seeding: 4 of past 5 champs were top-2 seed
I do not know what more you can ask out of Coach Casey Alexander: he finished his stint at Lipscomb with 3 straight 20-win seasons from 2017-2019, and has now had 7 straight winning seasons in Nashville. The Bruins have lost just 5 games this season: 2 in OT, 1 by a single point, and 2 others by single-digits. This tourney has been kind to top-2 seeds, and after switching over from the OVC 4 years ago, I think it is time for Belmont to finally claim its 1st MVC title.. There are some teams that require a deep-dive to discover the secret to their success but that is not the case for the Bruins: their 51.7 FG% is #4 in the nation, and their 40.5 3P% is #3 in the nation. The most amazing part is that since losing SR PG Nic McClain to a knee injury on New Year’s Day, they have gone 13-3 during his absence, but are still hoping to welcome him back onto the court any day now.
Southland predicted champ: SFA (#1 seed)
Dates: March 8-11
Location: Lake Charles, LA
2025 tourney champ: McNeese (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Each of past 3 champs won consecutive titles
Seeding: 10 of past 12 champs were top-2 seed
McNeese is the 2-time-defending champ, and has only lost a pair of road games by single-digits since allowing 112 PTS in Ann Arbor to finish 2025…but SFA says “Hold my sasparilla” as they have only lost 4 games all year by a combined 13 PTS. I am usually not a big fan of 1st-year coaches, but Matt Braeuer is literally a handful of possessions away from being undefeated so I cannot hold that against him. Then again, when you can attain such a gaudy record despite shooting 68.5 FT% then perhaps you should not be afraid of a game that goes down to the wire. The Lumberjacks chop down most of their opponents on defense, as their 65.9 PPG allowed is top-20 in the nation. They also have 1 of the best players in the country who you have probably never heard of: SR PG Keon Thompson, who is averaging 18.1 PPG/4.8 RPG/4.4 APG.
