HoopsHD kicks off the greatest time of the year with a 2-part preview of every single conference tourney in the nation. Jon Teitel commences our coverage with his predictions for the 13 conference tourneys getting underway this week/weekend. Tweet us if you have any comments, and check back next weekend for his picks concerning the 19 other conference tourneys.
America East tourney predicted champ: Vermont (#1 seed)
Dates: March 5-12
Location: Campus sites
2021 tourney champ: Hartford (#4 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs since 2015
Seeding: 3 of past 8 champs were #4-seed
The Catamounts appear to be head and shoulders above everyone else in this conference this year and made the title game 4 straight years from 2016-2019 so you have to like their chances. Since losing at Providence in early-December Coach John Becker has gone 18-1 with only a 1-PT OT loss on the road on Valentine’s Day. Since the higher seed will host each tourney game in which they play, Vermont cannot wait to welcome teams to Patrick Gymnasium where they have not lost a single home game this season. Experience counts in March and a team that starts 5 seniors knows the importance of playing your best basketball at the end of the season.
Atlantic Sun tourney predicted champ: Jacksonville State (#2 seed)
Dates: March 1-8
Location: Campus sites
2021 tourney champ: Liberty (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Liberty has won this tourney 3 years in a row
Seeding: 10 of past 11 champs were top-2 seed
It would be easy to pick Liberty to win its 4th straight tourney but the Gamecocks served notice that they are for real in late-January with a 10-PT win at Lynchburg. They win a lot of games via the 3-PT shot, as their 39.3 3P% is #3 in the nation. Coach Ray Harper has plenty of postseason success to rely on: he won a pair of D-2 titles in 1999/2001, followed by back-to-back NAIA titles in 2007/2008. He just better hope that none of his tourney games end up being a FT-shooting contest, as his opponents this year have made a 4th-best-in-the-nation 77.8 FT% Give me Liberty or give me death…on 2nd thought just give me Jacksonville State! 
Big South tourney predicted champ: Longwood (#1 seed)
Dates: March 2-6
Location: Charlotte, NC
2021 tourney champ: Winthrop (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Winthrop has won this tourney 3 times in past 5 years
Seeding: 4 of past 5 champs were top-2 seed
History says that Winthrop will win its 4th tourney in the past 6 years, but Longwood says otherwise. I am still unsure how Coach Griff Aldrich flipped the script after 3 straight losing seasons but the Lancers finished 1st in the North Division and have lost exactly 1 game since Christmas. The X-factor for this team is their health, as Justin Hill/Leslie Nkereuwem both missed a pair of games earlier this month due to injuries. Hill scored 29 PTS in their 4-PT win over Winthrop in January so if he brings his A-game then they should be able to lance the Eagles
CAA tourney predicted champ: Towson (#2 seed)
Dates: March 5-8
Location: Washington, DC
2021 tourney champ: Drexel (#6 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs since 2017
Seeding: 5 of past 6 champs were top-2 seed
The sentimental pick (as always) is the Tribe because they are 1 of only 4 original D-1 schools (along with Army/Citadel/St. Francis NY) who have never made the NCAA tourney. Towson has lost 3 games since early-December and all 3 losses were by 5 PTS or less. Coach Pat Skerry only won 4 games last season but has made a complete turnaround this year by winning 23 games (with 1 game left vs. Delaware on Monday). Each of his top-8 scorers are juniors/seniors so he has nothing to worry about when it comes to veteran leadership. The Tigers did blow a 12-PT lead to UNC-Wilmington at home last month but they had more AST/BLK/3PM than the Seahawks so as long as they can get to the FT line then they have a good shot at winning their 1st-ever CAA tourney title.
Horizon tourney predicted champ: Purdue Fort Wayne (#2 seed)
Dates: March 1-8
Location: Campus sites and Indianapolis, IN
2021 tourney champ: Cleveland State (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Northern Kentucky has won this tourney 3 times in past 5 years
Seeding: each of past 4 champs were top-2 seed
It is hard to NOT pick the Norse (who have won this tourney 3 times in 4 years) or the Vikings (who are the #1 seed), but it is also hard to overlook the ridiculous run that the Mastodons are on. Coach Jon Coffman finished January with back-to-back losses on the road, but since then he has won 9 in a row including a triple-OT win over Cleveland State after overcoming a 14-PT 2nd half deficit! They start 5 seniors including 5’8” PG Damian Chong-Qui, who already showed that he can deliver in March when he scored 14 PTS in last year’s 1st 4 as a player at Mt. St. Mary’s.
MVC tourney predicted champ: Missouri State (#2 seed)
Dates: March 3-6
Location: St. Louis, MO
2021 tourney champ: Loyola Chicago (#1 seed)
Fun fact: only 2 champs since 2018 are Bradley/Loyola-Chicago
Seeding: 5 of past 7 champs were not #1 seed
#1 seeds have not fared well in this tourney so instead of Northern Iowa I will go with the Bears. They already have wins over Bradley/Drake/Loyola-Chicago and only lost to Northern Iowa by a single point last month. Their FT shooting will keep them in any game as their 79.6 FT% is #7 in the nation, and JR G Isiaih Mosley exploded for 40+ PTS in multiple games last month. Coach Dana Ford has never made the NCAA tourney but finally won more than 20 games for the 1st time in his career so this might be the year that he gets there. 
NEC predicted champ: Bryant (#1 seed)
Dates: February 28-March 8
Location: Campus sites
2021 tourney champ: Mt. St. Mary’s (#4 seed)
Fun fact: only 4 champs in past 14 years are Fairleigh Dickinson/Long Island/Mount St. Mary’s/Robert Morris
Seeding: each of past 22 champs were top-4 seed
Even though there have only been 4 different champs during the past 13 years, Bryant/Wagner have separated themselves from the rest of this field. Just a few days ago Wagner was looking like the best pick after beating Bryant in OT last month…but the Seahawks stubbed all of their toes down the stretch by losing 3 of their final 5 games. In contrast, since that OT loss to begin the month of January the Bulldogs have won 13 of 14 and avenged their loss to Wagner by winning the rematch at home on Saturday. Coach Jared Grasso’s team is not that great from behind the arc (30.7 3P%), but instead of kissing their chances goodbye they just need to get the ball to the leading scorer in the nation (Peter Kiss, who is scoring 25.1 PPG).
OVC predicted champ: Murray State (#1 seed)
Dates: March 2-5
Location: Evansville, IN
2021 tourney champ: Morehead State (#2 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs in past 6 years
Seeding: each of past 4 champs were top-2 seed
This is technically a 3-team race between Murray State/Morehead State/Belmont with each having a legitimate chance to win it all. However, even though Belmont has been in the title game during each of the past 4 years, the Racers’ only loss since Thanksgiving is at Auburn and they beat both of the other top contenders by double-digits last month. Coach Matt McMahon went 13-13 last year but is dominating this year by defending the 3-PT line as his team’s 29.7 3P% allowed is top-25 in the nation. Big man KJ Williams just set a career-high a couple of weeks ago with 39 PTS in a win at Tennessee State, and if you double-team him then Tevin Brown will make you pay from long range as his 39.3 3P% is best in the conference.
Patriot predicted champ: Colgate (#1 seed)
Dates: March 1-9
Location: Campus sites
2021 tourney champ: Colgate (#2 seed)
Fun fact: Colgate has made title game in each of past 4 years
Seeding: each of past 5 champs were top-3 seed
Navy is the sentimental favorite: it would be quite a sight to see the Midshipmen win this tourney for the 1st time since 1998. However, my own sentiment lies with my fellow Penn alum Matt Langel, who has been in the title game during each of the past 4 years. The play “Hamilton” was a smash hit on Broadway and the home-cooking that the Raiders will get while playing each of their postseason games in the city of Hamilton as the higher seed should pay similar dividends. They were 4-10 in early-January but have looked great since then with only a single loss on the road by 4 PTS thanks to a 39.1 3P% that is #5 in the nation. Few things keep a coach calmer in March than a SR PG and Colgate has 1 of the best in the business in Nelly Cummings (14.6 PPG/3.4 APG/36.8 3P%/82.1 FT%).
SoCon predicted champ: Samford (#3 seed)
Dates: March 4-7
Location: Asheville, NC
2021 tourney champ: UNC-Greensboro (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 3 different champs in past 3 years
Seeding: UNCG has made title game in 4 of past 5 years
Chattanooga seemed to be running away with this league, especially after sweeping Furman a couple of weeks ago, but then pulled a 180 with consecutive home losses in mid-February. In contrast, Samford started conference play 1-6 but has won 9 of 11 since then to become the hottest team in the conference. Coach Bucky McMillan only won 6 games in his debut season last year but knows exactly what it takes to win in March: as a high school coach in Alabama won a trio of 7A championships, a pair of 6A championships, and was named national boys basketball COY in 2018. He does not have a single SR among his top-7 scorers, but he does have a transfer from Florida in Ques Glover who has turned into the best PG in the league (19.1 PPG/4.4 APG). 
Summit predicted champ: South Dakota State (#1 seed)
Dates: March 5-8
Location: Sioux Falls, SD
2021 tourney champ: Oral Roberts (#4 seed)
Fun fact: North Dakota State has made title game each of past 3 years
Seeding: 3 of past 5 champs were #4 seed
The Jackrabbits owned this tourney from 2012-2018 when they won it 5 times in 7 years but they have not even made the title game during each of the past 3 years. That should change next month because since losing at Missouri State in mid-December they have won 18 in a row. There is no secret to their success: they are the best 3-PT shooting team in the nation at 44.3 3P%. Most mid-major teams rely on upperclassmen but the X-factor for South Dakota State just might be FR Zeke Mayo. He went to high school less than 1 mile from Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS, but has been a great fit in Brookings: he has not lost a single game since entering the starting lineup right before Christmas and has only missed 2 FTs during his college career!
Sun Belt predicted champ: Georgia State (#3 seed)
Dates: March 3-7
Location: Pensacola, FL
2021 tourney champ: Appalachian State (#4 seed)
Fun fact: Georgia State has made title game each of past 3 years
Seeding: 3 of past 4 champs were not #1 seed
The Panthers began this month 2-5 in conference play but won each of their final 7 regular season games to turn things around at the right time. This tournament has not been kinds to #1 seeds, so even though Texas State has won 9 in a row the pick is Georgia State. Coach Rob Lanier has finished with a winning record in each of his 3 years in Atlanta and is getting it done with defense despite allowing 37.9 3P%. He starts a bunch of juniors/seniors including a trio of guards who do a little of everything: Kane Williams/Corey Allen/Justin Roberts are each averaging more than 11 PPG/3 RPG/2 APG.
WCC predicted champ: Gonzaga (#1 seed)
Dates: March 3-8
Location: Las Vegas, NV
2021 tourney champ: Gonzaga (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Gonzaga has won 18 titles in past 24 years and finished 2nd each of the other 6 times
Seeding: 21 of past 23 champs were top-2 seed
While St. Mary’s deserves a ton of credit for pulling off a great upset on Saturday night, Coach Mark Few’s dominance of this conference since taking over in Spokane in 1999 remains almost incomprehensible: 21 straight NCAA tourney appearances (not counting the COVID cancellation), 21 regular season titles, 17 conference tourney titles, and a 14-time conference COY. The Bulldogs have lost exactly 4 regular season conference games during the past 6 YEARS so the smart money in Vegas is not on the rest of the field. They have a senior who can score from inside (Drew Timme: 58.3 FG%), a freshman who can shoot from outside (Chet Holmgren: 43.8 3P%), and a SR PG who runs the offense to perfection (Andrew Nembhard: 5.5 APG).