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 15 conference tourneys that will be getting underway before March 6th. Tweet us if you have any comments, and check back next weekend for his picks concerning the 17 other conference tourneys.
America East tourney predicted champ: Vermont (#1 seed)
Dates: March 4-11
Location: Campus sites
2022 tourney champ: Vermont (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Vermont has won this tourney 3 times in past 5 years that it was played
Seeding: 5 of past 7 champs were #1-seed
The Catamounts struggled out of the gate by losing 2 of their 1st 4 in conference play but have been rolling since then and should pick up their 12th straight win since mid-January on Tuesday vs. Albany. Coach John Becker has made the title game 5 of the past 6 years that this tourney has been played so nobody will be able to out-coach him in March. 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 lost exactly 1 home game all 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, as well as holding onto the ball: their 9.6 TO/game is top-5 in the nation.
Atlantic Sun tourney predicted champ: Kennesaw State (#1 seed)
Dates: February 27-March 5
Location: Campus sites
2022 tourney champ: Bellarmine (#2 seed)
Fun fact: New format this year with re-seeding in all rounds rather than set bracket
Seeding: Each of past 6 champs were top-2 seed
Liberty and Kennesaw State are the best 2 teams in this league by far so it will probably come down to 1 of them. They only played once this year and the Owls won by 7 PTS at home on February 16th so the pick is Kennesaw State. Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim was 1-28 in his debut season in 2020 but 3 years later he has already shattered the school’s record for most wins in a season during the D-1 era and is actually the only coach in the past 2 decades to have a winning record in Kennesaw. I thought this team was a little too young/too short to win it all this year, but if they can beat the Flames while letting Darius McGhee score 43 PTS then I guess anything is possible. Give me Liberty or give me death…on 2nd thought just give me Kennesaw State! 
Big Sky tourney predicted champ: Eastern Washington (#1 seed)
Dates: March 4-8
Location: Boise, ID
2022 tourney champ: Montana State (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs in past 6 tourneys
Seeding: Each of past 11 champs were top-2 seed
This tourney likes top-2 seeds and Eastern Washington swept Montana State this year so I guess we have to go with the Eagles. In fairness, the Eagles have looked unstoppable recently due to an 18-game winning streak that had been the longest in the nation until they stubbed their toe at Idaho last Saturday. Coach David Riley had never even been a head coach as of 2 years ago, but since replacing Shantay Legans in 2021 he has proven that a 34-year old can come in and win games right from the start. 1 of the “biggest” factors in his success is the size of his roster, with each of his top-8 scorers standing 6’5” or taller. That is also why they are so good around the basket: their 58.4 2P% is top-5 in the nation.
Big South tourney predicted champ: UNC-Asheville (#1 seed)
Dates: March 1-5
Location: Charlotte, NC
2022 tourney champ: Longwood (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 4 different champs in past 5 years
Seeding: 5 of past 6 champs were top-2 seed
UNC-Asheville has not won this tourney since 2016, which was also the last time they made the title game. They have been rising to the level of their competition all year, sweeping the season series against each of the other top-3 seeds (Longwood/Radford). Coach Mike Morrell lost 27 games when he took over in 2019 but has been improving every single year and could become the 1st coach in school history to win 75% of his games in a season. The Bulldogs have been living by the 3 all season: their 39.5 3P% is top-5 in the nation. Unlike a lot of other teams that have a well-balanced lineup, the star of the show is SR PF Drew Pember: the Tennessee transfer and defending conference POY has become an all-around threat with 20.4 PPG/9.2 RPG/2.3 BPG/38.8 3P%.
CAA tourney predicted champ: Towson (#3 seed)
Dates: March 3-7
Location: Washington, DC
2022 tourney champ: Delaware (#5 seed)
Fun fact: 6 different champs in past 6 years
Seeding: Each of past 2 champs were not top-4 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. This is 1 of those fun leagues where you get to pick someone WAY under the radar because that is who often wins it all. Towson coach Pat Skerry has been in this league for a dozen years and has a bunch of seniors who returned from last year’s 25-win squad. It has been a rollercoaster of a season: the Tigers won 8 of their 1st 9, then lost 5 in a row, but have looked pretty solid since then by winning 12 of their final 17 games. 7 of their 11 losses this year were by 7 PTS or less so if their opponents ever stop making 75.1% of their FTs then perhaps Towson will make its 1st NCAA tourney since 1991.
Horizon tourney predicted champ: Northern Kentucky (#4 seed)
Dates: February 28-March 7
Location: Campus sites and Indianapolis, IN
2022 tourney champ: Wright State (#4 seed)
Fun fact: only 3 champs in past 6 years are Cleveland State/Northern Kentucky/Wright State
Seeding: 6 of past 7 champs were not #1 seed
Youngstown State has been the class of the league all season but the Penguins have never even made the title game so perhaps they are not ready to ascend to the summit this year. The Norse and Vikings have been hot on their heels all year and both of them split their season series with the Penguins. Cleveland State and Northern Kentucky also split the season series with each other in as close a fashion as possible, with each winning on their home court by a single point. Since I do not like 1st-year coaches, I will give the edge to Darrin Horn over Daniyal Robinson. Northern Kentucky has had 7 straight winning seasons thanks to JR G Marques Warrick having his 3rd straight year with 15+ PPG. The key to their success is defense: 9.5 SPG and 63.3 PPG allowed are both top-30 in the nation.
MVC tourney predicted champ: Drake (#2 seed)
Dates: March 2-5
Location: St. Louis, MO
2022 tourney champ: Loyola Chicago (#4 seed)
Fun fact: only champ since 2018 who is still in this conference is Bradley
Seeding: 3 of past 4 champs were not top-3 seed
Loyola-Chicago has won this tourney in 3 of the past 5 years but they have no chance to make it 4 out of 6…since they now play in the A-10! Drake lost to the Ramblers in each of the past 2 title games so it appears that the path is now clear for them to emerge victorious. They destroyed Bradley in January at home by 25 PTS but lost by double-digits on the road in the regular season finale yesterday. The DeVries family will be well-represented: Coach Darian has won 20+ games during each of his 5 years in charge, while SO SG Tucker is the league’s leading scorer who is shooting better than 37% from behind the arc. The Bulldogs are also not afraid of a close game, as their 77.7 FT% is top-15 in the nation: Love the Drake!
NEC predicted champ: St. Francis PA (#3 seed)
Dates: March 1-7
Location: Campus sites
2022 tourney champ: Bryant (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs in past 5 years
Seeding: 3 of past 5 champs were #4 seed
This tourney has worked out well for #4 seeds recently…but Sacred Heart lost 6 of its final 10 games so let’s pencil in St. Francis PA. The bad news is that they lost all 3 of their games vs. Merrimack/Stonehill this month. The good news is that neither of those 2 schools are eligible to make the NCAA tourney this year. The best news is that JR big man Josh Cohen is the best player in the league: 22 PPG/8.1 RPG/59.1 FG%. Coach Rob Krimmel scheduled several non-conference opponents from power conferences to test his team including Butler/Miami/Ohio State. FR PG Landon Moore has been sidelined since mid-January with a left hand injury but could return any day now to try to save the season.
OVC predicted champ: Morehead State (#1 seed)
Dates: March 1-4
Location: Evansville, IN
2022 tourney champ: Murray State (#1 seed)
Fun fact: only champ since 2002 who is still in this conference is Morehead State
Seeding: each of past 5 champs were top-2 seed
Morehead State is the only champ from the past 2 decades who is still even in this league after the recent exodus of former winners like Belmont/Murray State. The Eagles won 23 games and made the title game during each of the past 2 seasons and if they can stay hot then they should make it 3 in a row. Coach Preston Spradlin started conference play 3-3 but then flipped the switch and won 11 of his final 12. Road trips to Bloomington/Morgantown toughened up this team in early-November and could pay nice dividends in March.
Patriot predicted champ: Colgate (#1 seed)
Dates: February 28-March 8
Location: Campus sites
2022 tourney champ: Colgate (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Colgate has made title game in each of past 5 years
Seeding: each of past 6 champs were top-3 seed
Army is the sentimental favorite: it would be quite a sight to see the Black Knights make the NCAA tourney for the 1st time in their 121-year basketball history. However, my own sentiment lies with my fellow Penn alum Matt Langel, who has been in the title game during each of the past 5 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 receive rave reviews. They only lost 2 home games all year by a combined 12 PTS and their 3-PT shooting remains the best in the nation at 40.7%. Their scoring balance has also been a key as all 5 starters are averaging 10-15 PPG.
SoCon predicted champ: Samford (#2 seed)
Dates: March 3-6
Location: Asheville, NC
2022 tourney champ: Chattanooga (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 4 different champs in past 4 years
Seeding: 7 of past 8 champs were #1-seed
This is a 3-team race and Furman/UNC-Greensboro certainly have strong cases. This tourney likes #1 seeds so the Paladins are certainly a wise choice…but the pick is Samford. Coach Bucky McMillan only won 6 games in his debut season in 2021 but has now won 21+ games in back-to-back seasons. The Bulldogs lost 7 in a row from Thanksgiving to Christmas but have been near-unstoppable since then with 15 wins in 18 games. A lot of teams from non-power conferences have to depend on small guards to succeed but Samford has a powerful pair of big men in Logan Dye/Jermaine Marshall who have combined for 26 PPG/12 RPG.
Southland predicted champ: Nicholls State (#3 or 4 or 5 seed: TBD on Wednesday)
Dates: March 5-8
Location: Lake Charles, LA
2022 tourney champ: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (#4 seed)
Fun fact: 4 different champs since 2017
Seeding: each of past 4 champs were not #1 seed
Northwestern State/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi have been the class of this league all season, but I have a hunch that the Colonels’ chances of winning it all are finger-lickin’ good! Coach Austin Claunch tested his troops in non-conference play with road trips to Arizona/Baylor/Mississippi State/Texas Tech. They did get swept by the Islanders in conference play but split the season series with the Demons. Nicholls State has a defense that can best be described as “active”: the good news is that their 9.7 SPG is top-8 in the nation…but the bad news is that their 20.8 fouls/game is also top-8 in the nation.
Summit predicted champ: Oral Roberts (#1 seed)
Dates: March 3-7
Location: Sioux Falls, SD
2022 tourney champ: South Dakota State (#1 seed)
Fun fact: North Dakota State has made title game each of past 4 years
Seeding: 3 of past 6 champs were #4 seed
Oral Roberts was good enough to win this tourney in 2021 as a #4 seed…so just imagine their chances this year as the #1 seed. Since starting the season 3-3, Coach Paul Mills has won 24 of 25 with only a 1-PT road loss at New Mexico to finish non-conference play in early-January. The offense is on-point as they are top-25 in the nation from each of 1-PT/2-PT/3-PT range, which is no surprise due to SR PG Max Abmas. He should reach the 2500-career PT mark in his tourney opener (placing him among the greatest scorers in the history of this conference), and his FT shooting this year was a career-best 91.4%. For those opponents who think they can outscore the Golden Eagles by getting to the rim on offense, they are in for a sizable surprise in the form of 7’5” big man Connor Vanover, as the Arkansas transfer’s 3.2 BPG is #3 in the nation.
Sun Belt predicted champ: Marshall (#3 seed)
Dates: February 28-March 6
Location: Pensacola, FL
2022 tourney champ: Georgia State (#3 seed)
Fun fact: Georgia State has won 3 of past 4 tourneys
Seeding: 4 of past 5 champs were not #1 seed
This tournament has not been kinds to #1 seeds, but since Southern Miss/Louisiana have both been fading down the stretch I feel that we are Marshall. Coach Dan D’Antoni lost 21 games last year but has made an amazing 1-year turnaround by winning 24 regular season games. The X-factor has been FT shooting: 1 reason the Thundering Herd has a scoring margin of almost 11 PPG is that their opponents have combined to shoot a worst-in-the-country 63.9 FT%. There are only 26 players in the nation averaging at least 20 PPG…and Marshall is the only school with 2 of them in Taevion Kinsey/Andrew Taylor.
WCC predicted champ: Gonzaga (#2 seed)
Dates: March 2-7
Location: Las Vegas, NV
2022 tourney champ: Gonzaga (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Gonzaga has won 19 titles in past 24 years and finished 2nd each of the other 5 times
Seeding: 22 of past 24 champs were top-2 seed
While St. Mary’s deserves a ton of credit for having 1 of the greatest seasons in school history (including an OT win over Gonzaga on February 4th), Coach Mark Few’s dominance of this conference since taking over in Spokane in 1999 remains almost incomprehensible: 22 straight NCAA tourney appearances (not counting the COVID cancellation), 21 regular season titles, and 18 conference tourney titles…which is why he is a 14-time conference COY. Since losing to Purdue on the day after Thanksgiving the Bulldogs have lost 2 games by a single point and a 3rd game in overtime so the smart money in Vegas is not on the rest of the field. SR F Drew Timme has played 127 games in his college career and lost exactly 12 of them so if you like guys who know how to win then this is your guy.