It is the most wonderful time of the year. Yeah, that’s right, March. A season that has been just about crazy enough is about to get a whole lot wackier. Selection Sunday is less than a week away, and yet nothing is a guarantee (except for the automatic bids, of course). In the next two weeks, you will begin to see students in the lunchroom crowded around that one kid who found a way to stream all the games on his chromebook and an unusually large amount of kids sneaking their phones out in class to catch all the action. The Madness is only beginning. College basketball fans, get ready for the most exciting couple weeks of the year. There are five tournaments that could really change the landscape of the March Madness bracket. Here is what you need to watch.

Big East:

You could throw this conference in the category of being extremely unpredictable. If one conference has depth, it is the Big East. With the exception of DePaul, there is not one bad team, and even the Blue Demons took Xavier to the brink in Chicago this past Saturday. St. John’s, who finished second to last, beat Duke, Villanova, and came just short of upsetting Xavier. Again, this is a team that finished ninth in a ten team conference. Five teams could be considered locks to make the tournament, while Marquette and Providence are both very much on the bubble. With a win over DePaul on Wednesday, the Golden Eagles would play Villanova. That would be their deciding game. If they can beat the Wildcats, I have no doubt in my mind they will be in the field of 68. If not, then you can find them in the NIT tournament. As for Providence, they must get by Creighton. In order to do that, Rodney Bullock and Kyron Cartwright will need to show some leadership.

Now, down to the nitty gritty. Who takes the crown? Let’s start by addressing the favorites. The Xavier Musketeers dominated the Big East, except for Villanova. Even their game at home against the Wildcats wasn’t even close. If the Musketeers can get past the quarterfinals, they will have an extremely tough semi-final matchup no matter who they play. Providence beat them and Creighton only lost by one on a controversial call. I can see an upset happening, but at the same time, I can’t. With plenty of depth and senior leadership, X will appear in the title game. Now for the other elite program–Villanova. I like them to get by the winner of DePaul/Marquette, but it ends when they take on Seton Hall for a couple reasons. First, revenge. Last year the Pirates would’ve won the tournament, but Angel Delgado missed a layup as the buzzer sounded. Think that gives them extra motivation? How about their overtime loss to Nova last week? No team wants this more than Seton Hall. They are hot coming into the tournament and will make a run to the title. As long as Xavier doesn’t have to meet Villanova in the championship, this tournament is theirs. They know how to beat any team in the Big East. It doesn’t matter if it’s Seton Hall, Butler, Marquette, or DePaul, as long as they don’t have to play Nova, they will win the Big East Championship adding to their remarkable season.

Winner:

Xavier

Biggest Upset:

Seton Hall beats Villanova

Big 12:

I’ll open by saying this: Kansas will not win the Big 12 tournament. The Jayhawks have now won 14 straight regular season championships, but have not always been successful in the tournaments. Thursday afternoon they will have to take on the winner of Oklahoma/Oklahoma State. This is one of those play-in games that will determine KU’s fate. I like them against the Sooners, but not against the Cowboys. OSU didn’t just beat them twice this year, the blew them out in each game. Nothing indicates to me that the result would be any different. So with the Jayhawks gone, then who’s the favorite? Really any team could win it. Along with Kansas, Texas Tech will be out in the quarterfinals. The Texas Longhorns played them tight in both of their match-ups this season and are on the bubble, which will likely provide them with extra motivation. In the top half of the bracket, I like TCU to make it to the championship. They have enough talent with Vladimir Brodziansky and Desmond Bane, but the absence of Jaylen Fisher is going to hurt them in the title game. In the bottom half of the bracket, West Virginia is the most talented team. They are healthy, have experience, and have a complete, all-around team. Jevon Carter is going to lead this team to the Big 12 title. They should have no problem with Baylor, and even if they have to play Texas Tech in the semi-finals they will win. This team will show why they have a chance to be dangerous during March Madness. The Mountaineers will claim their first ever conference tournament championship.

Winner:

West Virginia

Biggest Upset:

Oklahoma State beats Kansas

ACC:

The ACC has a chance to yet again, be the conference that sends the most teams to the big dance. In other words, this tournament is stacked. The main question coming in to the tournament is: can anyone knock off Virginia? The Cavaliers will either take on Louisville or Florida State in the quarterfinals. I don’t see the Seminoles having a chance, but the Cardinals surely do. Last week, they lost to Virginia on maybe one of the luckiest sequences of events this year. They know how to beat them, but remember, that game was at home. If these teams do take on each other, Louisville will have a halftime lead, but then blow it in the final ten minutes. At that point, I can see the Cavaliers coasting to the conference championship. The bottom half of the bracket is where things get interesting. There is one team in particular that I want to feature. That is Notre Dame. Their superstar, Bonzie Colson, missed the majority of the year due to an injury, but just came back last week and dropped 24 on Virginia. This team was talented even without him. If they can get to the quarterfinals, I am taking them over Duke for a few reasons: They are dangerous when they are healthy; they would’ve already played two games and will catch the Blue Devils off guard; and they are a bubble team, which provides extra motivation. Their run will end in the semi-finals where I am anticipating a Virginia-North Carolina championship showdown, but if they are to get that far, it should put them in the tournament. I won’t sugar coat it. The Virginia Cavaliers are just too good. I think Duke, North Carolina, and even Notre Dame could give them a test, but as they say, defense wins championships. The Cavaliers defense is unmatched. They will take the crown.

Winner:

Virginia

Biggest Upset:

Notre Dame beats Duke

SEC:

The SEC bracket looks a lot different than it has in the years past. Kentucky is a four seed, Auburn is #1 overall and Tennessee follows them. According to Joe Lunardi, 8 of the 14 teams are projected to make the tournament, which means the conference has depth. There isn’t any strong favorite to win the tournament, but there are some sleepers to keep an eye on. Texas A&M had an up and down season, but are coming into the tournament on a three-game win streak. They beat Auburn earlier this year, and I like them to do it again in the SEC tournament. Tyler Davis is going to have a coming out party and will lift them past the Tigers and onto the semi-finals where I believe they will play a matured Kentucky program. The Florida Gators are another hot team coming into the tournament. They have won their past three games and don’t have a terribly difficult path to the championship. The toughest team they could come across in the bottom half of the bracket is Tennessee, but they are just as talented, if not more so than the Volunteers, who get a lot of help from former Zion-Benton Zee-Bee Admiral Schofield. That brings us to the championship game. Kentucky and Florida just played each other last week. The Gators took care of the Wildcats at home thanks to a dominating performance from Jalen Hudson, who put up 22 points. In order to take down the Cats again, Keith Stone needs to make his presence known in the paint, and Chris Chiozza needs to get more involved. I like the Gators to take the SEC, no matter who they face. Keep an eye on this team in the tournament.

Winner:

Florida

Biggest Upset:

Texas A&M beats Auburn

Pac-12:

This may just be the most important tournament in regards to who makes the March Madness tournament. Five Pac-12 teams are currently on the bubble: UCLA, USC, Utah, Arizona State, and Washington’s fates all depend on this tournament. That leaves Arizona as the only lock to make it. Breaking down the top half of the bracket, there are two bubble teams. The Arizona State Sun Devils can start playing for seeding if they knock off Colorado, while UCLA will have some work to do. To punch a ticket to March Madness, they must make it to the championship. A win over either Stanford or California may be good enough for a first four game, which is something the program wants to avoid. As for the other half of the bracket and the three remaining bubble teams, one potential quarterfinal game will be pivotal. With a win over Oregon State, Washington will take on USC, a game that will likely decide who makes the tournament, and who goes to the NIT. This is a game that you would refer to as a coin flip, but I would give the slight edge to the Huskies. Jaylen Nowell and Noah Dickerson have been the main reason why Washington is in the spot they are in now. Lastly, there is Utah. A win in the quarterfinals may not be enough for them, and therefore, I would put them in the category of one of the first four out. Washington will make a cinderella story run to the championship, but Arizona will end up spoiling the party. There is not one team in the Pac-12 that matches the talent of the Wildcats. I like them over the Huskies.

Winner:

Arizona

Biggest Upset(s):

Washington beats USC and Utah

Last Week:

(12-7)

Overall Record:

(153-83)