Predicting Winners In College Basketball Conference Tournaments This Week

You can’t tell me that college basketball conference tournaments for power conferences don’t matter. Yes, a lot of the teams in action this week have already made their bed when it comes to NCAA college basketball Tournament selection. But we will still get a high-volume of quality games on at all hours of the day. And every now and then, we get a 2024 NC State run. A team that goes from a complete afterthought, an 11-seed in their own conference, to punching a bid to the dance and making it to the Final Four. Good luck telling DJ Burns that this week doesn’t matter. Here are our picks to win the college basketball conference tournaments this week:

Big Ten:

Feb 11, 2026; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) reacts after scoring against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Michigan

The loaded Big Ten has four teams that rank in the top-10 on KenPom, which no other league has the distinction of. But of that top tier, Michigan is a tier of their own. They’re the only team in the league that ranks in the top-3 in the conference in offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency. Will anyone be able to figure out how to handle the frontcourt trio of Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson, and Aday Mara

America East:

UMBC

This is a case of one team in a mid-major conference being significantly better than everyone else. And the Terriers will have the added benefit of getting to play the Championship game on their home floor. Can they repeat the magic of 2018?

ACC:

Duke

Yeah, yeah, I know I’m picking the 1-seed here. But I just can’t envision anyone else in this league beating Duke for a 40-minute game right now. It will be a Cam Boozer coronation in Charlotte as the Blue Devils cruise to the #1 overall seed on Selection Sunday

SWAC:

Bethune-Cookman Wildcats guard Arterio Morris (1) takes a jump shot as the Auburn Tigers take on Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. Auburn Tigers defeated Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 95-90.

Bethune Cookman

The Wildcats started the season off by taking Auburn to overtime in the Jungle, and it would be incredibly ironic if this season ended with Bethune Cookman dancing and Auburn sitting at home. A conference like this can be dominated by one player, and former Texas and Kansas shooting guard Arterio Morris could absolutely take over this tournament.

MEAC:

Howard

The MEAC rates as the worst conference in America by a full four points in KenPom rating. But that doesn’t mean that all of the teams in it are bad — Howard is actually a full 100 spots ahead of their next closest competition. Bison fans, you can go ahead and book your hotel in Dayton for the First Four.

MAC:

Akron

Miami gets all of the headlines because of their unbeaten run, but it’s actually Akron who has played the tougher schedule, has the better wins, and has been more thoroughly dominant in the MAC than the Redhawks. If they had gotten to play Miami at home, they may have stopped the unbeaten streak. I expect John Groce, Tavari Johnson, and the Mahaffey brothers to end the streak in the MAC title game and punch their own ticket to the dance — and force Miami to sweat out Selection Sunday.

Conference USA:

Dec 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Liberty Flames forward Zach Cleveland (25) dribbles the ball guarded by NC State Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland (11) during the second half of the game at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Liberty

Ritchie McKay’s squad has a glaring weakness — they’re short. They’re the 2nd-shortest team in all of Division I, to be exact. But I don’t think anyone in the league has figured out how to take advantage, as Zach Cleveland has played the small-ball 5 so perfectly that he’ll likely be the CUSA POTY.

Big 12:

Kansas

I’m going out on a limb on this one and hoping that Bill Self and Darryn Peterson have finally figured things out. The Jayhawks are actually the only team in the league who has beaten four of the top-5 teams, as they own wins over Arizona, Texas Tech, Houston, and Iowa State (and obviously can’t beat themselves).

WAC:

Cal Baptist

If you are a fan of small guards who are absolutely electric with the ball in their hands, I’d like to introduce you to 5’10” Dominique Daniels of Cal Baptist. He’s the type of player who could become a March legend. Plus, with all of the drama surrounding Utah Valley, you know the WAC would love to see another team win the tournament.

Mountain West:

San Diego State

Can we just have none of these teams make the NCAA Tournament? No conference has underachieved more in the NCAA Tournament this decade than the MWC, and their record is propped up by a few Brian Dutcher masterclass runs by SDSU. Don’t look now, but this year’s Aztecs are now fully healthy and need to win to go dancing.

Big West:

Mar 23, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Aidan Mahaney (20) drives to the basket during the second half against the Florida Gators in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

UC Santa Barbara

Remember Aidan Mahaney? The wily point guard who started for two years at Saint Mary’s? Well, he’s at UC Santa Barbara now, and he leads the conference’s best offense. The top 8 teams in the league are power-rated within 10 points of each other on KenPom, so expect some chaos in this bracket!

Atlantic 10:

Dayton

The preseason favorite Flyers went through a rut when they had some injuries, but they finished the season 7-2 in their last 9 games, only losing to VCU. Good news for the Flyers — VCU is on the opposite side of the bracket, and they’re actually 6-2 against teams on their half. French Stretch 5 Amael L’Etang could help lead the Flyers to their first A10 Tournament Championship in over 20 years, which is a stat that doesn’t feel like it could possibly be true, but is.

SEC:

Florida

Picking against Florida right now would feel like stepping in front of a freight train. I’m not about to do that. The Gators have won 11 straight heading into Nashville, and the much-maligned backcourt of Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland are living up to expectations.

Ivy League:

Yale

The Bulldogs are turning into a dynasty in the Ivy, and they retained much of the core from their previous two NCAA Tournament teams. They’re about 9 points better than the rest of the league, per KenPom, and will have the benefit of playing the championship on their home floor.

American:

Tulsa

The Golden Hurricane are finishing the season strong, beating UTSA, Tulane, and ECU by more than 25 points. They have the league’s highest-rated offense, and arguably the best dynamic duo in Tylen Riley and David Green.