Predicting The Winner of Each Major Conference Tournament

Champ Week is arguably the best week on the College Basketball Calendar due to so many teams playing so many games with their seasons on the line. This season has provided so much parody in the sport, with a handful of different teams that can cut down the nets and that chaos is bound to continue this week. Here are picks and what to watch for, in each Power 6 Conference Tournament!

ACC: Duke (-135)

The College Basketball Universe was left in nothing but utter shock, after North Carolina ruined the final home game of Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s legendary career. Despite the incredible atmosphere that included more than 80 of his former Duke players, North Carolina was able to do the impossible and earn their biggest win of the season. From the start of the game being delayed on ESPN due to Texas Kansas going to overtime to Coach K’s Ceremony taking place after a loss, not many things went as planned in Durham on Saturday. That is exactly what the faces of the Duke players said during the somewhat post game ceremony. It is a legitimate question, if they will be able to recover from experiencing the pressure of losing a gem first hand, of that importance of a magnitude.

The thing to keep in mind with Duke is that they are still a very young team. The Blue Devils consist of 3 Freshman, a sophomore and a Junior who has never played in an NCAA Tournament game before. Despite being one of the most talented teams in the country, Duke has had some moments where they look unbeatable and others like Saturday that were head scratching. It was apparent that the pressure of the big game against North Carolina really got to them, opposed to the Tar Heels who could not have played more loosely. The bottom line is, Duke should come out as hungry as ever while playing against teams they are clearly better than. This was the first season since 2006, that Duke was able to take home an outright ACC Regular Season Conference Title. While nothing should be taken away from the Blue Devils, a lot of that had to do with the fact that this is the worst the ACC Conference has been in a while. Despite having 5 NCAA Tournament teams, the odds suggest it is going to be tough to make a deep run if you’re not Duke. While Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Miami and North Carolina have all had moments, like Duke there has not been too many consistent stretches of great play. The Blue Devils are a team with likely 4 NBA First Round picks and there won’t be a team in this ACC seeded anything close to the on Selection Sunday.

Big Ten: Iowa +400

For the second year in a row, there are going to be at least 8 NCAA Tournament teams from the Big Ten. Unlike last year, this version of the Big Ten may have some teams bound for a deep run in March and a lot of that has to do with the star players in this league. Although Johnny Davis took home Big Ten Player of the Year and will likely be in the running for National Player of the Year, there is another Athletic Forward that can score the ball in this tournament. Iowa’s Keegan Murray has turned into not only one of the most improved players in the country but also one of the best. The 6’8 Sophomore has gone from averaging 7.3 points in 18 minutes per game, to 23.3 points in 31.4 minutes per game this season.

With Luka Garza leading the way in 2021, Iowa was able to secure a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before the disappointing Round of 32 loss to Oregon. Iowa’s defense had struggled for the entirety of the season and as soon as they got punched in the mouth, the dream season was over before the second weekend. As crazy as it may sound, this Iowa team is built better for a long tournament run thanks to their defense. The Hawkeyes currently rank 131 in defensive efficiency, which is much improved compared to ranking #209 a season ago. Iowa’s value in this Big Ten Tournament is inflated due to the fact that Iowa will have to win 4 games in 4 days in order to take this home. With the first game being a likely win against Nebraska or Northwestern along with Rutgers in the Quarterfinals, Iowa does not have a bad draw at all. The Hawkeyes were able to go into Champaign Illinois on Saturday and compete from start to finish with an Illini team attempting to win a Big Ten Title. Simply put, last year’s Iowa team would not have the mental toughness or fortitude and with a 3rd matchup possibly on the way in the Semifinals, Iowa will definitely be ready to play. For a coach that gets a lot of hate, Fran McCaffery is in the process of completing one of the better coaching jobs in his entire career.

Big East: UConn +330

UConn enters New York City as the #3 seed in the Big East Tournament. Connecticut’s history playing at Madison Square Garden has been very kind to the Huskies, and their fans will make their presence known. Having the Huskies back in the Big East, has really added some appeal back to the Big East and this will be the first Big East Tournament UConn will be participating in with fans since 2012. Danny Hurley’s team, will also enter the Big East Tournament playing very well of late, winning 6 out of their last 7 games including wins over Villanova, Seton Hall and Xavier during that stretch.

Point Guard RJ Cole, has done a phenomenal job being someone that can be relied upon with the ball in his hands, especially during the big moments. UConn was able to show they are a mentally tough team, by finding a way to beat Villanova after trailing by 4 with a minute to play and their coach unreasonably got ejected early in the first half. Connecticut has also proven they can play with anyone in the country, as they own a win over an Auburn team that won the outright SEC Championship. Unfortunately, UConn finds themselves in the more difficult lower part of the bracket and a likely quarter finals matchup with Villanova stands in the way of getting to the championship game. However, with a home court like advantage and players such as RJ Cole and Adama Sanogo who have tournament experience, this Huskies team has as good a shot as anyone to take this Tournament. This is a team that has dealt with injuries all season and could be waiting to peak at just the right time.

Big 12: Kansas +260

The odds would suggest that the winner of the Big 12 Tournament is a toss up, between the top 2 seeds Kansas and Baylor. A possible #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament will likely be at play in Kansas City and both teams will come out ready to roll. Although Kansas has not looked particularly great in their last 3 games which included a loss at TCU, all 3 came in a 7 day stretch. With some much needed rest at the most important time, Kansas will have the best player in the tournament along with the best coach and a legitimate home court advantage. The encouraging recent development for Kansas, has been the fact that they are winning games despite Ochai Agbaji not playing his best. Saturday against Texas, The Big 12 Player of the Year finished his Senior Day with 8 points on 1/11 shooting from the field, and Kansas still found a way to win. With other guys like Jalen Wilson and Cristian Braun starting to play their best basketball of the season, Kansas should be coming on entering the postseason.

While Baylor is also an intriguing option at +220, however only having 6 healthy players to rely on is a concern. For Kansas, depth is not a problem at all as Bill Self has finalized his primary 8-9 man rotation. Point Guard play has been an intriguing situation for Kansas since the start of the season, and that has not changed. DaJuan Harris is someone who Bill Self will always trust with the ball in his hands, and very rarely will make a mistake to cost the team. Arizona State Transfer, Remy Martin is also now healthy and back in the mix but has not fit well within the Kansas system. The 2021 Preseason Pac 12 Player of the Year, has only averaged only 2.2 points in 8.2 minutes per game since returning from injury on February 26th. Coming off the bench, could be what Kansas ultimately needs from Martin, as at this point in the season it would be very hard to believe Remy can return to ASU form. With so many factors in their favor, Kansas will be the pick in the Big 12.

Pac 12: Arizona -135

First year Wildcats Head Coach Tommy Lloyd has done a phenomenal job with this Arizona team, leading them to a Pac 12 Regular Season Title. Arizona is on the the fringe of getting a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, securing one with a win in this tournament. That is why Arizona will be winning this tournament, they have everything to play for. Similar to Duke in the ACC, Arizona was by far the best team in their league from start to finish. With that being said, Arizona’s rare losses weren’t to the worst teams, especially in the worst situations. Arizona only had two losses in Pac 12 play, at UCLA and at Colorado. Besides those two tough road games, Arizona was able to dominate the league and that should continue in Las Vegas.

Aside from Arizona, UCLA and USC the Pac 12 does not have any other teams qualified to make the NCAA Tournament, so an auto bid would be the leagues only chance at getting 4 teams in. Oregon had been on the bubble for a majority of Pac 12 play, but taking two losses at the Washington schools officially eliminated any hope. With future NBA Lottery Pick Benedict Mathurin leading the way along with defensive anchor Chrsitan Koloko. The Wildcats will have the winner of Stanford/ Arizona State, before likely drawing Oregon in the semi finals, with a matchup with UCLA or USC likely after. There is a very slim chance that Arizona will not find themselves in the Championship game of the Pac 12 Tournament, especially with their fans back in play. Arizona has won 3 out of the last 7 Pac 12 titles and their fan base making the trip to Las Vegas has a lot to do with it. There is not a team in this league I can see challenging the Wildcats, when they are playing with something so important on the line like a number one seed. With Azuolas Tubelis getting more and more healthy plus the overall talent level, the Wildcats will play in Las Vegas.

SEC: Kentucky +200

John Calipari always has his teams playing at their best going into March and that has contributed to Kentucky being very successful in this event under Calipari. The Wildcats have won 6 SEC Tournaments since Coach Cal took over in 2010. This year Kentucky has been one of the best teams in the country for the majority of the season, especially at full strength. The problem is that in their biggest games against LSU, Auburn, Arkansas, and Tennessee either missed games or good players not being at 100% has been a major factor. What makes this Kentucky team so intriguing, is that they have 4 different players that can handle the ball. TyTy Washington is another future lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft, and when he has been on the floor Kentucky has been near unbeatable. In addition the Wildcats have the National Player of the Year Favorite and SEC Player of the Year in Oscar Tshiebwe. There is no better rebounder in the country as the big man is averaging a staggering 15.3 rebounds per game. The Wildcats would likely draw a Tennessee team that they handled by 25+ points in one of the rare games they were healthy earlier in the year. While a lot of the focus this season has been on Coach K and his retirement tour, one of the under the radar stories has been the revenge tour of Kentucky.

Last year, Kentucky was the most disappointing team in all of College Basketball and missed the NCAA Tournament in the process. This year, John Calipari took a different approach to building his roster by using the transfer portal. Oscar along with Kellan Grady (Davidson), Sahvir Wheeler (Georgia) and Davion Mintz (Creighton) are what makes Kentucky so hard to beat. They are experienced guys who have been through all the battles and have experience playing in March. The storyline of just how much John Caliapri has turned this thing around is something that needs to be spoken about more. Especially after some were convinced last season that their team ruling the SEC was over. A possible matchup with Auburn would likely be for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in the championship game that would be absolutely electric. At the end of the day, Kentucky’s elite guard player will make them a tremendous threat to make a deep run in the big dance.