NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 32 conference tournaments for 2018-19
By Connor Hope
Possible Diamonds In The Rough
Every year, a handful of conference tournaments come out of nowhere and provide some of the season’s best moments. These three tournaments are not guaranteed to be that entertaining, but could end up being much better than expected.
24) Northeast Conference (March 6, 9, 12)
It seems like the Northeast Conference always has chaotic regular season, but it doesn’t do much to set itself apart from other smaller conferences in the country. In fact, there are only two player names that I can quickly recall, and that isn’t good for a low-major conference looking to get any amount of national attention.
This lack of name recognition, however, does not mean that the tournament itself will be boring. In fact, the last five years have been relatively fun to watch, with the top-seeded team winning the auto-bid just once. With just four games currently separating first place Saint Francis (PA) from fifth place Bryant, this tournament could once against provide a ton of intrigue to the few fans watching.
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23) Big West Conference (March 14-16)
The Big West Conference Tournament was my personal favorite from last season, with Cal State Fullerton becoming the tenth champion in the last 11 years. The Big West this season should be just as exciting, UC Irvine, CSU Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara all making their mark in conference play. Beyond those, UC Davis, Hawaii, CSU Northridge and even Long Beach State all have to talent to play spoiler in the early rounds.
Don’t listen to what anyone on the East Coast tells you, there are some competitive conferences out West, and the Big West is one of them. Whether you want to see the complete team play of UC Irvine prevail, or you prefer the star players for Fullerton or Santa Barbara, the Big West should provide all fans with a reason to watch. With that said, UC Irvine has controlled the conference for the entire season, and may end up winning the tournament easily.
22) America East Conference (March 9, 12, 16)
If you had listened to me last season, you would have missed one of the best conference tournament finals of the entire season. This year, with UMBC once again trending in the right direction and Stony Brook keeping the regular season race exciting, Vermont may not be as heavily favored. Don’t get me wrong, the Catamounts are still the team to beat in the America East Tournament, but I am not counting out the possibility of an upset.
Even if it is an expected tournament championship for Vermont, that does not mean there won’t be other reasons to watch. If Anthony Lamb alone doesn’t get you excited enough, there are plenty of other excellent players in this conference. Also, let’s remember that the first 16-seed to beat a 1-seed came out of the America East, so let’s all keep an eye on this tournament.