NCAA Basketball: Predicting winners for all 2021 conference tournaments
By Bryan Mauro
SWAC
Champion: Prairie View A&M Panthers
The Panthers were at one point one of the worst programs in the SWAC, then Byron Smith took the program over and he has built them into one of the premier programs in the conference and they are currently the best team in the SWAC and that is due in large part to a key transfer player who was made eligible earlier this season.
Nebraska transfer Cam Mack is currently playing like the SWAC Player of the Year and if he had played every game would lead the country in assists. The Panthers are great on defense and have yet to really be challenged in the SWAC and likely won’t in the tournament either.
Sleeper: Texas Southern Tigers
Texas Southern under Johnny Jones has been a place where players who didn’t work out for whatever reason at their previous high major Division 1 school. The Tigers have been one of the more competitive teams in the SWAC for a while. This year the team has underachieved given the talent on the roster, but they still have one of the more talented teams in the league and could make a run if some of the top teams get eliminated and don’t play well.
Michael Weathers is now on his third school in only three years of playing time and he leads the Tigers in almost every category. Texas Southern has won six of their last seven and is playing much better overall, when they are playing well they are always dangerous.
The Summit League
Champion: North Dakota State Bison
The Bison are looking for their third straight Summit League championship and second NCAA tournament appearance in the last three seasons. North Dakota State did qualify for the NCAA tournament last year before the season was canceled. North Dakota State didn’t start the season off very strong but once Summit League play started they continued their dominance in the league from the jump.
The Summit is going to be a one-bid league, and likely going to be a 16 seed. North Dakota State also likes to play slow and they don’t do much flashy. Senior big man Rocky Kreuser leads the way for the Bison who will grind you out and muck a game up.
Sleeper: Oral Eagles Golden Eagles
The Summit League has been dominated by North Dakota State for the last handful of years and they are going to be really tough to dethrone but if there is anyone other than the top teams to do it, that team is Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles score over 80 points per game and have two great players who carry the bulk of the load and one of them has a chance to be the Summit League Player of the Year in Kevin Obanor.
Obanor is a load inside and Max Abmas is the point guard who makes the team go and he is one of the best scorers in the country. These two can do some damage and carry Oral Roberts to a championship.