NCAA Basketball: Predicting winners for all 2021 conference tournaments

MAAC

Champion: Siena Saints

The Saints have not made the NCAA tournament since the 2009-2010 season when Fran McCaffrey was their coach. This year though Siena has been able to fight through two long Covid-19 pauses to still come back and lead the MAAC. They are led by three players Jalen Pickett is one of the best players in the country that no one knows about and the guard is the focal point of every team’s defensive gameplan.

Manny Camper is a walking double-double and he affects a game in so many ways. Jordan King is the other player who averages double figures for the Saints. Camper and King are really good shooters from deep which helps open up the floor for the likely MAAC player of the year in Pickett.

Siena only gives up about 61 points per game and they make it extremely hard to do anything on that end. The Saints were going to make it back to the tournament last season before it was canceled. They are motivated this year.

Sleeper: Iona Gaels

Rick Pitino is back in college basketball and this time he is in New Rochelle, NY. The Gaels are still good and they are still a team to take seriously going into the MAAC tournament. The Gaels have proved that seeding in the conference tournament does not matter to them and they can win the tournament from anywhere in the field.

Isaiah Ross is going to give Pickett from Siena a run for the player of the year in the MAAC. Iona also recently returned from a long Covid pause and once they get back into the swing of things they are going to be one of the best teams in the MAAC.

MEAC

Champion: North Carolina A&T Aggies

The MEAC has been a very competitive conference this season despite the transition they have been going through. The MEAC was gutted by conference realignment this season and the Aggies are likely going to make their tournament in their last season as a member of the MEAC. North Carolina A&T has also had two long Covid 19 pauses, but they are way over their 13-game expectation for the NCAA tournament.

The Aggies are never a team who is going to light up a scoreboard they like to grind it out and they are extremely balanced on the offensive end. Kameron Langley is one of the best players in the MEAC and he leads the team in almost everything on the offensive end. He is great at setting up his teammates and averages seven assists per game which is a little under Vaudrin from Winthrop.

The Aggies are going to be a 16 seed, but they are the class of the league. They likely won’t lose a game in the MEAC and head into the conference tournament as the number one seed.

Sleeper: Coppin State Eagles

When head coach Juan Dixon took the job as the head coach of the Eagles he knew he was going to have his work cut out for him. Coppin State was one of the worst programs in the country, and while they still won’t pose much of a threat to any of the power conference team, Coppin State has made noticeable strides in only a few years under Dixon. This year led by transfer Anthony Tarke the Eagles are a legitimate threat to get hot and win this tournament.

Coppin State is going to have to find some defense to win this tournament as they give up almost 80 a game but they have found some crucial wins in the conference that they need to be taken seriously.

MAC

Champion: Toledo Rockets

The MAC is wide open. There are two strong teams with the Akron Zips and Toledo. The Rockets are a team I knew was good but did not expect them to win the entire league. The Rockets have the best offense in the MAC averaging about 85 points a night with conference games and 80 points a night overall. They move the ball, shoot it well from deep, and are extremely efficient inside the arc.

Marreon Jackson looks like a  legitimate all-conference contender and the Rockets have the makings of a team who is going to be a trendy pick for a 12 over a 5 or a 13 over a 4 upset. They are that good on the offensive side of the ball. If Toledo makes the tournament it would be the first time since the 1979-1980 season.

Sleeper: Bowling Green State Falcons

Bowling Green has been my pick to either win the conference tournament outright or as a sleeper for three straight years so the third time is a charm right. This is going to be uttered a million times during Championship Week coverage so let’s just get it out there now.

The Falcons have not made the tournament in 54 years. 1967-1968 was the last time the Falcons made the NCAA tournament and many believe they would have qualified last year had the season not been canceled due to the pandemic. Justin Turner is still on campus for his final season and with all that he has accomplished as a Falcon, it would be a shame to never see him play in the tournament.

Bowling Green doesn’t have as good of a team as they have had the previous two seasons but they can still score and have a top 50 offense overall. So many things will have to go right for the Falcons to win this thing but one thing that is for sure is Turner is going to make sure his team goes down swinging.