Feel free to skip to the bottom of each section if you just want to know who your Big Ten rooting interests are.

Sun Belt tournament preview

The Sun Belt tournament has five rounds with rest days after the first and second rounds. All tournament games are played in Pensacola, Florida at the Pensacola Bay Center with the top 4 seeds getting double byes.

In the past five tournaments the Sun Belt has received a 14 seed, two 15 seeds, and two 16 seeds. I’m not sure that context is much value though as the Sun Belt was part of the massive conference realignment shift that took place last summer. The top four teams could get a 13 to 14 seed with a very outside shot at a 12 seed. Any other winner would likely be looking at a 15 or 16 seed.

The favorites

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (25-6, 14-4) - Southern Miss is one of the more remarkable turnarounds from last year going from a bottom 25 caliber team that won one conference game to a top 100 team that won the Sun Belt regular season. They beat Vanderbilt and Liberty but their overall non-conference schedule was weak and the loss to Northwestern State means they likely need to win the auto bid in their first season as a Sun Belt school. The Golden Eagles are seeking their first tournament bid since 2012.

Marshall Thundering Herd (24-7, 13-5)- Marshall plays quick. They have the shortest offensive possessions in all of Division 1 basketball. They beat Southern Miss by 22 in their only matchup of the year but fell to Louisiana in their only matchup with them. Like Southern Miss, Marshall is in their first year of Sun Belt competition after hanging out in CUSA in recent years. They last made the tournament in 2018, upsetting Wichita State before losing to instate rival West Virginia.

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (23-7, 13-5) - Louisiana grabs the 2 seed in this bracket by virtue of beating Marshall. They do a poor job of guarding the three point line leading to a lot of variability in their games, but otherwise might be the top team in the conference.

Other contenders

James Madison (21-10, 12-6) - like Marshall, James Madison plays a very fast pace but they are a little bit better of a shooting team. They finished in 4th place, but had some injury issues along the way and are now mostly healthy. With four senior starters and plenty of shooting ability, they may be getting overlooked.

Chaos option

Georgia State (8-20, 3-15) winning the tournament after finishing dead last and having represented the Sun Belt last season would be a pretty good talking point for those who only care about basketball’s post season.

Last year’s NCAA dancer

Georgia State received a 16 seed, lost to Gonzaga by 21 points, and saw head coach Rob Lanier take the SMU job.

Never made the tournament club

none

B1G connections and other fun conference stats

• Georgia State’s first year head coach Jonas Hayes was as an assistant with Minnesota’s head coach Ben Johnson at Xavier. If you are wondering why Xavier was so bad from 2018-2022, perhaps we should consider the records of the three members of their 2021 coaching staff with head coaching gigs this season. Assistant Ben Johnson: 7-20 (1-16). Assistant Jonas Hayes: 8-20 (3-15). Head coach Travis Steele: 11-18 (5-11). Johnson and Hayes are in last place, while Steele has Miami OH right at the MAC tournament field cutline.
• There were zero games between Big Ten and Sun Belt schools this season.
• Sun Belt last won a NCAA tournament game in 2016 when Arkansas Little Rock represented the conference as a 12 seed. They beat Purdue in double overtime. Little Rock moved to the Ohio Valley conference starting this season.

Too Long, Didn’t Read B1G Rooting Interests

Bubble teams: Doesn’t matter. The top of the conference isn’t likely to get an at-large. They may be better than our B1G bubble, but their non-conference schedules were so poor there aren’t enough quality wins to show it.

Teams around the 3-5 seed line: Root against Marshall. They have an upperclassman backcourt that plays 90% of their minutes and is likely to take two of the Sun Belt all conference team spots as well as enough size to battle inside. Their pace also means they can steal some buckets before defenses get set and they won’t get rattled by a press. James Madison would be another dangerous tournament team.

Potential NIT teams: Root for Southern Miss. They have the guaranteed NIT spot.

Picks

BoilerUp89: James Madison. Going to go with the 4 seed. They’ve battled injuries all season long with multiple players missing games here and there. But they have a bunch of seniors, are healthy, and may have the most upside out of any of the contenders.

Horizon tournament preview

The Horizon League tournament is a four round tournament with the first two rounds taking place on campus of the higher seeds with a travel day in between. After the quarterfinals, the remaining four teams travel to Indianapolis to play for the championship at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Monday and Tuesday. The tournament is reseeded for every round.

In the past five tournaments the Horizon League has received two 14 seeds, two 15 seeds, and one 16 seed. Their only win during that time was Wright State last season as a 16 seed playing in the play in round in their home city of Dayton, Ohio. This season looks like a 15 or 16 seed for whomever wins barring chaos in many other conference tournaments this year.

The favorite

Youngstown State Penguins (28-8, 15-5) - The Penguins have by far and away the best offense in the Horizon, but their defense is still pretty terrible. They shoot 37.6% from three and rank top 50 in most offensive categories. Oh and they have five senior starters. As a never made the tournament member, this is Youngstown’s best opportunity in years. At the very least they will be taking a new step this season - Youngstown has guaranteed a NIT bid and they’ve never accomplished that before.

Other contenders

Northern Kentucky Norse (19-12, 14-6) - The Norse play glacially slow. They made the tournament their first year eligible in 2017 and again in 2019, but have lost in the semis and finals of the Horizon tournament the past two seasons.

Cleveland State Vikings (20-11, 14-16) - First year head coach Daniyal Robinson didn’t drop off much from now Missouri coach Dennis Gates. The Vikings last made the tournament in 2021.

Milwaukee Panthers (20-10, 14-6) - Unlike most of their main competitors, Milwaukee plays fast and loose. They are among the top 20 teams in tempo, but in the bottom 20 when it comes to turnovers. The Panthers haven’t made the tournament since 2014.

Chaos options

IUPUI Jaguars (3-26, 2-18) and Green Bay Phoenix (3-28, 2-18) - both teams are among the bottom ten of Division 1 basketball this season. Green Bay has an interim coach. Neither is likely to win a single Horizon tournament game let alone the whole thing.

Last year’s NCAA dancer

Wright State beat Bryant in Dayton, Ohio by a score of 93-82 before losing to Arizona 70-87

Never made the tournament club

Youngstown State (41 seasons), Purdue Fort Wayne (20 seasons)

B1G connections and other fun conference stats

• Antoine Davis plays for Detroit Mercy and sits 63 points shy of equaling Pete Maravich’s NCAA career points record. Detroit Mercy isn’t likely to play in any post season besides the Horizon tournament, so they need to win at least their first game and probably their second for Davis to have a realistic shot at the record.
• Former Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bo Ryan’s son Will Ryan was the Green Bay head coach until he was fired midseason.
• Purdue Boilermakers beat Milwaukee 84-53.
• Michigan State Spartans beat Oakland 67-54.
• Northwestern Wildcats beat Purdue Fort Wayne 60-52. Indiana did not beat Purdue Fort Wayne, because they are afraid to schedule them anymore.
• Wisconsin beat Green Bay 56-45.
• The Horizon League last won a NCAA tournament 1st round game (not including play-in here) in 2011. That 8 seed went all the way to the national championship game where they lost to Connecticut. Brad Stevens was something else wasn’t he?

Too Long, Didn’t Read B1G Rooting Interests

Potential NIT teams: Root for Youngstown State.

Everyone else: Root for your favorite local school. Odds are one of these is nearby if you are in the Midwest.

Picks

BoilerUp89: The Horizon has seen the favorite routinely lose the past few years, but Youngstown has shown themselves as the most capable of these teams. Nothing would surprise me, but the Penguins are my pick.

Patriot League tournament preview

The Patriot tournament is four rounds, with a day of rest between rounds 1 and 2 and two days of rest before the semis and finals. All 10 teams will be participating. The tournament takes place at campus sites of the higher seeds.

In the past five tournaments the Patriot league has received three 14 seeds, one 13 seed, and one 15 seed with the conference being dominated by Colgate and Bucknell.

The favorite

Colgate Raiders (23-8, 17-1) - Colgate has won the conference tournament three of the last four years and made the final the other year before losing to Boston in the year COVID cancelled everything. At 17-1 they are the class of this conference with their only loss coming on the road by 1 point to American.

Other contenders

Navy Midshipmen (18-12, 11-7) - Navy has been playing well of late winning 7 of their final 8 and losing the regular season finale to Colgate by just 4. Although Navy has a Helms championship (1913) and has made an Elite 8 (1986), they haven’t made the tournament since 1998.

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (16-13, 11-7) - Unlike the other contenders, Lehigh didn’t play Colgate particularly close in either of their matchups. They are however the 3 seed and get to avoid Colgate as long as possible. Lehigh last made the tournament in 2012.

Army Black Knights (16-15, 10-8) - Army has never made the tournament and is a founding member of the never made the tournament club. As the four seed this is one of their better opportunities. They kept both Colgate games within single digits, but this is a difficult road to break the drought.

Chaos option

American Eagles (15-14, 7-11) - American is the only Patriot League team to defeat Colgate this season.

Last year’s NCAA dancer

Colgate received a 14 seed where they unfortunately fell short of upsetting Wisconsin 60-67.

Never made the tournament club

founding member Army (82 years)

B1G connections and other fun conference stats

• Former Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis has been the Navy head coach for 12 years. As a reminder, he left Penn State voluntarily.
• Wisconsin Badgers beat Lehigh 78-56.
• Penn State Nittany Lions beat Lafayette 74-68 (OT) and Loyola MD 90-65.
• Rutgers beat Bucknell 85-50.
• The Patriot League last won a NCAA tournament game in 2016 when the Bill Carmody led Holy Cross won a play-in game as a 16 seed against Southern. The conference last won a Round 1 game against Duke in 2012 when Lehigh smacked them around 75-70.

Too Long, Didn’t Read B1G Rooting Interests

Potential 3 seeds: Root against Colgate. They are the most likely team to upset someone in the tournament this year.

Potential NIT teams: Root for Colgate, they have the auto bid.

Those of you that support the military can root for Army or Navy.

I’ll be rooting for Lafayette as they were once known for their train engineering program during WW2.

Picks

BoilerUp89: Colgate