History: The Northeast Conference and #16 seeds go hand-in-hand. That isn’t always bad, as Fairleigh Dickinson pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history when they knocked off #1 Purdue in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. My favorite fun fact from that season is that FDU didn’t even win the conference tournament. That hono
Conference Tournament Preview: Ohio Valley
History: The days of Murray State (18 titles) battling it out with Belmont (3) are long gone. The only current squad with more than two championships is Morehead State, a 6-time winner with an NCAA Tournament upset over Louisville in 2011. While this conference has produced plenty of good teams, this year’s edition doesn’t have a domina
Conference Tournament Preview: Big South
History: Winthrop has won 33% of the Big South’s conference championships (13 of 39). The Eagles are also the last team to win an NCAA Tournament game (2007, when they defeated Notre Dame in an 11-vs-6 game). Traditionally, this isn’t a conference you look to for an NCAA Tournament upset, though their 2025 NET conference […]
Conference Tournament Preview: Sun Belt
History: The storied Sun Belt had at-large credentials in the past but hasn’t sent multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament since 2013. The conference has many transformations over the years and six current squads have won the tournament. Last season, James Madison became the first squad since Little Rock in 2016 to win an NCAA Tournament game.
Conference Tournament Preview: Patriot League
History: Colgate has romped through this conference, winning the last four titles by 66 points. Additionally, the Raiders have reached the title game for seven straight seasons. Unfortunately, their conference dominance hasn’t resulted in an NCAA Tournament win. The last Patriot League team to win a main bracket game was Lehigh in 2012, where
Conference Tournament Preview: Horizon
History: The Horizon League has a rich NCAA Tournament history, highlighted by Butler’s back-to-back appearances in the title game in 2010 and 2011. The 2011 squad was the last team to win an NCAA Tournament game until 2024, when Oakland pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the NCAA Tournament, defeating Kentucky by four […]
College Basketball 3/3: Top 25
1. Auburn (27-2) (1) – Any team that wins ten Quadrant 1 games should be taken seriously. The Tigers have 16. 2. Duke (26-3) (2) – Since their loss to Clemson, Duke has won 6 straight by an average of 31.7. 3. Houston (25-4) (4) – Meanwhile, Houston has won eight in a row. Three of their four […]
Conference Tournament Preview: ASUN
History: Most of the dominant schools are no longer members of this conference. 5-time tournament winner Belmont is now in the Missouri Valley, while Liberty (who won three straight titles between 2019 and 2021) is now in Conference USA. The Atlantic Sun is not to be taken lightly in the NCAA Tournament. In 2023, Kennesaw […]
College Basketball 2/24: Top 25
1. Auburn (25-2) (1) – Given the depth of the SEC, it is shocking how well Auburn is playing. They finish the season with four Quad 1 opponents, with Kentucky and Texas A&M on the road. If they win all those games… 2. Duke (24-3) (2) – When I watch a college basketball game, I know that […]
College Basketball 2/17: Top 25
A look at the resumes of some of the intriguing mid-major schools. I am not including VCU, St. Mary’s or any of the Mountain West schools. Rather, I am looking at deep sleepers. UC-San Diego (Big West; 22-4, NET: 43) – The term “dangerous team” is overused on Selection Sunday, but nobody wants to see the Tritons […]