NEC, Ohio Valley & America East Conference Championship Preview

Editor note: This continues a series of conference tournament previews for the worst conferences in college basketball. Every day we will preview the conference tournaments for the non “Power” conferences that will begin on that day. Today we have the Northeast Conference, the Ohio Valley, and the America East. With apologies to the former USSR, here is the AMSTS CCCP (Crappy Conference Championship Preview)

Conference: Northeast

Rough Geographic Area: Unsurprisingly, the Northeast

School you’ve probably heard of: Robert Morris? This conference is a real lost cause for prestige. No team has ever made it past the round of 64 from the NEC.

School you may not have heard of: St. Francis. There’s one in Brooklyn (The Terriers) and one in Pennsylvania (The Red Flash). Combined they’re 0-1 in NCAA Tournament games.

Favorite: Wagner 20-9 (13-5), #192 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Dark Horse: Mount St Mary’s 13-18 (10-8), #283 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Game that might be closer than it should be: #3 Sacred Heart vs #6 LIU-Brooklyn: Brooklyn, despite being the 6 seed, is one of 3 teams in the NEC with an overall winning record at 15-14, compared to Sacred Heart’s 12-17 (1-10 out of conference). One can only hope that LIU’s out of conference schedule prepared them for March basketball.

Likely seed with Massey Conference Ratings: 16 (play-in) otherwise, ranked 30th of 32 conferences by the Massey Ratings Compiler.

How to watch the games: NEC Front Row, Championship on ESPN or ESPN2.

Conference: Ohio Valley

Rough Geographic Area: Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama

School you’ve probably heard of: Murray State, who have advanced to the Round of 32 twice in the last 10 years: in 2010 and 2012.

School you may not have heard of: SIU-Edwardsville, the second most famous SIU campus after Carbondale. The Cougars of SIU-E have yet to make a tournament appearance, a trend likely to continue into 2016.

Favorite: Belmont 20-9 (12-3), #125 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Dark Horse: Tennessee State 19-9 (10-5), #158 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Game that might be closer than it should be: Due to the funky setup of the 8 team conference tournament, where the #1 and 2 seeds get a bye all the way through to the Semifinals, it’s likely that the most interesting game will be in the Quarterfinals, with Tennessee Tech, Morehead State, and Tennessee State all being of a similar caliber.

Likely seed with Massey Conference Ratings: 14 if Belmont wins, otherwise 15 or possibly 16, ranked 22nd of 32 conferences by the Massey Ratings Compiler.

How to watch the games: OVC Digital Network, Semifinals on ESPNU, Championship on ESPN2.

Conference: America East

Rough Geographic Area: Northeast

School you’ve probably heard of: Vermont. The Catamounts are the only team to advance to a Round of 32 from the America East, having upset Syracuse in 2005.

School you may not have heard of: Stony Brook (Seawolves), who have yet to make an NCAA tournament appearance, though that may change this year.

Favorite: Stony Brook 23-6 (14-2), #85 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Dark Horse: Vermont 19-12 (11-5), #167 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Game that might be closer than it should be: This is another case of the conference tournament being pretty straightforward until the Championship. Albany will have the only realistic chance to knock off Stony Brook, who are the only top 100 team in any of the conferences that have begun their conference tournaments so far.

Likely seed with Massey Conference Ratings: 13 if Stony Brook wins, otherwise 15 (Albany) or 16 (anyone else), ranked 25th of 32 conferences by the Massey Ratings Compiler.

How to watch the games: ESPN3, Championship on ESPN 2.