WCC, MVC, MAAC, Big South 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 West Coast Conference, Missouri Valley, MAAC, and Big South. With apologies to the former USSR, here is the AMSTS CCCP (Crappy Conference Championship Preview)

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Conference: West Coast

Rough Geographic Area: Unsurprisingly, the West Coast (plus Utah)

School you’ve probably heard of: Gonzaga is the obvious one here, having made the Elite 8 last year, but I also want to be sure to mention Santa Clara, most known as the alma mater of NBA Star Steve Nash.  The Broncos made the Final Four in 1952, the Elite Eight in 1953, 1954, 1968, and 1969 and more recently upset Arizona as a 15 seed in 1993, with the previously mentioned Nash as the centerpiece to that Broncos team.

School you may not have heard of: University of San Diego (Toreros), most often confused for their public school counterparts, UCSD, the University of San Diego’s biggest accomplishment in basketball was a 2008 first round upset of a #4 seeded Connecticut team.

Favorite: St. Mary’s 24-4 (15-3), #37 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Dark Horse: BYU 22-9 (13-5), #71 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Game that might be closer than it should be: #2 Gonzaga vs #3 BYU. This second round matchup could make or break Gonzaga’s bubble hopes, as a good-but-no-chance-for-an-at-large-bid BYU team looks to win its first West Coast Conference championship.

Likely seed with Massey Conference Ratings: 7 for St. Mary’s or Gonzaga, otherwise significantly lower, ranked 13th of 32 conferences by the Massey Ratings Compiler.

How to watch the games: TheW.tv, Semifinals on ESPN/ESPN2, Championship on ESPN.

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Conference: Missouri Valley

Rough Geographic Area: Midwest/Great Plains

School you’ve probably heard of: Wichita State. The Shockers went 35-1 in 2013-14, a year after making the Final Four.

School you may not have heard of: Loyola-Chicago. The Ramblers haven’t been relevant since 1985, when they made the Sweet 16 as a 4 seed. To their credit, they were last year’s CBI Champions, which could indicate a bright future in the Windy City.

Favorite: Wichita State 23-7 (16-2), #34 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Dark Horse: Illinois State 18-13 (12-6), #120 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Game that might be closer than it should be: This one should belong to the Shockers. The only team with reasonable shots to win the conference are Evansville and Illinois State. Of those two, only Illinois State has beaten the Shockers this season. So with that, look for the Northern Iowa vs Southern Illinois matchup for a close game, but don’t expect much for upsets.

Likely seed with Massey Conference Ratings: 7 if Wichita State wins, otherwise 14 or possibly 15, ranked 12th of 32 conferences by the Massey Ratings Compiler.

How to watch the games: MVC TV, Semifinals on CBS Sports Network, Championship on CBS.

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Conference: MAAC

Rough Geographic Area: Tri-State area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut)

School you’ve probably heard of: Siena. The Saints have advanced to the Round of 32 twice, in 2008 and 2009, upsetting Vanderbilt and Ohio State.

School you may not have heard of: Marist (Red Foxes), who have not made an NCAA tournament since 1987. For the record, Marist is located in Poughkeepsie, NY, in case you were ever thinking of taking in a game.

Favorite: Monmouth 24-6 (16-3), #70 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Dark Horse: Siena 19-10 (12-6), #127 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Game that might be closer than it should be: Monmouth should run away with this one again, but the games in the quarterfinals may be interesting, with Saint Peter’s, Manhattan, and Fairfield all in a tight bunch within the AMSTS rankings.

Likely seed with Massey Conference Ratings: 11 if Monmouth wins, otherwise 14 (Iona) or 15/16 (anyone else), ranked 20th of 32 conferences by the Massey Ratings Compiler.

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

 

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Conference: Big South

Rough Geographic Area: Virginia, North and South Carolina.  Didn’t see that one coming, did you?

School you’ve probably heard of: Liberty University, because it was founded by Jerry Falwell? Winthrop won a first round game against Notre Dame in 2007?  Not much to go off of here.

School you may not have heard of: Campbell (The Fighting Camels!).  I just wanted to say Fighting Camels, but Campbell has not been to the NCAA Tournament since their first appearance in 1992, a 82-56 loss to Duke, who went on to win the tournament that year.

Favorite: Winthrop 21-8 (13-5), #147 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Dark Horse: UNC Asheville 19-11 (12-6), #150 in the AMSTS Computer Rankings

Game that might be closer than it should be: This may be the best conference tournament to watch, with any of the top 4 teams having a reasonable shot at winning the title. Coastal Carolina and UNC Asheville remain the two who are likely to get the upset.

Likely seed with Massey Conference Ratings: Most likely a 15 or 16, ranked 23th of 32 conferences by the Massey Ratings Compiler.

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