Conference Tournament Action From Last Night
| Big Ten Conference Tournament | |
| First Round–February 28 | |
| Iowa 96 | Illinois 87 |
| Rutgers 65 | Minnesota 54 |
Updated Big Ten Bracket
| Second Round–March 1 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 12:00 PM | #8 Maryland | #9 Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 2:15 PM | #5 Michigan | Iowa | Big Ten |
| 6:30 PM | #7 Penn St. | #10 Northwestern | Big Ten |
| 8:45 PM | #6 Indiana | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| Quarterfinals–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 12:00 PM | #1 Michigan St. | Mary or Wisc | Big Ten |
| 2:15 PM | #4 Nebraska | Michigan or Iowa | Big Ten |
| 6:30 PM | #2 Ohio St. | PSU or N’Western | Big Ten |
| 8:45 PM | #3 Purdue | Indiana or Rutgers | Big Ten |
| Semifinals–March 3 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 2:00 PM | MSU/Mary/Wisc | Neb/Mich/Iowa | CBS |
| 4:30 PM | OSU/Purd/NW | Purd/Ind/Rutg | CBS |
| Championship–March 4 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 4:30 PM | CBS | ||
| Northeast Conference Tournament | |
| First Round–February 28 | |
| Wagner 73 | Central Connecticut 61 |
| Robert Morris 60 | Mount St. Mary’s 56 |
| Fairleigh-Dickinson 84 | St. Francis (Pa) 75 |
| Long Island 73 | St. Francis (Bkn) 50 |
Updated Northeast Conference Bracket
| Semifinals–March 3 | |||
| Time | Home Team | Visitors | TV |
| 12:00 PM | #1 Wagner | #7 Robert Morris | ESPN3 |
| 2:00 PM | #4 Long Island | #6 Fairleigh-Dickinson | ESPN3 |
| Championship–March 6 | |||
| Time | Home Team | Visitors | TV |
| 7:00 PM | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | ESPN2 |
| Ohio Valley Conference Tournament | |
| First Round–February 28 | |
| Tennessee Tech 60 | SIU-Edwardsville 51 |
| Eastern Illinois 73 | Tennessee St. 71 |
Updated Ohio Valley Conference Bracket
| Quarterfinals–March 1 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 6:30 PM | #4 Jacksonville St. | Tennessee Tech | OVC |
| 9:00 PM | #3 Austin Peay | Eastern Illinois | OVC |
| Semifinals–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | #1 Murray St. | Jax. St. or Tenn Tech | ESPNU |
| 9:30 PM | #2 Belmont | APSU or E. Illinois | ESPNU |
| Championship–March 3 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | ESPN2 | ||
Other Conference Tournaments in Action Today
| Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament | |||
| All Games Played at Higher Seed | |||
| All Times EST |
| Semifinals–March 1 | |||
| Time | Home | Visitors | TV |
| 7:00 PM | #1 Florida Gulf Coast | #5 North Florida | ESPN3 |
| 8:00 PM | #2 Lipscomb | #3 Jacksonville | ESPN3 |
| Big South Conference Tournament | |||
| Championship Game at Higher Seed | |||
| Quarterfinals and Semfinals at #1 Seed UNC-Asheville | |||
| All Times EST |
| Quarterfinals–March 1 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 1:00 PM | #2 Radford | #10 Longwood | ESPN3 |
| 3:30 PM | #3 Winthrop | #6 Gardner-Webb | ESPN3 |
| 7:00 PM | #1 UNC-Asheville | #8 Charleston Southern | ESPN3 |
| 9:30 PM | #4 Campbell | #5 Liberty | ESPN3 |
| Patriot League Tournament | |||
| All Games Played at Higher Seed | |||
| All Times EST |
| Quarterfinals–March 1 | |||
| Time | Home | Visitors | TV |
| 7:00 PM | #1 Bucknell | #8 Loyola (MD) | Stadium |
| 7:00 PM | #4 Lehigh | #5 Boston U | Stadium |
| 7:00 PM | #2 Colgate | #7 Lafayette | Stadium |
| 7:00 PM | #3 Navy | #6 Holy Cross | Stadium |
Conference Tournaments Beginning Today
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament | |||
| Albany, NY | |||
| All Times EST | |||
| First Round–March 1 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 5:00 PM | #8 Monmouth | #9 St. Peter’s | ESPN3 |
| 7:30 PM | #7 Quinnipiac | #10 Siena | ESPN3 |
| 10:00 PM | #6 Fairfield | #11 Marist | ESPN3 |
| Quarterfinals–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | #1 Rider | Monmouth or St. Peter’s | ESPN3 |
| 9:30 PM | #2 Canisius | Quinn. or Siena | ESPN3 |
| Quarterfinals–March 3 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | #3 Niagara | Fair. or Marist | ESPN3 |
| 9:30 PM | #4 Iona | #5 Manhattan | ESPN3 |
| Semifinals–March 4 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | Rider/Monm/St. P | Iona or Manhattan | ESPN3 |
| 9:30 PM | Can/Quinn/Siena | Niag/Fair/Marist | ESPN3 |
| Championship–March 5 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | TBA | ||
While Rider and Canisius tied for the regular season conference championship, there are two other teams to watch closely in this tournament. Iona has the best offense in the league, and in a tournament, sometimes the team that plays loose and can fill it up from outside will get a large lead against the other team that begins tight and cannot hit their perimeter shots. Iona is the two-time defending tournament champion, and until the Gaels lose, they are our favorite to win it again, even as the four-seed.
The other team to watch from back of the pack is Fairfield, the hottest team in the league entering the tournament. The Stags match up quite well with Niagara, who they would face in the quarterfinal round if they win tonight.
| Missouri Valley Conference Tournament | |||
| St. Louis (Arch Madness) | |||
| All Times CST | |||
| First Round–March 1 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 6:00 PM | #8 Evansville | #9 Northern Iowa | ESPN3 |
| 8:30 PM | #7 Missouri St. | #10 Valparaiso | ESPN3 |
| Quarterfinals–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 12:00 PM | #1 Loyola (Chi.) | Evansville or UNI | ESPN3 |
| 2:30 PM | #4 Drake | #5 Bradley | ESPN3 |
| 6:00 PM | #2 Southern Illinois | MSU or Valpo | ESPN3 |
| 8:30 PM | #3 Illinois St. | #6 Indiana St. | ESPN3 |
| Semifinals–March 3 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 2:30 PM | Loyola/Evans/UNI | Drake or Bradley | CBSSN |
| 5:00 PM | SIU/MSU/Valpo | Ill St. or Ind St. | CBSSN |
| Championship–March 4 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 1:00 PM | CBS | ||
Without Wichita State playing bully on the rest of the league, it was thought that the Valley would be a wide open race this year with a host of teams competing for the regular season and tournament championships. However, Loyola (Chi.), with five players averaging double figure scoring, has been nearly unstoppable in conference play this year. The Ramblers have only been to a single NCAA Tournament since their heydays of the 1960’s, Loyola enters Arch Madness on a 14 for 15 winning streak.
If any other team wins this tournament, it will be a major upset and will produce a 15-seed or worse. Loyola could be a 13-seed as the Tournament Champions.
There is one team from way back in the pack that has the potential to sneak into the semifinals. Northern Iowa is the number 9 seed. If they beat Evansville tonight, they might be the team that can match up best with Loyola, who they would face tomorrow. If they were to eliminate the Goliath, then there isn’t another team in the field any better than the Panthers.
The Pi-Rate Ratings 