Championship Fortnight is now in full force, as in just a little over 24 hours from this writing, the first automatic bid to the Big Dance will be awarded. That bid will go to the winner of the Ohio Valley Conference, which is now down to four teams. Murray State and Belmont have yet to play in the tournament, as the top two seeds receive byes to the semifinals. It will be a major surprise if Austin Peay or Jacksonville St. steal this bid, as both Murray and Belmont have the talent to win an opening round game in the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s a look at Thursday’s exciting conference tournament action. A lot of games came down to the last minute.
Atlantic Sun Semifinals
Florida Gulf Coast 95 North Florida 72
Lipscomb 77 Jacksonville 62
| Championship–March 4 | |||
| Time | Home | Visitors | TV |
| 3:00 PM | #1 Florida Gulf Coast | #2 Lipscomb | ESPN |
Big South Quarterfinals
Radford 59 Longwood 53
Winthrop 72 Gardner-Webb 68
UNC-Asheville 71 Charleston Southern 66
Liberty 73 Campbell 59
| Semifinals–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 6:00 PM | #2 Radford | #3 Winthrop | ESPN3 |
| 8:30 PM | #1 UNC-Asheville | #5 Liberty | ESPN3 |
| Championship–March 4 | |||
| Time | Home | Visitors | TV |
| 1:00 PM | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | ESPN |
Big Ten Second Round
Wisconsin 59 Maryland 54
Michigan 77 Iowa 71 ot
Penn St. 65 Northwestern 57
Rutgers 76 Indiana 69
| Quarterfinals–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 12:00 PM | #1 Michigan St. | #9 Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 2:15 PM | #4 Nebraska | #5 Michigan | Big Ten |
| 6:30 PM | #2 Ohio St. | #7 Penn St. | Big Ten |
| 8:45 PM | #3 Purdue | #14 Rutgers | Big Ten |
| Semifinals–March 3 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 2:00 PM | Michigan St. or Wisconsin | Nebraska or Michigan | CBS |
| 4:30 PM | Ohio St. or Penn St. | Purdue or Rutgers | CBS |
| Championship–March 4 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 4:30 PM | CBS | ||
Metro Atlantic First Round
St. Peter’s 60 Monmouth 58
Quinnipiac 67 Siena 58
Fairfield 71 Marist 57
| Quarterfinals–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | #1 Rider | #9 St. Peter’s | ESPN3 |
| 9:30 PM | #2 Canisius | #7 Quinnipiac | ESPN3 |
| Quarterfinals–March 3 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | #3 Niagara | #6 Fairfield | ESPN3 |
| 9:30 PM | #4 Iona | #5 Manhattan | ESPN3 |
| Semifinals–March 4 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | Rider or St. Peter’s | Iona or Manhattan | ESPN3 |
| 9:30 PM | Canisius or Quinnipiac | Niagara or Fairfield | ESPN3 |
| Championship–March 5 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | TBA | ||
Missouri Valley First Round
Northern Iowa 60 Evansville 50
Missouri St. 83 Valparaiso 79
| Quarterfinals–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 12:00 PM | #1 Loyola (Chi.) | #9 Northern Iowa | ESPN3 |
| 2:30 PM | #4 Drake | #5 Bradley | ESPN3 |
| 6:00 PM | #2 Southern Illinois | #7 Missouri St. | 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 | ||
Ohio Valley Quarterfinals
Jacksonville St. 73 Tennessee Tech 70
Austin Peay 73 Eastern Illinois 66
| Semifinals–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | #1 Murray St. | #4 Jacksonville St. | ESPNU |
| 9:30 PM | #2 Belmont | #3 Austin Peay | ESPNU |
| Championship–March 3 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | ESPN2 | ||
Patriot League Quarterfinals
Bucknell 83 Loyola (MD) 78
Boston U 88 Lehigh 82
Colgate 76 Lafayette 54
Holy Cross 81 Navy 65
| Semifinals–March 4 | |||
| Time | Home | Visitors | TV |
| 12:00 PM | #2 Colgate | #6 Holy Cross | CBSSN |
| 2:00 PM | #1 Bucknell | #5 Boston U | CBSSN |
| Championship–March 7 | |||
| Time | Home | Visitors | TV |
| 7:30 PM | CBSSN | ||
Conference Tournaments Beginning Today
| Horizon League Tournament | |||
| Detroit (Motor City Madness) | |||
| All Times EST | |||
| First Round–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 5:30 PM | #7 Green Bay | #10 Detroit | ESPN3 |
| 8:00 PM | #8 Cleveland St. | #9 Youngstown St. | ESPN3 |
| Quarterfinals–March 3 | |||
| 5:30 PM | #2 Wright St. | GB or Detroit | ESPN3 |
| 8:00 PM | #1 Northern Kentucky | Clev St or Youngs St. | ESPN3 |
| Quarterfinals–March 4 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 5:00 PM | #3 UIC | #6 Milwaukee | ESPN3 |
| 7:30 PM | #4 Oakland | #5 IUPUI | ESPN3 |
| Semifinals–March 5 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | NKU/CSU/YSU | Oakland or IUPUI | ESPNU |
| 9:30 PM | Wright St./GB/Det | UIC or Milwaukee | ESPNU |
| Championship–March 6 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 7:00 PM | TBA | ||
| Southern Conference Tournament | |||
| Asheville, NC | |||
| All Times EST | |||
| First Round–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 5:00 PM | #8 The Citadel | #9 VMI | ESPN3 |
| 7:30 PM | #7 Samford | #10 Chattanooga | ESPN3 |
| Quarterfinals–March 3 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 12:00 PM | #1 UNC-Greensboro | Citadel or VMI | ESPN3 |
| 2:30 PM | #4 Mercer | #5 Wofford | ESPN3 |
| 6:00 PM | #2 East Tennessee St. | Samford or Chatt. | ESPN3 |
| 8:30 PM | #3 Furman | #6 Western Carolina | ESPN3 |
| Semifinals–March 4 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 4:00 PM | UNCG/Cit/VMI | Mercer or Wofford | ESPN3 |
| 6:30 PM | ETSU/Sam/Chatt | Furman or WCU | ESPN3 |
| Championship–March 5 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 9:00 PM | ESPN2 | ||
| West Coast Conference Tournament | |||
| Las Vegas | |||
| All Times PST | |||
| First Round–March 2 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 6:00 PM | #8 Loyola Marymount | #9 Portland | NBCSN |
| 8:00 PM | #7 Santa Clara | #10 Pepperdine | NBCSN |
| Quarterfinals–March 3 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 1:00 PM | #3 BYU | #6 San Diego | NBCSN |
| 3:00 PM | #4 San Francisco | #5 Pacific | NBCSN |
| 7:00 PM | #1 Gonzaga | LMU or Portland | ESPN2 |
| 9:00 PM | #2 Saint Mary’s | Santa Clara or Pepperdine | ESPN2 |
| Semifinals–March 4 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 6:00 PM | Gonz/LMU/Portland | USF or Pacific | ESPN |
| 8:00 PM | SMU/SCU/Pepperdine | BYU or USD | ESPN2 |
| Championship–March 6 | |||
| Time | Higher Seed | Lower Seed | TV |
| 6:00 PM | ESPN | ||
This Week’s PiRate Ratings Top 25
| Rank | Team | PiRate Rating | Conf. |
| 1 | Virginia | 118.0 | ACC |
| 2 | Villanova | 117.8 | BIGE |
| 3 | Duke | 117.3 | ACC |
| 4 | Purdue | 116.9 | BTEN |
| 5 | Michigan St. | 116.6 | BTEN |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 116.5 | AAC |
| 7 | Kansas | 114.3 | B12 |
| 8 | West Virginia | 113.8 | B12 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 113.8 | ACC |
| 10 | Texas Tech | 113.7 | B12 |
| 11 | Gonzaga | 113.5 | WCC |
| 12 | Tennessee | 113.1 | SEC |
| 13 | Xavier | 112.5 | BIGE |
| 14 | Auburn | 112.4 | SEC |
| 15 | Nevada | 112.4 | MWC |
| 16 | Wichita St. | 112.1 | AAC |
| 17 | Ohio St. | 111.9 | BTEN |
| 18 | Michigan | 111.8 | BTEN |
| 19 | Clemson | 111.7 | ACC |
| 20 | Kentucky | 111.4 | SEC |
| 21 | Houston | 111.2 | AAC |
| 22 | Florida | 111.2 | SEC |
| 23 | Butler | 111.0 | BIGE |
| 24 | Creighton | 110.9 | BIGE |
| 25 | TCU | 110.6 | B12 |
This Week’s PiRate Ratings For Power Conferences
And Top Mid-Majors
| Team | PiRate | Conf. |
| Rhode Island | 108.9 | A10 |
| Davidson | 106.5 | A10 |
| St. Bonaventure | 105.1 | A10 |
| St. Louis | 102.8 | A10 |
| St. Joseph’s | 101.5 | A10 |
| VCU | 100.5 | A10 |
| LaSalle | 100.2 | A10 |
| Dayton | 99.2 | A10 |
| George Washington | 98.0 | A10 |
| Duquesne | 98.0 | A10 |
| Richmond | 97.6 | A10 |
| George Mason | 96.9 | A10 |
| Massachusetts | 96.6 | A10 |
| Fordham | 94.0 | A10 |
| Cincinnati | 116.5 | AAC |
| Wichita St. | 112.1 | AAC |
| Houston | 111.2 | AAC |
| SMU | 106.0 | AAC |
| Temple | 104.9 | AAC |
| UCF | 104.4 | AAC |
| Tulsa | 102.4 | AAC |
| Connecticut | 99.5 | AAC |
| Memphis | 99.5 | AAC |
| Tulane | 99.1 | AAC |
| South Florida | 92.0 | AAC |
| East Carolina | 92.0 | AAC |
| Virginia | 118.0 | ACC |
| Duke | 117.3 | ACC |
| North Carolina | 113.8 | ACC |
| Clemson | 111.7 | ACC |
| Louisville | 110.4 | ACC |
| Miami FL | 109.6 | ACC |
| Florida St. | 109.5 | ACC |
| Virginia Tech | 109.3 | ACC |
| Notre Dame | 109.3 | ACC |
| Syracuse | 108.0 | ACC |
| North Carolina St. | 107.9 | ACC |
| Boston College | 105.2 | ACC |
| Wake Forest | 104.1 | ACC |
| Georgia Tech | 102.7 | ACC |
| Pittsburgh | 96.2 | ACC |
| Kansas | 114.3 | B12 |
| West Virginia | 113.8 | B12 |
| Texas Tech | 113.7 | B12 |
| TCU | 110.6 | B12 |
| Baylor | 110.3 | B12 |
| Texas | 109.6 | B12 |
| Oklahoma | 108.7 | B12 |
| Kansas St. | 108.4 | B12 |
| Oklahoma St. | 107.1 | B12 |
| Iowa St. | 103.7 | B12 |
| Villanova | 117.8 | BIGE |
| Xavier | 112.5 | BIGE |
| Butler | 111.0 | BIGE |
| Creighton | 110.9 | BIGE |
| Seton Hall | 109.9 | BIGE |
| Marquette | 107.1 | BIGE |
| St. John’s | 106.8 | BIGE |
| Providence | 106.5 | BIGE |
| Georgetown | 103.9 | BIGE |
| DePaul | 103.4 | BIGE |
| Purdue | 116.9 | BTEN |
| Michigan St. | 116.6 | BTEN |
| Ohio St. | 111.9 | BTEN |
| Michigan | 111.8 | BTEN |
| Penn St. | 110.2 | BTEN |
| Maryland | 108.5 | BTEN |
| Nebraska | 107.3 | BTEN |
| Indiana | 106.2 | BTEN |
| Wisconsin | 106.0 | BTEN |
| Northwestern | 105.5 | BTEN |
| Illinois | 103.9 | BTEN |
| Iowa | 103.5 | BTEN |
| Minnesota | 103.5 | BTEN |
| Rutgers | 102.8 | BTEN |
| Arizona | 110.1 | PAC12 |
| Arizona St. | 108.9 | PAC12 |
| USC | 108.3 | PAC12 |
| UCLA | 106.9 | PAC12 |
| Oregon | 106.8 | PAC12 |
| Utah | 106.3 | PAC12 |
| Stanford | 104.3 | PAC12 |
| Washington | 103.8 | PAC12 |
| Oregon St. | 103.1 | PAC12 |
| Colorado | 102.7 | PAC12 |
| Washington St. | 97.8 | PAC12 |
| California | 95.4 | PAC12 |
| Tennessee | 113.1 | SEC |
| Auburn | 112.4 | SEC |
| Kentucky | 111.4 | SEC |
| Florida | 111.2 | SEC |
| Texas A&M | 110.6 | SEC |
| Arkansas | 109.7 | SEC |
| Missouri | 108.9 | SEC |
| Alabama | 108.3 | SEC |
| Mississippi St. | 107.3 | SEC |
| Georgia | 106.7 | SEC |
| South Carolina | 106.4 | SEC |
| LSU | 105.8 | SEC |
| Vanderbilt | 103.9 | SEC |
| Mississippi | 103.7 | SEC |
| Gonzaga | 113.5 | WCC |
| Saint Mary’s | 109.2 | WCC |
| BYU | 105.6 | WCC |
| San Diego | 101.8 | WCC |
| San Francisco | 100.8 | WCC |
| Pacific | 98.4 | WCC |
| Loyola Marymount | 94.5 | WCC |
| Portland | 93.6 | WCC |
| Santa Clara | 93.5 | WCC |
| Pepperdine | 91.5 | WCC |
| Middle Tennessee | 109.4 | CUSA |
| Loyola (Chi.) | 108.2 | MVC |
| Nevada | 112.4 | MWC |
| Boise St. | 108.7 | MWC |
| New Mexico St. | 107.4 | WAC |
Today’s PiRate Rating Spreads For Power Conference Games
and Conference Tournament Games
| Home Team or Higher Seed | Visitor or Lower Seed | Spread |
| Belmont | Austin Peay | 6.9 |
| Canisius | Quinnipiac | 8.4 |
| Citadel | VMI | -2.7 |
| Cleveland St. | Youngstown St. | 1.2 |
| Davidson | Rhode Island | 1.1 |
| Drake | Bradley | -0.7 |
| Green Bay | Detroit | 2.8 |
| Illinois St. | Indiana St. | -0.3 |
| Loyola (Chi.) | Northern Iowa | 6.5 |
| Michigan St. | Wisconsin | 10.6 |
| Murray St. | Jacksonville St. | 5.2 |
| Nebraska | Michigan | -4.5 |
| Ohio St. | Penn St. | 1.7 |
| Oklahoma | Iowa St. | 8.5 |
| Purdue | Rutgers | 14.1 |
| Radford | Winthrop | -3.2 |
| Rider | St. Peter’s | 6.4 |
| Samford | Chattanooga | 3.0 |
| Santa Clara | Pepperdine | 2.0 |
| Southern Illinois | Missouri St. | -0.9 |
| UNCA | Liberty | 4.1 |
The Pi-Rate Ratings 