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The Pac-12 has a bunch of teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble heading into its conference tournament. So while it will be interesting to see which team is crowned champion, it’s going to be just as interesting to watch the early-round games as several teams aim to improve their stock and solidify their chance at earning a March Madness berth.... 

The Auburn Tigers surprised many by fending off traditional powers like the Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats to claim the regular season SEC crown. Even so, the oddsmakers may not be buying their ability to win the conference tournament.... 

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders held off several Conference USA foes to finish atop the conference when the regular season wrapped up. The conference is likely to only get one berth into March Madness, so Middle Tennessee must be able to pull off the feat again in the Conference USA Tournament in order to go dancing.... 

The Buffalo Bulls proved to be the class of the Mid-American Conference throughout the regular season, dominating in home games and winning consistently enough on the road to out-pace the competition. Buffalo is currently slotted in to qualify for the NCAA Tournament but first has to pick up the MAC Tournament title.... 

The New México State Aggies proved themselves throughout WAC conference play, but a two-game lull in the midst of it makes it unlikely they make it to the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. New México State must do it the hard way by capturing the conference tournament, but will assuredly be the favorites to do so.... 

If you want to have a good chance to make money during March Madness and you don’t want to have to do a ton of research then there is one simple thing you can do, and that is take underdogs. History has shown that taking the points in the NCAA Tournament has been the way to go. The public loves to bet marquee teams and they like to bet favorites, and that means betting March Madness underdogs is usually profitable.... 

The ACC proved to be one of the deepest conferences in the country in 2017-18, and its postseason tournament should be a hard-fought battle between plenty of elite programs. The Virginia Cavaliers will enter with the top seed after rolling through the conference like a hot knife through butter.... 

The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns have been the best team in the Sun Belt Conference all season, and now need to be so for one more week. Louisiana is primed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament provided it can come away with the title in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.... 

The Nevada Wolf Pack is ranked in the top-25 nationally, and even if it doesn’t claim the Mountain West Tournament, it should still earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. The same cannot be said for any of the other teams in the conference, so this postseason tournament is do-or-die for the rest of the programs.... 

The Rhode Island Rams were the best team in the Atlantic 10 in the regular season and are aiming to finish off an impressive resume with the conference tournament championship. Rhode Island is nationally ranked and will have no problem making it into March Madness no matter their run, but the same cannot be said for the rest of the teams in the conference.... 

The Cincinnati Bearcats are zeroing in on the American Conference regular season title but have one big hurdle remaining. Cincy must go on the road and knock off fellow ranked team the Wichita State Shockers in order to claim the hardware. The Shockers won the first matchup and would hold the tiebreaker if the teams each finished 15-3 in conference, which would be the case if they can come away with the win.... 

If you are going to have any chance of winning a March Madness Bracket contest then you have to get off to a good start. The first round has 32 games for you to pick and while some games are easy, the 1 vs. 16 for example, many other games are not. What are some things to keep in mind as you pick the first round games in the 2018 NCAA Tournament? Let’s take a look.... 

It’s that time of the year once again. March is here, and that means warmer weather, sunnier skies, and college basketball tournament magic. Ten teams will square off for the Colonial Athletic Association title in lovely Charleston over four days, with the winner earning the golden ticket into the NCAA Tournament.... 

Just in case the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels needed any more motivation in advance of their storied rivalry this weekend, each will enter after a loss last time. Duke fell to Virginia Tech and North Carolina lost to Miami. Neither wants to wrap up the regular season with two consecutive losses and the standard bragging rights will be on the line in this gargantuan ACC matchup.... 

The Georgetown Hoyas’ NCAA Tournament chances went up in smoke with a horrific end to the conference season, and their regular season could wrap in a similarly fruitless fashion. Georgetown must hit the road this week to face off against the fourth-ranked Villanova Wildcats.... 

The Arizona Wildcats should be preparing for another deep NCAA Tournament run. Instead, they are wondering about the future of coach Sean Miller. There was an explosive allegation last week by ESPN that said Miller was implicated in a wiretap offering money to secure the services of star center DeAndre Ayton. ... 

It’s been a roller coaster season for the Kentucky Wildcats, but they hope to begin postseason play on a high note. Kentucky has won three consecutive games and will aim to end the regular season in similar fashion when it hits the road to face the Florida Gators. ... 

The Oklahoma Sooners finally broke out of a long skid last time out, but for pundits to believe in their ability in the NCAA Tournament, they need to string together some solid games. Oklahoma will look for another win to steady the ship when it hosts the Iowa State Cyclones in a Big 12 matchup this week that concludes the regular season. ... 

After owning the Missouri Valley Conference for the past several years, the Wichita State Shockers needed a new challenge. Their move to the American has provided just that. The Shockers have lost nearly as many conference games in their first year in the AAC (3) than they did in their last four combined in the MVC (4). But one thing remains the same – the Shockers are vying for a regular season title. They can move closer to their goal with a road win over the Central Florida Knights on Thursday. ... 

Among the college basketball conference tournaments few of them offer the combination of competitiveness and pressure than the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. The University of North Carolina Wilmington’s run as back to back champions of the CAA Tourney is almost certain to end in 2018. Such dominance has been the exception rather than the rule for the CAA Tournament. In fact, the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament has posted eight different schools as winners since 2008. Along with regular season co-champs Charleston and Northeastern are top dog threats Hofstra and William and Mary. All in all, the CAA Tournament looks like one of the best for action and betting opportunities.... 

While most of the powerhouse conferences close the regular season out this Sunday, many conference tournaments will play out over the course of the next week. The landscape of the upcoming NCAA Tournament will start to take a more concrete shape. With that, time is running out to hit the March Madness futures odds if you haven’t already. We suggested fading a handful of teams whose odds to win it all got shorter last week. This time around, I’ll be targeting teams whose odds also got shorter at BookMaker.eu, but will be giving them the thumbs up instead.... 

Mississippi Rebels coach Andy Kennedy had planned on stepping down at the conclusion of the season. When things went from bad to worse, Kennedy opted for early retirement, leaving the bench with several games still remaining in the season. A long losing streak and what several players called “trust” issues with the coaching staff likely hastened the decision. Still, this is not a good basketball team and the Rebels are going to be fodder for the surging Kentucky Wildcats. ... 

Few college basketball conference tournaments are as pressure packed and intense as the Horizon League. The stakes could not be higher for Horizon League teams this year as its almost certain that their only path to a March Madness Big Dance bid is through the winner of their tournament. There is no forgiveness nor margin for error for teams from the Horizon League. The regular season title gets you a top seed in the tourney and nothing more which makes for a true pressure cooker. Northern Kentucky’s four-month body of work and regular season championship in the Horizon comes down to a dangerous five days in Detroit. ... 

The West Coast Conference is often derided as the, “Big Two and Little Eight” and with good reason. The Gonzaga Bulldogs and Saint Mary’s Gaels are perennial powers in college basketball and the two marquee teams of the WCC. With the exception of San Diego in 2003 and 2008 the West Coast Conference Tournament has been won by either Saint Mary’s or Gonzaga every year since 1999. Gonzaga has won five consecutive WCC Tournament titles. Handicappers looking for an alternative to the “Big Two” will be hard pressed to find a good case. Yet the possibility of an upset run by a team with a hot hand is always present come tournament time. ... 

The pressure will be on full blast for mid-major college basketball programs that have no margin for error in their quest for an invite to the Big Dance. With the NCAA Tournament looming on the minds of everyone the conference tournaments begin in earnest this week. Among them is the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Teams from leagues like the Missouri Valley face far greater pressure in their conference tournaments than the so called “power five” conferences. For mid-major teams a great performance in the regular season is basically meaningless. All that matters is the conference tournament. A great four month campaign can be washed away in just four days or less. Thus, it’s a pressure packed weekend on a high wire. ...