By Sam Federman
America East: Vermont
The road to the tourney runs through Burlington, and it's incredibly hard to imagine that the Catamounts don't protect their home court. It's been since before COVID that an America East team has walked into a filled Patrick Gym and defeated Vermont.
Atlantic Sun: Austin Peay
Austin Peay is as talented as anybody in the ASUN, and the Govs have begun to flex their muscles recently. APSU has won seven of its last eight games, and much of that was without superstar DeMarcus Sharp. Now that he's back, I think this team is ready to peak at the right time.
Big Sky: Weber State
I spent a lot of time thinking about who to pick in the Big Sky, but at the end of the day, I decided to bet on Dillon Jones, Eric Duft, and the Wildcats. Steven Verplancken has picked up his game recently, and it has led to eight wins over the last nine.
Big South: High Point
I know, I know, it's boring to take the one seed, but this High Point team is awesome. There's three legit stars on this team in Duke Miles, Kezza Giffa, and Kimani Hamilton, and all of them can take over a game in nuclear mode at any time.
CAA: Charleston
I'm old enough to remember when the Cougars couldn't hit shots back in Myrtle Beach. Now, as winners of nine in a row, Charleston is rounding into form at the right time, wearing teams down with a fast pace and deep rotation.
Horizon League: Oakland
I wanted to pick Wright State, but I don't trust them to win a few games in a row with that defense. I wanted to pick Green Bay, but I'm uncertain what happens if Noah Reynolds gets shut down. I wanted to pick a plethora of teams in this league, but I just had too many question marks about all of them... except for Oakland.
Missouri Valley: Bradley
It's incredibly hard to beat the same team three times in one season, andBradley has lost twice in close games to both Drake and Indiana State. The Braves are a well-rounded team with the ability to beat you in a fast game or a slow game. As much as I like Indiana State and Drake, I've felt that Bradley was right there with them all year. Plus I need some bonus points for a non-top 2 seed, and I feel that this one gives me a good chance at that.
NEC: Merrimack
I wrote the Mid-Major Madness preview for the NEC Tournament that will be released on Wednesday, read that.
Ohio Valley: Little Rock
Since Makhel Mitchell returned to the floor, he has been an x-factor on both ends. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson is playing some of his best basketball, and KK Robinson doesn't have to be Superman for this team to win anymore.
Patriot League: Colgate
I wrote the Mid-Major Madness preview for the Patriot League tournament that will be released on Tuesday, read that.
SoCon: Samford
There have been teams throughout the year that I have felt have been on a path to challenging Samford, but all of them have wilted. The Bulldogs are extremely tough to play against with their pace, depth, spacing, and athleticism, especially on quick turnarounds.
Southland: McNeese
I'm so confident that McNeese wins this conference tournament that if they don't..... I'm not going to say anything here, but pretend I said something absolutely outrageous, and that should illustrate the point.
Summit: St. Thomas
I've been a big Johnny Tauer fan for a while, and the Summit League seems wide open. I haven't watched this league very much at all this season, and UST is the highest KenPom team while also being the four seed. Seems like a really good way to potentially earn some points.
Sun Belt: James Madison
People have forgotten how good James Madison is for some reason. The Dukes just won four straight road games to close out the regular season with a 28-3 record. Mark Byington's team is very well-rounded and very tough to beat. I'm very much hoping that we get a round three between them and App State.
West Coast: Gonzaga
I'm not usually a Gonzaga or Saint Mary's skeptic, but this year I certainly am. We saw who these teams were against the best competition early in the year, and it's unlikely I pick either of them to make a deep NCAA run. However, one of them has to win the WCC, and I'm gonna go with Gonzaga.