Conference Tournaments Starting March 8th

We only have two Conference Tournaments starting today Ladies and Gents (the Summit League and the Big Sky Conference), so let's get through these so I can get to bed. Before I get into the capsules, I just wanted to note that with these two Tournaments, we are officially half way through the Conference Championships. These are #14 and #15. Half-way done. Only fifteen more to go. Things should get more and more exciting as the tournaments that have already begun move into their semifinal and championship games...not to mention that we have all of the major conferences starting their Conference Tourneys next week. I'm not wearing down at all...I'm just getting started. As always, my predicted champion is in bold.

• Big Sky Conference - Portland State - This Conference Tournament is fascinating! Well...maybe fascinating is a strong word, but the structure of the Tournament is so unique, I literally triple-checked things to make sure I was seeing the entire bracket. The Big Sky consists of 9 teams, but only 6 (count 'em 6!) make the Conference Tournament. That's a total of just 5 games for the entire tournament. Northern Arizona would be a nice pick here as the #2 seed as they have lost in the title game three of the past four years. Not to mention the fact that Northern Arizona is where Ben Howland coached before he came to Pitt and put the Panther's program back on the map. But I'm going with the #1 seed, Portland State, here for a few simple reasons: they're on the verge of their first Big Sky title and their first trip to the NCAA Tournament, they won this Conference by three games, they beat Northern Arizona twice, they have an RPI of 96...50 points higher than the next team in this Conference (Northern Arizona), and lastly, they are simply the strongest basketball team here. Notable seeds: #1 Portland State, #2 Northern Arizona, #3 Weber State (always seem to be in or around the NCAA Tourney), #5 Montana

• Summit League - IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) - Yes...you're correct in what you just read. IUPUI is quite possibly the longest named institution in the history of mankind. You gotta figure though, graduating from that University (or is it two Universities?) has to take up a shit-load of space on your resume. Just so my many fans know, I did not take the easy (and very very fun) road here by picking Oral Roberts. I went with who I thought would win this tournament. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to work Oral into this blog as much as possible, and maybe many will be pleased with Oral by the end of this tournament...who knows, but I'm sticking with this IUPUI pick. Oral does hold the top seed for the fourth year in a row. (I love this blog, if only for the fact that I could type the last sentence and have it be dirty and true at the same time) Oral is also the two-time defending champion. But again, I'm taking IUPUI. They were the pre-season pick to win this conference, and I've kept hearing good things about them on College Game Night and on podcasts all season. IUPUI went 24-6 this season, has an RPI of 74, defeated UMASS (a bubble team), and split the season series with Oral...their loss by a single point on the road. I just think that Oral's time on top is done. Notable seeds: #1 Oral Robers (this was to much fun, we might just have to fit them back into the blog somehow, even if they lose), #2 IUPUI, #3 Oakland (the one that's in Michigan people), #5 IPFW (get this...and make sure you have 5 minutes to get through it.....Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne...it exists), #6 Western Illinois (my dad's alma mater)

By the way, I'm being a good boy here and avoiding all of the scandal and controversy that has surrounded Richard Roberts and Oral Roberts University. You can find all of that juicy stuff on the web if you care at all. Dolla Dolla Bill Y'all.