Conference Tournaments Heat Up as March Madness Approaches

Powerhouse teams and underdog stories dominate college basketball's Championship Week, with high stakes for NCAA Tournament seeding and bids.

Michigan State enters the Big Ten Tournament on a seven-game winning streak, aiming to solidify its NCAA No. 1 seed chances, while rival Michigan struggles with recent losses.
St. John’s, under Rick Pitino, seeks its first Big East Tournament title since 2000 after claiming its first outright regular-season conference championship in 40 years.
Auburn and Duke are leading favorites for the NCAA Tournament, but Auburn risks losing the No. 1 overall seed if it falters in the SEC Tournament.
Potential Cinderella stories include Rutgers in the Big Ten and Delaware, which is one win away from an improbable NCAA berth after a four-game run in its conference tournament.
The ACC Tournament features Duke as a heavy favorite, while bubble teams like North Carolina and Wake Forest must perform well to secure NCAA bids.