The NCAA men’s basketball conference tournament schedule is well under way, and the first of the “Big 6” conferences join the action Tuesday when the ACC tips things off.
The Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC join them Wednesday and games continue through the week until champions and automatic NCAA tournament bids are decided over the weekend.
Whether it’s Alabama, Kansas, UCLA or Purdue, we all feel like we have a grasp on the favorites this year. But they don’t call it March Madness for nothing, so the FTW staff made picks on which teams we’d put our money on.
Odds are from DraftKings
ACC
LET'S HOOP. 🏀
🏆: https://t.co/kFgAKnrHcS
🎟️: https://t.co/YfLKZyMkKH pic.twitter.com/JgZV9TdT3P— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 5, 2023
Prince: Miami
Grabbing the top seed gives Miami a little bit of an easier path, and I love their ability to shoot it behind four players averaging 13+ points.
Caroline: Virginia
Hey, why not? The ACC co-champs got the most favorable half of the bracket, and if they make it past UNC I like them in a final. Could see a revenge game with Miami or a spicy rematch with Duke after the way the regular season matchup ended. Either way, it could be fun.
Blake: Pitt
I really wish UNC had worse odds because I’d absolutely be comfortable trusting the Tar Heels to get it together for four games on a neutral floor (see: North Carolina 2022), but they have a truly tough road ahead. I think Pitt has all the tools to go on a run as well as a potentially easier half of the bracket unless/until it runs into Miami. At that point I’ll take my chances on a squad that’s +1400 to run the table.
Mitchell: UNC
I’m picking the Tar Heels because this is the last chance for them to get their act together. Currently, UNC is on track to become the first preseason ranked No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 Poll to miss the NCAA Tournament since it expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Armando Bacot and his teammates do not strike me as dudes who wants to be part of a team that could be historically infamous in that way. UNC’s backs are against the wall. They can run the table in Greensboro and earn a ticket to the Big Dance, or we can go into next season with not-so-loud whispers about Hubert Davis’ job security.
Big 12
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝟔𝟔 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝟏𝟐 𝐌𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 🏆
➡️ https://t.co/cJlgOINmye#Big12MBB x @Phillips66Gas pic.twitter.com/tCdhldUHnQ
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 5, 2023
Prince: Kansas
That end of season loss to Texas should be just what Kansas needed to spur a little tourney title run.
Caroline: Texas
This feels like the tournament that has the most “who knows what could happen” vibe to it. I would believe you if you told me Texas, Kansas, Baylor, TCU or K-State won this tournament to be honest. Plus, I knew Blake would also choose Kansas and I wanted to switch it up a bit.
Blake: TCU
Take that, Caroline. Here’s the thing with Kansas: the team plays such a disruptive style of defense that it’s going to be able to hang around in games until the offense starts getting some shots to go down. The fact the Kansas hasn’t had too many problems generating open looks during this mini slump leads me to believe that’ll be sooner than later. Plus, winning ugly in March is a hallmark of elite Bill Self teams. But the one team that seems to enjoy playing ugly as much as the Jayhawks is TCU — and the fact that it’s on the same side of the bracket as Kansas worries me. If the Horned Frogs get past the Jayhawks, they’ll win the whole tournament. It’s a big “if” but at +750 I’m happy to hedge the bet I’ve already placed on the Jayhawks.
Mitchell: Kansas State
Yes, I know the Wildcats just lost to West Virginia, but we’ve seen this K-State team play well and beat all the teams above here earlier this season. They beat Kansas in overtime, they dropped 116 points on Texas, and they beat TCU by 21 points. I’m riding with the Lavender Power at +650.
Big East
See you at @TheGarden. pic.twitter.com/rdCMlLK81q
— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) March 5, 2023
Prince: UConn
The Huskies are on a bit of a run lately, winning eight of their last nine games with an average margin of 14 points.
Caroline: Marquette
SHAKA SMART IS BACK, BABY.
Blake: UConn
You expect me to pick against a scorching hot Huskies team in the Big East Tournament? I’d rather get this one wrong than look like a fool for avoiding it.
Mitchell: Creighton
The Bluejays beat UConn twice in the regular season. I like the chances of Ryan Kalkbrenner and his teammates getting it done a third time.
Big Ten
The 2023 #B1GMBBT bracket is set!
Who’s taking home the 🏆❓ pic.twitter.com/8JzmrtN4UF
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 6, 2023
Prince: Michigan State
I like how the bracket sets up for Michigan St, with the toughest matchup being the potential meeting with Purdue in the semis. The Spartans are due for one over the Boilermakers.
Caroline: Purdue
Is this a cop-out pick? Maybe! But the Boilermakers have been the most consistent in the Big Ten all season, so I’m going with the best player in the country.
Blake: Illinois
We’ve been waiting all year for the Illini to put it together. What better place than the United Center, what better time than March, what better bracket than one featuring Northwestern and a good-not-great Indiana team.
Mitchell: Maryland
In Year One under Kevin Willard, the Terps have beaten Northwestern, Purdue, Indiana and Illinois. So, while Maryland went 11-9 in Big Ten play in the regular season, we’ve seen this team hang with — and beat — the best teams in this conference.
Pac-12
🚨 𝑩𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑲𝑬𝑻 𝑨𝑳𝑬𝑹𝑻 🚨
The field for the 2023 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament is set! See you next week at @TMobileArena in @Vegas!
🎟 » https://t.co/1WwlebKMI2
📰 » https://t.co/VpcL5oUZqp#Pac12MBB | #BackThePac pic.twitter.com/RH1Nw6dRYQ— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) March 5, 2023
Prince: UCLA
UCLA is just playing at a level above everyone else right now and has a much clearer path to the title game than Arizona.
Caroline: UCLA
They’re just far-and-away the best team in the Pac-12 in my estimation. Could see another significant postseason run for that core.
Blake: UCLA
And here I thought I just made my Big Ten Tournament pick!
Mitchell: USC
Typically I would take UCLA here, but Jaylen Clark’s injury makes me a little uneasy about the Bruins running the table. USC has been solid all year and it was the last team to beat UCLA.
SEC
THE BRACKET. #SECMBB x #SECTourney pic.twitter.com/mfbPJPjlUf
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) March 5, 2023
Prince: Kentucky
Kentucky is playing some solid basketball over the last month, including a win over Tennessee. Being seeded on the opposite side of the Vols and Alabama is a plus.
Caroline: Texas A&M
While Kentucky has stepped it up, so have the Aggies. Texas A&M are 8-1 over their last nine with wins over Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Auburn in that stretch.
Blake: Tennessee
Are The Vols having a good time right now? Absolutely not. Am I ready to count them out with this bracket? Absolutely not again. However, if you’re unlike me and want a little better odds, Mizzou +2500 is right there for the taking and could absolutely make a run.
Mitchell: Texas A&M
The Aggies just got a huge win over Alabama and, as Caroline mentioned, are playing some of their best basketball right now. And the Aggies’ best player — Wade Taylor IV — has been awesome lately, averaging 21.3 points, 4.3 assists and two steals per-game over his last eight outings while shooting 42.9% from 3-point land.
