College basketball picks: Conference tournament championship picks for MVC, Summit League
Two more teams will secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday with the MVC and Summit League conference tournaments wrapping up
March means high-stakes college basketball and while a lot of sports fans and bettors may focus on the NCAA Tournament, conference tournaments are the first step to making the main bracket. Tennessee State already clinched a spot in the field of 68, and we'll see more bids locked up on Sunday, March 8 with the Missouri Valley Conference and Summit League concluding their conference tournaments.
We'll take a look at the best bets for Sunday's conference championship games. The MVC title game will tip at 12 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+, while the Summit League title game will air on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET.
MVC, Summit League conference tournament final picks
Northern Iowa vs. UIC Over 123.5
There have been plenty of upsets in "Arch Madness" with the No. 1 seed Belmont losing in the quarterfinal round and the No. 2 seed Bradley going down in the semifinal. Sunday's final features Northern Iowa, the No. 6 seed in this bracket, meeting No. 5 seed UIC. The Panthers won their opening game 68-59, blew out No. 3 Illinois State 74-52 and then shocked Bradley 73-69 to reach the final. UIC has largely cruised through this bracket with a 13-point win over Murray State and a 21-point win over Drake. The SportsLine Projection Model sees the Panthers covering the spread in Sunday's final but it has a "A" grade recommendation on Over 123.5, which hits in 86.6% of simulations.
North Dakota State -9.5 vs. North Dakota
We get a rivalry game in the Summit League conference championship with North Dakota battling North Dakota State. The Fighting Hawks are the No. 3 seed in this tournament and get here after a thrilling 67-66 win over No. 2 St. Thomas in the semifinal round. The Bison are the top seed in the bracket and come into this matchup off a comfortable 24-point win over No. 5 Omaha in the semifinal. Neither regular season matchup between these teams was close, as NDSU won by 17 and 23 points. The spread here is much closer given the condensed schedule and the potential adrenaline boost of a chance to make the NCAA Tournament but I'll back the Bison to win and cover in the title game.
