March Madness 2024: College basketball conference tournament predictions, picks, odds, sleepers

College basketball's top conferences are gearing up for their respective tournaments this week. Not only will league champions be determined but a handful of teams need help leading up to the bracket reveal on Selection Sunday by either winning their conference tournament to secure a coveted automatic bid or adding key wins to their respective résumés to ensure an at-large berth.

The week will be filled with firsts and lasts. Headlining the former is Houston appearing in its first conference tournament as a member of the Big 12. The Cougars captured the Big 12 regular-season title last week and earned a double-bye for this week's Big 12 Tournament. Houston is seeking the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Speaking of lasts, this will be the final Pac-12 Conference Tournament with full membership because Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington are joining the Big Ten; Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will become members of the Big 12; and Cal and Stanford are leaving in favor of the ACC.

Arizona is the two-time reigning Pac-12 Tournament champion. The Wildcats will likely need to run the table in order to stay in contention for a No. 1 seed.

Reigning national champion UConn is the heavy favorite to win the Big East Tournament. Last season, the Huskies were eliminated in the Big East Tournament semifinal by Marquette before firing off six straight wins en route to a championship.

Our experts have combed through the conference tournament brackets of the sport's top leagues and have come up with championship predictions and sleeper picks from each bracket. 

Odds from SportsLine consensus

ACC Tournament

ACC Tournament bracket, schedule, pairings

Breakdown: No. 1 seed North Carolina won the outright ACC regular season title by defeating Duke last weekend. However, the reigning ACC Tournament champion is a (slight) betting favorite over their in-state rival. Outside of Duke, UNC and Clemson, a handful of teams within the conference may be sweating on Selection Sunday if they don't perform well this week. That includes bubble teams Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Virginia. If the stars align, we could be due for a third showdown between Duke and North Carolina for the ACC crown.

	Gary Parrish	Matt Norlander	Kyle Boone	David Cobb	Chip Patterson	Jerry Palm	Cameron Salerno
Pick to win	N. Carolina	Duke	Duke	Duke	Duke	N. Carolina	Duke
Sleeper pick	Clemson	Clemson	NC State	Wake Forest	Wake Forest	Clemson	Clemson

Odds to win ACC Tournament

Big East Tournament

Big East Tournament bracket, schedule, pairings

Breakdown: UConn won its first outright Big East regular season title in 25 years this season, which is shocking because the school has won five national championships since. The Huskies are the odds-on favorite to win this tournament, but not far behind them are Creighton and Marquette. Something to monitor this week will be the status of Marquette star point guard Tyler Kolek, who missed the final few games of the regular season because of an injury. If Marquette is at full strength, they could be the top challenger. The Big East has three bubble teams heading into the final week: St. John's,Villanova and Seton Hall.

	Gary Parrish	Matt Norlander	Kyle Boone	David Cobb	Chip Patterson	Jerry Palm	Cameron Salerno
Pick to win	UConn	UConn	UConn	UConn	UConn	UConn	UConn
Sleeper pick	St. John's	Seton Hall	Providence	Villanova	St. John's	St. John's	Villanova

Odds to win Big East Tournament

Big Ten Tournament

Big Ten Tournament bracket, schedule, pairings

Breakdown: Purdue is the heavy favorite to win the Big Ten. The Boilermakers captured the Big Ten regular season title earlier this month and will look to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament led by reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey. Teams on the bubble to keep an eye on include Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern and Michigan State. The Spartans appear to be heading toward their 26th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. A strong showing this week would solidify it.

	Gary Parrish	Matt Norlander	Kyle Boone	David Cobb	Chip Patterson	Jerry Palm	Cameron Salerno
Pick to win	Purdue	Illinois	Purdue	Purdue	Purdue	Purdue	Illinois
Sleeper pick	Michigan St.	Iowa	Nebraska	Ohio St.	Indiana	Ohio St.	Michigan St.

Odds to win Big Ten Tournament

Big 12 Tournament

Big 12 Tournament bracket, schedule, pairings

Breakdown: The Big 12 Tournament features four teams (BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF) making its first appearance as a member of the Big 12. It will also include Oklahoma and Texas appearing for the final time before departing for the SEC. Kansas is relegated to the No. 6 seed in the tournament after going 10-8 in conference play - the worst in the Bill Self era. Last year's Big 12 Tournament champion Texas earned the No. 7 seed and will face Kansas State in the second round.

	Gary Parrish	Matt Norlander	Kyle Boone	David Cobb	Chip Patterson	Jerry Palm	Cameron Salerno
Pick to win	Houston	Baylor	Iowa St.	Houston	Baylor	Houston	Houston
Sleeper pick	Texas	Kansas	BYU	TCU	BYU	BYU	Texas

Odds to win Big 12 Tournament

Mountain West Tournament

Mountain West Tournament bracket, schedule, pairings

Breakdown: If you enjoy watching fun college basketball, this one is for you. The Mountain West could have as many as six teams in the Big Dance this season. Utah State earned the No. 1 overall seed after knocking off New Mexico at home in the final game of the regular season. San Diego State defeated Utah State last season in the conference championship game. UNLV won 10 of its final 12 games heading into the week but likely needs to run the table to earn a spot.

	Gary Parrish	Matt Norlander	Kyle Boone	David Cobb	Chip Patterson	Jerry Palm	Cameron Salerno
Pick to win	Utah St.	Boise St.	Nevada	Nevada	Utah St.	Nevada	Boise St.
Sleeper pick	San Diego St.	Colo. St.	San Diego St.	San Diego St.	San Diego St.	UNLV	Colo. St.

Odds to win Mountain West Tournament

Pac-12 Tournament

Pac-12 Tournament bracket, schedule, pairings

Breakdown: The last dance for the "Conference of Champions" is happening this week in Sin City. Arizona hasn't lost back-to-back games under coach Tommy Lloyd. The program hasn't lost a game in Pac-12 tournament play since he took over in 2022. The Wildcats and Washington State - the top finishers in the Pac-12 - are the only teams locked into a berth in the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens. Colorado is firmly on the bubble but could use some help this week. The other nine members have to win out.

	Gary Parrish	Matt Norlander	Kyle Boone	David Cobb	Chip Patterson	Jerry Palm	Cameron Salerno
Pick to win	Washington St.	Colorado	Arizona	Arizona	Arizona	Arizona	Arizona
Sleeper pick	USC	Utah	USC	Utah	Utah	Utah	USC

Odds to win Pac-12 Tournament

SEC Tournament

SEC Tournament bracket, schedule, pairings

Breakdown: Days after winning the SEC regular season title, No. 1 seeded Tennessee lost at home to Kentucky. The Volunteers are the favorite to take home the hardware for the second time in three years, but they have some serious competition behind them. Mississippi State and Texas A&M are both on the bubble. If either wants to reach the NCAA Tournament, this week will be important in making that case to the committee.

	Gary Parrish	Matt Norlander	Kyle Boone	David Cobb	Chip Patterson	Jerry Palm	Cameron Salerno
Pick to win	Kentucky	Tennessee	Kentucky	Tennessee	Tennessee	Kentucky	Kentucky
Sleeper pick	South Carolina	South Carolina	Florida	Florida	Texas A&M	Texas A&M	Florida

Odds to win SEC Tournament

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