Why college basketball's wildest conference tournament brackets keep getting crazier

With college basketball conference tournaments officially underway, some of the wonkiest brackets in all of sports are taking center stage. None is crazier than the Sun Belt's seven-round "stepladder" event, which is already underway in Pensacola, Florida.

No. 11 seed Old Dominion and No. 12 seed Louisiana began their journeys with victories on Tuesday night. To cut down the nets on March 9, they will need to win seven games in seven days. By comparison, No. 1 seed Troy and No. 2 seed Marshall won't play until the semifinals.

The Sun Belt's format debuted for the 2025 season and is one of several conference tournaments now optimized to reward regular season performance. There is thoughtful reasoning behind the trend.

While the stepladder format obviously makes it tougher for a Cinderella to emerge from down the seeding hierarchy, the growth of the concept is actually a means of enhancing Cinderella's viability in the NCAA Tournament. When a likely one-bid conference protects its best teams, it's more likely that the NCAA Tournament representative from that conference will be a legitimate threat in the Big Dance.

That is one way to counter a prevailing narrative that this NIL-oriented and transfer-heavy era of college basketball is making it harder for the "little guys" to thrive in the NCAA Tournament. If leagues create conditions that accommodate the best teams from the low and mid-major ranks, it enhances the likelihood that teams in the 12-16 seed range of the Big Dance will be competent enough to make some noise.

There is also a financial incentive. Every conference collects an additional financial "unit" any time one of their teams advances in the NCAA Tournament. Those units are valuable revenue for leagues lacking high-dollar TV deals.

Here is a rundown of the most extreme conference tournament brackets.

1. Sun Belt Tournament

When the Sun Belt unveiled its new conference tournament format before last season, here's what commissioner Keith Gill had to say: "The new Sun Belt Basketball Championship brackets will reward our top seeds for their accomplishments during the regular season, ensuring they receive the advantage they've earned for their on-court performance."

What league leaders perhaps didn't envision is a six-way tie for second in the conference standings like what we saw this season. Due to tiebreakers, Arkansas State landed as the No. 7 seed, despite having the exact same 11-7 league record as No. 2 seed Marshall. As a result, the Red Wolves will have to win five games to be the tournament champion while the Thundering Herd will need just two victories. Here's a look at the Sun Belt Tournament bracket. 

2. WCC Tournament

The WCC has been doing things this way for over two decades. By granting automatic bids to the semifinals for its top two teams, the league has created ideal conditions for premier programs like Gonzaga and Saint Mary's. The Bulldogs have rarely needed an automatic bid in order to qualify for the Big Dance.

But by implementing the stepladder format and sticking with it, the conference was able to placate the Zags, who have long been of interest to other conferences. Gonzaga will finally be moving on to the Pac-12 after this season. They have 22 WCC Tournament championships already. Can they add a 23rd on the way out? Here's the WCC bracket. 

3. AAC Tournament

The American moved to a stepladder format for the 2026 season, and it's looking like a great decision because of the way this season played out. South Florida will be the No. 1 seed, and the Bulls will need just two victories in order to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. 

USF profiles like a team that could upset a No. 5 seed in the first round of the Big Dance if it lands as a No. 12 seed. No one will want to get matched up against the Bulls in the Big Dance, and the American is ensuring South Florida has a great path to the field of 68.

4. Big Ten Tournament

The Big Ten permitted just 15 of its 18 members to reach the conference tournament last season, resulting in Nebraska, Penn State and Washington getting left on the outside looking in. However, the conference is letting all 18 teams in for the 2026 event. It is messy, but that's just what happens when you work with this many teams. 

As a result, the path to a title looks much different for seeds Nos. 15-18 than it does for seeds Nos. 1-4. The former group will need to win six games in six days while the ladder will need just three victories to hoist the trophy.

5. MEAC Tournament

If you look closely, you can see there is a massive reward for earning the No. 1 seed in the MEAC Tournament. While every other team in the field will need to win three games in order to be the champion, the No. 1 seed will need to win just two. 

This provides a clear reward to the conference's regular season champion and enhances the league's chance of sending a competitive team to the Big Dance.