Brayden’s Breakdown: Every men’s conference tournament champion so far

The most exciting month in college basketball is here. Conference tournaments started last week, and we already have 11 tickets punched as of Tuesday night. Before filling out your bracket next week, here’s what you need to know about those 11 teams. 

SIU Edwardsville 

The Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville Cougars were the first automatic bid into March Madness. The Ohio Valley Conference champions are dancing for the first time in program history after beating Southeast Missouri State on Saturday. Despite a slow start to the season, the Cougars finished 22-11 and are currently projected as a No. 16 seed in the NCAA tournament. Fans should watch out for Ray’Sean Taylor who leads the team in both points and steals per game.  

High Point 

After a heartbreaking loss to Longwood in the Big South semifinals last year, Alan Huss’ squad would not let an early deficit in the championship game get them down. Trailing by 10 at halftime and by as much as 15 in the second half, the Panthers came back in thrilling fashion against Winthrop. Former Kansas and ECU guard Bobby Pettiford lead the comeback with 17 points off the bench. Leading scorer Kezza Giffa also dropped 16 points, and the Panthers proved that 4 and 5 seeds should hope they face someone else in round one.  

Lipscomb 

In a common theme so far in this conference tournament season, Lipscomb punched their first ever ticket to March Madness on Sunday. The Bisons are taking a six-game winning streak into the round of 64. Senior Jacob Ognacevic leads the charge with 20.1 points and 8.1 rebounds a game. Lennie Acuff coached at a Division II school, the University of Alabama Huntsville, before taking the Lipscomb job in 2019 and getting this program over the hump. They will be determined to bust brackets next week.  

Drake 

The best story of the tournament is undoubtedly the Drake Bulldogs. Ben McCollum’s team is no joke and certainly has the potential to reach the second week of the tournament. In McCollum’s first year at Drake, after winning five national championships at Division II Northwest Missouri State, his squad finished 30-3 with wins over Kansas State and the NCAA tournament-bound Vanderbilt. With four division two transfers as starters, including MVC Player of the Year Bennett Stirtz who averages almost 20 points per game on nearly 50% shooting, the Bulldogs see shots drop with ease. The Cinderella shoe fits Drake with the big dance looming.  

Omaha 

The Omaha Mavericks won their first ever Summit League conference championship, defeating St. Thomas on Sunday. The regular season Summit League champs went 13-3 in league play. Chris Crutchfield’s team has won six straight games and scored at least 70 in all six contests. Marquel Sutton is a star for the Mavericks. The Summit League Player of the Year had 22 points and a conference tournament record 18 rebounds to help clinch the title against St. Thomas.  

Troy 

The Sun Belt champions punched their ticket to the dance on Monday, defeating Arkansas State 94-81. The Trojans will be making their first tournament appearance since 2017. Tayton Conerway leads the team in points, assists and steals. The Texas native had 22 points in the close out game versus Arkansas State. Troy will be ready to go in the NCAA tournament after a battle-tested Sun Belt tournament.  

Wofford 

The Wofford Terriers won three games in three days to claim their spot in March Madness. This was capped off by a thrilling victory of Furman in the SoCon championship game, where the Terriers won 92-85. Kyler Filewich averages a near double-double each game and scored 13 points in all three conference tournament games. The center also grabbed 10 rebounds in the quarterfinal game against ETSU. The SoCon has provided some great upsets these past few years and Wofford could add to that list soon. 

Gonzaga 

The Zags finally broke through against St. Mary’s in the WCC championship after dropping the first two matchups to the Gaels this season. Mark Few’s team had a down year for their standards, going 25-8 heading into the NCAA tournament. Gonzaga’s nonconference schedule tested them, as they picked up wins against tournament-hopefuls Baylor, San Diego State and Indiana, while also playing well in losses to UCLA, Kentucky and UConn. The veteran trio of Graham Ike, Ryan Nembhard and Khalif Battle are ready to lead this team into action next week.  

UNC Wilmington 

The Costal Athletic Association champions held on to win back-to-back photo finishes against Charleston and Delaware to claim the title. The Seahawks have won 15 of their last 17 games and are currently projected as a 13 seed in the NCAA tournament. Donovan Newby was spectacular in the CAA tournament, averaging almost 17 points in his three conference tournament games. The senior went an improbable 18 for 18 from the free throw line and is a career 88% free throw shooter.  

St. Francis (PA) 

The St. Francis Red Flash shocked the college basketball world when they defeated Central Connecticut State on Tuesday night. CCSU was riding the longest win streak in the nation at 14 games, before getting knocked off on their home court. Head coach Rob Krimmel led his alma matter to its second-ever tournament berth and the first since 1991. Sitting at a record of 16-17, the Red Flash will likely have to win a game in the First Four before they face off against a one seed.  

Robert Morris 

Robert Morris rallied back from a 6-5 start of the season to an NCAA tournament appearance. The Colonials are 20-3 in their last 23 games, including a ten-game winning streak heading into the big dance. The Horizon League champions defeated reigning champs Oakland in the semifinals and Youngstown State in the finals. Alvaro Folgueiras emerged as a dual threat for the Colonials this season. The sophomore is averaging 14 points per game on 55% shooting from the field and 42.3% from three. The Spain native also averages 9 rebounds a game. RMU looks to keep their lightning in a bottle going next week in March Madness.