MORE: NCAA automatic bids

The real March Madness began Tuesday, with the start of the conference tournaments in the "smaller" leagues. Tournaments in the big leagues determine NCAA tournament seedings and the intrigue comes from whether Team A can become the seventh or eighth team from the league to qualify for the Big Dance. But in leagues such as the Atlantic Sun, Patriot and Sun Belt, it's winner-take-all. There are no at-large bids, and the teams know that if they want to be in the March spotlight, they must win their league tournament first. Rivals.com will take a look at each league as it begins its tournament, with a quick breakdown on what to look for and the teams to watch. Current tournaments | Completed tournaments
CURRENT MAJOR CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS
Atlantic Coast
When: March 12-15 | Watch preview Where: Atlanta. TV: ACC syndication/ESPN, 1 p.m. Format: All league teams qualify. The top four seeds get byes into the second round. Regular-season champ: North Carolina Projected NCAA bids: 6-8. The buzz: North Carolina won the regular-season title by two games over second-seeded Wake Forest and third-seeded Duke. UNC swept Duke and lost its only meeting with Wake; Duke and Wake split. Those three plus Clemson, Florida State and Boston College are NCAA locks. Maryland, Miami and Virginia Tech are on the bubble. Miami and Virginia Tech meet in the first round, and the loser can make NIT plans. A second-round meeting with North Carolina awaits the winner, and a victory over the Tar Heels likely would lock up a bid for the Hokies or Hurricanes. Maryland must beat North Carolina State in the first round and Wake in the second round to have an at-large shot. The pick: North Carolina (Greg Anthony, Mike Huguenin and Steve Megargee); Wake Forest (Jason King).
Big 12
When: Wednesday-Saturday | Watch preview Where: Oklahoma City Final TV: ESPN, 6 p.m. Format: All league teams qualify. The top four seeds get byes into the second round. Regular-season champ: Kansas Projected NCAA bids: 5-7. The buzz: Kansas won the regular-season title by a game over Oklahoma, which lost twice while star big man Blake Griffin was sidelined by a concussion. One of those losses was at home to the Jayhawks. Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma are NCAA locks, while Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State look good for bids. The only way Texas will sweat on Selection Sunday is if it loses to 12th-seeded Colorado in the first round. Actually, the same probably goes for A&M – which plays 11th-seeded Texas Tech in the first round – and Oklahoma State – which plays 10th-seeded Iowa State in the first round. Fourth-seeded Kansas State still has some work to do. If the Wildcats can get to the tournament final – and beat Texas and Kansas along the way – they have a shot at an at-large bid. K-State won at Texas in overtime but was swept by KU this season. The pick: Oklahoma (Mike Huguenin, Steve Megargee and Greg Anthony); Kansas (Jason King)
Big East
When: Tuesday-Saturday | Watch preview Where: New York Final TV: ESPN, 9 p.m. Regular-season champ: Louisville Format: All league teams qualify. The top four seeds get a bye into the quarterfinals; seeds five through eight get a first-round bye. Projected NCAA bids: 7-8. The buzz: Louisville won the regular-season title by a game over Connecticut and Pittsburgh. If the Cardinals can also win the league tournament, they're a good bet for a No. 1 seed. Seven Big East teams – Louisville, second-seeded Pitt, third-seeded UConn, fourth-seeded Villanova, fifth-seeded Marquette, sixth-seeded Syracuse and seventh-seeded West Virginia – are NCAA locks. Eighth-seeded Providence could play itself into the field, but at a minimum, that would require getting to the semifinals - which would mean a victory over Louisville in the quarterfinals. Cincinnati, Georgetown and Notre Dame could get firmly onto the bubble if they make it to the tournament final, but nothing we've seen from those teams leads us to believe that's possible. This is the first time all 16 league teams have made the tournament, and teams seeded ninth and above would have to win five games in five days to become tourney champions. Starting with Wednesday's second round, each tournament game is on ESPN. The top four seeds would make for an interesting NCAA tourney Final Four. The picks: Pittsburgh (Mike Huguenin and Greg Anthony); UConn (Jason King and Steve Megargee).
Big Ten
When: March 12-15 | Watch preview Where: Indianapolis TV: CBS, 3:30 p.m. Regular-season champ: Michigan State Format: All league teams qualify. The top five seeds get byes into the second round. Projected NCAA bids: 7-8. The buzz: Michigan State won the regular-season title by four games and leads the nation with wins over teams in the RPI top 50, so it's conceivable the Spartans could get an NCAA No. 1 seed if they also win the Big Ten tournament. Illinois, Purdue, Ohio State and Wisconsin also are NCAA locks. That means this tournament is especially important for four bubble teams: Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State – and Northwestern. Yes, the only "Big Six" conference school that never has been to the NCAA tournament has a chance to play itself into the field. If Michigan beats Iowa – or rather avoids a loss to the Hawkeyes – in the first round, the Wolverines should feel confident about an NCAA bid. If the Wolverines win twice, which would mean beating Illinois in the second round, they're in. Penn State must avoid a loss to bottom-feeder Indiana in the first round. If that happens, it, too, would feel somewhat confident about an NCAA bid. A second-round victory over Purdue likely would lock up a bid for the Nittany Lions. That leaves Minnesota and Northwestern, which meet in the first round. The loser falls off the bubble. Minnesota likely would clinch a bid with the one win, while Northwestern – at the least – would need to beat the Gophers, then Michigan State in the second round to have any kind of shot. Actually, it likely would require getting to the final – which would mean a win over Ohio State or Wisconsin in a semifinal – for Northwestern to have a legitimate shot at a bid. The pick: Michigan State (Greg Anthony, Mike Huguenin and Steve Megargee); Purdue (Jason King).
Pacific-10
When: Wednesday-Saturday | Watch preview Where: Los Angeles Final TV: CBS, 6 p.m. Format: All league teams qualify. The top six seeds get byes into the second round. Regular-season champ: Washington Projected NCAA bids: 4-6. The buzz: Washington won the regular-season title by a game over UCLA. Those two plus Arizona State and California are NCAA locks. Arizona looks OK, but the Wildcats sure could ease their worries if they can beat archrival Arizona State in a quarterfinal. Arizona State swept Arizona for the second season in a row, as the Sun Devils were able to control the tempo against the Wildcats in both meetings. If the Sun Devils make it 3-0 vs. the Wildcats this season, Arizona will be pulling for every other bubble team in the nation to lose, then biting its collective fingernails on Selection Sunday. USC could play itself into the at-large discussion if it can get to the tournament final. UCLA and Washington, especially, are playing for seeding. If Washington wins the tournament, it likely would end up as a No. 3 seed. If the Bruins win it, they're looking at a No. 4 seed. The pick: UCLA (Greg Anthony, Mike Huguenin, Steve Megargee). Arizona (Jason King)
Southeastern
When: March 12-15 | Watch preview Where: Tampa, Fla. TV: CBS, 1 p.m. Regular-season champ: LSU Format: All league teams qualify. The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds from each division get byes into the second round. Projected NCAA bids: 2-4. The buzz: This is a wide-open event. LSU and Tennessee are NCAA locks, but the league could get as many as two other bids; it also could get just two total. Auburn, Florida and South Carolina are teams that could play their way into the NCAA field, depending on which teams they beat in this tournament. If Kentucky wants to get to the Big Dance, it has to win this tournament. Auburn has won eight of its past nine, including home wins over LSU and Tennessee. Florida and South Carolina stumbled down the stretch. If Florida beats Arkansas in the first round, it would play Auburn in the second round in front of what likely would be a hugely partisan Gators crowd in Tampa. Winning that game is a must for both Auburn and UF if they want to stay on the bubble. Any potential NCAA bid for either also likely would require a victory over Tennessee in a semifinal. South Carolina also needs to get to the final – and to have beaten LSU along the way – to have a legit shot. The pick: South Carolina (Mike Huguenin); Tennessee (Greg Anthony, Steve Megargee); Auburn (Jason King).
OTHER CURRENT TOURNAMENTS
America East
When: Friday-Sunday, March 14 Where: Albany, N.Y., with best remaining seed hosting the final. Final TV: ESPN2, 11 a.m. Format: All league teams qualify. The Nos. 8 and 9 seeds meet in a sort of play-in game. The final is six days after the semifinals. Regular-season champ: Binghamton and Vermont tied for the title, with Binghamton owning the tiebreaker to become the No. 1 seed. Projected NCAA bids: 1 The buzz: Binghamton and Vermont each went 13-3 in conference play, but Binghamton beat the Catamounts twice to take the tiebreaker. Binghamton comes in on an eight-game winning streak, while Vermont has won 14 of 15 – with the only loss a two-point setback at home to Binghamton. Binghamton is a perimeter-oriented team that is 3-0 in overtime this season. The good news for the Bearcats is that the three teams that beat them in league play are in the other half of the bracket. Vermont may be without its leading scorer, senior guard Mike Trimboli - who has been ill - for at least a portion of the tournament. Fourth-seeded New Hampshire, which has won four of its past five, is a sleeper. Its only loss in that stretch was by one in overtime at Binghamton. The pick: Binghamton.
Atlantic 10
When: Wednesday-Saturday Where: Atlantic City, N.J. Final TV: ESPN2, 6 p.m. Format: The top 12 teams qualify. The top four seeds get byes into the second round. Regular-season champ: Xavier Projected NCAA bids: 2-3. The buzz: Xavier and Dayton are NCAA locks. Can Rhode Island or Temple play their way into the field of 65? Xavier won the regular-season title by a game over Dayton, Rhode Island and Temple, but the tiebreaker drops Temple into the No. 4 seed. That would mean a semifinal matchup with Xavier, which beat the Owls in their only regular-season meeting. But beating Xavier would be a huge boost for the Owls' long-shot at-large hopes. Rhode Island needs to get to the tournament final to have an at-large shot; that likely would mean a semifinal victory over Dayton – a team the Rams beat by one at home in overtime in their only regular-season meeting. As for sleepers, sixth-seeded Richmond and eighth-seeded La Salle come in having won six of their past eight. In those streaks, Richmond beat Xavier and La Salle downed Temple. The pick: Xavier
Big West
When: Wednesday-Saturday Where: Anaheim, Calif. Final TV: ESPN2, 11:55 p.m. Format: The top eight teams qualify. The top two seeds get byes into the semifinals. The Nos. 3 and 4 seeds get byes into the second round. The No. 5 seed plays the No. 8 and the No. 6 plays the No. 7 in the first round. Regular-season champ: Cal State Northridge Projected NCAA bids: 1. The buzz: Northridge won the regular-season title by a game over Pacific and Long Beach State. The Matadors split with Long Beach State but were swept by Pacific. Long Beach, in turn, swept Pacific, but Long Beach hasn't won two games in a row since mid-January. A sleeper is fourth-seeded UC Santa Barbara; the Gauchos have won seven of their past eight, including home wins over Long Beach State and Pacific. But UCSB has won just twice away from home in conference play. Seventh-seeded Cal State Fullerton, which won the tournament last season, has the league's best player in guard Josh Akognon, but the Titans have lost six of their past eight. The pick: Cal State Northridge
Conference USA
When: Wednesday-Saturday Where: Memphis, Tenn. Final TV: CBS, 11:30 a.m. Format: All league teams qualify. The top four seeds get byes into the second round. Regular-season champ: Memphis Projected NCAA bids: 1-2. The buzz: Memphis is an NCAA lock, and the only way the league gets two bids is if someone else wins the tournament. The Tigers have won 58 consecutive C-USA games, and that streak almost certainly will grow to 61 in this tournament. Four of their 16 league games this season were decided by single digits and all four were on the road – but Memphis is the tourney host. Second-seeded Tulsa comes in having won 10 of 12 – but the Golden Hurricane lost by 26 in the regular season at Memphis. The question, then, would not be whether Memphis wins this tournament, but rather does any opponent lose by fewer than 10 points? The pick: Memphis
Mid-American
When: March 10, 12-14 Where: Cleveland TV: ESPN2, 8 p.m. Regular-season champ: Bowling Green and Buffalo tied, with Bowling Green winning the tiebreaker to become the No. 1 seed. Format: All league teams qualify. The division winners are the top two seeds. The rest of the teams are seeded by conference record, regardless of division. The first four seeds get byes into the second round. Projected NCAA bids: 1. The buzz: The MAC race was a muddled mess. Five of the six teams in the MAC East were at least 10-6 in league play, while each of the six teams in the MAC West finished under .500 in conference action; each also was under .500 overall. Still, as the West champion, Ball State is seeded second overall. Bowling Green comes in having won three of four, and it swept third-seeded Buffalo in the regular season. Buffalo has lost five of its past seven, and fourth-seeded Miami has lost five of its past eight. If you're looking for a sleeper, look at sixth-seeded Kent State, which finished a game behind Bowling Green and Buffalo in the standings. The Golden Flashes – who split with Bowling Green and Buffalo – are the hottest team in the league, having won 10 of their past 12. But they would have to win four games in five days to win the tourney. The pick:: Kent State.
Mid-Eastern Athletic
When: March 10-14 Where: Raleigh, N.C. TV: ESPNU, 7 p.m. Regular-season champ: Morgan State Format: All league teams qualify. The top five seeds get byes into the second round. Projected NCAA bids: 1. The buzz: Morgan State won the regular-season title by three games and comes in having won 10 of its past 11 games. Thing is, the Bears won the regular-season title by three games last season, then fell in the conference tournament final. Seventh-seeded Hampton swept Morgan State in the regular season, handing the Bears two of their three league losses. But the Pirates' first-round opponent is Delaware State, which beat them by 10 in their only regular-season meeting. Second-seeded South Carolina State has won six of its past seven, and fourth-seeded North Carolina A&T has won eight of 10 and split with Morgan State, winning by one on the road and losing by one at home. The pick:: Morgan State
Mountain West
When: Wednesday-Saturday Where: Las Vegas Final TV: Versus, 7 p.m. Format: All league teams qualify. The Nos. 8 and 9 seeds meet in a sort of play-in game. Regular-season champ: BYU, New Mexico and Utah tied for the regular-season title. BYU won the tiebreaker to be the No. 1 seed. Projected NCAA bids: 3-4. The buzz: This should be one of the most entertaining conference tournaments. BYU and second-seeded Utah are NCAA locks. Third-seeded New Mexico and fourth-seeded San Diego State have at-large hopes, while fifth-seeded UNLV likely needs to win the tournament to get an NCAA bid. New Mexico and San Diego State need to win at least once to keep their at-large hopes alive, and likely need to get to the final to feel good about their at-large chances. A trump card for UNLV is that it is the tournament host. The Runnin' Rebels are 15-2 at home this season, including 7-1 in league play. UNLV also owns a season sweep of BYU, which could be its semifinal opponent. But UNLV was swept by San Diego State, which is its quarterfinal opponent. BYU has won nine of its past 10, including wins over New Mexico, San Diego State and Utah. New Mexico comes in having won eight of nine, including wins over Utah, UNLV and San Diego State. Utah has won nine of its past 11, including wins over BYU, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV. Like we said, this is going to be fun. The San Diego State-UNLV quarterfinal is huge. The pick: UNLV
Patriot
When: Wednesday, Sunday, March 13 Where: Campus sites Final TV: ESPN2, 4:45 p.m. Format: All league teams qualify. The "better" seed hosts in each round. The final is five days after the semifinals. Regular-season champ: American Projected NCAA bids: 1. The buzz: American won the league regular-season title by two games over Holy Cross; the teams split their regular-season matchups. American wins with defense and 3-point shooting; it hits 37.3 percent from long range. One negative for American: As a team it shoots only 65.6 percent from the free-throw line. Holy Cross comes in having won eight of its past 10 and is aiming for its fifth NCAA trip this decade. Third-seeded Navy, which split with Holy Cross and lost twice to American by a total of six points, is the other team to watch. The pick: American.
Southland
When: March 12-13, 15 Where: Katy, Texas TV: ESPN2, 1 p.m. Regular-season champ: Stephen F. Austin Format: Eight teams qualify. Central Arkansas isn't eligible for the tournament. The top two teams in each division qualify, while seeds five through eight are determined by league record regardless of division. Projected NCAA bids: 1. The buzz: Stephen F. Austin won the regular-season title by a game over second-seeded Nicholls State and third-seeded Sam Houston State. SFA split with Nicholls and beat SHSU in their only meeting; Nicholls State won at SHSU in their only meeting. Stephen F. Austin comes in having won seven of its past eight. Nicholls State has won six of seven, but the loss came to seventh-seeded Texas State, which is the Colonels' first-round opponent. Stephen F. Austin was the No. 1 seed last season but fell in the semifinals. The pick: Stephen F. Austin
Southwestern Athletic
When: Wednesday-Saturday Where: Birmingham, Ala. Final TV: ESPNU, 9 p.m. Format: The top eight teams qualify. Regular-season champ: Alabama State Projected NCAA bids: 1. The buzz: Alabama State won the regular-season title by a game over Jackson State. Only three of the league's 10 teams had overall winning records and six of them finished with single-digit win totals. In addition, league members won just five non-conference games against Division I opponents. Alabama State comes in having won 10 of 11; Jackson State – which played its first 14 games away from home – has won 11 of 12, including a home victory over Alabama State. Third-seeded Prairie View looks to be the only other team with a legitimate chance to win the tournament. The Panthers have won seven of their past nine and split with Jackson State this season. The pick: Alabama State
Western Athletic
When: March 10, 12-14 Where: Reno, Nev. TV: ESPN2, 10 p.m. Regular-season champ: Utah State Format: All league teams qualify. The Nos. 8 and 9 seeds meet in a sort of play-in game. Projected NCAA bids: 1-2. The buzz: Utah State won the regular season title by three games, but both of the Aggies' conference losses came in a four-game stretch to close out the regular season. One of those losses was by 13 at second-seeded Nevada – which is the host team for the tournament. Still, Nevada lost three conference home games this season. Utah State's RPI is 27th, but the Aggies have just one RPI top-50 victory and just three top-100 wins. Conversely, they have 12 wins over teams that have an RPI worse than 200th or are a non-Division I program. Utah State would have a shot at an at-large bid if it loses in the tournament final, but a loss before then means the Aggies are NIT-bound. Boise State has won six of seven, including a non-conference victory over Virginia Commonwealth. Third-seeded Idaho also has won six of seven. As for a sleeper, fifth-seeded New Mexico State has won seven of its past 10, including a victory at Nevada. The pick: Utah State
COMPLETED TOURNAMENTS
Atlantic Sun
Tournament champ: East Tennessee State. Final: East Tennessee State 85, Jacksonville 68 Last NCAA appearance: 2004
Big Sky
Tournament champ: Portland State Final: Portland State 79, Montana State 77 Last NCAA appearance: 2008
Big South
Tournament champ: Radford Final: Radford 108, VMI 94 Last NCAA appearance: 1998
Colonial
Tournament champ: VCU Final: VCU 71, George Mason 50 Last NCAA appearance: 2007
Horizon
Tournament champ: Cleveland State Final: Cleveland State 57, Butler 54 Last NCAA appearance: 1986, regional semifinals
Metro Atlantic Athletic
Tournament champ: Siena Final: Siena 77, Niagara 70 Last NCAA appearance: 2008
Missouri Valley
Tournament champ: Northern Iowa Final: Northern Iowa 60, Illinois State 57 (OT) Last NCAA appearance: 2006
Northeast
Tournament champ: Robert Morris Final: Robert Morris 48, Mount St. Mary's 46 Last NCAA appearance: 1992
Ohio Valley
Tournament champ: Morehead State Final: Morehead State 67, Austin Peay 65 (2 OT) Last NCAA appearance: 1984
Southern
Tournament champ: Chattanooga Final: Chattanooga 80, College of Charleston 69 Last NCAA appearance: 2005
Summit
Tournament champ: N.D. State Final: N.D. State 66, Oakland 64 Last NCAA appearance: First appearance
Sun Belt
Tournament champ: Western Kentucky Final: Western Kentucky 64, South Alabama 56 Last NCAA appearance: 2008 regional semifinals
West Coast
Tournament champ: Gonzaga Final: Gonzaga 83, St. Mary's 58 Last NCAA appearance: 2008