Champ Week 2024: Intrigue rankings for all 32 conference tournaments

Champ Week season is here! But with 32 conference tournaments overlapping, it is impossible to watch them all.

It’s time to start punching some NCAA Tournament tickets. From juggernaut conferences like the Big XII and SEC to less-heralded leagues like the Ohio Valley and Horizon, there are 32 automatic bids up for grabs over the next two weeks. And while this is arguably the most action-packed portion of the college basketball calendar, it’s impossible to watch every conference tournament closely.

Whether it’s the level of competition, the stakes involved, or a combination of both, there are interesting storylines to be found in every league. Thankfully, we’re here to help you sort through the chaos. Below are our rankings of all 32 conference tournaments, in order from most to least intriguing.

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1. Big XII

It is simple: The Big XII is the best, deepest conference in the entire country. Five of the league’s teams appear in KenPom’s top 16, and nine are in the top 40. Houston and Iowa State are ahead of the pack, but they are not invincible. Meanwhile, just two games separate the next eight teams. Kansas is always a threat even in a down year, Baylor has one of the best backcourts in the country, and BYU has exploded offensively. As for Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, Kansas State and Oklahoma, all are capable of putting together incredible games. There are also seven top-25 defenses in this league, per KenPom — that’s half the conference! With the promise of incredibly competitive games, a truly open race for the tournament title, and the best collective group of teams in the country, the Big XII Tournament should be the best.

2. SEC

As for the SEC, there may not be another conference tournament with as many legitimate national championship contenders. Tennessee, Auburn and Alabama are all in KenPom’s top 10, while Kentucky may have the highest ceiling in the country when everything is clicking. South Carolina and Florida have each lost just two games over the past month — and each have also won multiple games against the aforementioned contenders. Even Mississippi State, LSU and Texas A&M have shown they can beat the conference’s top teams. The SEC champion will likely be one of those four title contenders, but we could see one or two of them drop early games to a hot-shooting team. Also, if you want more scoring output than what you will get in the Big XII, the SEC Tournament may be your cup of tea.

3. Big East

It wouldn’t be a proper conference tournament ranking if the Big East fell out of the top three. It’s hard to top Madison Square Garden, and this event has perhaps the richest history of any in the country. With three of the country’s top teams in the fold, this is shaping up to be yet another slugfest. UConn, Marquette and Creighton are all in the top 10 of the most recent AP poll, and Seton Hall has been steadily competitive the entire season. The Pirates are also the only team to have beaten both the Huskies and the Golden Eagles. Providence, Villanova, St. John’s, Xavier and Butler are all separated by two wins, which should provide some added excitement in the early rounds. The only thing keeping the Big East behind the SEC and Big XII is the relative lack of depth at the top. It would be a massive surprise to see anyone outside the top four win the automatic bid, but crazier things have happened in this tournament.

4. Mountain West

There is a legitimate argument that the Mountain West Tournament is the only one without a true “favorite.” Utah State and San Diego State will likely be the betting favorites coming in, but the league’s top seven teams are so close that any of them could win without it being a shock. Nearly every game from the quarterfinals on will be as evenly matched as you could hope for in a championship bracket. Boise State and Nevada have been steady contenders all season, Colorado State and New Mexico have had the highest highs of anyone, and UNLV is the home team riding a hot streak to close out the year. The conference has come under scrutiny as its potential for five or more bids becomes more of a reality. The tournament in Vegas is an chance to showcase why this has been one of the best leagues in America.

5. ACC

While the ACC may not be fully recovered from the past few “down” seasons, this conference tournament still should be watched by all college basketball fans. North Carolina and Duke will always be the class of the league, and this year is no different. Clemson is the only other team in the ACC that appears to be a lock for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but Wake Forest, Virginia, Pittsburgh and Syracuse are in the conversation. The ACC Tournament generally delivers every year, but this one could provide some exceptional bubble matchups. On top of that, a championship game between Duke and UNC would be the perfect ending to the event.

6. Big Ten

The Big Ten Tournament will have the smallest pool of favorites of any high-major conference. Purdue has been just short of dominant this season as Illinois, Northwestern, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Michigan State all fighting for second place. Between Zach Edey and Braden Smith, Purdue likely has two of the top five players in the conference at the two most important positions on the floor. Still, their path to the Big Ten Tournament title won’t be easy. All three of Purdue’s losses this season have come in Big Ten games away from home, and a hot-shooting team could take advantage of that vulnerability. As for individual heroes to watch for, Illinois’ Terrance Shannon Jr., Northwestern’s Boo Buie, Nebraska’s Keisei Tominaga and Michigan State’s Tyson Walker all should be on the short list of candidates.

7. Missouri Valley

As the top event outside the traditional multi-bid leagues, Arch Madness may be a bittersweet event. It likely will be the last time fans get to watch Drake’s Tucker DeVries and/or Indiana State’s Robbie Avila play meaningful basketball this season. Barring a dark horse run, this will also be the final time we see Xavier Johnson in a college uniform. After four seasons as a role player for George Mason and Southern Illinois, Johnson has exploded as one of the nation’s leading scorers. However, Drake and Indiana State are the teams to watch, as either has the potential to pull off a huge upset in the NCAA Tournament. The MVC tournament is consistently one of the best mid-major tournaments every season. It only adds to the intrigue that the Valley looks destined to be a one-bid league this year.

8. Pac-12

As with the MVC, the final Pac-12 Tournament also has one particularly intriguing championship matchup: a third game between Washington State and Arizona. While the Wildcats are vying for a No. 1 seed — and are likely the better team — the Cougars won the league on the back of two wins over Arizona. But watch out, several teams could throw a wrench in that matchup. Oregon and Colorado have been steady teams and are aiming to avoid the bubble on Selection Sunday. Utah and UCLA have coaches who know how to win big games. Stanford, among others, has already shown it is a hot night away from a massive upset. Honestly, the Pac-12 could be higher because of the impending conference realignment, but the lack of depth at the top could make some of the earlier matchups forgettable.

9. American

There may not be a more surprising regular-season conference champion than South Florida in the AAC. Originally picked to finish ninth, USF surprised the country by locking down the league title with multiple games left in the season. The Bulls have the nation’s longest winning streak, as well as a three-game lead over the preseason favorite Florida Atlantic. In fact, FAU, Memphis and Tulane — the top three teams in the preseason poll — are respectively second, fifth and 13th in the conference standings. The Owls and Tigers both have the talent to win the tournament, and Charlotte, SMU, UAB and North Texas have also been competitive in league play. Meanwhile, USF likely needs to avoid a major upset in Fort Worth to earn an at-large bid. There may be extra motivation for them to win the auto-bid and silence any doubt.

10. Ohio Valley

The Ohio Valley may be the lowest-rated conference among our top 10 tournaments, but the tight race to the top makes the potential semifinal matchups extremely interesting. Morehead State, Little Rock and UT Martin are all tied for first, with Western Illinois just a game behind. It might not be good basketball, per se, but if those four teams avoid upsets, the semifinals will certainly be tight. If you’re hunting out close games with buzzer-beater potential, this may be a good place to look. Morehead State has the added bonus of being a team that could pull an early-round upset over a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament with the right matchup. Also, the OVC Championship is the first title game on the Champ Week docket.

11. Horizon

If you are looking for a one-bid league with an extremely competitive group of teams top-to-bottom, look no further than the Horizon League Tournament. This conference tournament has the best of both worlds when it comes to single-bid leagues. The atmosphere of early home environments is followed by neutral-floor venues for the final two rounds. Four games separated the conference’s top eight teams, and stars like Oakland’s Trey Townsend and Youngstown State’s DJ Burns have defined the season. Four rounds spread over eight days is all that stands between one team and an NCAA Tournament berth.

12. Atlantic 10

As is the case nearly every year, the A-10 has had a wild season from start to finish. Dayton, the only lock for the NCAA Tournament, is currently sitting in third after losing three of the past six games. Richmond and Loyola Chicago, both of which finished in the bottom five last year, are currently holding the top two seeds in the league tournament. Six of the past 10 conference tournament champions have been seeded fourth or lower in the bracket. However, this year, the gap between the top three and the rest of the league may be too wide.

13. SoCon

The SoCon has become one of the most consistent mid-major conferences in the country. It seems that the league always falls just inside the top 15 on KenPom, and it has four different 20-win teams at the top this season. Samford won the regular-season title by three games, but UNC Greensboro, Chattanooga and Western Carolina are all capable offensive teams. Funnily enough, despite having three losses in league play, Samford did not drop a game to any of those three top contenders. And you know what they say about three-game sweeps in college basketball…

14. WCC

While a rebuilding year for Gonzaga would logically mean a more exciting WCC Tournament, this year’s version is hardly more enticing than the past few years. Saint Mary’s ran away with the conference title, and Gonzaga easily secured the No. 2 seed. As a result, each team needs to win just one game to advance to the championship. If Santa Clara and San Francisco can win their respective quarterfinal games, the conference will be set up for a solid set of semifinals and a potential heavyweight bout in the final round. However, if one or both teams lose in the quarterfinals, the championship rubber match everyone wants to see will be more certain — but the tournament overall will become relatively forgettable.

15. WAC

The Western Athletic Conference is currently a two-team race between Grand Canyon and Tarleton State, but that doesn’t mean the tournament final is a foregone conclusion. Unlike other conferences on this list that use poor defense to run up the scores, the WAC features some of the toughest mid-major defenses in the country. Uptempo play helps to keep the games moving, but fans will be hard-pressed to find a more physical conference at this level. If you are into the slugfest you see in the Big East and Big Ten every year, the WAC might be the mid-major conference for you.

16. CAA

Not many mid-major conferences can claim to have eight teams with 17 or more wins this season. The Coastal Athletic Association is one of those few leagues, and its teams have certainly earned those wins. With victories over teams like Villanova, Kentucky and South Florida, the CAA has shown it can beat NCAA Tournament-caliber teams. Unfortunately, only one team can go dancing at the end of the event, and every matchup from the quarterfinals on will likely provide big moments. Charleston enters as the regular-season champion, with Drexel, UNC Wilmington and Hofstra not far behind.

17. MAC

We have crossed the midway point on this list, and the Mid-American Conference’s name tells the whole story. Akron and Toledo each provide something special — Akron is a top-100 defense while Toledo is a top-100 offense with an uptempo style. But to see this battle of styles in the championship, they both must avoid losing to dangerous teams in earlier rounds. For instance, Ohio already has a win over Akron, and Central Michigan beat Toledo. There’s some vulnerability at the top of the league. At the end of the day, fans should be rooting for the Akron-Toledo title game, but it is far from guaranteed.

18. Summit

The Summit is one of the best shot-making leagues in the country, collectively ranking second in the country in effective field goal percentage. The issue is that there are only two “complete” teams in the league: St. Thomas and South Dakota State. Every other team ranks outside the top 250 on either offense or defense, per KenPom. However, St. Thomas is still in its transition period, so if those teams meet in the final, SD State will go to the Big Dance regardless of the result. While this is good for the inevitable first-round NCAA Tournament matchup, it does take some fun out of St. Thomas’ potential dark-horse run.

19. Big West

While the start of Big West play looked as though it could lead to a fantastic conference tournament, that potential has lost steam. Before long, it became clear that the top contender to UC Irvine is UC San Diego, a team currently in the final year of their NCAA Division I transition period. Elsewhere in the league, UC Santa Barbara has disappointed all year. Hawaii and Long Beach State have both battled long stretches of losing basketball. UC Davis may be too reliant on its two stars to win enough games in a row. The Big West is still filled with stars like Elijah Pepper and Ajay Mitchell, but the Anteaters’ relatively rosy path to the Big Dance doesn’t leave much intrigue.

20. Sun Belt

The “Fun Belt” action has already tipped off, with the rest of the tournament resuming today. The league as a whole may not be the strongest in the country, ranking just outside the top half per KenPom. Still, Appalachian State and James Madison have been fantastic all year, with nonconference wins over Auburn and Michigan State, respectively. Only one team will be able to secure the auto-bid and compete in the NCAA Tournament, but this seemingly inevitable championship matchup could be one for the ages.

21. Big Sky

Eastern Washington may be the overwhelming favorite, but Montana, Northern Colorado and Weber State all have the offenses and star power to give the Eagles a tough challenge. In fact, offense has been the name of the game throughout Big Sky play this season. The conference ranks seventh in efficiency and first in effective field goal percentage, per KenPom, and has had a ton of close games this year. Eastern Washington is the most likely Cinderella of the bunch, but they will need to run through stars like Weber’s Dillon Jones and Montana’s Dischon Thomas to get there.

22. ASUN

The ASUN Tournament is already well underway, and has already proven to be far more intriguing than expected, with the No. 1 (Eastern Kentucky) and No. 3 (Lipscomb) seeds already eliminated. But for posterity’s sake, we’ll maintain our original ranking. The ASUN so wide open due to the lack of defense played across the conference as a whole, as well as the strong offenses that exist at the top. The conference ranks first in offensive efficiency, turnover percentage and 3-point percentage during league play. That should lead to some high-scoring affairs in the later rounds, which is enough to make every game exciting.

23. Ivy

This section is usually reserved for the annual bashing of the Ivy League’s decision to begin using a conference tournament for its automatic bid. Making it so only half the league can participate makes the whole event seem half-baked, and the Ivy was unique as the last holdout that awarded the auto-bid to the regular-season champion. This year, however, with a clear gap between the conference’s top three (Princeton, Yale and Cornell) and everyone else, the smaller tournament is less disappointing. Whichever team wins the auto-bid almost certainly will have to beat one of their title-race opponents along the way.

24. SWAC

The SWAC is admittedly a guilty pleasure for me, from its unique broadcast to its cathartic levels of bad basketball. This conference tournament simply never ceases to scratch a certain itch. Per KenPom, the conference is the second-worst league in the country and has zero top-250 teams — Southern ranks 251st on KenPom as of this writing. However, it was also a tight race for the regular-season championship until Grambling State pulled away. Fast-paced, sloppy basketball has a place in this world, and the SWAC is the perfect conference for it.

25. Big South

The Big South was a true three-team race, with third-place Gardner Webb closer in the standings to regular-season champion High Point than to fourth-place Winthrop. Add UNC Asheville in the mix at the No. 2 seed, and you have two potential title games that would be worth watching. The one bittersweet aspect of this conference tournament is that it will be the last time fans can watch Drew Pember don a college uniform — unless, of course, his Asheville team can cut down the nets.

26. Conference USA

This is honestly about as high as one can rank a mid-major conference where just three teams have winning league records. The conference became Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston over everyone else, which has made for a fun regular-season title race, but hurts the potential for high-level matchups in the early rounds. Western Kentucky’s games might be the most exciting, as their tempo can lead to some up-and-down affairs.

27. Southland

McNeese State didn’t just win the regular season Southland title — the Cowboys ran away with it. Will Wade’s squad has lost just one game since a three-point road loss on Dec. 1. Behind them, there isn’t any team that sticks out as a contender to steal McNeese’s auto-bid, which is a shame. The Cowboys will likely be a popular Cinderella pick in the Big Dance, but they deserve to have more of their games watched before they get there.

28. MAAC

The MAAC may have a tight race for the regular-season conference title, but the lack of any true Cinderella candidates makes this league tournament seem secondary. Other than Saint Peter’s and Marist’s top-80 defenses, no other MAAC unit ranks inside the top 140. With two more games left in the regular season, the seeds are far from solidified. Even if they were, there likely wouldn’t be many matchups other than the title game that would be worth watching.

29. Patriot

The Patriot League featured one of the most lopsided regular season races this season. Braeden Smith and Keegan Records helped Colgate run away with the title by a full six games. As such, the race for second became the true competition, with four teams tied at 10-8 by the end of the year. Colgate should run away with the conference auto-bid, although a recent home loss to American showed vulnerability. The Raiders are a solid shooting team that could give a No. 2 seed some run in the NCAAs, but it is tough to see any other Patriot team being competitive in the Big Dance.

30. America East

Death, taxes, and Vermont being the favorite to win the America East. The Catamounts have won a share of eight straight regular-season titles and four of the past six conference tournaments. They have also made the championship game in six of the last seven. The best moments of the tournament have come during the upset victories that led to UMBC’s 2018 championship and Hartford’s 2021 title. If that happens, the tournament could be surprisingly entertaining. However, Vermont could just as easily run through its slate with every game on its home floor.

31. MEAC

The MEAC has three things going against it: a clear favorite in Norfolk State, who will be playing in their home city; a bottom-three conference ranking, per KenPom; and an inability to score at all levels. With its conference-wide turnover percentage ranked last in the country and an effective field goal percentage ranked second-to-last, it is tough to see many exciting games happening in this one. Norfolk State looks like it will be the team to beat.

32. NEC

The NEC is not just the worst conference in the country, it also has the least intriguing conference tournament. Merrimack and Central Connecticut are the only teams with winning records, and Sacred Heart (No. 296) and Le Moyne (No. 300) are the only other top-300 squads. Last year, Merrimack won as the favorite — but the auto-bid went to Fairleigh Dickinson as the runner-up since the Warriors were still in their Division I transition period. Unless Le Moyne can make a dark-horse run to the title, we won’t get that same kind of drama again.