March Madness: Predicting who wins every major conference tournament

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 09: Kenny Williams #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a play against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Dean Smith Center on March 09, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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BATON ROUGE , LOUISIANA – FEBRUARY 26: (L-R) Marlon Taylor #14, Ja’vonte Smart #1, Naz Reid #0, and Skylar Mays #4 of the LSU Tigers stans on the court during a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on February 26, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

SEC

Dates: March 13-17
Location: Nashville, TN
Top Seed: LSU

Despite the ongoing war between Kentucky and Tennessee in the SEC, the conference’s regular season title went to LSU. The Tigers stunned the SEC by going 16-2 in league play, but their season is now overshadowed by the suspension of head coach Will Wade.

Wade got caught up in the FBI’s ongoing recruiting probe, and his loss will be a big deal for the Tigers. The SEC is no joke and could send up to eight teams to the NCAA Tournament, and expecting the Tigers to navigate this potential minefield without their coach is a tall order.

In the end, this event should come down to another battle between Tennessee and Kentucky, with whoever emerges victorious in the semifinals capturing the crown on Sunday. The two teams split their regular season meetings, with each defending their home floor, so it is fitting that a neutral floor would decide who ends up in the mix for a top seed in the dance.

Prediction: Tennessee

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