NCAA basketball: Predicting the conference champions of every league

Predicting the conference champions of the 14 most impactful conferences across college basketball ahead of the 2021-2022 season.

The return of college basketball is always a cause for celebration. The road to the NCAA Tournament is long and will be heavily weighted towards the conference champions, who earn 32 of the 68 tickets to March Madness.

Keeping track of all 32 conference champions can be tricky and a bit of a time-waster since the majority of the auto bids come from low majors who quickly get bounced from the NCAA Tournament. We’ve narrowed down a list of 14 conferences that should produce champions who can be interesting in the dance, and we’ll break down why they’ll win said leagues below.

American Champion – Houston Cougars

Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers have two of the most dynamic freshmen in the country but Houston’s rugged defensive style should win the day. Kelvin Sampson’s team is more experienced and is coming off a Final Four run, providing a good foundation for the Cougars to work off of.

ACC Champion – Duke Blue Devils

Mike Krzyzewski’s swan song should conclude with another ACC title as the Blue Devils have assembled a loaded freshman class headlined by the potential top pick in June’s NBA Draft, forward Paolo Banchero. Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia Tech should be Duke’s top challengers but expect the Blue Devils to make up for a disappointing 2020-21 campaign in style.

Atlantic 10 Champion – St. Bonaventure Bonnies

The Bonnies are ranked in the AP preseason poll for the first time since 1971 for good reason. St. Bonaventure brings back everyone from last year’s A-10 championship squad and that experience will make them the clear favorites to repeat.

Big East Champion – Villanova Wildcats

The Wildcats bring back pretty much the entire core from last season’s team, including sixth-year man Collin Gillespie, who opted to use the bonus year of eligibility granted to all players as a result of the pandemic after suffering a knee injury at the end of last season. Jay Wright’s team not only should win a tough Big East but could make a third trip to the Final Four since 2016.

Big 12 Champion – Kansas Jayhawks

Chris Beard’s move to Texas has made it a compelling two-horse race but the addition of Arizona State transfer Remy Martin gives Kansas the edge in the Big 12. The Jayhawks’ overall depth gives them a slight edge but this one could swing the other way depending on how the two regular-season matchups between Kansas and Texas play out.

Big Ten Champion – Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue may not receive as much hype as Michigan but the Boilermakers will narrowly top the Wolverines in the deep Big Ten. The player to watch here is guard Jaden Ivey, who put on a show for Team USA at the FIBA U-19 World Cup this summer.

Conference USA Champion – UAB Blazers

North Texas upset Purdue in the NCAA Tournament last year but this year’s C-USA title will belong to UAB. Andy Kennedy has done a good job utilizing the transfer portal, bringing in seven players to help the Blazers become a more dynamic team that can play elite pressure defense.

MAC Champion – Ohio Bobcats

Jason Preston may be playing in the NBA but the Bobcats still have enough talent left to beat out Buffalo for the MAC title. Ben Vander Plas, who played Robin to Preston’s Batman in the NCAA Tournament, will now get to be more of a leading man for Ohio.

Missouri Valley Champion – Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

Porter Moser may be at Oklahoma now but Drew Valentine inherits a team that is still very dangerous. Lucas Williamson is the star to watch for the Ramblers, who made headlines by toppling Wisconsin in a secret scrimmage in late October.

Mountain West Champion – San Diego State Aztecs

The Mountain West could send four teams dancing this season but San Diego State should survive a brutal race to claim the crown. Cal transfer Matt Bradley will try and play the role of Malachi Flynn by coming in from an underachieving Pac-12 program to lead the Aztecs to resounding success.

SEC – Kentucky Wildcats

A disappointing 2020-21 campaign inspired John Calipari to go wild in the transfer portal, adding experienced talent to a roster that turns over on a routine basis. Kellen Grady, Oscar Tshiebwe, Sahvir Wheeler and C.J. Frederick should all play big minutes right away for Kentucky and help the Wildcats reclaim their SEC dominance.

Southern Conference Champion – Furman Paladins

The most underrated mid-major league in the country is the SoCon, which could produce multiple bids as six different teams are capable of getting into the NCAA Tournament and winning a round. The early favorite is Furman, which has been in the league’s top three in each of the past four years but should finally ride its explosive offense to a conference title.

Pac-12 Champion – UCLA Bruins

The Bruins made a surprise Final Four last year and were pretty much a lock to win the Pac-12 when Johnny Juzang opted to return to school. The additions of Rutgers transfer Myles Johnson and five-star freshman Peyton Watson elevated UCLA’s ceiling to bona fide national title contenders.

West Coast Conference Champion – Gonzaga Bulldogs

It’s not a shock that Gonzaga, who went undefeated in the regular season and came within one game of its first national title, will win the WCC again this year. A conference title is just another checkmark for the Bulldogs these days since they are still striving for a championship to cement themselves as true blue bloods in the eyes of many in the college basketball world.

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