College basketball picks and predictions for every 2023-24 conference champion

Big South: UNC Asheville

The Bulldogs made it to the NCAA Tournament out of the Big South last year and are heavily favored to get back with forward Drew Pember, who averaged over 20 points per game last season, back for a fifth year.

Big Ten: Purdue

This race will go back and forth between Purdue and Michigan State all year but few teams in the conference have a legitimate answer for Zach Edey. The Boilermakers will also be highly motivated to put last year's disappointing end to the season as far in the rear-view mirror as possible.

Big West: UC Santa Barbara

The rich get richer as the Gauchos not only retain 13 players from last year's team but also add grad transfer Andre Kelly, who averaged 13.4 points per game at Cal last season.

CAA: Hofstra

Charleston won 31 games last year but they get tripped up in the conference tournament by Hofstra, which has built a deep team despite losing star Aaron Estrada to the transfer portal.

Conference USA: Middle Tennessee State

The Blue Raiders gave Florida Atlantic everything they could handle in the C-USA title game last season and take advantage of the Owls' departure to return to the NCAA Tournament in a new-look league.

Horizon: Wright State

It will be a tight three-team race atop the Horizon but Wright State survives thanks to the fact they have the league's best player in guard Trey Calvin, who averaged over 20 points per game last season.

Ivy League: Yale

Princeton may have taken the hearts of America after upsetting Arizona as a 15-seed last year but Yale's deeper lineup and experience win the day.

MAC: Akron

The Zips' dynamic duo of Ali Ali and Enrique Freeman helps John Groce's team reach March Madness for the second time in the past three years.