The Gaels peaked in January last season and stumbled down the stretch before a shocking elimination in the first round of the conference tournament. The Ivy League figures to have a tight race this season but the Quakers return their top four scorers, including guard Jordan Dingle, who averaged 20.9 points per game last season. Ivy League Conference Champion – Pennsylvania Quakers The Horizon should be a back-and-forth affair all season long but Northern Kentucky edges out Purdue-Fort Wayne to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Horizon Conference Champion – Northern Kentucky Norse Jelly Walker is back as the Blazers look to build off of last season’s surprise run to the NCAA Tournament and pick up the program’s first March Madness win since 2015. That won’t happen again as the Tigers boast three players on the All-CAA Preseason First Team. Towson won the CAA’s regular season title a year ago but came up short in the conference tournament. Colonial Conference Champion – Towson Tigers That duo should help UC Santa Barbara hold off Hawai’i in the Big West. The Gauchos boast a pair of All Big-West Preseason performers in Ajay Mitchell, the reigning Big West Freshman of the Year, and Cal grad transfer Andre Kelly. Big West Conference Champion – UC Santa Barbara Gauchos The forward combination of Trayce Jackson-Davis, a potential first-round pick, and Race Thompson is going to be very tough to stop. There is a bit of a power vacuum atop the Big Ten that Indiana is poised to seize thanks to its incredible continuity. Big Ten Conference Champion – Indiana Hoosiers Last year’s Big South champions are set to repeat as Longwood aims to secure another appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Big South Conference Champion – Longwood Lancers The momentum continues for Montana State, which made the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 1996, as they are the clear favorites out of the Big Sky. Big Sky Conference Champion – Montana State Bobcats Gregg McDermott’s team unseats Villanova and is a dark-horse Final Four contender. The Bluejays are a loaded offensive team and have incredible depth throughout their rotation. Big East Conference Champion – Creighton Bluejays Baylor has more continuity and experience on its roster, which will allow the Bears to edge Kansas. The Jayhawks are the reigning national champions but it will take a bit of time for Kansas’ new pieces to gel. Big 12 Conference Champion – Baylor Bears As long as Hubert Davis’ team is focused on the task at hand, the ACC will run through Chapel Hill. North Carolina returns nearly every key contributor from last year’s national runner-up and adds Northwestern transfer Pete Nance to take the place of Brady Manek. The return of Javonte Perkins, who missed last season due to injury, will push Saint Louis over the edge. Atlantic 10 Conference Champion – Saint Louis Billikensĭayton has gotten all the hype in the preseason but the Billikens are strong enough to topple them and make the A-10 a multi-bid league. The Flames have become an NCAA Tournament staple over the past few years and the return of Darius McGhee, the reigning A-Sun Player of the Year, will power Liberty past the competition. Atlantic Sun Conference Champion – Liberty Flames The return of Tramon Mark and Marcus Sasser, both of whom missed the NCAA Tournament last season due to injury, will power Houston to a dominant showing in the AAC. Kelvin Sampson’s team is loaded and on a mission to make the Final Four in their home city. American Athletic Conference Champion – Houston Cougars The Catamounts’ experience in the league, along with the dynamic duo of Dylan Penn and Finn Sullivan, will prove to be the difference. This race should come down to the wire between reigning America East champion Vermont and newcomer Bryant, which made the NCAA Tournament last season out of the NEC. 2022-23 College Basketball Conference Champion predictions America East Conference Champion – Vermont Catamounts Who will win their conferences and secure their tickets to dance? Let’s project the winners of each league, starting in alphabetical order with the America East. The easiest path to the tournament involves claiming the automatic bid from one of the 32 conferences in Division I, a far simpler path than claiming one of the 36 at-larges, especially for schools that don’t play in power conferences. We are less than a week away from the start of the 2022-23 college basketball season and the quest for 352 Division I programs to grab one of 68 spots in the NCAA Tournament is underway. Who will be the champion of all 32 Division I conferences? The college basketball season is about to get underway next week.
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