What is championship week

This is yet another league where the teams that split the regular season championship also split regular season series. Both Wright State and Cleveland State went in the Horizon League, putting them two games clear of the next best team in the league. The Vikings won a narrow game at Wright State back on Jan. The league is trying to simplify things by basing its seeding for the tournament solely on conference wins. The league standings are a mess and the tournament will be impossible to predict.

Toledo is fantastic and has every piece necessary to be a surprise second weekend team in the Big Dance, but getting there is going to be an issue. As has been the case for the last couple of years, the SoCon semifinals and title game are going to be appointment television.

Austin all have two conference losses. Only two of them have the same record. Texas State has the best record in the league at , but really you could throw a dart at the Sun Belt standings right now and have about the same chance of correctly picking the tournament champion as you would by analyzing any sort of data.

Nine of the 12 teams in the conference have won between league contests, and no team has won fewer than four. Belmont is the team with the bigger national reputation and also the one that nearly ran the table in the OVC, but Morehead finished just behind them in the league standings at , and oh yeah, beat the Bruins in the regular season finale for both teams Preston Spradlin has done a tremendous job over four seasons at Morehead, and now has the Eagles within striking distance of their first NCAA tournament appearance since The biggest sign that something terrible was about to happen last March was that the Gaels actually lost in the MAAC tournament.

No team in that conference wants to see them in Atlantic City. The Camels won their final seven games of the regular season to earn the No. Chris Clemons approves. Like I said earlier, the Sun Belt is a total crap shoot, but Georgia State might be playing the best ball of any team in the conference right now. The Panthers, who started their season with a double overtime win over a Georgia tech team that is now flirting with the NCAA tournament, have won six in a row.

The Anteaters also swept their regular season series with the Gauchos, even though it took place back in late December. Covid resulted in Drexel playing just one game since Feb. Camren Wynter could be an unexpected March hero for the Dragons. Until then Those are the rules. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Filed under: Men's College Basketball. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. March Madness is America. Or at least America through my eyes. It is deeply flawed. Happy March. Belmont Ohio Valley The Bruins are once again the class of the OVC, but losses to Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State in the final week of the regular season ended their record game conference win streak and also torpedoed their at-large resume in the process.

Hartford America East The Hawks were three days away from playing Vermont for the America East championship last year when the world stopped. Longwood Big South The Lancers won five of their final six games of the regular season to even up their league record at and earn the No.

The only undefeated team in the conference, OU just needs to keep the Sooner Schooner rolling, and unlike the rest of the teams on this list, they have room for error. They can afford to lose one game to any of the remaining teams on their schedule, but more than one loss puts the Sooners at risk for being jumped and missing out on their first Big 12 Championship game since They have yet to play all three of said contenders, who each boast some of the best defenses the Sooners will have seen all year.

An undefeated season guarantees the Sooners a spot in the game, but they will still likely make it even with one loss. Did Ohio State play enough games to qualify for its title game? No, but hey, rules are made to be broken. Clemson and Notre Dame? The ACC gave them an extra week to prep because, why not? It has been a season chock full of the unexpected, so we might as well saddle up for one more week of surprises. To wade through it all, we're digging into the under-the-radar storylines for the top champ week games and finding the one thing in each game we're most excited to see.

The Wildcats took on a new moniker after ESPN analyst Joey Galloway shared his thoughts on Northwestern back in November before their game against Wisconsin, saying, "Honestly, they've got a bunch of Rece Davises running around out there," insinuating an athletic disadvantage for Pat Fitzgerald's team. Galloway's comparison might be even more glaring against an Ohio State team that is undoubtedly one of the most talented in the nation. If any of the conference title games produce an upset, this would be the biggest one.

Kyren Williams ' blitz pickup. OK, it's not the sexiest thing to watch in what figures to be the best game of the day, but there's something genuinely elegant in the way Williams handles his role on passing downs. The Notre Dame running back has been spectacular with the ball in his hands this season 1, total yards, 13 TDs , but it's what he does when he's not toting the rock that separates him from the pack.

In the first game between these two teams, Williams was for on blitz pickup, and the key blocks he delivered helped Ian Book move the pocket, extend plays and pick up critical yards on scrambles. There are a ton of unsung heroes on this year's Irish squad, but the work Williams has done might top them all.

Both of these teams had been all but eliminated from playoff contention by the second week in October, but after the national audience lost track of the Big 12, Oklahoma and Iowa State kept on winning. After a start, the Sooners have won six straight, including topping 50 points three times, and they're looking for revenge against a Cyclones team that beat them on Oct. After an embarrassing opening-week loss to Louisiana, Iowa State finished in Big 12 play, a three-point loss to Oklahoma State the lone blemish on the record.

Neither team is headed to the playoff, but they can both credibly claim to be among the hottest programs in the country right now. There's more than just a championship on the line -- this game probably will decide who wins the Heisman sorry, Trevor Lawrence. Historically, wide receivers have needed to also make plays on special teams to win the Heisman Desmond Howard, Tim Brown.

Smith did so last week with a punt return TD, and if he's able to have another big game Saturday, he could take home the hardware on Jan. West Bromwich Albion 0 0 Peterborough United. Barnsley 0 0 Bournemouth. Cardiff City 0 0 Nottingham Forest. Derby County 0 0 Birmingham City. Fulham 0 0 Blackpool. Huddersfield Town 0 0 Stoke City. Hull City 0 0 Swansea City. Luton Town 0 0 Blackburn Rovers. Middlesbrough 0 0 Coventry City. Millwall 0 0 West Bromwich Albion. Peterborough United 0 0 Sheffield United.

Preston North End 0 0 Bristol City. Queens Park Rangers 0 0 Reading. Barnsley 0 0 Cardiff City. Birmingham City 0 0 Sheffield United. Blackpool 0 0 Bristol City. Huddersfield Town 0 0 Derby County. Hull City 0 0 Preston North End. Middlesbrough 0 0 Fulham. Millwall 0 0 Queens Park Rangers. Nottingham Forest 0 0 Coventry City. Peterborough United 0 0 Luton Town. Reading 0 0 Stoke City. Swansea City 0 0 Blackburn Rovers. West Bromwich Albion 0 0 Bournemouth.

Cardiff City 0 0 Peterborough United. Coventry City 0 0 Blackpool. Derby County 0 0 Hull City. Fulham 0 0 Millwall. Luton Town 0 0 Barnsley. Stoke City 0 0 Swansea City. Blackburn Rovers 0 0 Nottingham Forest. Bournemouth 0 0 Birmingham City. Bristol City 0 0 Reading. Preston North End 0 0 Huddersfield Town. Queens Park Rangers 0 0 Middlesbrough. Sheffield United 0 0 West Bromwich Albion. Barnsley 0 0 Queens Park Rangers. Birmingham City 0 0 Luton Town.

Blackpool 0 0 Bournemouth. Huddersfield Town 0 0 Sheffield United. Hull City 0 0 Fulham. Middlesbrough 0 0 Derby County. Millwall 0 0 Cardiff City. Nottingham Forest 0 0 Stoke City. Peterborough United 0 0 Preston North End. Reading 0 0 Coventry City. Swansea City 0 0 Bristol City. West Bromwich Albion 0 0 Blackburn Rovers.