Men's College Basketball conference champions winner prediction
With the conference championship game just a few weeks away, fans are eager to crown a champion for their favorite conference. This season of college basketball has been unpredictable with upsets, court stormings, and dramatic shifts in the rankings. The conference championship games will be full of the same surprises. Read my predictions below
ACC- North Carolina Tar Heels. The North Carolina Tar Heels are on fire and 14-3 in ACC play and 22-6 overall. Star guard RJ Davis averages 21.7 PPG leading the team in points who had a career high of 47 points in the games against Miami on Monday night. Closely following him is forward Armando Bacot who averages 14.1 PPG and leads the team in rebounds. UNC is at the top of the conference and currently ranked ninth in the nation. UNC is favored to win and should have the crown locked down as the ACC is not as competitive as it normally is. However, this win won’t come easy to the Tar Heels. Rival Duke will be a team to watch out for as the Blue Devils are second in the ACC and have star center and big man Kyle Filipowski leading the way. Virginia and Wake Forest are two sleepers in the conference this year and have the ability to claim the title.
Pac 12- Arizona Wildcats. The Arizona Wildcats are sitting on top of the PAC 12 and are currently 12-4 in conference play and 21-6 overall. With the last year of the PAC 12, this season just means more. Arizona is scoring an average of 90 PPG and allowing 73 PPG. Guard Caleb Love has become a star for the Arizona offense averaging 19.4 PPG followed by Oumar Ballo averaging 13.2 PPG. Ballo has also been dominant on defense leading the team in rebounds and steals. Arizona must watch out for Colorado, Oregon and Washington State in order to claim the PAC 12 championship one final time.
Big 12- Iowa State. The Iowa State Cyclones are 10-4 in Big 12 play and 21-6 overall. The Big 12 is a competitive conference this season with four teams ranked in the top 25. Lead scorer Keshon Gilbert averages 14.1 PPG. The junior guard isn’t alone with guard Tamin Lipsey averaging 12.8 PPG. The team as a whole has an average of 77.9 PPG while allowing 62.9 PPG. Iowa State is currently ranked eighth in the nation.
Big East- UConn. The UConn Huskies are 15-2 in the Big East and are 25-3 overall. The defending national champions have lived up to their name and are ready to go back to back for the national championship. UConn has had a very successful season so far despite doubts for the basketball world and being ranked six in the preseason polls. UConn fell to Marquette in the semifinals last year in the Big East championship who ended up winning it all. The Huskies are hungry more than ever for a victory. Star guard Tristen Newton leads the teams in points, rebounds, and assists. Newton averages 15.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 5.9 APG. The Huskies have competitive teams to watch out for like Marqutte, Seton Hall, and Creighton. UConn is currently third in the nation.
SEC- Tennessee. The Tennessee Volunteers are 11-3 in SEC play and 21-6 overall. The Vols are first in their conference and favored to win the SEC. Guard Dalton Knecht leads the team in scoring averaging 20.1 PPG followed by forward Jonas Aidoo who averages 12 PPG. This season, claiming the SEC crown will be a difficult task as the SEC is the most competitive conference in men’s hoops this year with six teams being ranked in the top 25, most in any conference. The Vols scored an average of 80.3 points and allowed 66 points. The Vols are ranked fourth in the nation, the highest out of any SEC teams.
Big 10- Purdue. The Purdue Boilermakers are 14-3 in the Big 10 and 25-3 overall. The Boilermakers are averaging 84.8 PPG with 7’4 center Zach Edey leading the team with 23.7 PPG. This season, the Big 10 isn’t as competitive with only two teams being ranked. Purdue should have to watch out for Illinois as their offensive play and style is similar to Purdue. The Boilermakers are currently second in the country.
