No conference champ will be crowned on Friday, but a lot can happen to shape the NCAA Tournament field
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In a sure sign that we are closing on Selection Sunday and the unveiling of the full 68-team NCAA Tournament bracket on CBS, there are 14 conference tournaments hosting semifinal action during Friday’s loaded slate of college hoops. Among them are several conferences that are expected to be one-bid leagues for the Big Dance.
Several squads have already clinched their spots in the field by winning their conference tournaments over the last several days. By Friday’s end, leagues like the Big Sky, Big West, Conference USA, MAAC, MAC, MEAC, Southland, SWAC and WAC will be one step closer to doing the same over the weekend.
The MAC is one of the conferences that could have a particularly compelling ending to its league tournament as the top four seeds each advanced to the semifinals on CBS Sports Network. No one from the conference is in position for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but whoever emerges from the conference could be a potential Cinderella to watch next week.
The top candidate is No. 1 seed Toledo, which plays No. 4 seed Akron at 5 p.m. ET with the winner advancing to Saturday’s championship game. Toledo has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 1980 and is just two wins away from getting back to cap one of the best seasons in program history.
With Selection Sunday rapidly approaching, here’s the full rundown of all those who have secured their spots in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Friday’s conference tournaments in action
- AAC: Quarterfinals
- ACC: Semifinals
- Atlantic 10: Quarterfinals
- Big East: Semifinals
- Big Sky: Semifinals
- Big Ten: Quarterfinals
- Big 12: Semifinals
- Big West: Semifinals
- Conference USA: Semifinals
- MAAC: Semifinals
- MAC: Semifinals
- MEAC: Semifinals
- Mountain West: Semifinals
- Pac-12: Semifinals
- SEC: Quarterfinals
- Southland: Semifinals
- SWAC: Semifinals
- WAC: Semifinals
2022 conference tournament schedules
| Conference | Tournament site | Dates (Final TV) | 2022 Champion |
| AAC | Fort Worth, Texas | March 10-13 (ESPN) | |
| ACC | Brooklyn, N.Y. | March 8-12 (ESPN) | |
| America East | Campus sites | March 6, 9 & 12 (ESPN2) | |
| Atlantic 10 | Washington D.C. | March 9-13 (CBSSN) | |
| ASUN | Campus sites | March 1, 3, 5 & 8 (ESPN) | Bellarmine (20-13) – x |
| Big East | New York | March 9-12 (Fox) | |
| Big Sky | Boise, Idaho | March 9-12 (ESPNU) | |
| Big South | Charlotte, N.C. | March 2, 4-6 (ESPN2) | Longwood (26-6) |
| Big Ten | Indianapolis | March 9-13 (CBS) | |
| Big 12 | Kansas City | March 9-12 (ESPN) | |
| Big West | Henderson, Nev. | March 8, 10-12 (ESPN2) | |
| Colonial | Washington D.C. | March 5-8 (CBSSN) | Delaware (22-12) |
| Conference USA | Frisco, Texas | March 8-12 (CBSSN) | |
| Horizon League | Indianapolis | March 1, 3, 7 & 8 (ESPN) | Wright State (21-13) |
| Ivy League | Cambridge, Mass. | March 12-13 (ESPN2) | |
| MAAC | Atlantic City, N.J. | March 8-12 (ESPNU) | |
| MAC | Cleveland, Ohio | March 10-12 (ESPN2) | |
| MEAC | Norfolk, Va. | March 9-12 (ESPN2) | |
| Missouri Valley | St. Louis | March 3-6 (CBS) | Loyola-Chicago (25-7) |
| Mountain West | Las Vegas | March 9-12 (CBS) | |
| Northeast | Campus sites | Feb. 28, March 2, 5 & 8 (ESPN) | Bryant (22-9) |
| Ohio Valley | Evansville, Ind. | March 2-5 (ESPN2) | Murray State (30-2) |
| Pac-12 | Las Vegas | March 9-12 (Fox) | |
| Patriot | Campus sites | March 1, 3, 6 & 9 (CBSSN) | Colgate (23-11) |
| SEC | Tampa | March 9-13 (ESPN) | |
| Southern | Asheville, N.C | March 4-7 (ESPN) | Chattanooga (27-7) |
| Southland | Katy, Texas | March 9-12 (ESPN2) | |
| Summit | Sioux Falls, S.D. | March 5-8 (ESPN2) | S. Dakota State (30–4) |
| Sun Belt | Pensacola, Fla. | March 3, 5-7 (ESPN2) | Georgia State (18-10) |
| SWAC | Birmingham, Ala. | March 9-12 (ESPNU) | |
| WAC | Las Vegas | March 8-12 (ESPNU) | |
| West Coast | Las Vegas | March 3-5 & 7-8 (ESPN) | Gonzaga (26-3) |
X – Bellarmine is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament so ASUN regular season champion Jacksonville State is awarded the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
