Champ Week 2017: The Final Push To The Big Dance
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Champ Week 2017: The Final Push To The Big Dance

Upsets to watch for and what to expect as the conference champions are crowned and Selection Sunday begins.

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Champ Week 2017: The Final Push To The Big Dance
ESPN Media Zone

It’s officially March, and the madness has begun. Bracket apps are in full advertisement mode, College Gameday had people in knocker balls wrestling around this past Saturday to demonstrate the extra-hard bubble watch this year, and some conference tournaments are in full swing (Jacksonville State of the Ohio Valley conference punched the first ticket on Saturday night) with the rest joining this week. The smaller conferences have been full of surprises already with a 9-seed knocking off No.1 in the semifinals, and there will definitely be some drama coming from them. After BYU upset Gonzaga at home last week, there could even be a sleeper in the West Coast Conference. However, the tournaments to watch during Champ Week this year consist of the big five, where it truly is anyone’s game. Here’s what to watch for by conference as Selection Sunday looms at less than a week away.

Atlantic Coast Conference: Championship Game 3/11 at 9 EST

Round one begins Tuesday at noon, and there are some pretty good match-ups where anything can happen with these bottom-of-the-conference teams. If NC State edges out Clemson on Tuesday, they’ll be set for a rematch with Duke on Wednesday, a team they killed earlier in the season. Keep an eye out for Abu and the Wolfpack to play their hearts out for the rest of Coach Gottfried’s short time there, which might give them enough heart to advance to the quarterfinals. If Wake Forest can (and they should) get past Boston College and Virginia Tech, Florida State could have some competition in the quarterfinals. Georgia Tech should easily handle Pitt if they can nurse their wounds from the demolition at Syracuse in time, and they could pose quite a threat for the recently plunging Virginia Cavaliers. And if Syracuse can get revenge on the Hurricanes, the Orange kept up with the Tarheels for most of the lone matchup between the two this year before UNC pulled away at the end, and they have a chance to unquestionably solidify their spot at the Big Dance.

Bottom Line: The real battle here is not just for bragging rights of the top 4 seeds, but it’s a battle for the eleventh ACC team to punch their ticket and help their conference make history. No matter what happens, it should be an entertaining week on the Atlantic Coast.

Big 12 Conference: Championship Game 3/11 at 5 EST

The first round will start off with a nail-biter between Oklahom and bubble-team TCU. If TCU can make a run, Jamie Dixon will take his alma mater to the tournament in his first year for the first time in years. If TCU were to sneak past the Sooners, they gave the No.1 Jayhawks some trouble the first time around, and can certainly do it again, leaving them with a solid chance to hoist the trophy. If anyone has a chance at upsetting West Virginia in round two, it would be Texas Tech, First, they have to make it there by getting past the Texas Longhorns. Iowa State and Oklahoma State are evenly matched, and it should be a good game, but Kansas State has at least a fifty-fifty chance of knocking Baylor to reach the semis.

Bottom Line: There are a handful of bubble teams in the Big 12 looking to earn themselves a good night’s sleep the Saturday before Selection Sunday if they can cause some trouble in the Big 12 tournament.

Big 10 Conference: Championship Game 3/12 at 3 EST

Well, the Big 10 conference has the luxury of being one of the last games played before the Selection Show, and they could leave the committee scrambling to regroup depending on what happens in a wide-open field. The bracket was not officially set at the time of this writing, but the most likely predicted one shows some interesting matchups. Penn State and Ohio State should both make it out of the first round easily if they don’t get caught up in the possibilities. The top four teams in the conference are not strong at all this year, with only one currently ranked in the Top 25. Both Michigan and Illinois could wreak havoc on Purdue, depending on which one gets through and what day it is. Northwestern should get by to the next round, and should Michigan State, but the Spartans have had a very unlucky season, so who knows what way this could go. Indiana could be the sleeper to watch in the conference, and if they gel just right, they could make a big run to the title and get themselves off the bubble and automatically in. They could take down any of the top teams on a given day and get demolished by the bottom of the conference on another. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Bottom Line: There are a bunch of bubble teams that the nation is keeping its eye on for the sake of their teams, and any one of them could shake things up come Selection Sunday.

Southeastern Conference: Championship Game 3/12 at 1 EST

While Kentucky is the odds out favorite to win the SEC again, they’ve had a few bad losses to lower tier teams and some close shaves with the middle of the conference as well. Tennessee handed Kentucky an upset loss during their first meeting, so if the Volunteers can make it past Georgia, Kentucky could be heading home early after the quarterfinals. Vanderbilt took down Florida just a couple of days ago, and they could go for the sweep if they make it to the quarterfinals to beat the Gators yet again, opening a possibility for this bubble team. South Carolina can rest easy about their ticket if they can win at least one game in this tournament, but a few more in the win column wouldn’t hurt.

Bottom Line: Kentucky ad Florida are locks no matter what happens, and South Carolina should be in, but some bubble teams as well as some teams clinging to hope could have a little March miracle headed their way.

Big East: Championship Game 3/11 at 5:30 EST

St. John’s and Georgetown could be an interesting 8/9 matchup in the first round of the Big East tournament, as could floundering No.7 seed Xavier versus No.10 Depaul. The Big East has always been magical in March, and even with new teams from conference realignment, it should continue this year. Both the Red Storm and the Hoyas put up a fight against Villanova earlier in the season, and whichever one gets through to meet the No.1 seed could have enough to heart to pull off the upset. Seton Hall and Marquette are both desperate bubble teams, as well as original Big East teams, which will lead to an entertaining game at the least. Xavier, if they manage to keep their hopes alive after the first round went blow for blow with Butler and this could be the opening they need in the quarterfinals. While Creighton is definitely a sleeper, Providence has always had a postseason fire lit under them by Ed Cooley, and they still have some original Big East magic on them that should get them to the championship game.

Bottom Line: Villanova is playing for an overall No.1 seed at the Big Dance while the rest of the conference will be fighting for their seasons as they get ready to hold their breath on Selection Sunday.

This will be one of the most insane champ weeks in college basketball in a few years, and it’s leading up to an even crazier tournament. Watch out for these teams during the week and tune in for Selection Sunday at 5:30 on March 12 to see if you’re team made the cut.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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