Once the NIT field and the NCAA Tournament field are set, there are still two postseason tournaments that are going to be left to set. Our CIT Bracketology is interesting as always, as the teams from the non-BCS conferences are going to fight it out in this, the fifth annual CollegeInsider.com Tournament! Don’t miss the our 2013 CIT Bracketology, which will be updated every night from now through Selection Sunday!

Ever wonder how the CIT works? Teams can turn down bids to this tournament, as it is a significantly lesser tournament, and it doesn’t have a tremendous prize at the end like a trip to the Final Four or Madison Square Garden as the NCAA Tournament and the CIT have. The CIT matches up teams from all over the course from the smaller conferences against each other in the old NIT style, basically trying to keep matchups relatively regional. The matchups aren’t set until the previous round of games is complete, and no one is formally “ranked.” There are 32 teams in this field, each of which had to finish above .500 for the season, and the selection process has to be incredibly tough. There are always a ton of moving parts to consider for the College Insider Tournament Bracketology, but we’re here to sort it all out, as we go conference by conference to pick the 32 teams that will be a part of this tournament!

Don’t see your favorite team listed here in the CIT? Check out our NIT Bracketology or our CBI Bracketology instead. Also note that teams that are ineligible for the postseason are not included.

Teams that have already accepted bids to the CIT in bold.

America East – Hartford Hawks, Boston Terriers
We’re starting to believe that America East is now finished in the CIT. We now know that Vermont is going to be playing in the CBI, which is going to leave just these two here in the CIT. Hartford really was a surprising entry, knowing that there were so many other teams, even out of America East, which would have been deserving of bids here to the postseason.

Atlantic 10 – Richmond Spiders
We have confidence that there will be at least one team out of the A-10 that makes it to the CIT, but we aren’t sure whether it will be Richmond that decides to come and play in this tourney or not. The Spiders went out in the A-10 tourney in terrible fashion, getting bounced out after getting hit with three technical fouls in the final five seconds of the game.

Atlantic Sun
The Atlantic Sun has sort of cleared itself out at this point. Florida Gulf Coast is dancing. Mercer is going to the NIT. No one else had a winning record. This is fairly cut and dry at this point.

Big Sky – North Dakota Fighting Sioux, Weber State Wildcats
It makes more sense for Weber State to be in the CBI than the CIT, but we aren’t sure that the field of 16 is going to have room for the Wildcats. There’s no way that the CIT would turn down a chance to bring back a Weber State team that won 26 games and fell just short of going to the NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Sioux only finished right at .500 this year, but they have still been linked to the possibility of hosting a game here in the CIT. We’ll find out Sunday whether they get the nod or not.

Big South – Gardner Webb Bulldogs
Gardner Webb has already accepted its bid into the CIT after posting a solid year in the crazy Big South, the conference that gave us Liberty as a 15-20 team that made the NCAA Tournament. High Point really seems to want to play in this tournament, but we aren’t so sure that it is going to happen that way. The Panthers lost their leading scorer, John Brown to a foot injury, and the fact that he can’t play might ultimately be a harm to them. This is a CIT bubble team if there ever were such a thing.

Big West – UC Irvine Anteaters
The Anteaters made it all the way to the Big West Final before losing to Hawaii. We really were wondering whether any of these teams from this conference were going to accept bids to the second season or not outside of Pacific, the NCAA Tournament reps, but alas, here comes UCI in what might be the first of many teams accepting bids to this tournament.

Colonial
There were two surprising announcements that were made over the weekend. George Mason was going to be accepting a bid into the CBI or the CIT to host a game (likely the CBI), while Delaware, a team that seemed interested in the CBI all along, has announced that it won’t be accepting a postseason bid. That probably leaves the CAA without a team in the CIT.

Conference USA – East Carolina Pirates, Tulane Green Wave
Conference USA decided to partake in the CIT after all. East Carolina and Tulane both accepted bids to the CIT on Friday. We’re a bit surprised to not hear anything about Houston or UTEP, and we have a feeling that both teams are going to be left out when push comes to shove. Tulsa is a team that we know is likely headed to the CBI.

Great West Conference – Chicago State Cougars
Chicago State finished the regular season as the lowest rated team in the Great West. They had won just eight games through March 8th, four of which came against non-Division I schools. However, the Cougars knocked off Houston Baptist on the final day of the regular season and turned around and won the Great West Tournament. They’ll certainly be one and done in the CIT, but they have the league’s automatic bid to this tournament.

Horizon League – Wisconsin Green Bay Phoenix, Youngstown State Penguins, Illinois Chicago Flames, Detroit Titans
Right now, it seems pretty cut and dry what’s going to happen here in the Horizon League. Green Bay, Ilinois Chicago and Youngstown State have all accepted bids to the CIT, and Wright State and Detroit might be stuck doing the same either here or in the CBI. The difference is that the latter two are at least waiting to see if they get the call from the NIT Selection Committee come Sunday. Wright State has been linked to the CBI. Detroit really hasn’t had much in the way of links anywhere at this point, so we’re going to assume that it will be in the CIT.

Ivy League
We had projected Princeton as a CIT team for quite some time, but that has gone by the boards. The Tigers have declared that they won’t be playing in the postseason this year, shutting the Ivy League totally out of the second season, outside of Harvard in the NCAA Tournament.

Metro Atlantic – Canisius Golden Griffins, Fairfield Stags, Rider Broncs, Loyola Maryland Greyhounds
Six teams finished above .500 this year in the Metro Atlantic, and all six are going to be playing in the postseason. All of the teams in the MAAC now know what their postseason destinations are going to be. Iona won the league title and will be dancing for the second straight season, while Niagara will drop into the NIT as the regular season champs. The others have all already accepted bids to the CIT, which will leave the CBI looking for other teams in the Northeast to put in its tournament.

MAC – Kent State Golden Flashes
The Golden Flashes gave Akron a run in the MAC Semifinals, but it wasn’t enough. They’re on the line now in the CIT after accepting a bid on Saturday to the tourney. Western Michigan is a different story. The Broncos could elect to come here, but it is sounding more and more like Kent State will be the only MAC team playing in the lower tournaments. Western Michigan is a possibility, and Ohio is a team that we have lined up in the CBI right now. Based upon all of what we’re reading though, the MAC is only a one-bid league to the CIT.

MEAC
We feel bad about blowing the MEAC up in the postseason, but after the first two rounds of tournament play, it’s tough to justify anything right now. Norfolk State has officially dropped into the NIT, while UNC Central was knocked off by North Carolina A&T. The Eagles are hoping to get the phone call on Sunday, but we doubt that the phone is ever actually going to ring.

Missouri Valley – Evansville Purple Aces, Bradley Braves
The Missouri Valley is going to be interesting to break down over the course of the last day of the regular season. It really seems as though Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Indiana State, Bradley, and Evansville should all find postseason homes to go with Wichita State and Creighton in the NCAA Tournament. Northern Iowa is a projected CBI team, while Bradley has accepted a bid here to the CIT already. Evansville is holding out hope for the NIT but probably won’t get the call. And what about Illinois State? We just haven’t heard much from the Redbirds at this point. They could be in the CBI, or they could just be left home all together in a move that would be shocking.

Mountain West
We’re leaving Wyoming in our CBI field, though at 19-13 with all 13 losses (including the conference tournament) coming in conference play, we’re not all that sure that the Cowboys truly deserve that distinction either. Air Force will make the NIT cut, and both Fresno State and Nevada are terrible and won’t finish anywhere near .500.

Northeast – Wagner Seahawks
First we had them out. Now, with the news that both are hearing from the CIT, we are going to put both Wagner and Bryant back in the the postseason. These teams both had great years, and they are worthy of being here in the postseason, but there are a lot of teams that could say the same. Still, these Northeast based teams have a good history of being in the CIT and the CBI, and we think that this is another perfect example of two teams that might not be quite as deserving getting in over teams that are more deserving. Wagner is the CIT team on the list right now. Bryant has reportedly accepted a bid to the CBI.

Ohio Valley – Tennessee State Tigers, Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
The Ohio Valley is going to be left determining largely how the rest of the CBI and CIT are going to fall into place. If you listen to reports, Murray State and Eastern Kentucky are both headed to the CBI. We already know that Tennessee State, a team that won just a ton of home games this year, has accepted a bid to the CIT. SEMO wasn’t great this year at 17-16, but it has been linked to the CIT as well. If the Redhawks get in, it would be a huge shock, knowing that a more deserving team is likely going to be sent home instead.

Patriot League – Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Lehigh and Lafayette are going to be tough sells if they are left out of the postseason all together. The Mountain Hawks won a ton of games this year, while the Leopards made it all the way to the Patriot League final. We can’t justify both playing in the postseason yet, but if these projected ACC/SEC/Big Ten teams we have in the CBI don’t end up coming, Lafayette will find its way into the postseason.

Southern – Elon Phoenix
Elon has officially taken a spot in the CBI after a good season in the SoCon. It’ll be a bit of a disappointing postseason tournament bid, but playing in the second season is good enough for these guys this year. Charleston is probably going to be in the CBI when push comes to shove, and it makes sense to leave a SoCon team in the other postseason tourney. The Phoenix fit the bill if they’re willing to play.

Southland
When Northwestern State won the Southland Tournament on Saturday, that really ended any chance of the Southland having any teams in the CBI or the CIT. Stephen F. Austin will drop into the NIT. Northwestern State will dance.

SWAC
The SWAC is a nightmare this year. Texas Southern and Arkansas Pine Bluff are ineligible, and Southern is dancing. The next best team? 15-19 Prairie View A&M. At least the Panthers made it to the SWAC Final… but then again, someone had to do it along with Southern.

Summit League – Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, Oakland Golden Grizzlies
And here’s where there are some issues for the Summit League followers. Oral Roberts and Oakland clearly weren’t as good as North Dakota State and Western Illinois were this year. The Bison really have been quiet in terms of bids to these secondary tournaments, and they could find themselves sitting on the sidelines as a result. Oakland has already accepted a bid to the CIT, and Oral Roberts is expected to be right behind. With Western Illinois rumored to be going to the CBI, there has to be a place for NDSU… we just don’t know where that spot is if it isn’t the NIT.

Sun Belt – Florida International Golden Panthers
With Utah State bowing out of the CIT and the CBI, we’re going to slot Florida International into the field. We just don’t see a way that the team that beat Middle Tennessee State, as good of a win as most of these have on their resume at this level, would be left out.

West Coast – Santa Clara Broncos
The Broncos have been rumored to send Santa Clara to the CIT, and it makes a heck of a lot of sense. This is a team that has a good history of playing in these third-tier tourneys, and the CIT would love to have another West Coast team to mix in with some of the teams from the WAC that are inevitably going to be here. The problem is that there aren’t many of those West Coast teams, and the travel expenses might start to get out of control. The Broncos should still be okay to be in the CIT, but they might reconsider come Sunday if they want to be play in this tournament or not.

WAC – Denver Pioneers
Both Denver and Utah State crashed out of the WAC Tournament far too early, and they are both going to pay the price as a result. Both could have put together NIT resumes, but after these bad losses this is the best that either would do. Last year, Denver turned down a bid to the CIT and the CBI. This year, we know that it is Utah State is that turning down the bid.

Online Sportsbooks are coming out NCAA Tournament props each and every day. Check out some of the NCAA Tournament prop picks that are currently on the board, and be sure to check back to this page for the rest of the march towards the NCAA Tournament, as we analyze some of the college basketball betting lines for the teams that are going to get in, or be left out of the NCAA Tournament.

Prop List Updated As Of 3/17/13
All Props Listed Courtesy of 5Dimes Sportsbook

Boise State Makes NCAA Tournament -210
Boise State Doesn’t Make NCAA Tournament +160

We’re a bit surprised to see the Broncos favored by this much to get into the NCAA Tournament, knowing that they are one of the last few teams into the dance according to Joe Lunardi. Still, we think that playing in the Mountain West will be enough to get the boys from Boise into the dance.

Middle Tennessee State Makes NCAA Tournament +100
Middle Tennessee State Doesn’t Make NCAA Touranment -140

The Blue Raiders went 28-5 and lost in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament. However, they have an RPI of 29, the 11th best non-conference SOS in the nation, and at least 28 wins with fewer than six losses. Know how many teams have ever missed out on the tournament with those credentials? Zero. We have to think there’s better than a 50/50 shot that the Blue Raiders are headed to Dayton.

Ole Miss Makes NCAA Tournament -265
Ole Miss Doesn’t Make NCAA Tournament +185

It’s going to be really tough to keep the Rebels out, even if they get beaten by Florida by 40 today. They are the one team in the SEC that really took care of the business that they needed to tend to in order to get into the dance. It’d be tough to imagine that a team that finishes the season 25-9 in the SEC would even have a shot of missing the dance. The SEC was weak this year. It wasn’t that weak.

La Salle Makes NCAA Tournament -170
La Salle Doesn’t Make NCAA Tournament +130

The Explorers are the last team that Joe Lunardi has in his bracket, and many have this team as either the last or next to last team in the field. La Salle can send a thank you card out to the rest of the teams in the A-10. The power of this conference are going to get the Explorers in, though at this price, we’d probably have to pass. You don’t want to be laying -170 on a team that is the last squad in the dance.

Virginia Makes NCAA Tournament +220
Virginia Doesn’t Make NCAA Tournament -300

Do we think that Virginia is going to get into the dance? We do not. However, this is a nice price on the Cavaliers. If they don’t get in, they’ll have the best BPI in the nation amongst teams that are in the NIT in all likelihood. A lot of their losses came early in the season when they were fighting injuries. There are some good wins, and even a few great ones, but that really doesn’t make up for it all as we see it. UVA will be close, and perhaps it will be the first team out. We still think that it is worth the risk at this price.

Maryland Makes the NCAA Tournament +170
Maryland Doesn’t Make the NCAA Tournament -230

The Terps were probably just a few points away from dancing. They couldn’t quite figure out how to kill off the lead that North Carolina had in the last few minutes of the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, and as a result, they are going to be stuck as one of the high seeds in the NIT. We don’t see any way that Maryland is getting in, and we would be laying the -230.

Tennessee Makes NCAA Tournament -120
Tennessee Doesn’t Make NCAA Tournament -120

The Volunteers might be the team looking forward to the SEC Championship Game the most. If Ole Miss wins that game, it’s going to be tougher to justify putting the Vols in the dance, as the SEC really doesn’t deserve four teams. If Florida wins though, the victory over the Gators looks that much stronger, and perhaps Tennessee gets the nod. It’s a vintage tossup between the Vols, Blue Raiders, and Explorers, two of the three of which will get in. We wouldn’t want any part of this prop bet.

Southern Miss Makes NCAA Tournament +250
Southern Miss Doesn’t Make NCAA Tournament -350

We have seen the Selection Committee make some wild picks for the dance in the past, but this one would be to bizarre. The Golden Eagles literally don’t have a single win against a good team this year; winless against the RPI Top 50. You’re not going to get into the dance, even with this crazy field, without one great victory to fall back on.

Kentucky Makes NCAA Tournament +350
Kentucky Doesn’t Make NCAA Tournament -530

It’s easy to suggest that there is at least a one in four shot of the Wildcats getting into the NCAA Tournament, just based upon name recognition alone. However, unless F Nerlens Noel is going to pull a Willis Reed and get back on the court, the sad facts aren’t avoidable. UK is 4-4 in its last eight games, and the last of those games was a crushing defeat at the hands of a Vandy team that finished the season below .500. If UK gets in, it’s name and name alone that gets it there.

Massachusetts Makes NCAA Tournament +350
Massachusetts Doesn’t Make NCAA Tournament -530

There’s just no chance here whatsoever. The Minutemen aren’t even going to sniff the NCAA Tournament after losing to VCU and turning the ball over 22 times on Saturday.

Alabama Makes NCAA Tournament +450
Alabama Doesn’t Make NCAA Tournament -750

At least there’s some intrigue here. Alabama doesn’t have much in the way of even decent wins, but it doesn’t have a bad loss either. Losing to Florida by 10 in the SEC Semifinals wasn’t the end of the world, but that was a game that the Tide really needed to win. We think that this might be one of the last teams being considered to get into the field. Alabama won’t likely get in, but we could see it showing up on the line at least one out of five times. It might be worth a lottery ticket play.

There are 16 teams that are going to be in the College Basketball Invitational Tournament, and most of the teams are going to have the opportunity to come from some of the biggest conferences in America. We know that a lot of these teams are ultimately going to turn down the chance to play here in the CBI, because it doesn’t pay for them to travel to games, and they don’t want to pay for the right to be in home games, but we have to make the assumption that all of the teams are going to ultimately be play until proven otherwise. Check out our CBI Bracketology for 2013!

Don’t see your favorite team listed here in the CBI? Check out our NIT Bracketology or our CIT Bracketology instead. Also note that teams that are ineligible for the postseason are not included.

Before we begin, we must note that this is a very fluid situation and will remain so for the rest of the week until the bracket is finally set. Some teams are starting to accept bids to the secondary tournaments, and others are showing some interest as well. We’re going to be keeping this page up to date so you can tell where all of your favorite teams are going to be headed this year for the postseason.

Western Teams
The definition of a “West Bracket” really has been blown up by the fact that there really don’t seem to be all that many teams from the West Coast that are willing to be in the CBI. The Oregon State Beavers have turned down a trip to the CBI reportedly, and that finally opens up the spot for the North Dakota State Bison that we have so badly been trying to slot in for the last few days. The Utah Utes are also expected to play after their great run in the Pac-12 Tournament. The other “West” teams are going to be the Texas Longhorns and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Both teams have the resources to be able to travel the longer distance without it hurting them, and both seem to be quite excited to get into this field to give it a shot at taking home some hardware this year.

East Coast Teams
From this point down the bracket though, a ton has changed overnight in the CBI. In the Northeast, about the only teams that are going to be playing are the Bryant Bulldogs and the George Mason Patriots. George Mason will supposedly be hosting, while Bryant has reportedly accepted a bid to this tournament. This would likely be the first round matchup if that were to be the case. The Vermont Catamounts have also accepted a bid into the CBI, which is going to make things a bit dicey for a matchup. We have to think that there is another team from the Northeast that is going to be coming into this bracket, but for now, we’re going to shift the Purdue Boilermakers here instead.

Midwest Teams (1)
There really are eight teams from the Midwest that have drawn some interest from the CBI, and we are going to break those teams into two sets of brackets. The Charleston Cougars are going to have to travel a bit farther than most teams in the CBI if this is how things play out, but the SoCon reps have been linked to this tournament without many others being in the Southeast. The Summit League’s Western Illinois Leathernecks could be a team to watch if they get into the CBI as we expect. The Murray State Racers have gone back and forth as to whether or not they are going to accept a bid to the CBI or the CIT. We think they will, and we’ll put them in this bracket. The Wright State Raiders have been a team that we have consistently kept in the CBI for quite some time, and the runners up in the Horizon League are deserving of the spot.

Midwest Teams (2)
The Southern teams that you are used to seeing in this spot are largely deciding not to play in the CBI according to various reports. The SEC teams are all probably going to be turning down bids to play in the CBI, and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets announced that they won’t be playing in the postseason either. So, here are some more Midwest teams that could be in the field of 16. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are the big name team here, knowing that the Children of the Corn had a respectable year in the Big Ten and might want to keep playing. The Eastern Kentucky Colonels appear as though they are going to come up just short of the NIT and will be a good fit here as a potential host in the CBI. The Ohio Bobcats are probably just short of the NIT as well, and they would join a team like the Northern Iowa Panthers, who went from a team that would perhaps be an NCAA Tournament contender to one that totally fell out of the dance and the NIT in a span of just a few weeks.

The final bubble watch is in! Here at Bankroll Sports, these are the teams that we think are going to be in the NCAA Tournament. Join us for our final look at our March Madness bubble watch and our NCAA Tournament bracket predictions.

These are the 31 conference champs that have all been taken off of this page. The clubs that are listed are the ones that are going to be taking the 37 at large bids for the dance. Please note that Sunday’s championship game participants are all locked into the NCAA Tournament, though one of the two will take automatic bids, while the other will have at large bids to the dance.

Bubble Watch Update As Of Completed Games On 3/16/13

Atlantic 10
NCAA Tournament Locks: St. Louis Billikens/VCU Rams, Butler Bulldogs, Temple Owls
In the NCAA Tournament: La Salle Explorers
Left Home: Masssachusetts Minutemen

La Salle hasn’t done enough to get itself out of going to Dayton to start off the NCAA Tournament, but we do think that the Explorers are in the field. They really don’t have any glaring losses on the season, and in a year where a whole bunch of teams have done nothing but put together resumes with questionable defeats, that’s important. Are there any remarkable wins? Not really. But again, with no losses that are hurting since November, the Selection Committee has to put the Explorers in. UMass was never really considered a team that had a legitimate shot to get into the dance, and Saturday’s loss to VCU was the end of it.

ACC
NCAA Tournament Locks: Miami Hurricanes/North Carolina Tar Heels, Duke Blue Devils, NC State Wolfpack
In the NCAA Tournament: None
Left Home: Maryland Terrapins, Virginia Cavaliers

Both Maryland and Virginia only have themselves to blame for not getting into the NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins lost a brutal game right at the end of the regular season to the Cavaliers. They did get the job done against the Blue Devils in the second round of the ACC Tournament, but they couldn’t figure it out against North Carolina in the closing moments. There are two great wins against Duke on this resume, but everything else just isn’t going to cut it. UVA’s problem is that it couldn’t take down NC State in the ACC quarterfinals. Had the Hoos picked up that win, they’d be dancing. They didn’t though, and they really don’t have a leg to stand on, knowing that there have been some lousy losses along the way at the end of the regular season. Both of these teams also scheduled relatively poorly outside of the ACC.

Big XII
NCAA Tournament Locks: Kansas State Wildcats, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Oklahoma Sooners, Iowa State Cyclones
In the NCAA Tournament: None
Left Home: Baylor Bears

Nothing to see here. The Bears had a shot in the Big XII Tournament to claim a scalp against Okie State, but they didn’t get the job done, losing in the dying seconds. The Big XII is going to send five teams to the dance this year with ease, while Baylor gets left at home in the NIT.

Big East
NCAA Tournament Locks: Syracuse Orange, Georgetown Hoyas, Pittsburgh Panthers, Marquette Golden Eagles, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Cincinnati Bearcats, Villanova Wildcats
In the NCAA Tournament: None
Left Home: None

The Big East has been fairly cut and dry over the course of the last few days. This would have amazingly been a nine-bid league had UConn been eligible for the postseason. Alas, the Huskies weren’t, but these other eight teams are all going to be dancing. Most are going to be in the top part of the bracket as well. No teams were seriously on the bubble in the end after Providence and St. John’s bowed out at Madison Square Garden relatively early at the Big East Tournament.

Big 10
NCAA Tournament Locks: Wisconsin Badgers/Ohio State Buckeyes, Indiana Hoosiers, Michigan State Spartans, Michigan Wolverines, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Illinois Fighting Illini
In the NCAA Tournament: None
Left Home: Iowa Hawkeyes

The Big Ten was largely the best conference, especially at the top this year in America. Seven teams are in the dance for sure, and the question was whether an eighth would join the bunch or not. Iowa’s non-conference schedule was terrible this year, and in the end, in spite of some decent victories, it just wasn’t able to get the job done. The loss to Michigan State kept the Hawkeyes out of the NCAA Tournament once and for all.

Conference USA
NCAA Tournament Locks: None
In the NCAA Tournament: None
Left Home: Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

Southern Miss had a chance to get into the NCAA Tournament the easy way on Saturday, and it would have been in the field had it figured out how to beat Memphis even just once this season. Alas, the Golden Eagles were dropped all three times that they played the Tigers, and that last loss in double overtime proved to be a heartbreaking defeat. This is a team that we could see getting the nod from the Selection Committee on Sunday, but it really isn’t warranted.

Missouri Valley Conference
NCAA Tournament Locks: Wichita State Shockers
In the NCAA Tournament: None
Left Home: None

Creighton comes off of the Bubble Watch page as the automatic winners of the Missouri Valley. Some are questioning Wichita State, but the Valley has a rich history here in the dance, and the conference is deserving of a second team in the field of 68.

Mountain West
NCAA Tournament Locks: UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, San Diego State Aztecs, Colorado State Rams
In the NCAA Tournament: Boise State Broncos
Left Home: None

If there is a team that was incredibly happy about how things went on Friday and Saturday, it’s Boise State. The Broncos bowed out of the Mountain West Tournament in the quarterfinals, and they had to sit, watch, and wait. What they saw as they were resting on the sidelines though, were a bunch of games go their way. Boise State deserves to be in the field of 68. The team has some big wins this year in the Mountain West, which was a significantly tougher conference than say, the SEC was for really the whole season.

Pac-12
NCAA Tournament Locks: UCLA Bruins, Arizona Wildcats, Colorado Buffaloes, California Golden Bears
In the NCAA Tournament: None
Left Home: None

There really wasn’t anything left to doubt in the Pac-12 by the time the conference reached its semifinals. Stanford, Washington, and Arizona State never really had the resumes to get into the field, and they were all really pipe dreams. The other five teams are all getting into the dance without really any degree of doubt. Cal might ultimately end up in Dayton, but it is firmly in the dance.

SEC
NCAA Tournament Locks: Missouri Tigers
In the NCAA Tournament: Ole Miss Rebels
Left Home: Kentucky Wildcats, Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers

The SEC might be a dominating football conference, but this year, it isn’t going to want to remember anything that happened on the hardwood at this point. Florida is expected to win the SEC Championship at this point, and we are going to assume that it is going to do as much. If not, Ole Miss will make the fact that it is on the bubble elementary. We still think that the Rebels are in the field regardless of what happens on Sunday in Nashville. They did what Kentucky couldn’t do (beat Vandy), and there wasn’t anything that any of these teams in the SEC did that were all that notable in the SEC Tournament. Alabama couldn’t get its statement win over Florida. Tennessee and Kentucky both suffered relatively bad losses that should proving to be fatal.

Sun Belt
NCAA Tournament Locks: None
In the NCAA Tournament: Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
Left Home: None

If you take the names off of the fronts of the uniforms, you’ll see that the Blue Raiders have a resume to get into the dance. They have a Top 30 RPI, they have a Top 15 non-conference SOS, and they have a 28-5 record. The problem is that a ton of those wins came against Sun Belt teams. The Blue Raiders went 19-1 in conference play in the regular season, but it was beaten by FIU in the league semifinals in a devastating defeat. That being said, look at the rest of this resume. It really is rock solid. There has never been a team fail to get into the NCAA Tournament with a Top 30 RPI, at least 28 wins, and no more than five losses regardless of what conference they came from. It would be upsetting to us if the Blue Raiders were left out.

West Coast Conference
NCAA Tournament Locks: St. Mary’s Gaels
In the NCAA Tournament: None
Left Home: None

Gonzaga is the automatic qualifier out of the WCC, and that could at least make things somewhat interesting for St. Mary’s. Still, that win over Creighton, a good tourney history, and a rock solid SU record should be enough to get the Gaels into the tourney. It would have been really nice to claim at least one win against the Zags at some point this year, though.

Trying to make BracketBusters picks is always one of the toughest things to do of the season, as some of the top schools from the non-Big Six conferences engage in battle and they are tough to pit against each other. Check out the 2013 BracketBusters Schedule, along with the college basketball schedule on TV for this awesome event, as well as the most important college basketball matchups to watch out for as we head towards BracketBusters weekend.

North Dakota State @ Akron
(Friday 2/22, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Neither the Bison nor the Zips are likely to get into the NCAA Tournament without their conference title in tow, which is a shame. We truly believe that these are both amongst the Top 50 teams in America. The Zips have a lot more to prove here, having to play at home for BracketBusters, and they are going to be the team to focus on. The MAC has had a good history in the NCAA Tournament of late, and this is a team that you are going to want to learn a thing or two about come March.

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks @ Long Beach State 49ers
Friday 2/22, 9:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
This is an unfortunate matchup for the Lumberjacks. Had they picked up a massive matchup against a team like St. Mary’s, this could have suddenly become a team to watch out for as an at large bid to the dance. At 21-3, this is a team that has a chance to really make a great run in March out of the Southland, but in all likelihood, this is a game that the team will really want to win. LBSU has a chance to win the Big West this year, but this is a conference that isn’t nearly as good this time around as it has been in years past.

Iona Gaels @ Indiana State Sycamores
Saturday 2/23, 11:00 a.m. ET, ESPNU)
The Sycamores are right there on the cut line right now for the NCAA Tournament, and they really can’t be happy about this matchup. Iona is a high flying team that has the ability to take down anyone in America, but in the end, a victory will only look so-so, and a loss would look devastating. The whole Metro Atlantic is down this year, so don’t think that just because Iona made the dance last year as an at large team means that it is going to be the better side in this one. The Sycamores will be heavily favored on the college basketball odds and should win the game.

Detroit Titans @ Wichita State Shockers
Saturday 2/23, 4:00 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2
All eyes have been on Valpo in the Horizon League, but after winning on the road at the Crusaders on Saturday, the resume for Detroit isn’t all that bad. Remember that the team does have a win over Akron and several close calls against teams like Valpo (the first time around), Syracuse, and St. John’s. It’s a shame that none of those games turned out to be wins, because this would be a serious at large contender if that turned out to be the case. Wichita State is the better of these two teams, but the Missouri Valley is a tough conference that has bred some very good teams over the years. The Shockers are going to have their hands full and they know it. The difference is that there is no doubt whatsoever that they are going to ultimately be dancing.

Creighton Blue Jays @ St. Mary’s Gaels
Saturday 2/23, 6:00 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2
Here’s the game that is the big daddy of them all. The Gaels were given a tremendous gift by getting a home game against the Blue Jays, as this win could make up for the team’s deficiencies against Gonzaga in two meetings thus far on the season. In the event that the high flying Gaels get this one, they will be in the dance in all likelihood regardless of what happens in the WCC Tournament. Creighton doesn’t need this game for the sake of dancing, but it would be really nice if the club ultimately had a win like this one to try to stay on the Top 5 lines of the bracket when push comes to shove.

Ohio Bobcats @ Belmont Bruins
Saturday 2/23, 10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Ohio’s survival win over Kent State at least keeps it in the at large discussion, and if this is a game that turns out to be won, bubble dwellers are going to be a little concerned. The Bobcats have a respectable resume, but no real powerhouse wins to show for their work this year. Win this one and get Akron next week, and this could be a team to watch. Belmont though, is largely looked upon as one of the best non-Big Six schools in the game. The Bruins have a tremendously efficient offense, scoring 77.1 points per game, and they really cannot afford another slip in this one after losing to both Tennessee State and Murray State in a matter of just seven days. The Bruins might be on the right side of the bubble right now even without the OVC crown, but getting this one is a must if that is going to stay the case.

The 2012 Maui Invitational field and schedule are set, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are going to be taking a look at all eight teams to determine which one is going to be the 2012 Maui Invitational winner. Don’t miss all of the hot college basketball odds for this tremendous preseason college basketball event!

North Carolina Tar Heels (1.50 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): The Tar Heels are the most talented team in this tournament, but that doesn’t necessarily mean much. Head Coach Roy Williams is going to be a man on a mission to get this team to the Final Four again this year, but save for James Michael McAdoo and Reggie Bullock, the rest of the team doesn’t feel cohesive quite yet. We do like the idea of G Dexter Strickland back running the point, and he should get his legs underneath him once again here in Maui after missing the end of last year injured.

Texas Longhorns (1.75 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): If the Longhorns’ 55-53 win over the Fresno State Bulldogs didn’t send up any smoke signals to you, perhaps it should have. Texas doesn’t have Myck Kabongo at this point, and that really leaves a massive scoring hole. Freshman Javan Felix is going to have to grow up in a hurry for the Longhorns to succeed here in Maui, because Sheldon McClellan isn’t going to be able to do everything himself.

Illinois Fighting Illini (3 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): Head Coach John Groce knows that he has a team that has a lot of work to do to get into the NCAA Tournament this year. DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul could lead the way this year for a team that has a lot of promise, but not necessarily a heck of a lot of results. The Illini have played sloppy thus far this year and have to be concerned coming to Maui.

Marquette Golden Eagles (5 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): Gone are both Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom, but we still like the combination of what the Golden Eagles have to work with. Jamil Wilson had a big first game, and Davante Gardner and Vander Blue should take over as the faces of this program. If there’s a bust out coming soon, this is the time for it in Maui against some great clubs.

Butler Bulldogs (8 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): Head Coach Brad Stevens knows that this is a team that has the potential to be quite special. In his first game with his new team, Rotnei Clarke went off for 21 points, and he is clearly going to be the scoring threat that this team needs to shine during the A-10 season. This is a dangerous club with a history of taking down some giants, so don’t count out the Dogs.

USC Trojans (8 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): USC has a relatively short travel schedule in comparison to a number of the other teams here in Maui, and it is going to try to prove that an injury riddled year last year is in the past, and the squad can work towards the NCAA Tournament in 2012. Aaron Fuller should lead the way for this team, which might be in for some surprising results, though we don’t think that the Men of Troy could seriously win the Maui Invitational.

Mississippi State Bulldogs (12 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): MSU knows that it is in trouble this year, and there is a good chance that it finishes last amongst the serious contenders here in Maui. An opening loss at Troy made the Bulldogs the only team in the SEC to not start off the campaign at 1-0. There just isn’t enough offense here to make this team a contender.

Chaminade Silverswords (500 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): Of course, Chaminade has no chance whatsoever of winning this tournament, and just the fact that there are odds posted is comical. The Silverswords did win a game in the 2010 tournament, but that didn’t take place until the 7th place game. Aside from that, there aren’t any wins for the hosts since 2007, another seventh place game victory.

2012 Maui Invitational Odds @ WagerWeb Sportsbook (as of 11/11/12):
(Get Up To A HUGE 200% Bonus at WagerWeb.eu When Using This Link)
Butler Bulldogs 8 to 1
Chaminade Silverswords 500 to 1
Illinois Fighting Illini 3 to 1
Marquette Golden Eagles 5 to 1
Mississippi State Bulldogs 12 to 1
North Carolina Tar Heels 1.50 to 1
Texas Longhorns 1.75 to 1
USC Trojans 8 to 1

Each and every year, the 24 hours of college basketball and the College Hoops Marathon is one of the most intriguing activities of the year. This is a chance to see some teams from all across the country showcasing their skills early in the regular season. Join us here at Bankroll Sports for all of the college basketball previews for all of the games that are on tap with the 24 hours of college hoops schedule!

12:00 AM: West Virginia Mountaineers @ Gonzaga Bulldogs
West Virginia vs. Gonzaga Picks, Predictions, and Preview: The Bulldogs and the Mountaineers kick off the classic here at midnight, and it should be a raucous crowd at the Kennel. This is one of the toughest places to go play college basketball, and West Virginia is going to figure that out. This is going to be the first time that the Mountaineers play under the Big XII banner, and it is one of the tough games in a very difficult non-conference schedule. Meanwhile, the Zags hardly ever lose at home, and they just keep getting richer and richer. Elias Harris and Kevin Pangos are back to lead this club, but freshman Przemek Karnowski might become a huge threat off of the bench. This is a game that should go to the hosts.

2:00 AM: Davidson Wildcats @ New Mexico Lobos
Davidson vs. New Mexico Picks, Predictions, and Preview: Davidson and New Mexico both have ideas of making the NCAA Tournament this year, and this might prove to be a great game for the winner to stick on their resume come March Madness. Davidson is opening up with a ton of games on the road this year, and this is going to be one of the toughest ones to prepare for in The Pit. It’s especially tough knowing that this is the first game of the season for the Lobos. If the Mountain West really does have the capabilities of sending perhaps three teams into the Sweet 16 this year, this is a game that New Mexico should take.

4:00 AM: Houston Baptist Huskies @ Hawaii Warriors
Houston Baptist vs. Hawaii Picks, Predictions, and Preview: The Warriors seemingly always have the 4:00 AM game in the 24 hours of college basketball schedule, and this year is no exception. They’ve got a couple cupcake victories under their belts already, and this should be yet another one before some of the real games come up. This is one of the many games that the Huskies have to play this year just to make a schedule come together. They only won 10 games last year, and this won’t be a game that they win either.

6:00 AM: Stony Brook Seawolves @ Rider Broncs
Stony Brook vs. Rider Picks, Predictions, and Preview: This has the potential to be one of the better games that you don’t see coming in the 2012 College Basketball Marathon. The Seawolves won 22 games last year and the regular season America East title. Rider wasn’t a fantastic club last year at 13-19, but what they do have now is a superstar in the making in Nurideen Lindsey, who scored 26 points in his debut with the Broncs against Robert Morris. This should be a great contrast of styles, and it will be interesting to see whether Lindsey and the Broncs can run against Stony Brook or not. Give the upset here to the host Broncs out of the Metro Atlantic, a team you might want to keep a close eye on as the season wears on.

8:00 AM: Northern Illinois Huskies @ Valparaiso Crusaders
Northern Illinois vs. Valparaiso Picks, Predictions, and Preview: The Huskies haven’t been great in quite some time, and this year appears to be no exception after losing to Nebraska Omaha to start off the season. Valpo on the other hand, is getting some votes for the Top 25 already, and this should prove to be nothing more than another step in the right direction for a budding program out of the Horizon League. There’s a lot of hope that the Crusaders can be on the top half of the bracket this year, and this is a game that will help out and move them to 2-0.

10:00 AM: Harvard Crimson @ Massachusetts Minutemen
Harvard vs. UMass Picks, Predictions, and Preview: The Crimson finally won the Ivy League last year and got into the NCAA Tournament, and many think that they can get back this year as well. Of course, after the academic scandal that shocked the university, there is just one starter back from last year’s club. This is still a talented team for sure, but the Minutemen are the better team. UMass came on strong last year and won 25 games, and it should put away the Crimson in a tough, defensive showdown in the 10:00 AM hour.

12:00 PM: Temple Owls @ Kent State Golden Flashes
Temple vs. Kent State Picks, Predictions, and Preview: Temple figures to contend for the A-10 crown once again this year before heading off to the Big East, but the school has a lot of work to do in this one to take down the Golden Flashes. Kent State won 21 games last year and already has a win over Drexel to its credit this year, and it is going to hope to snare another big time scalp in this one. Unfortunately for the Flashes, they probably don’t have the goods to be able to hold off a very talented Temple side that has a lot of experience.

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2:00 PM: Detroit Titans @ St. John’s Red Storm
Detroit vs. St. John’s Picks, Predictions, and Preview: Head Coach Steve Lavin has referred to his Red Storm as “deep and balanced” this year, but we just don’t see it. Detroit would love to be able to come to Carnesecca Arena and log a victory for the Horizon League, and it just might be able to do it. Ray McCallum and Doug Anderson figure to lead the way for this team in scoring, and these two have the talent to stand up to a bottom of the barrel team from the Big East. The Titans could prove to pull off the “titanic” upset at the Johnnies’ house.

4:00 PM: Butler Bulldogs @ Xavier Musketeers
Butler vs. Xavier Picks, Predictions, and Preview: Picking up Rotnei Clarke from Arkansas might be just the thing to make Butler a contender once again this year. Xavier is going to be a tough place to go into for a 4:00 PM game, but the Cintas Center is beatable for the little guys. The Bulldogs are going to have to put together a yeoman’s effort. We think that they’ll come close, but in the end, the X-Men are probably going to have a little too much in this one to be beaten.

7:00 PM: Michigan State Spartans vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Michigan State vs. Kansas Picks, Predictions, and Preview: And now start the big time games! The Spartans were beaten in their first game of the season against Connecticut, and now, Head Coach Tom Izzo and the gang have to go to take on one of the best teams in America. Head Coach Bill Self has the Jayhawks ready for this date in Atlanta, and it should be a good one for sure. We’re going to give the nod to the Spartans with their veteran leadership to bounce back and prove that they belong over Kansas, a team that we still have a heck of a lot of respect for.

9:30 PM: Duke Blue Devils vs. Kentucky Wildcats
Duke vs. Kentucky Picks, Predictions, and Preview: Finally comes the biggest game of the 24 hours of college hoops, the clash of the titans, the Blue Devils and Wildcats. If you’ve made it this far without sleep, you’ll make it through, knowing that this very well could be a Final Four preview. Kentucky had its challenge from Maryland to start the year, but the club is still clearly ridiculously talented. Duke had a cohesive start to the season against Georgia State, and the Blue Devils might have the goods to take down a Kentucky team that clearly has some holes.