Our 6 Conference Tournament Best Bets for Monday, Featuring Saint Mary’s vs.

The regular season is officially over. And that means one thing: the madness is in full swing.

Beyond the two conference tournament finals on Monday (Sun Belt and SoCon), our staff is targeting six postseason spots, including Milwaukee vs. Cleveland State.

So, dive in below to get the top NCAAB conference tournament, odds, best bets and picks for Monday’s slate.

Monday’s 6 NCAAB Conference Tournament Best Bets

The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball staff is targeting from Monday’s slate of games. Click the team logos for one the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.

McNeese State vs. Nicholls State (Southland)

By Jim Root

Conference tournaments can serve as a reset button for teams that underperformed preseason expectations or struggled down the stretch.

That applies to Nicholls, which was picked second in the league in the preseason (received six first-place votes) but limped to the finish line.

Injuries were a part of that. The Colonels had several key pieces miss games down the stretch, especially in the backcourt.

Micah Thomas returned for the season finale, and there’s a chance Pierce Spencer returns for the tournament, as well. Spencer, an all-defense selection in the league, is a key piece — the Colonels went 3-3 without him (he got hurt early in one of the losses).

The format helps Nicholls here. McNeese State survived a war with Texas A&M-Commerce yesterday. The Cowboys narrowly scraped out a 79-78 win, and three players logged at least 37 minutes. That could affect them as this one comes down the stretch.

Nicholls won both meetings this season, doing so by nine and three.

The schedule set up strangely: the two played Thursday and again immediately on Sunday. Winning two games in such tight proximity speaks well of the Colonels’ ability to handle a third meeting.

St. Thomas (MN) vs. Oral Roberts (Summit League)

By Ky McKeon

St. Thomas enters tonight’s game fresh off its first-ever postseason win as a Division I program.

The Tommies’ reward for their heroic efforts on Sunday is a matchup against an Oral Roberts squad that is 19-0 against Summit competition this season.

There’s reason to believe St. Thomas can hang inside the number tonight — heck, it’s done it twice already this season.

In Game 1 at ORU, the Tommies stuck within 14 points the entire way, ultimately losing by 12.

In the grudge match, UST led by as many as 10 points at home before falling by seven in a high-scoring affair.

As is usually the case for less talented teams, shooting is the key in this matchup. St. Thomas can be an excellent outside shooting squad and ranks in the top 30 in the country in 3-point attempt rate.

The long-ball kept UST close in both games…