Men’s college basketball conference tournament guide: The early high-stakes

The madness has arrived.

The first men’s basketball conference tournaments start this week, led by the first round of the Atlantic Sun tournament on Monday. The first automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be awarded Saturday night in the Ohio Valley tournament title game. In many of these early events, the drama is as high as it gets, because only the winner will hear its name called on Selection Sunday.

Here’s your guide to the 15 conference tournaments that begin between now and Sunday. Brackets are included in those leagues where they’ve already been set. New brackets will be added to this story when they become available, and we’ll be back next Monday for the other 17 conference tournaments.

(Conferences are listed in alphabetical order; all times ET.)

America East

When it starts: Saturday

Where: Campus sites

Title game: Saturday, March 16, 11 a.m, ESPN2

Top seed: Vermont (25-6, 14-1 America East)

The skinny: The regular season wraps up Tuesday night, Vermont is once again the No. 1 seed, as it has been for seven of the past eight AmEast tourneys. The Catamounts are seeking their 10th NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003.

Atlantic Sun

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— #ASUNBuilt (@ASUNSports) March 2, 2024

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Monday

Where: Campus sites

Title game: Sunday, March 10, 2 p.m., ESPN2

Top seed: Eastern Kentucky (17-13, 12-4 Atlantic Sun)

The skinny: Led by Isaiah Cozart, who is one of the nation’s top shot-blockers despite standing 6-foot-7, Eastern Kentucky is looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. No. 8 seed Queens is ineligible for the automatic bid as it is still transitioning to Division I.

Big South

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— Big South Conference (@BigSouthSports) March 3, 2024

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Wednesday

Where: High Point, N.C.

Title game: Sunday, March 10, Noon, ESPN2

Top seed: High Point (24-7, 13-3 Big South)

The skinny: High Point earned its first No. 1 seed since 2016 under first-year coach Alan Huss. The Panthers will have to hold off defending champion UNC Asheville and star big man Drew Pember, but High Point gets to host the tournament.

Big Sky

When it starts: Saturday

Where: Boise, Idaho

Title game: Wednesday, March 13, 11:30 p.m., ESPN2

Top seed: Eastern Washington (20-10, 14-3 Big Sky)

The skinny: The league finishes its regular season on Monday night, but Eastern Washington has already clinched the regular-season title for the second straight year. Weber State has one of the best mid-major players in America in 6-foot-6…