Men’s college basketball conference tournament guide, Vol. 2: Power 6 takes

Conference tournament season arrived a week ago, but the college basketball postseason kicks into high gear this week. That’s because all the big boys — the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12 — begin to battle for bubbles and banners. The Mountain West, seeking to send a record six teams to the NCAA Tournament, also promises high-stakes action in Las Vegas, while leagues like the American Athletic, Atlantic 10 and even the Ivy League hope to get more than one team into the big dance. More one-bid leagues also tip off; perhaps this is where we’ll see the next Saint Peter’s or Fairleigh Dickinson emerge.

GO DEEPER

Let the madness begin! Your guide to the early conference tournaments

Here’s Part 2 of your guide to it all. (All times ET; story will be updated when brackets/results become available).

American Athletic

When it starts: Wednesday

Where: Fort Worth, Texas

Title game: Sunday, 3:15 p.m., ESPN

Top seed: South Florida (23-6, 16-2 AAC)

The skinny: South Florida won 15 straight games from Jan. 12 to March 5 to complete a remarkable turnaround under first-year coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, but the Bulls — who lost their finale to Tulsa — aren’t guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Florida Atlantic is the league’s only lock, while Memphis — which was ranked as high as No. 10 in the AP poll this season — is dangerous. The bracket will be finalized and announced Sunday night.

Atlantic 10

CO-CHAMPS!

Congrats to @SpiderMBB and @RamblersMBB

The #A10MBB bracket is set. On to Brooklyn and @barclayscenter !

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]- BRACKET: https://t.co/UFqPT7KAaE

???? CHAMPIONSHIP: https://t.co/U70MxmnhxI pic.twitter.com/IirRiw8nfj

— Atlantic 10 MBB (@A10MBB) March 10, 2024

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Tuesday

Where: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Title game: Sunday, March 17, 1 p.m., CBS

Top seed: Richmond (23-8, 15-3 A10)

The skinny: Dayton, the league’s best team according to metrics and the only surefire NCAA Tournament squad here, finished third behind both Richmond and Loyola Chicago. Richmond has a marginal at-large case, so someone other than the Flyers winning the title would help the conference secure a second bid.

ACC

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— ACC Men’s Basketball (@accmbb) March 10, 2024

Link to PDF bracket

When it starts: Tuesday

Where: Washington D.C.

Title game: Saturday, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Top seed: North Carolina (25-6, 17-3 ACC)

The skinny: UNC, Duke and Clemson are NCAA Tournament locks, so ACC/DC will be mostly be rocking around the bubble teams: Virginia, Wake Forest and, potentially, Pitt. It would surprise no one to see the Tar Heels and Blue Devils meet for a third time in the title game.

Big 12

In the meantime… we have an OFFICIAL bracket for the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship. pic.twitter.com/xzXcBrhe6Y

— Big 12…