A viewing guide to college basketball’s championship weekend and Selection Sunday
This is March, so it’s time to start learning about college basketball.
There’s no better crash course for March Madness and bracket season than the final two days of conference tournaments.
On Saturday and Sunday, every major conference will hold its championship games, which means now is the perfect time to check out the majority of teams which have a shot to actually get to the Final Four and win a national championship next month.
The weekend really kicks off Friday, when the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, Big East Conference and nine others will play their semifinals.
The next day, those 13 conferences — plus one other — will play their championship games, while the Big Ten Conference, Southeastern Conference and four others move into their semifinals, with those six championships to follow Sunday.
The day wraps up with the selection show, which airs at 6 p.m. EST on CBS. Before then, these are all the chances this weekend to check out all the contenders, pretenders and spoilers who will take over the next month:
Saturday, March 16
America East Conference championship
When: 11 a.m. EST
Where: Burlington, Vermont
TV channel: ESPN2
The favorite: Vermont Catamounts
What’s at stake: The UMBC Retrievers are trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament after upsetting the No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers in the first round last year, but Vermont is the favorite playing at home.
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship
When: 1 p.m. EST
Where: Norfolk, Virginia
TV channel: ESPN2
The favorite: Norfolk State Spartans
What’s at stake: Norfolk State is the favorite for the automatic berth and a likely No. 16 seed.
Southwestern Athletic Conference championship
When: 6 p.m. EST
Where: Birmingham, Alabama
TV channel: ESPNU
The favorite: Texas Southern Tigers
What’s at stake: Texas Southern finished three games behind the Prairie View A&M Panthers, but finished strong. Winner probably is a No. 16 seed.
Big 12 Conference championship
When: 6 p.m. EST
Where: Kansas City
TV channel: ESPN
The favorite: Kansas Jayhawks
What’s at stake: The Texas Tech Raiders and Kansas State Wildcats both went down earlier in the week, leaving Kansas as the favorite once again.
Mountain West Conference championship
When: 6 p.m. EST
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
TV channel: CBS
The favorite: Utah State Aggies
What’s at stake: San Diego State will try to steal a bid with both Utah State and the Nevada Wolf Pack locks.
Big East Conference championship
When: 6:30 p.m. EST
Where: New York
TV channel: FOX
The favorite: Villanova Wildcats
What’s at stake: Villanova, the Marquette Golden Eagles and Seton Hall Pirates are all Tournament locks, and bubble teams like the St. John’s Red Storm, Creighton Bluejays and Georgetown Hoyas all lost Thursday.
Mid-American Conference championship
When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Cleveland
TV channel: ESPN2
The favorite: Buffalo Bulls
What’s at stake: Buffalo is the overwhelming favorite and a Tournament lock, so the rest of the league is looking to steal a bid.
Big Sky Conference championship
When: 8 p.m. EST
Where: Boise, Idaho
TV channel: ESPNU
The favorite: Montana Grizzlies
What’s at stake: Montana is trying to get to the Tournament for the second straight year from this one-bid league.
Atlantic Coast Conference championship
When: 8:30 p.m. EST
Where: Charlotte
TV channel: ESPN
The favorite: Duke Blue Devils
What’s at stake: Duke may have sewed up a No. 1 seed with its in against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday. A win Saturday would further the Blue Devils’ case.
Conference USA championship
When: 8:30 p.m. EST
Where: Frisco, Texas
TV channel: CBS Sports Network
The favorite: Old Dominion Monarchs
What’s at stake: Old Dominion needs to win to get into the Tournament, but the Western Kentucky Hilltopers have a likely first-round pick in center Charles Bassey
Southland Conference championship
When: 9:30 p.m. EST
Where: Katy, Texas
TV channel: ESPN2
The favorite: Abilene Christian Wildcats
What’s at stake: Southland is a one-bid league likely to get a No. 15 or 16 seed.
Western Athletic Conference championship
When: 10 p.m. EST
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
TV channel: ESPNU
The favorite: New Mexico State Aggies
What’s at stake: New Mexico State needs to win to secure its seventh trip to the Tournament in eight years.
Pac-12 Conference championship
When: 10:30 p.m. EST
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
TV channel: ESPN
The favorite: Washington Huskies
What’s at stake: Washington is the only tournament lock, but the Oregon Ducks have a chance to steal a bid in the title game.
Big West Conference championship
When: 11:59 p.m. EST
Where: Anaheim
TV channel: ESPN2
The favorite: UC Irvine Anteaters
What’s at stake: The Big West is a one-bid league, but UC Irvine could be a first-round spoiler in the Tournament.
Sunday, March 17
Ivy League championship
When: noon EST
Where: New Haven, Connecticut
TV channel: ESPN2
The favorite: Yale Bulldogs
What’s at stake: The Ivy winner is always a potential first-round spoiler and Yale or the Harvard Crimson could be the latest.
Southeastern Conference championship
When: 1 p.m. EST
Where: Nashville
TV channel: ESPN
The favorite: Tennessee Volunteers
What’s at stake: Tennessee and the Kentucky Wildcats are both trying to get a No. 1 seed, while the Florida Gators are playing their way off the bubble.
Atlantic 10 Conference championship
When: 1 p.m. EST
Where: Brooklyn
TV channel: CBS
The favorite: Davidson Wildcats
What’s at stake: The VCU Rams lost Friday, which means the conference winner will steal a bid to the Tournament.
Sun Belt Conference championship
When: 2 p.m. EST
Where: New Orleans
TV channel: ESPN2
The favorite: Georgia Southern Eagles
What’s at stake: Georgia Southern, the Georgia State Panthers and UT Arlington Mavericks are the three favorites to land the Sun Belt’s one Tournament berth.
American Athletic Conference championship
When: 3:15 p.m. EST
Where: Memphis
TV channel: ESPN
The favorite: Houston Cougars
What’s at stake: Houston ran away with the league and wants to grab a top-two seed, but the Central Florida Knights and Cincinnati Bearcats are worthy challengers.
Big Ten Conference championship
When: 3:30 p.m. EST
Where: Chicago
TV channel: CBS
The favorite: Michigan State Spartans
What’s at stake: The Big 10 is up for grabs with Michigan State, the Michigan Wolverines and Wisconsin Badgers all legitimate threats to win the tournament.
This story was originally published March 15, 2019 at 7:30 AM with the headline "A viewing guide to college basketball’s championship weekend and Selection Sunday."