Conference Championships

The first basketball conference tournament of 2012 kicks off today in the Big South Conference so as a result I am going to give you my picks for the first few picks...I will have an updated list as more conferences begin their tournaments.

Big South- UNC-Asheville wins over Coastal Carolina

• UNCA will get to play at home throughout their games and with the 8th highest point total per game on their side, I feel that they will repeat as conference champions.

Horizon-Butler over Cleveland State

• The tournament is kinda set up donkey, so Butler would have to win 2 games in order to get a chance at playing Valporaiso who has a double bye. 
• I don't actually know of Cleveland State will be playing in the championship game here, but also having a double bye I went with the safe pick and took them, I could see Youngstown or Detroit beating them in the semis though.
• I've learned my lesson and am finally going to pick Butler to do well in a tournament as I feel they will bring out their NCAA tourny play early in order to get themselves into the field in March.

Atlantic Sun- Belmont over Mercer

• I sure do like me the Murder Bears and almost always take them to win the Atlantic Sun especially when they get to play on their home floor.  
• But, the fact that Mercer couldn't pull off the upset on their home floor with Belmont not having all of their starters playing recently (including leading scorer Kerron Johnson) I feel that the Bruins will be too much for the bears, in a game that would be unbearable to miss. 

Patriot League- Lehigh over Bucknell

• C.J. McCollum