NCAA men’s basketball conference tournaments are officially underway

The GIST: As of today, nearly all of the 32 conference tournaments are underway, with automatic March Madness bids and a whole lotta confetti awaiting the winners. Here are the tourneys you won’t want to miss as you gear up for bracket-building.

The Big 12: In their first season in this hyper-competitive conference, No. 1–seed Houston is favored to take the Big 12 crown. But the Cougars will have to fend off serious challenges from No. 2 Iowa State, No. 3 Baylor, and maybe even No. 6 Kansas — although things keep shifting from bad to worse for the spiraling Jayhawks.

The Big East: Reigning national champ UConn proved they have the stamina to run it back — they locked up the regular-season title and the Big East’s No. 1 seed with ease. But there’s been chinks in the armor down the stretch, so they’d be fools to underestimate No. 2–seed Creighton or No. 3 Marquette this week.

The SEC: When the regular season ends with a four-way tie for second place, you know you’re in for one wild tourney. No. 1–seed Tennessee could earn a top March Madness seed with a trophy here, but not if surging blue blood No. 2 Kentucky, spoiler specialist No. 5 South Carolina, and the rest of this stacked group have anything to say about it.