The best decision you’ve ever made?

The GIST: As you heard on yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, conference tournament tension will reach a fever pitch as squads scramble for automatic bids to March Madness this weekend. A whopping 32 conferences are currently duking it out, but three in particular are must-see TV.

The Big 12: Any of the seven teams that finished over .500 in conference play could feasibly make a run at the trophy. Red-hot No. 5–seed Baylor is the most dangerous underdog with their five-game win streak, but from regular-season champ Oklahoma, to betting favorite No. 2–seed Texas, to came-out-of-nowhere No. 7–seed Kansas, this tourney’s anyone’s for the taking.

The ACC: Chock-full of elite squads who love to beat up on one another, the ACC is ripe for top-notch play and potential upsets. Today’s top quarter-final matchup? No. 4–seed Notre Dame vs. No. 5–seed Louisville today at 11 a.m. ET. After that, expect tomorrow’s semis to unleash chaos.

The Pac-12: Last night’s quarter-finals delivered a double-overtime (OT) thriller, a surprisingly tight Bay Area battle, a showdown between two of the NCAA’s hottest teams, and a narrow dub. With three of the surviving teams currently in the nation’s Top 10, if you think you know what’s going to happen next — no, you don’t.

The GIST: The regular season wraps up tomorrow, and while some squads have already secured conference titles, others are still fighting for their crowns — and top seeding in next week’s conference tourneys.

The done deals: Four early birds clinched sole ownership of their season titles this week: No. 2 UConn in the Big East on Sunday, No. 3 Purdue in the Big Ten on Tuesday, No. 4 Tennessee in the SEC on Wednesday, and No. 5 Arizona in the Pac-12 last night. All are likely March Madness No. 1–seeds — if they can keep their sh!t together until St. Patrick’s Day, aka Selection Sunday.

The tight races: In the Big 12, No. 1 Houston holds a razor-thin lead over No. 6 Iowa State, and they must win tomorrow’s game to guarantee sole ownership. The catch? They’re playing No. 14 Kansas, a fierce blue blood and one of only three teams to crack the code and defeat Houston’s elite offense this season. Gulp.

• The most exciting weekend matchup? The ACC title battle between No. 7 UNC and No. 9 Duke. Duke trails UNC by one game, but if they beat their blood rival tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, they’ll force a tie for the conference crown. College hoops at its absolute best.

🏖️ Beach volleyball: No. 1 UCLA Bruins (8-3) vs. No. 2 Stanford Cardinal (7-1) — Today at 4 p.m. ET — Pac-12 Washington

• No. 10 Arizona State hosts this weekend’s talent-packed Pac-12 South Invitational, and this showdown is the main event. The Bruins and Cardinal have split wins this season, with both matchups coming down to photo finishes. NorCal vs. SoCal — who ya got?

🏒 Women’s ice hockey: No. 3–seed Minnesota Golden Gophers (27-8-2) vs. No. 2–seed Wisconsin Badgers (31-5-0) — Today at 5:30 p.m. ET — B1G+

• Conference championships wrap on Sunday, and the WCHA is tough AF — all but one natty-winning team competes in this conference. This semifinal border battle between the defending national champ Badgers and their old rival Minnie is the weekend’s highlight.

🥎 Softball: No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowgirls (18-2) vs. No. 14 Baylor Bears (13-3) — Today at 7:30 p.m. ET — XII Now/ESPN+

• Both teams open Big 12 play with this banger of a three-game series. The Cowgirls usually have Baylor’s number — they’ve swept ’em three years in a row — but look vulnerable after Wednesday’s narrow 4–3 win over Wichita State. It could be Baylor’s time to, ahem, strike.

🥍 Women’s lacrosse: No. 2 James Madison Dukes (6-0) vs. No. 9 Maryland Terrapins (5-1) — Sunday at 11 a.m. ET — B1G+

• From 1974 to 2019, Maryland owned a jaw-dropping 42-3 record against the Dukes. But the tide’s turning — JMU won the pair’s last three matchups, including last season’s thriller in the national tourney’s second round. Parity’s on the rise, and so, perhaps, is a new rivalry.