College Basketball Conference Title Races: Feb. 10 Edition

College basketball conference title races are changing every day, thanks to big-time upsets across the sport.

From upsets in the power conferences to surprising losses in the mid-majors, last week had loads of craziness. This means you need an update on where things stand, and we have you covered. Read below for your fix of college basketball conferences race as we get closer to March.

All but wrapped up

A10 – Saint Louis

Saint Louis extended their winning streak to 17 games and their conference record to 11-0. George Mason was keeping it close, but a shocking loss to Duquesne at home pushed them two games behind Saint Louis. They’re still in it technically, but it’s hard to see Saint Louis dropping two games the way they’ve been playing all season.

CUSA – Liberty

Liberty expanded its conference lead to four games as it remains undefeated in conference play. This is the biggest gap of any conference leader and will most likely be the first race called in college basketball this season.

NEC – LIU

LIU’s 2.5-game lead increased to 3.5. They’ve won 5 straight games and are nearly 100 spots higher in the NET than the next highest team in conference. LIU has never won the regular season title, so a milestone accomplishment is soon for the Sharks.

Patriot – Navy

Navy holds a 2.5-game lead in conference play with five games to go. They’ve won eight straight and 12-1 overall. Colgate is still within striking distance, but it would be a shock if Navy doesn’t hold on.

SWAC – Bethune-Cookman

Bethune-Cookman remains two games ahead of Arkansas Pine-Bluff and is on an eight-game win streak. They’ve been playing with fire a bit with their game results, but until they drop one, it’s a one-team race.

Southland –  SF Austin

SF Austin extended their winning streak to 10 games and remained in a position to have a two-game lead in the conference race. It won’t be an easy week for SF Austin, playing the third and fourth-best teams in the conference. If they can get out of that cleanly, it’s smooth sailing for the Lumberjacks.

Two-team race, but with a clear favorite

Ivy – Yale and Harvard

There are still six teams within two games, but Harvard and Yale are tied at the top, with four teams two games behind. Harvard beat Yale on the road this season, but Yale is still the team to beat at this moment based on analytics and overall talent. Yale has been playing some pretty nail-biting games, so this one could come down to the end before we find an Ivy king.

MAC – Miami (OH), Akron

Both teams had a little drama, with Miami (OH) beating Buffalo by just two and Akron beating Eastern Michigan by two, but both got the wins. It doesn’t appear like either team is going to lose, but if one does, then that’ll be the difference. The MAC has some teams that are certainly capable of keeping things interesting, so don’t write off this conference just yet.

True two-team race

Big East – UConn and St John’s

These two teams faced each other Friday night, and St John’s picked up the huge win to even themselves with UConn atop the standings. It wouldn’t be a surprise if both of these teams win out until they play again in late February, making that matchup potentially one of the biggest of the season and, without a doubt, the biggest in Big East play.

Big South – High Point, Winthrop

Both of these teams went 2-0 last week and are 4 games ahead of the three seed. Based on the way these two teams are playing, that game in late February between the two teams will be one of the most exciting games in Big South history.

CAA – UNC Wilmington, Charleston 

These two teams faced off against each other Monday night, and UNCW came out on top on the road, winning 76-64. They now hold a 0.5 game lead with seven games to go. These teams will face off again in March, but a huge win to gain control of their own destiny for the SkyHawks.

Horizon – Wright State, Oakland

Oakland lost to Cleveland State last week, extending Wright State’s lead from 0.5 games to one. Combine that with the fact that Wright State swept Oakland this season, and they might be an Oakland loss away from wrapping this one up. They can’t be too confident, though, because Greg Kampe won’t go away too easily.

Mountain West – Utah State, San Diego State

This went from a five-team to a two-team race really quickly. Utah State and San Diego State both won, while New Mexico lost twice, and Grand Canyon and Nevada both dropped a game. San Diego State plays GCU and Nevada at home this week, both tough opponents. Utah State only plays Fresno State, so the pressure is on San Diego State to keep this race tied before the two meet on February 25th.

Southern – ETSU, Wofford

Furman and Mercer both lost both their games last week, leaving them three games out of the race and all but dead for their chance to win the regular season title. That leaves ETSU and Wofford. ETSU holds a one-game lead at 11-2, and hosts Wofford in the penultimate game of the regular season for what may decide the tournament race.

WCC – Gonzaga and Santa Clara

This seemed like it was Gonzaga’s to lose, but lo and behold, the Portland Pilots had other plans. Gonzaga lost in the biggest upset in college basketball this year, and not only did that hurt their NCAA Tournament seeding, but they also find themselves 0.5 games behind Santa Clara. This race is far from over, and now Saint Mary’s can even sneak in, but it seems like the winner of their head-to-head will be crowned the champions.

Three-team race

ASUN – Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Queens

What was a four-team race has dropped to a three-team race after Lipscomb dropped both their games this week. Austin Peay is still the favorite at 11-1, but Central Arkansas is just a game and a half back and on a seven-game winning streak. Austin Peay plays Queens on Wednesday, which can either make this a two-team race or make this even closer with just seven games to go.

Summit – North Dakota State, St. Thomas, North Dakota

North Dakota State lost to Denver in one of the most head-scratching results of the week. The good news for them is North Dakota also lost. The bad news is St. Thomas did not, cutting their lead to just one game. The two North Dakota teams play each other on Saturday, in a huge game for not only these two teams, but St. Thomas as well.

WAC – Utah Valley, Cal Baptist, Utah Tech

UTA is only two games back, but they’ve lost three straight, which drops them from the race. The news came out that Utah Valley wouldn’t be able to compete for the conference tournament championship, but it seems like the regular season is still up for grabs. If that’s the case, they’re still tied for first, but they’re competing with Cal Baptist, who have won eight straight.

Three-team race, but with a clear favorite

Big Sky- Portland State, Montana State, Montana

Portland State came into the week with a 1.5 game lead, but after going undefeated and watching Montana State and Montana both drop a game, they are in the driver’s seat. As mentioned earlier, they still have to face both these teams on the road, which is why this isn’t wrapped up, but another week like this, and it won’t matter.

Missouri Valley – Belmont, Murray State, Bradley

Belmont beat UIC on the road to knock them out of contention, but Bradley kept themselves and Murray State alive by beating Belmont on Monday. Murray State had a chance to cut the lead to one game, but lost handily to Northern Iowa at home. Belmont should still handle this one, but you can’t count out those teams unless they drop another game or two.

Four-team race

ACC – Duke, Clemson, Virginia

Thanks to a buzzer-beater three by UNC in one of the best games of the year, Duke dropped its first conference game of the season and finds itself tied with Clemson at 10-1 in conference play. Virginia sits at 9-2 as well, so while this still feels like Duke’s conference to lose, it’s still very alive. Clemson and Duke play on Saturday at Duke in a game that could decide who gets the one seed in the conference tournament.

America East – NJIT, UMBC, Vermont

I disrespected NJIT last week by saying they’re not in this race, but they sit at 8-2 and in first place by themselves with six games to go. They’re only 0.5 games ahead of UMBC and one ahead of Vermont, so they can’t get too comfortable. All three teams should win this week, creating even more drama as the games left dwindle.

Big Ten – Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, Michigan State

Illinois lost to Michigan State to give Michigan a one-game lead over them, and that might be all Michigan needs to secure the one seed. Nebraska has the biggest game of these four, facing Purdue at home this week. If they lose, then this really might come down to Michigan or Illinois.

Big 12 – Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas 

Arizona finally goes down, which doesn’t just have implications in tournament seeding, but opens up the Big 12 as well. Houston has a chance to tie them at the top, and Kansas and Iowa State are right behind. Lots of big games this week, including Kansas-Iowa State and Arizona-Texas Tech, to help shape the picture even more.

Sun Belt – Troy, South Alabama, App State, Marshall

Troy won their games last week, keeping them atop the standings, and South Alabama lost, which drops them from 0.5 to 1.5 games back. App State, however, remains 0.5 games and ready to strike. With six games left, Troy is in a position where they only have to play one of these teams, South Alabama on the road, for the rest of the season. It won’t be easy, but if they win, the race is over.

Five-team race

Big West – UC Irvine, UCSB, Hawaii, UCD, CSUN

This was a three-team race last week, but after UCI dropped another game, there are now five teams within 1.5 games of the title. Hawaii and UCI are still in the lead, but UCSB’s win over UCI brought them within half a game, and UCD and CSUN have won three and four in a row to stay competitive. Hawaii plays CSUN in the only game between these five teams this week.

MAAC – Merrimack, Siena, Saint Peter’s, Marist, Quinnipiac

Siena and Marist both lost games this week to hurt their chances, while Merrimack won its fourth straight game to improve to 12-2. Merrimack plays Marist and Quinnipac for a chance to bump them out of the title race and reduce this race to three teams.

Still anyone’s conference

American – USF, Tulsa, Temple, Wichita State, Memphis, Charlotte, FAU, UAB

Tulsa and Charlotte came into last week tied for first with two losses. Tulsa lost one, Charlotte lost two, and somehow, eight teams still remain 2 games back of first. Memphis is actually playing like the best team right now, but this conference has shown time and time again that you can’t predict anything.

MEAC – Everyone but Delaware and Coppin State

Morgan State has won six straight and holds the lead, but six of the eight teams are within two games of them. If Morgan State goes 2-0 again this week, this conference will quickly narrow itself down.

Ohio Valley – UT Martin, Tennessee State, Lindenwood, Morehead State, SEMO, SIUE

UT Martin lost a pretty surprising game at home against Morehead State, lowering their conference lead to 1 game and keeping six teams within six games of the title. It’s still theirs to lose, but they have a lot less breathing room now. SEMO has won six straight and will play UT Martin on the 17th to try to steal the conference lead.

SEC – Texas A&M, Florida, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama

If we’re being honest, this conference is Florida’s if they continue to play the way they have, but all these games are within two games of the lead, meaning it’s still too early to call. Kentucky and Georgia play on Saturday in the game that has the biggest impact in this race.