Edit (3/5): All remaining "power" conference tourney previews are up. Don't forget to check out the latest predicted bracket here, where we'll be adding team previews moments after the conclusion of Sunday's Selection Show.

Kicks Off: Wednesday, March 7 at 3 PM ET

Format: 12 teams, top four seeds get bye into quarterfinals

Top Seed: Arizona Wildcats – Some teams thrive on controversy and the Wildcats may be one of them. The investigation into the alleged payout from coach Sean Miller to get Deandre Ayton to Arizona will progress slowly until both are probably long gone from the program. Meanwhile, it will be business as usual for Arizona who has the most talent in the conference. Ayton is worth, ahem, every penny and is leading the team with 19.9 points and 11.4 rebounds. Allonzo Trier plays like, ahem, he is supercharged and is hitting 52.3 percent of his field goals and 40.4 percent of his 3-pointers. Rawle Alkins is the third scorer and the team has veterans in center Dusan Ristic and point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright. If the bracket holds, the Wildcats would play Colorado, UCLA, and USC, which is seems quite manageable.

Dark Horse: Arizona State Sun Devils – If the bracket does not hold, then the Sun Devils will meet the Wildcats in the quarterfinals. It was just two months ago that Arizona State was the toast of college basketball. They had beaten Xavier and Kansas, two potential one-seeds, and coach Bobby Hurley looked like a genius. Perhaps the Sun Devils were exposed a bit in Pac 12 play and shrunk to an 8-10 record, but the talent to knock off top teams is still there. Tra Holder and Shannon Evans are one of the toughest backcourts in the country. Romello White, De'Quon Lake, and Mickey Mitchell provide frontcourt support, but will have to stay out of foul trouble. ASU split its season series against Colorado and would have to pull a major upset over Arizona to make the semifinals.

Player to Watch: Jordan McLaughlin, guard, USC Trojans – The Trojans have had their share of roster instability throughout the season. They were supposed to have De'Anthony Melton and Bennie Boatwright, but the former was named in the FBI probe and the latter was lost for the season with a knee issue. Throughout, senior guard McLaughlin has been plugging away. He leads the conference with 7.5 assists and is an efficient shooter (46.1 percent from the field, 41.7 percent on 3-pointers). The Trojans play best when McLaughlin is involved in, but does not take over, the offense. In games in which the 6-1 guard took 12 or more shots, USC was just 2-3. The Trojans meet the winner of the Washington-Oregon State game before a potential meeting with Utah in the semifinals.

Kicks Off: Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00 PM ET

Format: 10 teams, bottom four seeds play in first round, top two seeds meet the teams that have already played one game

Top Seed: Xavier Musketeers – For the first time since the Big East re-formed as a 10-team, non-football conference, Villanova does not head into the Big East tournament as the top seed. Although Xavier was unable to beat the Wildcats, they beat everyone else and won the regular season title. The Musketeers are a deep, talented, and experienced squad that would probably love a third game against Villanova. Trevon Bluiett is the scoring star who paces the squad with 19.4 points. He was much more efficient from 3-point range and hit 43.4 percent of his long-range shots. Bluiett is flanked by wing J.P. Macura and sophomore point guard Quentin Goodin. Green Bay transfer Kerem Kanter provides some low-post scoring punch. Xavier will meet the winner of the St. John's-Georgetown matchup on Thursday. Coach Chris Mack's squad swept both teams in the regular season.

Dark Horse: Seton Hall Pirates – It may be somewhat boring to name a three-seed as the dark horse in the conference, but not many people think of Seton Hall as the same level as Xavier and Villanova. They were unable to beat either squad during the regular season, but the Pirates could pull an upset. Senior Desi Rodriguez missed the last three games of the regular season with an ankle issue, but could return on Thursday against Butler. Rodriguez, Angel Delgado, and Khadeen Carrington have played together for four seasons, which could give the Pirates a leg up on the competition. The team also has a 3-point marksman in Myles Powell and a developing bench. Delgado was very effective against Butler (49 points in the two wins over the Bulldogs) and could be a problem for Villanova in the semifinals.

Player to Watch: Jalen Brunson, guard, Villanova Wildcats – There is something amazing about Brunson being a candidate for the national player of the year. The 6-3 junior is not a flashy player. He rarely dunks and would best be described as efficient. Brunson is also the engine that makes the Wildcats run and has a will to win that has pushed Villanova to beat teams they may not have otherwise. The guard leads the team with 19.0 points on 52.8 percent from the field and 4.8 assists. Despite handling the ball a great deal, Brunson only had one game of more than three turnovers (the Valentine's Day loss to Providence). The junior scored 17.5 points in the sweep of Seton Hall, who is the likely opponent in the Big East semis.

Kicks Off: Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00 PM ET

Format: 10 teams, bottom four seeds play in first round, top two seeds meet the teams that have already played one game

Top Seed: Kansas Jayhawks – For all of their regular season dominance, the Jayhawks can lose in the conference tournament. They have only won two of the last six Big 12 tournaments despite heading into each postseason event as the top seed. Actually, the No. 10-seeded Iowa State Cyclones have won three of the last four Big 12 tournaments. This year's Jayhawks are more dependent on perimeter shooting that most of the previous editions. Devonte' Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk both hit better than 42 percent of their 3-pointers. Center Udoka Azubuike provides offensive balance and is leading the country with a 77.4 percent field goal conversion rate. The Jayhawks can be beaten if the long-range shots don't fall or if Azubuike gets in early foul trouble. Kansas could meet Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals and the Cowboys were the only team to sweep the Jayhawks in the regular season.

Dark Horse: Baylor Bears – The Big 12 is so deep that it is somewhat hard to pick a dark horse. It is possible for almost any team to get hot and win three (or four) games to take the automatic jump into the NCAA Tournament. The Bears have some interesting ingredients that could lead to an upset win or two. Center Jo Lual-Acuil may be the best two-way frontcourt player in the conference. Baylor played its best when forward Terry Maston started being a low-post monster. The 6-8 senior had four 20-point games in the last month and the Bears won all four games. Keep an eye on guard Manu Lecomte, who can get hot from 3-point range. He was the opposite down the stretch and only hit 4-of-19 (21.1 percent) of his 3-pointers in his last four games.

Player to Watch: Trae Young, guard, Oklahoma Sooners – If only the season ended at the end of December, Arizona State would have been the champion and Young would have been the consensus Player of the Year. The Big 12 was not nice to the 6-2 freshman, who still managed to lead the country in points and assists. However, the crazy, Stephen Curry-like 3-pointers that dropped in the early season stopped falling against conference competition. In his last 10 games, Young only converted 26.8 percent of his long-range shots and the Sooners only won three times. The freshman is still capable of putting up wild numbers and scored a season-high 48 points the last time the Sooners met their first round opponent, Oklahoma State (but the Cowboys won).

Kicks Off: Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00 PM ET

Format: 14 teams, top four teams start in the quarterfinals, bottom four teams play in first round

Top Seed: Auburn Tigers – A quick peek at the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook that came out before the season indicated that the expectations for the Tigers were measured. Blue Ribbon had Auburn as its the No. 10 team in the SEC, and that was considering Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley would be on the squad. Neither player played due to the FBI probe and coach Bruce Pearl still pushed the squad into the best team in the conference. Mustapha Heron, Bryce Brown, and Jared Harper each took positive steps in development and Presbyterian transfer Desean Murray contributed despite being undersized. Auburn's depth was cut a bit when developing forward Anfrenee McLemore was lost for the season with a shoulder injury, but Chuma Okeke and Horace Spencer have stepped up. The last time Auburn won the SEC tournament was 1985 when Chuck Person led the squad. The Tigers sputtered down the stretch a bit and lost three of their last five games (half of their losses on the season), but would only need to win three more games to win the tournament and regular season titles.

Dark Horse: Texas A&M Aggies – There may be danger for the Tigers in the first round of the tournament. Texas A&M will need to beat Alabama for a second straight game, then could play Auburn on Thursday. The Aggies beat Auburn on the road on Feb. 7. Tyler Davis and Robert Williams might be the most talented frontcourt duo in the SEC. Davis is the team's most consistent player and put up 20 points or more in three of his last four games. Williams did not really build on his impressive freshman season, but shows flashes of potential. He had 16 points on 8-of-9 from the field and seven rebounds in the win over Auburn. Freshman TJ Sparks was pressed into backcourt duty due to roster attrition. He can score, but will have to keep his temper in check. Sparks was ejected late in the season finale against Alabama for shoving Collin Sexton's head.

Player to Watch: Michael Porter, forward, Missouri Tigers – We barely were able to see Porter before he was injured in the first game of the season. Porter only played two minutes before injuring his back and undergoing surgery. He could be back for the SEC tournament. His return would give the Tigers a star and the potential to make an interesting run in March. Even without its prized freshman, Missouri was able to win the five-seed and will play the winner of the Georgia-Vanderbilt matchup on Thursday. Porter has a complete offensive game and can score from the perimeter or by bullying smaller opponents in the paint. His return would also give the SEC some star power that seems to be missing with Kentucky's recruits being good but not great.

Kicks Off: Tuesday, March 6 at 12 PM ET

Format: 15 teams, top four teams start in the quarterfinals, bottom six teams play in first round

Top Seed: Virginia Cavaliers – Suffocating defense is not seen as sexy basketball, but there is something amazing at watching the Cavaliers throttle opponents' offenses. Any team can have an off shooting game, but the Virginia defense travels and does not appear to take a play off. Only two of the Cavaliers final eight opponents cracked 60 points and Virginia only lost two games through the regular season. Kyle Guy led the UVA offense with 13.9 points and the top four scorers each hit better than 38.0 percent of their 3-pointers. Coach Tony Bennett has not yet had his share of success in March, but he has the odds on best team because of the team's historically great defense. The Cavaliers open up against the Florida State-Louisville winner then would face Clemson if the seeds hold.

Dark Horse: Notre Dame – Injuries derailed what could have been a really interesting season for the Fighting Irish. Now, the team is whole again with Bonzie Colson making his return in last two games of the regular season. The 6-6 senior missed 15 games with a broken foot, but put up 24 points and 15 rebounds in the season-ending loss to Virginia on Saturday. Colson is supplemented by guard Matt Farrell who took the scoring lead while the senior forward was out. Farrell can concentrate on distributing and led the squad with 5.3 assists. Martinas Geben was also allowed to develop during ACC play. The Irish play Pittsburgh on Tuesday and would face Virginia Tech on Wednesday. It's a long road to hoe, but a successful ACC tournament run may be the team's only hope to go do dancing.

Player to Watch: Marvin Bagley, forward, Duke Blue Devils – Bagley was as good as advertised. The 6-11 freshman reclassified late and decided to attend Duke, like most of the recent top recruits. Even his February absence may have helped the team. He missed four games with a knee issue and that helped Grayson Allen get back on track after the Blue Devils had lost three of four games, including a mystifying loss to St. John's. Bagley had 19 double-doubles and scored 30 points or more six times. He is an incredible offensive rebounder because of his ability to jump quickly and use his excellent hands. Like many young big players, the ACC Player of the Year is not great from the charity stripe and hit just 62.1 percent of his free throws. Look for Bagley to make his mark on the ACC tournament. Duke will play either Virginia Tech or Notre Dame (assuming the Fighting Irish beat Pittsburgh).

Place: Madison Square Garden, New York City

Kicks Off: Wednesday, February 28 at 5:30 PM ET

Format: 14 teams, top four teams start in the quarterfinals, bottom four teams play in first round

Top Seed: Michigan State Spartans – It has been a trying season off the court for coach Tom Izzo. Michigan State was involved with serial child sex offender Larry Nassar, and the school has been mentioned in the FBI probe in connection to star Miles Bridges. Despite these issues, the Spartans have reeled off 12 straight wins and head to the Big Apple as the prohibitive favorite to win their fourth tournament championship in the last seven years. The Spartans have an enviable frontcourt in Bridges the scorer, Nick Ward the bruiser, and Jaren Jackson the blocker. Cassius Winston and Joshua Langford provide perimeter support (a combined 51.1 percent from the field). Michigan State plays its usual staunch defense and leads the country in opposing field goal percentage (36.2 percent). Perhaps the only worry with Michigan State is that they played a relatively easy Big Ten schedule with only one game against Purdue and Ohio State.

Dark Horse: Penn State Nittany Lions – The bracket breaks nicely for the Nittany Lions. They open against Northwestern in the second round on Thursday. Penn State split against the Wildcats in the regular season with both teams winning at home. Lamar Stevens averaged 21.5 points in the two games. If they are able to knock off Northwestern, the Nittany Lions face Ohio State who they swept in the regular season. The Buckeyes have no answer for Tony Carr, who scored a combined 58 points. Mike Watkins missed the regular season finale against Nebraska with a knee injury. He only played 14 minutes in his last two regular season games and is questionable for the Big 10 tournament. If Watkins -- team's leading rebounder and shot blocker -- is unable to play, Penn State would need a reserve such as Julian Moore or Satchel Pierce to step up.

Player to Watch: Keita Bates-Diop, forward, Ohio State Buckeyes – Coming into the season, the 6-7 Bates-Diop was something of a forgotten man after redshirting in 2016-17 due to a stress fracture in his left leg. He required little time to get up to speed in his junior season and put up six double-doubles in his first seven games. The forward did not slow down during conference play and helped the Buckeyes knock off Michigan State on Jan. 7 with a then-career-high 32 points. He subsequently scored 35 points in a win over Illinois on Feb. 4. Ohio State does not play until Friday, where they will meet the Penn State-Northwestern winner. A potential meeting with Purdue in the semifinals should be an excellent game. The Buckeyes squeaked out a one-point win over the Boilermakers in West Lafayette on Feb. 7 behind 18 points and 11 boards from Bates-Diop.