I really do love this time of year. Conference tournaments are underway, and a few NCAA tournament tickets have already been punched. Today marks the start of the major conference tournaments with the beginning of the ACC tournament in Brooklyn, NY. The big dogs in college basketball are all vying for a conference championship while the potential Cinderellas are trying to punch their ticket to the bid dance. It is a fantastic week of basketball that serves as a rich appetizer to the madness of March. For today’s “Heat Check” I’m going to take you through all of the major conference tournaments this week. I’ll have my favorite to win the tournament, and give you a dark horse that could make its own run like UConn in 2011’s Big East Tournament.

ACC Tournament (March 7-11, Brooklyn, NY)

Since the tournament tipped off today, this is the most logical start the tournament previews. The ACC has the potential to be the most hotly contested tournament of all the major conferences. There are heavy hitters at every turn, and seemingly most of the top-eight teams have a viable shot to cut down the nets in this tournament. Whoever comes out as the ACC champion will certainly see their national title hopes boosted. The semifinals here will have Elite Eight-level matchups, so it might even be an understatement to say that the champion will be “battle-tested.”

Favorite: North Carolina

This was a tough pick, but it was hard for me to not go with North Carolina in this spot here. The Tar Heels won the regular season title in the ACC by two games, capping it off with a nice win over Duke in a revenge game. North Carolina is loaded with ACC Player of the Year Justin Jackson leading the way. They are already one of the favorites in the NCAA tournament and could lock up a number one seed if they can win the ACC tournament.

Dark Horse: Duke

It’s difficult to call any of these teams a dark horse in this tournament, but I think the Blue Devils are equipped to win the ACC tournament. While it has been a bit of a disappointing season for Duke after coming into the year as the top team in the polls, this roster is still one of the most talented in the country. Duke does have to get by Clemson and Louisville, but if they are able to get to the semifinals it would be tough not to give them a punchers chance. The Blue Devils are 6-4 against the top-25, which includes wins over North Carolina and Florida State (the top two seeds in the ACC).

Big Ten Tournament (March 8-12, Washington D.C.)

You can’t deny that it has been a down year for the typically strong Big Ten conference, but that won’t diminish what could be a proving ground for the tournament champion. With perennial Big Ten power Michigan State falling to the fifth seed in this tournament, you get the feeling that this tournament could be wide open for a hot team to roll through. The Big Ten conference is known for being a “tournament conference” so we can throw out the records here and just enjoy the ride.

Favorite: Purdue

I could easily put favorite in quotations marks and write it in with pencil because I think that this could be a screwy tournament. That being said, I think the Boilermakers are the strongest team in this conference. Caleb Swanigan took home player of the year honors in the Big Ten and could very well add a most outstanding player award to his mantle by tournament’s end. Swanigan is an absolute beast on the inside and has the ability to be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. Purdue has ridden on his shoulders all year and they will go as far as he can take them.

Dark Horse: Northwestern

Northwestern may have locked up its first NCAA tournament bid in school history, and that is a wave of momentum that could carry them deep into the Big Ten tournament. The Wildcats also have a seemingly favorable route to the championship game on Sunday. As the sixth seed, they will face the winner of Ohio State and Rutgers. Maryland is a tough team, but has underachieved all year and could be ripe for another disappointing outing. Northwestern has already defeated two-seed Wisconsin once this season as well. I just get the feeling that there could be something special at work here for the Wildcats.

Big 12 Tournament (March 8-11, Kansas City, MO)

In my opinion this could very well be a two-team tournament. I’m not as big of a fan of the Big 12 conference as most but this is a very top-heavy conference. Kansas and West Virginia are head and shoulders above the competition in this conference. A potential championship game between the Jayhawks and Mountaineers has me very excited. We’ll see how it all plays out though.

Favorite: Kansas

Part of me wanted to go with WVU here, but it is very difficult to go against the top ranked team in the country. Plus, the Mountaineers meltdown a few weeks ago against the Jayhawks gives a slight edge to Kansas in my eyes. Frank Mason III and Josh Jackson are one of the best one-two punches in the country. Mason III is in the midst of strong push for the Wooden Award and National Player of the Year. You ride the hot hand in March and Mason III has one of the hottest hands right now.

Dark Horse: Baylor

Its not my most confident pick for a dark horse, but considering the Bears would avoid a semifinal matchup with Kansas there is a chance for a run here. Baylor has racked up some impressive wins this season, which includes victories over Louisville and West Virginia. The Bears also took Kansas to the limit a few weeks ago. While I think that this is potentially a two-team tournament, Baylor has the best chance of any team in the Big 12 to take down both of the top seeds for the conference championship.

Big East Tournament (March 8-11, New York, NY)

It doesn’t get more traditional in March than the Big East tournament on the hallowed court at Madison Square Garden. While I said the Big 12 could be a two-team tournament, the Big East is all about the potential championship game between Villanova and Butler. Injuries crushed Creighton and Xavier, which took some of the intrigue away from this typically great tournament. Either way if we get a Villanova-Butler final, I think we would all be very happy.

Favorite: Villanova

The defending national champions have to be the favorites here. Josh Hart is one of the favorites to win National Player of the Year, and is an incredibly difficult player to stop once he gets going. The Wildcats have the experience to get through this tournament and could steal away the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament if Kansas falters. My only concern is Butler, who has beaten them twice and just might have Villanova’s number.

Dark Horse: Butler

Admittedly, I’m copping out on this pick. Outside of Butler, the only team with a marginal chance in this tournament is Seton Hall. That being said, the Bulldogs have the best shot to take down a heavily favored Villanova team. Butler is a hard-nosed defensive team with a wealth of experience from its upperclassmen. Those two wins over Villanova were impressive, especially the dominant victory at The Pavilion.

Pac-12 Tournament (March 8-11, Las Vegas, NV)

Aside from the ACC tournament, the Pac-12 is the tournament I am looking forward to seeing the most. Oregon, Arizona, and UCLA all have great chances to win the national championship and this could be the beginning of that run for either of these teams. I’m already circling a potential rubber match between Arizona and UCLA in the semifinals, which could prove to be the best game of the conference tournaments. The Pac-12 championship may even lead to a coveted number one seed in the NCAA tournament, or at the very least keep the champion in the West Region.

Favorite: Arizona

By a slim margin, I’m going with Arizona as my favorite to win the Pac-12. I have been a big supporter of the Wildcats since Allonzo Trier returned to the lineup earlier this season. They are one of my national title favorites because of the versatility this team provides. Arizona is able to play at any pace, and have the length/size to matchup with just about any team in the country. Sean Miller has built a monster with these Wildcats and has his team ready to cut down the nets with a Pac-12 championship in tow.

Dark Horse: USC

Outside of the top-three teams in this conference, it is kind of a crapshoot trying to pick a dark horse team. The team with the best shot to make a run though is USC. Desperation often has a double-edged effect, and the Trojans certainly have a bit of that at play here. Blowout losses to UCLA and Arizona, combined with a potentially debilitating loss to Arizona State have dropped the Trojans to the bubble. An early exit in this tournament could mean the end of its season. However, I think that the desperation to make the NCAA tournament could light a spark underneath this USC team.

SEC Tournament (March 8-12, Nashville, TN)

Here we are with another conference tournament that should boil down to the top two seeds fighting for the championship. Kentucky and Florida have easily been the two best teams in this conference all season. A potential rubber match between these two would be a fantastic game. Unfortunately, hoping for chaos in this bracket could be a pipe dream.

Favorite: Kentucky

The Wildcats are easily my favorite to win this tournament. Star players typically shine in these tournaments and Kentucky has the best of them all in Malik Monk. John Calipari’s team is loaded once again, and the talent should carry them to the finals. The only stumbling block here could be Florida, who has been a thorn in the side of the Wildcats this season.

Dark Horse: Vanderbilt

Similar to my USC pick in the Pac-12, Vanderbilt is a bubble team that has all of the motivation to make a deep run in this tournament. The Commodores can ill afford to falter early in this tournament, and might need to score a signature win against one of the top dogs in this conference to punch its ticket to the NCAA tournament. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a team in the SEC jump off the bubble with a deep run in the tournament. Georgia was able to win this tournament in 2008 as an eleven seed, and this Vanderbilt team is much better than that.

That’s it for me today. Enjoy all of the basketball this week. I’ll be back tomorrow so stay tuned to Shooting the Moon. Also be on the look out next week for the debut of the Shooting the Moon Podcast. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.