we just watched the craziest championship week ever
2024 Conference Tournament Week was one of the more exciting in recent memory, with bid stealers appearing out of the blue left and right.
For those who don’t know, a “bid stealer” is a team that is not projected to make the NCAA Tournament, then goes on a run and wins its conference tournament to earn an automatic bid. They steal bids because this leaves teams on the bubble with one less spot to fight for.
Let’s take a look at some of the most exciting bid stealers over the past week, and if any of them can make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.
NC State Wolfpack
What an absolute run by Kevin Keatts’ team. The Wolfpack earned the 10 seed in the ACC Tournament after finishing 9-11 in conference play. The ACC was incredibly weak this year, so State was just an afterthought once the regular season ended, with no one thinking it was a remote possibility it could make a run. Then, after winning five games in as many days, the Wolfpack won its 11th ACC Championship and is going back to the big dance for the second consecutive year. It was the DJ Burns Jr. and DJ Horne show all week, with the two carrying their team to wins over the ACC No. 1, 2, and 3 seeds en route to a championship victory. Horne didn’t play in the team’s tournament opener, but went on to average 18 points over the next four, including a 29 point effort in the championship against UNC. Burns, the 6’ 9” 275lb. mammoth, was a matchup nightmare down low all week. The big man averaged 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists a game across the tournament. It will be interesting to see where the committee seeds the Wolfpack, probably around a 10 or 11. And, if I’m a 2 or a 3 seed in State’s region, I am shivering at the thought of a second round matchup against it behind elite veteran guard play, an athletic big man who is an incredible passer if opponents decide to double, and some phenomenal role players. I can definitely see NC State in the second weekend if its matchups work out in its favor.
New Mexico Lobos
I’ve been on the Lobo train all season and was ready to put them far in my bracket. But, it slid late behind some injuries and likely played its way outside of the tournament looking in if not for the conference championship win it had. Especially in a Mountain West that’s been outstanding this season, this run shows how far New Mexico can really go. I think it has one of the best backcourts in the country behind Jaelen House, Donovan Dent, and Jamal Mashburn. House, the team’s leading scorer, knows how to show up in big moments, and stepped up all tournament. The stud guard averaged 23 points across the team’s four tournament games to go along with just under 4 assists. Add in a solid center in Nelly Junior Joseph, this team could be a fun lower seed to have make a run. This tournament is shaping up to be so dependant on matchups to see who goes far more than ever. New Mexico is a great shot blocking team who likes to keep the tempo up behind its elite guards. If it can get a high seed such as a Marquette or a Tennessee where I think it matches up really well, the Lobos are going to be a fun team to monitor.
Oregon Ducks
I thought Oregon should’ve gotten more consideration towards the latter of the season for an at-large bid, but it doesn’t matter after the Ducks defeated Colorado in the PAC 12 Championship last night. Senior big N’Faly Dante was a problem for teams through this entire tournament, averaging 20 points and 9 rebounds across the team’s three conference tournament games. This includes 25 points on an unthinkable 12-12 shooting from the field in the championship game against the Buffs. And these weren’t all shots just with his back to the basket. He created for himself, was physical, and attacked Colorado’s lack of weak side help off the pick and roll on multiple occasions. I don’t see this team going too far because of its defensive struggles all season, but I think they could be a fun watch to give its opponents issues during the first weekend. Freshman guard Jackson Shelstad has shown flashes of being an elite scorer for the Ducks for the years to come, and veteran guard Jermaine Couisnard next to him is a really skilled player as well. Oregon didn’t allow more than 70 points in any of its conference tournament games, that includes against Arizona. So, if it can keep its defense at a higher level than it was in the regular season, and behind a great coach in Dana Altman, maybe we can see Oregon dance for longer than expected.
Long Beach State Beach
First of all, that isn’t a typo. According to ESPN, LBSU’s mascot is the beach. I don’t know if that’s a known thing, but it’s news to me. Anyway, this story isn’t about a team that can make a run in the tournament, but more so a fun story out of the Big West. The Beach are coached by Dan Monson, who is in his 17th season at the helm. He’s rebuilt this program into relevancy in his tenure, earning over 250 wins, bringing LBSU to 4 Big West Championships, and has won Big West Coach of the Year four different times, including in 2022. After all that, and a 22-14 season in 2024, Monsoon was fired on Monday night before the start of the Big West Tournament. It was described as a “mutual separation.” However, he decided to still coach the team through the conference tournament. And what’s a better way to say goodbye than one more big dance appearance. The Beach had no business being in contention for a conference championship at all after losing its final five regular season games, but that’s March for you. It went on to beat UC Riverside, No. 1 seed UC Irvine, then No. 2 seed UC Davis to earn a Big West Championship. There are already plenty of articles on this story, but I wanted to bring this into my own because this is what March is about: chaos and the unexpected.
