By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
The best conference tournament of them all begins Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, and the other power leagues begin their events this week as well. Here are the key details and a few bold predictions on the final week of college basketball before the NCAA Tournament:
ACC
When: Thursday through Sunday
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.
Final Prediction: North Carolina over Duke
Upset Pick: Virginia Tech over Florida State in the quarterfinals
Atlantic 10
When: Tuesday, then Friday through Sunday
Where: Campus sites, then Atlantic City, N.J.
Final Prediction: Xavier over Temple
Upset Pick: Rhode Island over Richmond in the quarterfinals
Big 12
When: Wednesday through Saturday
Where: Sprint Center, Kansas City
Final Prediction: Kansas over Baylor
Upset Pick: Baylor over Texas in the quarterfinals
Big East
When: Tuesday through Saturday
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City
Final Prediction: Notre Dame over St. John's
Upset Pick: South Florida over Villanova in the first round
Big 10
When: Thursday through Sunday
Where: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Final Prediction: Ohio State over Wisconsin
Upset Pick: Michigan State over Purdue in the quarterfinals
Conference USA
When: Wednesday through Saturday
Where: Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas
Final Prediction: Tulsa over Southern Miss
Upset Pick: Southern Miss over UAB in semifinals
Mid-American
When: Tuesday, then Thursday through Saturday
Where: Campus sites, then Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
Final Prediction: Kent over Miami
Upset Pick: Ohio over Ball State in the quarterfinals
Mountain West
When: Tuesday through Saturday
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas
Final Prediction: San Diego State over New Mexico
Upset Pick: New Mexico over BYU in the semifinals
Pac-10
When: Wednesday through Saturday
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles
Final Prediction: Washington over Arizona
Upset Pick: Washington over Arizona in the final
SEC
When: Thursday through Sunday
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta
Final Prediction: Florida over Kentucky
Upset Pick: Georgia over Alabama in the quarterfinals
WAC
When: Wednesday through Saturday
Where: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas
Final Prediction: Boise State over Idaho
Upset Pick: Idaho over Utah State in the semifinals