With many teams still on a holiday break but conference play ready to start in earnest, we begin a quick three-day look at some of the biggest surprises and storylines in each conference through the season’s first two months.
Author: Adam Glatczak
2018-19 Horizon League Post-Mortem
The Horizon League through some rocky times has seen a pair of programs emerge as its best, and Northern Kentucky and Wright State engaged in a good league race in 2018-19 with the Norse making their second NCAA trip in three years.
2018-19 Sun Belt Post-Mortem
The Sun Belt in 2018-19 continued where it has often been in recent years, as a good, solid conference, but also one struggling to break into a higher tier among Division I leagues.
2018-19 MAC Post-Mortem
Few may have known it, but the Mid-American Conference was a top-10 league in 2018-19. Most were plenty familiar with the team leading it, though, as Buffalo continued an historic run with one of the finest seasons in league history.
2018-19 SEC Post-Mortem
Four teams in the Sweet 16 and Auburn in the Final Four led the SEC in 2018-19, a league where the benefits of investment, outstanding coaching hires and overall commitment to hoops continue to show.
2018-19 Big West Post-Mortem
A string of remarkable parity in the Big West Conference this decade was snapped by UC Irvine, which had a huge season and has emerged as the league’s top program.
2018-19 Southern Conference Post-Mortem
Already enjoying great improvement the previous few years, the ancient Southern Conference broke out on the national scene with teams in the national rankings, NCAA at-large contenders, and the league’s best year in over half a century.
2018-19 Summit League Post-Mortem
Mike Daum’s terrific career at South Dakota State finished up this year. Surprisingly, it didn’t include another Summit League tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance, as this time it was North Dakota State returning to postseason supremacy.
2018-19 Big Ten Post-Mortem
The Michigan schools and Purdue continued their excellence in the Big Ten, which was again one of the top conferences in the land and sent a league-record number of teams to the NCAA Tournament.
2018-19 Conference USA Post-Mortem
Old Dominion won the regular season and tournament titles in Conference USA, which was actually an improved conference again but whose razor-thin difference between many squads mean it didn’t always show.
