Conference bragging rights are a big part of the NCAA Tournament. People develop a strange obsession with how their favorite or least favorite conferences are held each March.
Looking at how each of the multiple bid leagues has fared after a long regular season and many non-conference matchups creates an interesting discussion about the top conference in the sport.
While several major conferences are still undefeated through the first round of the 2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament, one of the eight-bid leagues suffered a blowout loss in the first few days.
Here’s a look at the 10 multiple-bid leagues and how they’ve performed so far. His first four games also count toward each year’s overall performance.
American
bid:2
2024 record:0-2
2023 record:2-2
The Americans are winless in 2024 after both teams were eliminated on Friday. After reaching the Final Four last season, No. 8 seed Florida Atlantic lost in overtime to Northwestern. Even mean No. 12 seed UAB lost to San Diego State.
Houston’s loss to the Big 12 certainly hurt the Americans’ standing in the NCAA Tournament.
ACC
bid:Five
2024 record:4-1
2023 record:7-5
still dancing: North Carolina, Duke, Clemson, North Carolina.
ACC made a good impression with a strong opening game. North Carolina advanced with a quick decision on No. 16 seed Wagner. North Carolina State pulled off a convincing upset win over No. 6 seed Texas Tech, proving the No. 11 seed is dangerous. On Friday, No. 6 seed Clemson defeated New Mexico and No. 4 seed Duke pulled away to beat Vermont, resulting in two more league wins.
In the league’s only blemish, No. 10 seed Virginia suffered an embarrassing loss to Colorado State in the First Four.
The ACC will be the strong seed in three of the four games in the Round of 32, but there will be a surprise twist as No. 14 seed Oakland beats Kentucky to set up a matchup with North Carolina State.
atlantic 10
bid:2
2024 record:2-0
2023 record:0-1
still dancing: Dayton, Duquesne
The Atlantic Ten was one of the main winners of the first round. Dayton came back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to hold off No. 10 seed Nevada. Meanwhile, No. 11 seed Duquesne continued its ridiculous March run with an early upset. BYU.
The A’s crack at the big hitters in the Round of 32 comes a year after going winless in the Big Dance, with Dayton taking on No. 2 seed Arizona and Duquesne taking on No. 3 seed Illinois. -10 is only a plus.
big 12
bid:8
2024 record:5-3
2023 record: 9-7
still dancing: Houston iowaKansas, Baylor, Texas
The Big 12 put together a solid effort in the first round. On a busy opening day, No. 2 seed Iowa State cruised past South Dakota State, No. 7 Texas State ran past Colorado State with a stifling defense, and No. 4 Kansas State defeated Sanford. I passed through university. Houston and Baylor added blowout wins as the Big 12’s top three seeds, and the Big 12 has four top four seeds advancing to the Round of 32.
Big 12 teams in the second division experienced some setbacks. A pair of No. 6 seeds fell to underdogs, as BYU lost to Duquesne and Texas Tech lost to North Carolina State. TCU They also won against Utah State University on August 9th.
It’s unfortunate for the Big 12 that six seeds were eliminated early. With four top-four seeds left in the round of 32, it’s still a story to watch.
big east
bid:3
2024 record:3-0
2023 record:12-4
still dancing: university universityMarket, Clayton
All three Big East teams had double-digit wins. Creighton pulled away in the second half against Akron on the opening day to advance to the round of 32. Marquette had a sluggish first half against No. 15 seed Western Kentucky, but then picked up steam. UW made quick work of No. 16 seed Stetson.
big ten
bid:6
2024 record:4-2
2023 record: 6-8
still dancing: Purdue, Illinois, Northwestern; michigan
After last season’s disaster, the Big Ten is off to a much better start. Purdue played like a legitimate No. 1 seed, overrunning Grambling. After another slow start, Illinois turned on the jets and cruised past Morehead State. Michigan State opened the tournament with an overwhelming victory over Mississippi State in an 8/9 matchup. Northwestern then won in overtime against Florida Atlantic.
Fifth-seeded University of Wisconsin lost to No. 12 seed James Madison, but fell short to No. 8 seeded University of Nebraska. Texas A&M.
The Big Ten is in an interesting position heading into the Round of 32. Purdue and Illinois are both heavily favored, while Northwestern State and Michigan State will battle for the No. 1 seed.
mountain west
bid:6
2024 record:3-4
2023 record:5-4
still dancing: San Diego, Utah
of mountain west They once again had an overwhelming performance in the NCAA Tournament. Only two of the six teams in the league made it past the round of 64. Fifth-seeded San Diego State overcame pressure to live up to last season’s Final Four appearance with a narrow victory over UAB. Utah State also deserves credit for its clear victory over No. 9 seed TCU. Technically, Colorado State also humiliated Virginia for a First Four win before losing to Texas in the Round of 64.
The rest of the league got ugly.
Nevada lost to Dayton in the second half, and New Mexico fell short to No. 6 seed Clemson. Before the round of 64, Boise State was pushed by Colorado in a First 4 matchup.
The Mountain West, which had six bids, was trying to make a point during the tournament that the league is still deep despite big changes to the conference. But with the exception of San Diego State, which continues to win, most teams in the league remain unstable in March.
Pac-12
bid:Four
2024 record:5-0
2023 record:3-4
still dancing: Arizona State of WashingtonColorado, Oregon
The first round was a huge success for the Pac-12. Overall, the Pac-12 remained undefeated, and in the first round of 2024 he surpassed the number of wins the league had during the 2023 tournament. All four teams are still alive.
Arizona defeated Long Beach State by 20 points, with all five starting pitchers scoring in double figures. Jermaine Quinard dropped 40 points to help No. 11 seed Oregon beat South Carolina. Colorado State defeated Boise State in the quarterfinals and survived a high-scoring showdown with No. 7 seed Florida State. Washington State launched a furious attack to defeat No. 10 seed Drake to maintain its undefeated record.
It’s a big uphill battle for the Pac-12 to stay in the tournament outside of Arizona. But seeing all four teams advance to the round of 32 is a fun final chapter.
SEC
bid:8
2024 record: 3-5
2023 record: 9-8
still dancing: Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A&M
They lost completely in the first round of the SEC. No. 3 seed Kentucky (Oakland), No. 4 seed Auburn (Yale), No. 6 seed South Carolina (Oregon), No. 7 seed Florida State (Colorado State), No. 8 seed Mississippi State University (Michigan)’s top seeds all lost in the first round.
At least No. 2 seed Tennessee, No. 4 seed Alabama and No. 9 seed Texas A&M were impressive with wins over St. Peter’s, Charleston and Nebraska, respectively.
It’s a terrible effort by the SEC to have five top seeds eliminated in the first round. Even if Tennessee and Alabama qualify for the Sweet 16 or higher, the league’s upsets will overshadow the eight bids.
WCC
bid:2
2024 record:1-1
2023 record:4-2
still dancing: Gonzaga
Gonzaga University has advanced to the Round of 32 every season since 2008, and that run continued with a notable win over No. 12 seed McNeese State. St. Mary’s, the other No. 5 seed in the WCC, lost to Grand Canyon in the first round and couldn’t hold on until the end.
While it’s disappointing to lose St. Mary’s after such a productive season, Gonzaga’s overall consistency in the Round of 64 is incredible. Not only has Mark Few built a program that makes the NCAA Tournament every season, but he has also made sure his team avoids first-round upsets as automatically as possible. It’s easy to criticize Gonzaga’s losses in later rounds to lower its seed, but its track record in the first round is impressive.
