The college hoops season is winding down and some of the conference races are all but over.
Sure, there's still four games left for many teams, but it's hard to imagine anyone catching top-ranked Kentucky in the SEC or second-ranked Syracuse in the Big East.
There are, however, some races that will likely go down to the wire, including a couple that could potentially determine No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. Here's a few to keep an eye on as the season finishes up:
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Big Ten: This race has the potential to be a free-for-all over the final four games. No. 6 Michigan State is in first thanks to a five-game winning streak that included a victory over No. 8 Ohio State. The Spartans aren't exactly feeling comfortable with the Buckeyes a half-game behind, No. 11 Michigan one back, and No. 16 Wisconsin and No. 23 Indiana still lurking within striking distance. And the road isn't easy for Michigan State down the stretch, with Minnesota on Wednesday, followed by Nebraska, a road game against the Hoosiers and another showdown with Ohio State. This one could get exciting.
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Big 12: Every year, it seems like someone is about to end Kansas's conference-title run. Every year, the Jayhawks seem to have an answer. No. 4 Kansas is again in control this season, on pace to win at least a share of its eighth straight title. The Jayhawks got some help when Kansas State knocked off No. 3 Missouri for the second time this season on Tuesday, but still have a tough road and not much room for error. Despite its loss to the Wildcats, Missouri is just a half-game back and has a chance to make up ground Saturday in Lawrence. Beat the Jayhawks for the second time this season and the Tigers could put the squeeze on Kansas. And don't forget about No. 13 Baylor; the Bears are just two games back and as dangerous as any team in the conference.
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ACC: The two-team race everyone predicted at the start of the season has another team that nosed its way in: No. 15 Florida State. The surprising Seminoles are tied for second with No. 5 Duke, just a half-game behind No. 7 North Carolina, and has beaten both teams. Florida State and Duke play Thursday night in one of the most anticipated games in Tallahassee in decades. North Carolina and Duke still have to play each other in the regular-season finale in Durham on March 3, while Florida State follows its game against the Blue Devils with road games against Miami and Virginia, then Clemson at home in the finale. Depending on what happens to other teams in the top 10 over the final two weeks, this could be a race with a No. 1 NCAA seed on the line.
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Ivy League. The hook in this race is what happened last season. Harvard won a share of its first Ivy League championship last season, only to miss the NCAA tournament after losing a one-game playoff to Princeton. For a team that hadn't been to the NCAAs since 1946, that was a tough one to take. While most of the nation is caught up in the Linsane attention being paid to Harvard alum Jeremy Lin - you know, that guy with the Knicks who's everywhere - the Crimson have been trying to build a case to get a dance ticket no matter what happens in the Ivy. Still, after what happened last season, Harvard would much rather lock it up for sure. With a two-game lead over Pennsylvania, a win over Princeton on Friday could go a long way to doing that.
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Pac-12: Yes, it's a down year in the conference. The Pac-12, depending on how things fall, has the potential to get just one NCAA tournament bid. Ugly, but it kind of adds to the intrigue over the final two weeks. California and Washington are on top at 12-3 and have a 1 1/2 game lead over Colorado, with Oregon and Arizona right behind. The Bears and Huskies have, outside of Cal's road game against Colorado on Sunday, relatively easy schedules to close out the season. But, the way things have gone in the Pac-12 so far, one or even both could slip up and create havoc the final weekend of the season. If things do hold up, the conference could get as many as three NCAA bids, which wouldn't be bad considering what a rough year it's been out West.
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Conference-USA: Neither Memphis nor Southern Miss can seem to pull away in this race. The Tigers had a chance to go up a game on Saturday, but lost to middle-of-the-pack Texas El-Paso at home. The Golden Eagles had a similar hiccup on the same day, losing to 12-13 Houston on the road. Heading into Wednesday night's games, Memphis and Southern Miss were tied atop the conference, with Tulsa, Central Florida and Marshall still within sight of the lead. This is a title no one seems to want to take, which means it could come down to the last weekend, when Memphis faces Tulsa and Southern Miss goes to Marshall. Even then, we could be looking at a shared title the way things have gone this season.
