Community Picks: Ohio 0% vs Miami Ohio 0%

While college basketball's marquee conference tournaments don't begin until next week, the undercard gets underway Tuesday night. The Atlantic Sun and Patriot League are the first of 12 conferences whose league tournaments tip off this week. Below is a look at the five biggest storylines from week one of conference tournament action: 1. Will Kay Felder get his chance to shine on a national stage? The most exciting player you may not have watched this season is an explosive 5-foot-9 point guard so good his coach went to unprecedented lengths to land him a few years ago. Even though Oakland coach Greg Kampe did not have a point guard on his roster, he refused to pursue one in the class before Felder's because he wanted to drive home the message to his prized recruit that the job was his right away. The unorthodox recruiting strategy has proven worthwhile because Felder has evolved into perhaps the nation's premier mid-major player. Felder has made believers out of all the skeptics who once thought he was too small by scorching opposing defenses for 24.4 points and a national best 9.4 assists per game this season. Fueled by the creativity of Felder and contributions from four other double-digit scorers, Oakland won 21 games and earned the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League Tournament. Defending champion Valparaiso is a deserving favorite after winning the league by three games, but this is a league in which the favorite often experiences heartbreak and this season the Golden Grizzlies could be the ones to deliver it. 2. Can Gonzaga extend its streak of NCAA tournament appearances? Gonzaga will be in an unusual position when the WCC tournament tips off Saturday. The Zags need to win their conference tournament to assure themselves an 18th straight NCAA bid. An at-large selection became a long shot for Gonzaga after the Zags (23-7) were swept by rival Saint Mary's in league play and squandered chances for quality non-conference victories against the likes of Texas A&M, Arizona and SMU. The only potential NCAA tournament team Gonzaga has beaten is UConn, though victories over Washington, BYU and Tennessee will provide a mild boost to their resume too.  For Gonzaga to survive potential matchups with third-seeded BYU and top-seeded Saint Mary's in the WCC tournament, they will need their perimeter players to provide support for frontcourt standouts Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis. Point guard Josh Perkins needs to make good decisions with the ball in his hands, wings Kyle Dranginis, Silas Melson and Eric McClellan need to knock down open perimeter jumpers and they all need to focus defensively on keeping their man in front of them. 3. Will Monmouth's dream season end with an NCAA bid? When Monmouth crossed the country and upset tradition-rich UCLA on the first night of the season, that seemed to be a massive upset. The Bruins had played in the Sweet 16 the previous two years and the Hawks were only a year removed from their third straight 20-loss season. Continue to Article

March 01, 2016 1:10:am EST

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Zach Garber, Jonathan Williams and Nate Navigato all scored 15 points apiece and Toledo crushed Miami (Ohio) 93-49 on Saturday. Continue to Article

February 13, 2016 9:49:pm EST

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) -- Geovonie McKnight scored 15 points and Rod Mills made his only point in the game count, hitting the first of two free throws with eight seconds left to give Miami (Ohio) a 45-44 win over Western Michigan Tuesday night. Continue to Article

February 09, 2016 10:46:pm EST

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) -- Ali Barnes knocked down three straight 3-pointers to open the second half and spark Miami (Ohio) to a 72-59 win over Northern Illinois Saturday for the RedHawks' first win in Mid-American Conference play this season. Continue to Article

January 30, 2016 6:14:pm EST