Long grind of conference tournaments can impact which teams advance in March Madness

“Obviously playing four games in four days is something we haven’t done before,” longtime coach Matt Painter said.

Yet there wasn't time for the Boilermakers to even change out of their jerseys, much less think about recharging and recovering, before seeing their names in the March Madness bracket.

League tournaments are over, but could have a lingering impact and offer an indication of what teams are positioned for tournament success. Roughly half of all Final Four teams and eventual champions since the expansion to 64 teams in 1985 won league titles; no team has won it all without reaching at least the semifinals of their conference tournament.

There is a short window to regroup, too. Most teams coming off playing at least four games in four days haven’t survived the tournament's first weekend.

Yet there are unforgettable stories like Casey Morsell’s N.C. State team two years ago, illustrating how the spectacle of March Madness captures the imagination every year. That team unexpectedly became only the second to win a league title with five games in five days before carrying that surge all the way to the sport’s biggest stage at the Final Four.

“We had to really make it happen,” the former Wolfpack guard said, “but with that, you have these miles that you’re kind of adding up.”

Springboard or burden?

For decades, college basketball’s major conferences generally had teams playing three games in three days in league tournaments. That was before waves of realignment began roughly two decades ago, gradually leading to sprawling leagues. Among power conferences in men's basketball, the Big East is the smallest at 11 schools; the Big Ten has 18.

That has led to longer regular-season schedules followed by tougher tournament grinds, particularly for those without multi-round byes awarded to top seeds.

Going back to 2005, 33 teams have entered March Madness having played at least four games in four days in the top leagues: the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern.

Roughly two-thirds (21) fell in the NCAA opening weekend of those 20 tournaments, with 13 failing to win even a game. Six ultimately reached the Final Four, while the Kemba Walker-led UConn team in 2011 is the lone national champion after its own five-games-in-five-days run through the Big East.

Many teams in those positions needed long runs to snag at-large NCAA bid. Or they had to win their league's automatic bid to reach the Big Dance at all and weren't expected to make deep runs.

But top-16 overall seeds haven't been immune, either.

Regional No. 2 seeds like Duke in 2017, North Carolina in 2018 and Ohio State in 2021; or regional 3-seeds like Georgetown in 2010 and Wisconsin last year are among those with an opening-weekend exit after playing four games in four days in league tournaments.

Seeding aside, the challenge is the same: pivot quickly.

“We’re pouring it all out. We’re doing everything we can to win every game," said Clemson coach Brad Brownell, whose Tigers are an 8-seed in the NCAAs after playing three of a possible four games in the ACC Tournament. "I mean, that’s what competitors do. You figure it out later, what’s next.”

Carrying momentum

Badgers coach Greg Gard knows that's tricky, though. His previous two teams each won three Big Ten Tournament games before falling in the title game. Each lost early in the NCAAs to a lower-seeded opponent: a first-round loss to 12-seed James Madison in 2024, followed by a second-round loss to 6-seed BYU last year.

“Obviously you want to continue to advance and win, and there’s a trophy at stake and they’re keeping score,” Gard said during the Big Ten Tournament before earning the West Region's No. 5 seed. “But just like any other experience, you have to build upon it and use it to your advantage as you walk forward.”

In the Big 12, the depth of top teams forced Iowa State to face a four-game road to win the league tourney. The Cyclones beat Arizona State and NCAA-bound Texas Tech before falling to Arizona on a late shot in the semifinals. Now they're the Midwest Region's 2-seed, coming after being a No. 1 seed in the selection committee's preliminary rankings last month.

“You dream about having the opportunity to be playing such meaningful games in March, and how special that truly is," Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “So I want our guys to be in the moment. I want our guys to absorb all of it, soak it all in.”

Regrouping quickly

Morsell said he will never forget the euphoria that came as N.C. State completed its wild ACC Tournament run in 2024, coming amid uncertainty about the job security of then-coach Kevin Keatts.

“Literally just everything changed so fast,” Morsell said.

That included the time to get ready for a March Madness run that brought the Wolfpack to Pittsburgh, Dallas and Glendale, Arizona. Along the way, the team leaned on walkthroughs, shootarounds and film study to avoid putting additional wear on tired legs. Everyone was focused on recovery, including Morsell, who relied on massages and electrical-stimulation treatments.

“Everybody has little things going on, the whole team,” Morsell said. "You kind of have that moment to refresh, regroup. But you’ve definitely got to prioritize (physical therapy) to bring yourself back to normal. That’s a big important week, especially if you play five games.

“Especially if you played like over 20 minutes each game, you’re going to feel something," Morsell added with a chuckle.

The approach worked, with the Wolfpack reaching the program's first Final Four since the late Jim Valvano's “Cardiac Pack” won the 1983 NCAA title.

This year, Purdue is the only tournament team from a major conference coming off a four-games-in-four-days run. The West Region's 2-seed has a four-day window ahead of its NCAA opener against Queens in St. Louis.

“In the moment, you can't really think too much about it,” Morsell said. “You just have to go because the next game is right around the corner.”