Conor O'Neill

I'm sure the atmosphere of the ACC tournament this week in Greensboro will have an electric feeling to it. Duke, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Florida State and the other contenders will provide plenty of ESPN top 10 plays with dunks and late game heroics.

But there is no way that a tournament in which the top four or five teams have already secured bids to the NCAA Tournament can compare to the atmosphere of a mid-major tournament. These are teams that absolutely must be the tournament champions to advance to the big dance; no at-large bids will be given to second place teams of the Southern Confernce.

It might just be my take on things, but I see teams playing harder when it means the difference between a trip to the dance and making plans for Spring Break. For Wofford and Appalachian State in the conference final on Monday, that game represented their national championship. As fans of the great unpredictability of the tournament, we also have to realize that the Wofford Terriers don't really stand much of a chance against a Syracuse or Kansas.

And this is the reason that Charlotte was the place to be last weekend. To see Elon defeat Davidson for the first time since 2000 would have been enough reason to celebrate the game. But add in how the Phoenix lost to the Wildcats just six days earlier, on a shot that shocked Alumni Gym (or at least the sections of Alumni Gym that were dressed in Phoenix maroon). Then consider that first-year Elon head coach Matt Matheny has spent the last 16 years at Davidson, learning from Wildcats head coach Bob McKillop. Also think about how the Phoenix senior class had never defeated Davidson.

It was an epic win. Possibly a program-building win for Matheny. To defeat his mentor, his alma-mater, in their backyard, shows the story lines you get from the mid-major conference tournaments. In another example, a few nights ago the was MAAC championship game between Siena and Fairfield. It was a fantastic game. If Siena had lost the automatic bid, they would have gone straight to the bubble watch, probably on the outside looking in. But the Saints proved they were the better team, and won the automatic bid to the tournament. Now, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, they will receive a 12 seed in the tournament.

My point is that teams playing in their conference tournaments should play as if they have nothing to lose. But in the top conferences, you often see teams who are "locks" for the big dance relax, and play not to get hurt, rather than playing to win the game. In the mid-major conferences, teams play to extend their seasons. The players lay out everything they have. Coaches live and die by each free throw in the final two minutes. That's why it's better to watch the mid-major conference tournaments at this time of the year.