Championship week tips off Saturday with the Big South championship game and by the time the next edition of The Cream of the Crop comes out, 12 teams will have earned automatic bids to the NCAA tournament.

There is a distinct possibility of a Cinderella team coming out of one of these conferences, so I would recommend watching as much of those conference tournaments as possible, especially the championship games.

Here's my best guess at which 11 teams will sew up tournament invites in the next week and a look at the one team that already has. Come back next week for a look at the remaining 19 tournaments, including all the major conferences.

Ivy League (no conference tournament): Cornell

The Cornell Big Red are 20-5 overall and are undefeated in Ivy League play this year. They are three games clear of second-place Brown with two to play, so with no conference tournament they have become the first team to earn an NCAA tourney bid. Sophomores Ryan Wittman and Louis Dale combined to average over 28 points per game to lead the team to its first league title since 1988.

Big South: Championship game Saturday at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN2

The Big South tourney got underway Tuesday night with all the high seeds holding serve. The semifinals feature two match-ups of teams that split games in the regular season when regular season champion UNC-Asheville hosts fourth-seeded Liberty, and No. 3 High Point travels to two-seed Winthrop.

My Pick: I think the seeds will hold true in this one, and we'll see Asheville and Winthrop in the final. Both teams are senior laden, but Winthrop's seniors are more battle tested in big games having been to the Big Dance. Plus it's never easy to beat a team three times in one season. I'll take the Eagles.

Ohio Valley: Championship game Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2

The OVC also began tournament play Tuesday night with Austin Peay, Murray State, UT-Martin and Tennessee State advancing to the semi-finals. Lester Hudson averages 25.4 points per game and will lead fourth-seeded Martin's upset-bid against regular season champion Austin Peay featuring five double-figure scorers. Six-seed TSU upset Morehead State in the opening round and will look to shock No. 2 Murray State.

My Pick: I followed this conference a lot growing up in Middle Tennessee, and it typically comes down to APSU and Murray. Look for that to happen again, with my hometown Governors finishing what they could not last year.

Atlantic Sun: Championship game Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2

The two teams who have most recently represented this conference, Belmont and East Tennessee State, are on the same side of the bracket and would meet in the semifinals should they each win in the opening round. Jacksonville finished second in the league, while sixth-seeded Gardner-Webb has some experience in shocking the world having already won at Kentucky this season.

My Pick: Belmont and ETSU have the history here, and I think those two will play in the semis with the winner ultimately advancing to the Big Dance. I'll take Belmont to hold serve and defeat upset-minded Gardner-Webb in the championship game.

Missouri Valley: Championship game Sunday at 2 p.m. on CBS

The Valley has typically been the best mid-major conference but this year was a bit different. Drake and Illinois State finished as the top two teams in the MVC this year in a huge surprise. Southern Illinois and Creighton each disappointed a bit this year but still managed to finish third and fourth in the conference, respectively. Still this conference typically produces a surprise as the top seed has not won the conference tourney for nine straight years.

My Pick: Drake will make the NCAA tourney regardless of their performance in this tournament, so I think they will fall to a team that has much more to play for in the semi-finals, Creighton. Then look for the Blue Jays to take out Illinois State to win the Valley and make the Big Dance for the ninth time in eleven years. Illinois State will also earn an at-large bid with a run to the conference championship.

Metro Atlantic: Championship game Monday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2

This tournament is as wide-open as any in the nation as the top six teams in the conference finished within two games of each other. Third-seeded Niagara is looking to advance to the NCAA tourney for the third straight season while regular season co-champions Siena and Rider stand in the way.

My Pick: I'd love to see Siena win this thing since they are located very close to where my grandfather lives in New York, but I'll take the experience of Niagara. Siena won twice over Niagara in the regular season and as I already said, doing it a third time is a tough task. Charron Fisher and his 27.3 will lead the Purple Eagles to a third straight Big Dance.

Colonial: Championship game Monday at 7 p.m. on ESPN

Virginia Commonwealth followed up last year's NCAA tournament upset of Duke by dominating the CAA this season behind star guard Eric Maynor. North Carolina-Wilmington and George Mason finished tied for second with identical 12-6 conference records. Old Dominion and William & Mary both finished above .500 in conference play as well.

My Pick: I'll go on and put VCU in the title game in ink. Old Dominion did win at VCU in the regular season but I see no way they can upset the Rams a second time. The other semifinal should pit UNCW and former Cinderella George Mason. I like Wilmington and their four double figure scorers to come out on top before VCU wins the tournament and locks up a nice seed in the Big Dance.

Southern: Championship game Monday at 9 p.m. on ESPN2

Stephen Curry and Davidson dominated the SoCon winning all 20 league games with only four decided by single digits. Only four other teams finished above .500 in conference play. Appalachian State, Chattanooga and Georgia Southern all finished tied for the second-best record at 13-7.

My Pick: Davidson will dominate this whole tournament and enter the Big Dance as a hot Cinderella candidate. Any number of teams could make it to the finals, but I'll go with Chattanooga to be the final team to be dismantled by the Wildcats.

West Coast: Championship game Monday at 9 p.m. on ESPN

The Gonzaga-St. Mary's contest over the weekend decided the regular season title in Gonzaga's favor as the Bulldogs finished with a 13-1 record. St. Mary's finished second at 12-2 and San Diego was third at 11-3. No other teams finished above .500.

My Pick: Gonzaga should waltz into the finals while St. Mary's and San Diego should match-up in a semifinal to see who plays the Bulldogs. San Diego has home court advantage for the tournament, so I like them to beat the Gaels to get to the final. I actually like the Toreros to upset the Bulldogs and make the Big Dance along with Gonzaga and St. Mary's.

Summit League: Championship game Tuesday 7 p.m. on ESPN

Oral Roberts went 16-2 to win the regular season championship by one game over IUPUI. Oakland and North Dakota State each went over .500 in league play as well. Oral Roberts will enjoy the advantage of playing the tournament at home in Tulsa, Okla.

My Pick: I think ORU and IUPUI will play each other in the championship game. It will be the third time the teams will have met with the home team pulling out narrow wins in each of the past two games. Look for the same thing to happen here with Oral Roberts winning the conference tourney again.

Sun Belt: Championship game Tuesday at 9 p.m. on ESPN2

This one would appear to be a two-horse race between the South Alabama Jaguars and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Each went 16-2 in the conference during the regular season with the Jaguars sweeping the two regular season meetings. USA did drop two games away from home in the conference, but that might not come into play with the tournament at its home arena.

My Pick: Middle Tennessee could potentially push South Alabama in the semis having already beaten the Jaguars once this year. I still see a match of the top two teams in the title game, though. A run to the final should give the Jaguars a bid whether they win or not, while the Hilltoppers will need a win to get in the Big Dance. Look for them to pull off the upset.

Horizon League: Championship game Tuesday at 9 p.m. on ESPN

In an oddly setup tournament, Butler and Cleveland State receive byes in both the first and second rounds by virtue of being the top seeds. The four winners from Tuesday night's games meet in Friday's quarterfinals to move on further. Third-seeded Wright State finished tied for the second-best conference record with Cleveland State and owns a win over Butler already this year.

My Pick: I have been off the Butler bandwagon all season, and I am not jumping on now. Wright State was the second best team last season and despite being seeded third, I think they are the number two team again this season. Make that the number one team. Wright State over Butler in the finals.