Dark Horse Contenders for Every Power 5 Conference Tournament

The end of the college basketball regular season is right on our doorstep, and conference tournaments are almost ready to begin. The Power 5 conference tournaments will be on everyone's radar as we enter the madness that is March college basketball.

For these conferences, we already know some of the top teams will get a March Madness berth no matter what happens, but what about those that need to battle for a guaranteed spot?

ACC Conference: Virginia Cavaliers

The ACC has been dominated by Duke, North Carolina, and Louisville for years. But with UNC virtually out of the playoff race and Duke struggling, it's a wide open race for the conference title.

It's defense that can win you championships and this Virginia team has that in spades, as has been the case for Tony Bennett's squad the last several years. They allow opponents just 54.8 points per game and 38% shooting. When the game tightens up, especially in March, defense is what the Cavaliers can count on.

Big 10 Conference: Iowa Hawkeyes

When the outside shooters go cold, high-scoring big men are much more reliable. Luke Garza is that guy.

Averaging over 23 points on the season, Garza has led the Hawkeyes to wins over Maryland, Illinois, Ohio State and most recently Penn State. The team has the best offense in the Big Ten, scoring 78 points per game.

Big 12 Conference: Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech has one of the best "force baseline" defenses in the conference. Combine that with four 10 point-per-game scorers, and they're outscoring teams by over seven points in the conference.

Freshman Jahmi'us Ramsey has emerged as their main option, and he can get them points down the stretch in close games, assuming he can handle the big moment. Look for Chris Beard's group to make some noise this March in similar fashion to last season.

Pac-12 Conference: Arizona Wildcats

The pick and roll duo of Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji is a dangerous weapon against any foe. Being able to go to that simple action and get a ton of production is where Arizona has the upper hand.

Then on the wings, Josh Green and Dylan Smith are capable, switch-capable defenders. All their efforts combined with a reliable offense could put them over the top.

SEC Conference: LSU Tigers

LSU has an excellent team that isn't getting the same kind of recognition as other SEC squads, in part due to poor play of late. While scoring almost 80 points per game, they have so many offensive options, and could easily turn things around entering March Madness.

Skylar Mays, Trenton Watford and Ja'vonte Smart can explode on any night. LSU rattled off 10 straight during the season. The Tigers are hot and cold, and that gives them a chance against the best the SEC has to offer.