Virginia

One of the dangers of conference tournaments at the mid-major level is that the top seed, regardless of the margin by which they won the regular season title, are just 40 minutes away from seeing their dream of going to the NCAA tournament vanish. While there's still a chance as the Field of 68 won't be announced for another six days Iona and Middle Tennessee no longer have control of their own fate, and that has to be a concern for both fan bases along with the players and coaches.

At first glance it would be extreme to think that Virginia could find themselves on the wrong side of the bubble given their play for much of the season. But as the injuries have increased for Tony Bennett's team so have the struggles, with the Cavaliers having now dropped four of their last six games.

Thursday's Conference Tournament Primer

Late offensive fouls and the foul line made the difference in the first meeting between #5 Kansas (23-5, 13-2) and #3 Missouri (25-3, 12-3), with the Tigers gaining the edge in both categories and ultimately winning 74-71. There's a lot more on the line in the rematch as the Jayhawks can clinch at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title with a win, but a Missouri win would not only move the Tigers into a tie for first but also give them the all-important head-to-head tiebreaker.

NO. 7 NORTH CAROLINA (24-4, 11-2 ACC) AT VIRGINIA (21-6, 8-5 ACC)

Time: 4 p.m.