These five college basketball teams have been on a tear lately and are sure to make some waves in their respective conference tournaments and the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Conference tournaments start this week and Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament is March 14.

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (17-6 ATS, 16-12 SU)

Memphis normally dominates C-USA but Southern Mississippi has been a surprise this year. The Golden Eagles probably won’t be going dancing based on their current position in the middle of the pack in the conference at four games over .500, but they have covered the odds in 17 of their 23 lined games. With two games left and a 6-game ATS (against the spread) win streak, they should be a team to watch in the C-USA tournament. On the road, Southern Mississippi is 10-2 ATS. Up next is Tulane at home and East Carolina on the road.

Syracuse Orange (18-7 ATS, 27-2 SU)

The Orangemen made their case for national recognition right off the bat with a 5-0 SU (straight up) and ATS record against formidable opponents like California, North Carolina and Cornell. Syracuse has some impressive wins under its belt, most recently over Villanova. The 95-77 victory blew away the 4.5 pointspread. Syracuse is 8-6 ATS at home and 10-1 ATS on the road. The team is likely to get a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Up next for the Orangemen is St. John’s at home and Louisville on the road.

North Texas Mean Green (15-5-2 ATS, 21-8 SU)

North Texas is another surprise team with a strong offense. The Mean Green are on an 8-game winning streak and sit atop the Sun Belt West. They went 8-3-2 ATS on the road and 7-2 ATS at home, closing out the regular season 7-1-1 ATS. Their only SU loss came against Middle Tennessee State and, if things pan out as predicted, they could get a rematch in the Sun Belt Championship game. That tournament begins this weekend.

Kansas State Wildcats (16-6-1 ATS, 24-4 SU)

Could Kansas State get its first ever#1 seed in the NCAA Tournament? A win over Kansas tonight would break the powerhouse’s 58-game home winning streak and put Kansas State in contention for that seed. Not only have the Wildcats been solid at home, they have played well on the road going 10-2 SU and 7-4-1 ATS. The offense is led by Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente. The defense has held teams to 68.3 points per game. Look for them to go a long way in the Big Dance if given a good seed and placement. Up next is Kansas on the road tonight and a home matchup against Iowa State.

New Mexico Lobos (18-9-2 ATS, 27-3 SU)

New Mexico is most likely to get its best placement ever in the NCAA Tournament after 27 wins, including two over BYU. Most notably, Darington Hobson and the rest of the Lobos went 12-2 SU at home and 8-4-1 ATS on the road. Next up is a home game against TCU.