The men’s NCAA basketball season is in its stretch run, as teams fight for the regular-season conference title and position themselves for a good spot in the conference tournament and NCAA tournament. In this stretch, the elite teams will separate themselves from the pack and the good teams will separate themselves from the mediocre. Expect many surprises in what has been an eventful season.

The ACC is having its most competitive season in years. Duke and North Carolina are perennial favorites to win the conference and this year they are also leading the conference, but they have plenty of company. Florida State is engaged in a three-way tie with Duke and UNC for first place in the conference at 7-2. The Seminoles have a good chance of winning the conference having already blown out North Carolina 90-57 on January 14 and winning at Duke on January 21. They will play the Blue Devils again on February 23. Duke caused a tie with UNC by knocking them off with a buzzer beater on Wednesday. The two teams will play again to close the regular season. Meanwhile, North Carolina State has a chance at 7-3 and Virginia (6-3) and Miami (6-3) are still mathematically able to win the conference.

If you follow sports on Google News, you probably know that the Big 12 race has tightened as well. The conference has become a three-team race. Missouri beat Kansas 74-71 on Monday, putting them in a tie for first at 9-2. The Baylor Bears are close behind at 8-3 and can pull even with Missouri when the two teams play tomorrow.

Most people assumed Ohio State would run away with the Big Ten regular season title. At 21-3 overall and 9-2 in the conference, they have lived up to the hype. However, Michigan State is only one game back with an 8-3 record. Two young and talented teams, Wisconsin and Michigan, still have a chance to win the Big Ten if they get hot. Both teams are 8-4 in conference.

The Pac-12 has had an off year, with no real dominant team. They may only send one or two teams to the Big Dance. California and Washington are tied at 9-3, while Oregon, Arizona, and Colorado are in a three-way tie for second. Most of those teams know that a strong finish, including in the conference tournament, is the only way to get to the NCAA’s.

In the SEC, the race is pretty much over; it’s just not official yet. Kentucky is 10-0 in the conference, 24-1 overall and ranked #1 in the nation. Their only loss came on a buzzer beater at Indiana; otherwise they would be undefeated. If anyone thought that Florida (7-2 in conference) could catch them, Kentucky put an end to that talk by trouncing the Gators 78-58 on Tuesday.