Albertus Magnus' low position in the NCAA regional rankings could make the GNAC tournament a must-win.

"March Madness" is the term most synonymous with the thrill of college basketball. But I've always found that February is the make-or-break month.

This goes for men's and women's basketball, Divisions I, II and III. Think about it -- we can't get to the great NCAA tournament finishes, the buzzer beaters, the joy, the heartbreak without first setting the 60-plus team field. That's what we do in February.

This month -- particularly last week and the coming week -- is loaded with crucial regular-season games and conference tournaments. The conference tournaments produce the automatic NCAA bids (42 in men's Division III, 43 in women's), but can also give teams that final chance to push for an at-large bid. The drama can occasionally rival that of the NCAA Tournament's, albeit with slightly less higher stakes for some teams.

With all of this in mind -- and with dozens of conference tournaments tipping off this week -- I thought it made sense to switch gears, at least for one week, and analyze the approaching frenzy. Below I've broken down all Northeast and East conferences into individual capsules (they are listed in alphabetical order). I've included my best guesses for how these tournaments will play out. If history is any indication, I'll miss on most of these guesses.

Another key piece of reading is Pat Coleman's NCAA playoff primer, found here. This will get you up to speed on what to expect come "Selection Monday" (Monday, Feb. 27).

Men's conference tournament primer

AMCC
Top seed: Medaille
The field (Nos. 2-6): La Roche, Penn-State Behrend, Hilbert, D'Youville, Pitt-Bradford
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, 3 p.m.
The pick: No. 1 Medaille over No. 2 La Roche
Analysis: La Roche handed Medaille its only conference loss back in early January, but that was a road game. The Mavericks hasn't lost since then, either. A conference tournament win would be the third in the last four years for Medaille.

CCC
Top seed: Salve Regina
The field (Nos. 2-8): Wentworth, Endicott, Nichols, Curry, Roger Williams, Gordon, Western New England
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m.
The pick: No. 1 Salve Regina over No. 2 Wentworth
Analysis: The Seahawks flexed their muscles in a 91-61 rout of Leopards on Feb. 8. That win sparked Salve Regina's current four-game winning streak.

E8
Top seed: Hartwick
The field (Nos. 2-4): Nazareth, Stevens, Ithaca
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, TBA
The pick: No. 2 Nazareth over No. 4 Ithaca
Analysis: The four-team Empire 8 field is as wide open as any conference tournament grouping in the country. Hartwick earned the No. 1 seed, but lacks the late-season experience of Stevens and Ithaca. Nazareth, however, could emerge on top.

GNAC
Top seed: Albertus Magnus
The field (Nos. 2-8): St. Joseph's (Maine), Johnson and Wales, Lasell, Emmanuel, Anna Maria, Mount Ida, Emerson
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, TBA
The pick: No. 1 Albertus Magnus over No. 2 St. Joseph's (Maine)
Analysis: The Falcons haven't lost a conference game yet this season, and haven't lost in general since Dec. 6, 2011. There's no reason they'll slow down now.

LEC
Top seed: Eastern Connecticut
The field (Nos. 2-6): Western Connecticut, Rhode Island College, Keene State, Mass-Dartmouth, Plymouth State
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, 5 p.m.
The pick: No. 3 Rhode Island College over No. 1 Eastern Connecticut
Analysis: Eastern Connecticut, Western Connecticut and Rhode Island College all finished with identical 20-5 overall records. Any of these three teams could emerge on top of the Little East.

LL
Top seed: Hobart
The field (Nos. 2-4): Skidmore, St. Lawrence, Union
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, TBA
The pick: No. 1 Hobart over No. 3 St. Lawrence
Analysis: Hobart has been the class of the Liberty League all season, and that shouldn't change in the tournament. St. Lawrence has shown it can defeat Hobart, however, so that is something to watch.

MASCAC
Top seed: Salem State
The field (Nos. 2-6): Bridgewater State, Westfield State, Worcester State, Massachusetts College, Fitchburg State
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, TBA
The pick: No. 2 Bridgewater State over No. 1 Salem State
Analysis: This race should be interesting. Salem State is the top seed, but has lost to both Bridgewater State and Westfield State this season. It's a safe bet that one of those three teams, however, will win the automatic bid.

NAC
Top seed: Castleton State
The field (Nos. 2-8): Colby-Sawyer, Maine-Farmington, Husson, Thomas, New England College, Johnson State, Lyndon
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, TBA
The pick: No. 2 Colby-Sawyer over No. 1 Castleton State
Analysis: Castleton State earned the top seed, but Colby-Sawyer actually had a better record. The two teams split the season series, and should meet again in the conference tournament.

NEAC
Top seed: Morrisville State
The field (Nos. 2-5): Penn State-Harrisburg, Wells, Penn State-Berks, Gallaudet
Title game: Sunday, Feb. 26, 2 p.m.
The pick: No. 1 Morrisville State over No. 3 Wells
Analysis: Morrisville State earned the top seed and enters the NEAC tournament as the favorite. Still, Penn State-Harrisburg and Wells each have the ability to get hot.

NECC
Top seed: Becker
The field (Nos. 2-6): Elms, Wheelock, Daniel Webster, Newbury, Regis
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
The pick: No. 1 Becker over No. 2 Elms
Analysis: The Hawks turned in a perfect 16-0 mark in NECC play this season, making them the heavy favorites in the conference tournament. Elms and Wheelock can provide a challenge, but the automatic bid is Becker's to lose.

NESCAC
Top seed: Amherst
The remaining field: No. 2 Middlebury, No. 3 Wesleyan, No. 5 Bates
Title game: Sunday, Feb. 26, noon
The pick: No. 2 Middlebury over No. 1 Amherst
Analysis: If this ends up with Amherst and Middlebury in the title game -- as most expect -- circle it on your calendar. It promises to be one of the season's best matchups. I see Middlebury pulling out a close victory, just over a week removed from a close loss to Amherst.

NEWMAC
Top seed: MIT
The field (Nos. 2-5): WPI, Springfield, Babson, Wheaton
Title game: Sunday, Feb. 26, 1 p.m.
The pick: No. 1 MIT over No. 2 WPI
Analysis: WPI handed MIT its only NEWMAC loss of the season on Jan. 21. However, MIT hasn't lost since then, and will be hosting the conference tournament. The title is MIT's for the taking.

SUNYAC
Top seed: Oswego State
The field (Nos. 2-8): Cortland State, Geneseo State, Brockport State, Buffalo State, Fredonia State, Plattsburgh State, New Paltz State
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, TBA
The pick: No. 1 Oswego State over No. 2 Cortland State
Analysis: Oswego State has yet to lose to a SUNYAC opponent this season, though the closest it came was against Cortland State on Jan. 21. Should the two teams meet in the final, we should see another close game.

Women's conference tournament primer

AMCC
Top seed: La Roche
The field (Nos. 2-6): Medaille, Penn State-Behrend, Mount Aloysius, Pitt-Bradford, Pitt-Greensburg
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, 3 p.m.
The pick: No. 2 Medaille over No. 1 La Roche
Analysis: Medaille just defeated La Roche this past weekend. That should give them confidence heading into the tournament.

CCC
Top seed: University of New England
The field (Nos. 2-8): Salve Regina, Western New England, Endicott, Roger Williams, Eastern Nazarene, Curry, Nichols
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
The pick: No. 1 University of New England over No. 2 Salve Regina
Analysis: The Nor'easters enter the tournament on a seven-game winning streak. Their last loss? A 65-51 defeat against Salve Regina in late January. Keep an eye on that potential matchup.

E8
Top seed: Ithaca
The field (Nos. 2-4): Hartwick, Stevens, St. John Fisher
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, TBA
The pick: No. 1 Ithaca over No. 2 Hartwick
Analysis: The Bombers and Hawks split their season series, but the experience advantage lies with Ithaca. That should be the deciding factor.

GNAC
Top seed: Emmanuel
The field (Nos. 2-8): St. Joseph's (Maine), Rivier, Suffolk, Mount Ida, Johnson and Wales, Albertus Magnus, Norwich
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, TBA
The pick: No. 1 Emmanuel over No. 2 St. Joseph's (Maine)
Analysis: Emmanuel and St. Joseph's (Maine) seem destined to meet in this title game. The two have one conference loss between them, and that was just Emmanuel defeating St. Joseph's in their head-to-head matchup.

LEC
Top seed: Rhode Island College
The field (Nos. 2-6): Southern Maine, Keene State, Western Connecticut, Mass-Dartmouth, Mass-Boston
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, 4 p.m.
The pick: No. 1 Rhode Island College over No. 2 Southern Maine
Analysis: RIC's only LEC loss of the season came against Southern Maine. But the Anchorwomen host the conference tournament for the first time ever, which will provide a welcome home-court boost.

LL
Top seed: St. Lawrence
The field (Nos. 2-4): RPI, Vassar, Union
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, TBA
The pick: No. 1 St. Lawrence over No. 3 Vassar
Analysis: Vassar won't hand over its Liberty League crown easily, but the Saints appear too strong not to come out on top this year. St. Lawrence has won 17 straight and stands undefeated in conference play.

MASCAC
Top seed: Bridgewater State
The field (Nos. 2-6): Salem State, Massachusetts College, Westfield State, Worcester State, Fitchburg State
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, TBA
The pick: No. 1 Bridgewater State over No. 2 Salem State
Analysis: Bridgewater State enters the MASCAC tournament as the favorite, but No. 2 Salem State knows it can beat the top seed.

NAC
Top seed: Castleton State
The field (Nos. 2-8): Colby-Sawyer, Husson, New England College, Maine-Maritime, Maine-Farmington, Lyndon, Thomas
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25
The pick: No. 1 Castleton State over No. 2 Colby-Sawyer
Analysis: Castleton State lost to both Colby-Sawyer and Husson this season, and it will likely have to face one of those two teams again in the title game.

NEAC
Top seed: SUNYIT
The field (Nos. 2-6): Penn State-Harrisburg, Keuka, St. Elizabeth, Lancaster Bible College, SUNY-Cobleskill
Title game: Sunday, Feb. 26, 2 p.m.
The pick: No. 2 Penn State-Harrisburg over No. 1 SUNYIT
Analysis: Penn State-Harrisburg enters the tournament on a 14-game winning streak. It could ride that momentum to an automatic bid.

NECC
Top seed: Regis
The field (Nos. 2-7): Elms, Newbury, Daniel Webster, Becker, Mitchell, Bay Path
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
The pick: No. 1 Regis over No. 3 Newbury
Analysis: Regis takes a perfect NECC record into the conference tournament. That dominance should carry through to the NCAA tournament.

NESCAC
Top seed: Amherst
The remaining field: No. 2 Tufts, No. 3 Bowdoin, No. 4 Colby
Title game: Sunday, Feb. 26, noon
The pick: No. 1 Amherst over No. 3 Bowdoin
Analysis: Amherst is the No. 1 team in the country for a reason. It would be a surprise if the Lord Jeffs didn't win the NESCAC tournament.

NEWMAC
Top seed: Babson
The field (Nos. 2-6): Smith, Clark, Wellesley, Springfield, WPI
Title game: Sunday, Feb. 26, 1 p.m.
The pick: No. 1 Babson over No. 2 Smith
Analysis: Babson should win the automatic bid, but a matchup against Smith would prove interesting.

SUNYAC
Top seed: Buffalo State
The field (Nos. 2-8): New Paltz State, Oneonta State, Geneseo State, Cortland State, Oswego State, Plattsburgh State, Fredonia State
Title game: Saturday, Feb. 25, TBA
The pick: No. 1 Buffalo State over No. 3 Oneonta State
Analysis: The SUNYAC field is full of competitive squads, but the Bengals appear to be a step above the rest. Oneonta State has struggled of late, but could surprise.

This week's buzzer beaters

Feb. 15: Travis Curley hit a buzzer beater over a pair of defenders as time expired in double overtime to lift Clark to an 81-79 win over visiting Springfield in NEWMAC men's basketball action. Watch.

Top 25 roundup -- Albertus Magnus cracks top 15

Amherst, MIT and Middlebury held steady at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. Oswego State climbed two spots to No. 14, while Albertus Magnus jumped from No. 20 to No. 15, its highest ranking of the season.

Hartwick rose four spots to No. 21, while Rhode Island College broke into the rankings at No. 23. Eastern Connecticut, Wesleyan, Western Connecticut, Keene State, New York University, Hobart and WPI all received votes.

Amherst maintained the No. 1 spot in the women's poll. Babson climbed three spots to No. 14, while Rochester fell from No. 11 to No. 19 after an 0-2 week. Ithaca, Rhode Island College, Buffalo State, Tufts, Southern Maine and Colby all garnered votes.

Amherst (Northeast) and Hartwick (East) held the No. 1 spots in the NCAA regional men's rankings, while Amherst (Northeast) and Rochester (East) stayed the same in the women's rankings. View the latest regional rankings here.

Quick hits

Senior guard Brittany Parks became the all-time leading scorer in Vassar women's college basketball history in the Brewers' 70-55 win over William Smith Saturday. Parks, who scored 15 points in the crucial victory, surpassed Kristin Vogt for first place on the all-time list. Parks enters the Liberty League tournament with 1,543 points. Freshman Colleen O'Connell also set a school record in the win against William Smith, pulling down a single-game record 21 rebounds. ... Lesley guard John Sanchez has had a remarkable stretch from the end of January through now. After draining a late game-winner in a 69-67 win over Plymouth State on Jan. 31, Sanchez scored 23 points and sparked Lesley's upset of Wheelock two days later. In an 85-73 win over Southern Vermont on Feb. 4, Sanchez eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career. In an 83-68 win over Mitchell last Tuesday, Sanchez tallied 22 points and 11 assists, both game highs. ... Junior guard Sean Rossi collected 17 assists, along with 11 points and six rebounds, to lead Ithaca past Utica 110-96 in the regular season finale. Rossi now sits in 13th place on the all-time NCAA Division III assists list. ... Matt Vadas scored 19 points off the bench to help Connecticut College edge Mitchell 80-77 on Feb. 7. Vadas also led the Camels with 15 points in a 55-54 win over Colby, as Connecticut College closed the season by winning two of its final three games. ... Park Thomas had 18 points and seven assists off the bench to lead Gordon to an 80-57 win over Wentworth last Tuesday. As a team, the Fighting Scots shot just under 60 percent from the field, including 7-of-11 from 3-point range. ... Jordan Rote piled up 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks in a superb effort off the bench as Springfield topped Wheaton 79-52 in their regular season finale Saturday. ... Colin Halpin finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Matt Pepdjonovic added 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead Suffolk past Mount Ida, 82-76 last Tuesday. Chris Torres led the Rams, which snapped a five-game losing streak, with 24 points. ... Felix Llanos scored a game-high 33 points as Clarkson knocked off RPI 100-78 Saturday. Llanos, who finished the season with a 19.3 points per game average, drained nine of his 12 three-point attempts against the Red Hawks.

Contact me

Whether you have an interesting story idea, know of a player or coach approaching a career milestone, or just want to talk basketball, I want to hear it. Please reach out to me at andrew.lovell@d3sports.com. You can also follow me on Twitter (@andrew_lovell).