A ticket to the Big Dance is at stake at the Big South Conference Tournament. It’s going to be one hell of a tournament. No. 1 seed High Point has to fend off the pesky No. 2 seed Winthrop, who clinched a share of the league title with a 13-5 conference record. A pair of solid contenders, Coastal Carolina and UNC Asheville, also cannot be discounted. Both went 12-6 in conference play to earn the No. 3 and 4 seeds in the tournament.
Don’t miss out on the conference championships. Check out our complete tournament previews for the America East and MAAC Championships.
The High Point Panthers are ready to shake it up at the Big South Conference Tournament after earning the No. 1 seed. Offense and ball movement make the Panthers very formidable opponents. They’re currently tied for 72nd in the nation with 77.6 points per game and 49th with 15.7 assists per game.
The Panthers are led by the sensational John Brown. He is the first ever player to win the Big South Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. Brown should have some help from Adam Weary. The senior guard is second on the team with 12.9 points per game. It’s imperative for High Point’s dynamic duo to excel in the tournament. They’re just two of the three players averaging double digit scores on the team.
Winthrop Eagles
The Winthrop Eagles may just be the second seed of the tournament. But they’ll be entering this tournament very confident that they can win the golden ticket to the Big Dance. The Eagles already own a huge 20-point win over their chief rival, High Point, earlier in the season. They’ve been incredibly hot winning eight of their last 10 games.
The Eagles have a quartet of players who could lead them to the NCAA Tournament. Keon Johnson and Jimmy Gavin are a dynamic scoring duo averaging 19.8 and 18 points per game respectively. They also have a pair of solid rim defenders with Duby Odeke and Xavier Cooks. Odeke is first in the league with 2.4 blocks per game, while Cooks is fourth with 1.7.
Sleepers
Gardner-Webb Bulldogs
Gardner-Webb is just sixth in the tournament and has to play in the very first round. But they’re very live dogs with victories over No. 1 seed High Point on the road in February. The Bulldogs don’t really have one super star on the team. They rely on a complete team effort with five players averaging over nine points per game. But they still have their go-to people.
Tyrell Nelson leads the team with 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, point guard Harold McBride is averaging 12.4 points and 4.1 assists per game. It’ll be up to this dynamic duo to create opportunities not just for themselves, but for their teammates as well.
Gardner-Webb has already beaten Campbell, Coastal Carolina, Radford and Presbyterian. All four teams are on their side of the bracket. They may struggle to beat only No. 2 seed Winthrop, who beat them 71-58 on January 20.
Liberty Flames
The Liberty Flames may have finished the regular season with a bad 13-15 record. But they’re 10-8 in conference play, good enough for the No. 5 seed in the Big South Tournament. Their offense may not be too good, scoring just 65.2 points per game. But they can pull their opponents down with them, allowing just 68 points per game (82nd in the nation).
Liberty has a very live chance to reach the final and even win the coveted invite to the Big Dance. They’re 2-0 against the No. 1 seed, High Point, which happens to be in their bracket. But their biggest test will be No. 4 seed UNC Asheville, who swept them 0-2 in the regular season.
Long Shot
Campbell Camels
The Campbell Camels are horrible. They lost 12 of their last 16 games. They’re also the 11th and final team in the Big South Tournament. But don’t count them out just yet. They happen to seize some opportunities presented to them. The Camels own a big upset of No. 2 seed Winthrop on the road earlier in the season.
Freshman sensation Chris Clemons leads the way with 18.8 points per game this season. He ranked fourth in the league in points per game in the regular season. It’ll mostly be up to him to lead the Camels toward some lofty competition. Another freshman, Troy Harper, could lend some help being second on the team with 13.5 points per game.
Don’t discount Campbell’s inexperience. These freshmen will be very hungry to prove themselves on the big stage for the conference championship.
Writer’s Prediction
Winthrop earns the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament by winning their first conference tournament title in the past six years.
