With a strong performance in the regular season, top-seeded Arkansas-Little Rock is the hands-down favorite to win the Sun Belt tournament championship. The Trojans have only lost three conference games (17-3) and hold a 27-4 overall record. But even with that accomplishment, they’re still on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
That being the case, the Trojans are definitely going to go all-out in this tournament, where the last team standing will also earn an automatic spot in the Big Dance. Can they succeed in doing so? Or will some other club rise to the occasion? Read on below for a better picture of the Sun Belt tournament.
Meanwhile, you might as well check out our other previews for the other conference tournaments: ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC.
It’s just not fair at all. The top-seeded Trojans finished the regular season with a 17-3 conference record (27-4 overall), but many still expect them to miss the NCAA Tournament. Well, that’s the Sun Belt conference for you.
Anyhow, the Trojans can’t let this distract them from keeping their eyes on the prize in this tournament. A guaranteed spot to the Big Dance is at stake and this will arguably be the best opportunity for them to prove all the doubters wrong.
Defense will continue to be the name of the game for the Trojans, who are only allowing 59.8 points this season (3rd-lowest in the nation). And also, momentum’s bound to be on their side as they’ve won six of their last seven games. In that stretch, the pair of Josh Hagins and Marcus Johnson Jr. has been playing some solid basketball, averaging 14.1 and 11.9 points, respectively.
Louisiana Monroe Warhawks
The Warhawks are peaking at the right time. They enter this tournament as the No. 2 seed after a respectable 15-5 finish in league play (19-12 overall). More importantly, they also capped off the regular season on a nine-game winning streak.
Majok Deng and Justin Roberson have been very consistent for the Warhawks. Both are putting up double-digits in points this season and Deng, in particular, has carried most of the load. He’s posting a team-best 18.9 points per game, which made him a strong candidate for the Sun Belt’s Player of the Year award.
Also, UL Monroe split its two encounters with the Trojans this season. The Warhawks fell by only one point in the first one and then successfully got their revenge in the second meeting with a thrilling 86-82 victory.
If these two clubs end up facing each other in the finals, we’re all in for another wild finish.
Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
Losing five out of six games is definitely not the way how Louisiana-Lafayette hoped to finish the regular season. But nevertheless, the Ragin’ Cajuns remain one of the favorites to win the conference title.
The main reason for this is simply because they have Shawn Long on the team. Long, who was recently named as the Sun Belt’s Player of the Year, has had a spectacular junior campaign, averaging double-double numbers of 18.8 points and 12.9 rebounds. And yes, a guy of his caliber is definitely a game-changer and one that has the potential to carry an entire team on his own.
Defense, however, has been Louisiana Lafayette’s biggest waterloo. The Ragin’ Cajuns are surrendering more than 70 points per game this season, which is among the highest in their conference.
Sleeper
Georgia State Panthers
Georgia State, the defending conference champion, has had an up-and-down season, but is still in a relatively good position to keep its crown.
The sixth-seeded Panthers have a dependable duo of Jeremy Hollowell and Kevin Ware to provide the bucket for them. The two are tallying 14.7 and 12.0 points, respectively, in the regular season. And apart from them, Isaiah Williams and Markus Crider make the Panthers even more loaded on offense.
Williams is only putting up 9.4 points, but he’s been on a roll in his previous six contests. In that stretch, he’s managed to score 10 or more points, including a 22-point outburst against Georgia Southern on Feb. 23. Crider, meanwhile, can also relate to this scoring surge as he’s contributing 16.0 points in his last two outings.
Long Shot
South Alabama Jaguars
Despite their standing and record, you can’t count out the Jaguars just yet. Yes, their defense (73.4 points allowed) has been shaky this season, but the same can’t be said on offense. They have three players scoring in double-digits this season and Ken Williams, in particular, might prove to be a handful for opposing defenders. He is tallying 15.5 points per game, which is the highest in the team.
If Williams and co. consistently put up enough points, the Jaguars are going to be competitive enough to notch some upsets. And speaking of which, they might just be able to pull it off when they take on Texas State—a team they swept in the regular season—in the opening round.
Writer’s Prediction
UL Monroe wins it and books a ticket to the Big Dance.
