Big South Tournament Preview and Predictions

Big South 2023 Tournament Predictions

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UNC Asheville

UNC Asheville was expected to do very well, but very few expected them to emerge at the very top of the conference by a comfortable margin and become one of the best mid-majors in the country. Led by the 19th leading scorer in the country, Drew Pember, the Bulldogs have one of the best mid-major guys in the country and some of the best support cast around him. 

Taijon Jones is a 5th-year senior who’s averaged double digit points in every year in his career, as well as a few other guys who have broken out for 20+ on some nights. 

A lot of their role guys have been together for multiple years, and they’re one of the most well-rounded teams in the nation, with good size at every position. Results-wise, they didn’t get the season off to the smoothest start, losing 5 noncon games in a pretty easy schedule, but after losing to Winthrop, having only one loss in the past 16 games.

Sleeper

Winthrop

As one of the only two teams that have beaten UNC Asheville in this conference and the historically best program, Winthrop was the obvious sleeper pick. This team has a very strong starting 5, with all of their 5 scoring in double digits and 4 of them being uperclassmen. 

However, a cause of concern for them has been their depth, as they don’t have a very deep bench. They’re also on a hot streak of 4 wins in a row, and have proven they have the ability to close out close games, which will be a very important skill to have in a tournament. 

Playing away also shouldn’t be a problem for them, as in their last 2 away games, they shot 42% and 60% from 3 in wins. They’re not incredible, but all of their strengths seem to be perfect for a tournament.

Bracket Prediction