Although the Sun Belt has been a strong football conference in years past, there is still a lot of talent on the basketball court. With the conference tournament coming up, it will undoubtedly be a conference to pay attention to, as the champion will almost certainly make some noise in the big dance.
Favorites
Appalachian State: The Mountaineers enter the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed after going 26-5 and 16-2 in conference play. They are led by junior forward Trevon Spillers, who averaged 13.1 points and nine rebounds per game. He started every game for the Mountaineers this season and led the team in minutes per game. App State’s only conference losses came to Troy in January and Texas State in February. Its closest games came against James Madison both times they played. Outside of those and an overtime scare against Toledo, the Mountaineers have dominated the Sun Belt this season.
James Madison: The Dukes led the Sun Belt for most of the season after going undefeated in non-conference play, including a win against then-No. 4 Michigan State. The Dukes were the only team in the Sun Belt to enter the AP Top 25 this season, reaching as high as 16th. They are led by the conference’s leading scorer, Terrence Edwards Jr., who averaged 17.6 points per game. The Dukes’ conference losses came to Southern Miss and App State in two closely contested games. However, they enter the tournament with the league’s longest win streak at ten games.
Contenders
Troy: The Trojans have been a solid team this season and served App State one of their two conference losses earlier in the year. Troy is led by senior guard Christyon Eugene, who led the team in scoring and assists, averaging 15.2 points per game and 3.2 assists per game. The Trojans enter the Sun Belt tournament with a 20-11 record and a 13-5 record in conference play. They did lose their final game of the regular season to Texas State, though, but will look to rebuild momentum in their first tournament game.
Arkansas State: The Red Wolves finished just below Troy in the Sun Belt standings, going 11-7 in conference play. ASU is led by junior guard Taryn Todd, who averaged 12.7 points per game to lead the team. Arkansas State was on a six-game win streak before losing to Appalachian State to finish out conference play and could play spoiler come tournament time.
Dark Horses
Louisiana: The Ragin’ Cajuns finished 10-8 in conference play and snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating Southern Miss. Louisiana is led by junior forward Kobe Julien, who averaged 17.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. The Ragin’ Cajuns struggled against the top of conference teams but played them close and could make some noise in the tournament.
Southern Mississippi: The Golden Eagles went 9-9 in conference play and managed to pull out a win against Troy and James Madison earlier in the season. Despite the .500 record, they have proven they can beat the best teams in the conference. They are led by senior guard Austin Crowley, who led the team with 16 points and 3.3 assists per game. Though they went 9-9 in conference play, the Golden Eagles have the potential to shake up the tournament.
My pick is James Madison will come out on top. Despite losing to App State twice, beating a team three times is hard. If they play again, James Madison will come out on top. The Dukes also have proven to be one of the better teams in the nation throughout the entire course of the season, not just conference play. I imagine it will be App State and James Madison in the final, and I don’t think App State will be able to beat them three times in a row.