Upsets, upsets and more upsets is what this tournament provided last year when the number five-seeded Presbyterian absolutely dominated the one-seeded High Point and three-seeded Radford en route to its first Big South postseason tournament.

This year, High Point is back at the top and Presbyterian is even lower than they were last year and Longwood seems to have found itself in the mix this time.

Favorites: High Point and Longwood

High Point (18-11, 13-3)

The Panthers started their season off fairly poorly, coming into conference play three games below .500 and have since not lost more than two games straight. High Point quickly became the team to beat with its dominant defense giving up only 58.7 points per game this year.

On the other end though, they haven’t slowed with forward Nevaeh Zavala leading the team in scoring with 10.7 points per game. However, she has four other women on the team in Lauren Scott, Jaleesa Lawrence, Aaliyah Collins and Nakyah Terrell all just one point behind her each with at least nine points a game. This destructive defense and high-powered offense should be enough to power the Panthers forward.

Longwood (20-10, 11-5)

The Lancers have been good all season long, but they have had a couple of slip-ups in conference play. They took a pair of losses to the team they face in the first round of the tournament, South Carolina Upstate, and lost some winnable games at home. However, Longwood does currently have the highest-scoring offense in the conference with 69.7 points per game.

Behind the efforts of guard trio Amor Harris, Mariah Wilson and Kiki McIntyre, the Lancers have the fastest-paced offense in the conference. If their production with that fast-paced squad can go up a notch or two, Longwood could be tough for any team in the conference to stop.

Contenders: Charleston Southern and Radford

Charleston Southern (14-15, 10-6)

It was a tough out-of-conference season for the Buccaneers, taking on multiple top-15 teams, including the defending national champions in South Carolina. The Buccaneers, though, figured it out during conference play finishing third in the conference, but still finished with more losses than wins overall.

Though they had a negative point differential overall, the Buccaneers were able to stay in games without turning the ball over, holding a +4.1 margin there. With junior guard Catherine Alben averaging 16.6 points a game, Charleston Southern has been able to stay in games, but the team hasn’t found someone else who can consistently be a solid number two option, and it struggled outside of conference play.

Radford (13-16, 10-6)

Another team that struggled out of conference, the Highlanders only took on one top-15 team and lost, at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils. Hoping to make their first NCAA tournament since 2019 though, Radford has been hit or miss in its last five games, losing three and winning two.

Though the team has multiple players averaging around 10 points per game, such as Joi Williams and Cate Carlson, the Highlanders haven’t had any consistency from an offensive perspective. Yes, Joi Williams is consistently putting up points, but she isn’t being consistent in her point totals. If she can find consistency, along with the rest of the team, their hit-or-miss tendency will quickly only become hits.

Dark Horses: Winthrop and Gardner Webb

Winthrop (15-14, 9-7)

Winthrop has been almost perfectly average this year, finishing just below .500 out of conference and alternating wins and losses in their last eleven games. The Eagles have some wins against Radford and Charleston Southern but have also lost to teams like South Carolina Upstate.

Ranking in the top three in points allowed per game, Winthrop’s defensive prowess has been their key to winning games. With Amourie Porter the only one in or near double digits in points per game at 13.1, the Eagles will need the defense to step it up a little bit more if they want a chance at the dance.

It would be their first time back in the tournament in over a decade.

Gardner Webb (11-17, 8-8)

Heading into the tournament, this team has been one of the coldest in the conference as losers of four of their last five now. The team has struggled to find anything defensively, giving up nearly 70-plus points in each of those losses. They did happen to find the win column in the final game of the regular season though, so maybe they’ve found their rhythm.

Led by conference-leading scorer Ashley Hawkins at 19 points per game, the Bulldogs have one of the most explosive offenses in the conference, scoring the third-highest points per game as a team at 66.3. If they stand tall defensively, the Bulldogs could make their first tournament since 2023.

Cinderella: South Carolina Upstate (9-20, 6-10)

South Carolina Upstate has been an interesting team with just  six conference wins. However, four of those wins have come against Longwood, Winthrop and Gardner Webb, all teams in the tournament with a decent shot to win it all. If South Carolina Upstate can play up to its competition in the regular season, who’s to say it can’t do it in the postseason?

However, scoring the least amount of points, 53.8 per game, and giving up the second most in the conference at 67.8 per game, the Spartans will need to flip that narrative. With no players averaging above 10 points per game, it’ll take triple the effort from sophomore guard Cassie Gallagher and junior guard Jeni Levine to take this team to the next level.

My Pick: High Point

Another team that took a hard loss in the conference tournament last year, I think the Panthers will have the ability to put last year behind them to focus on getting into the national tournament this year. It won’t be the easiest of pathways, as multiple teams have proved they can upset anyone at any time, but I think they’ll be able to handle their business.