History:
Winthrop has won 33% of the Big South’s conference championships (13 of 39). The Eagles are also the last team to win an NCAA Tournament game (2007, when they defeated Notre Dame in an 11-vs-6 game). Traditionally, this isn’t a conference you look to for an NCAA Tournament upset, though their 2025 NET conference ranking (18th) isn’t so bad.
Returning Champion:
Longwood won its second title in three years. Despite finishing 6-10 in conference play, the #5 seed knocked off top-seeded High Point in the semi-finals before destroying #2 seed UNC-Asheville in the championship.
Format:
All nine teams make the field. The first round is an 8-vs-9 game. After that, the tournament plays out normally.
Contenders:
One team can avoid a bad NCAA Tournament seed, and that squad is High Point. Ranked in the Top 100 in the NET, the Panthers have won 11 straight. Furthermore, while they didn’t play a Quad 1 game, they own a decent Quad 2 victory over North Texas. They went 2-0 against the AAC, also knocking off UAB. It is an offense you don’t want to mess with, as they are ranked 26th in offensive efficiency and 20th in PPG (82.4). If they have a lead late, they are amongst the best free-throw shooting squads (76.7%). The issue? Their defense. While it doesn’t look so bad on the surface (68.8 PPG), the KenPom ranks them 225th.
One of the teams High Point lost to in conference play is UNC-Asheville, who will enter this tournament as the #2 seed. Like High Point, the Bulldogs like to score (82.5 PPG) with bad defense. Not to be outdone, Winthrop is one of the nation’s highest-scoring squads (85.0). Their top four scorers are seniors, and they ended the season with a 103-90 triumph over UNC-Asheville.
Sleeper:
Presbyterian enters the tournament on a three-game winning streak, including road wins over Radford (19-12, 9-7) and UNC-Asheville.
How it should play out:
High Point entered the 2024 tournament as the favorite and lost. They have yet to make it to the NCAA Tournament. While it shouldn’t be a cakewalk (it never is), their team is far better than the rest of the league.
Winner:
Expect High Point to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance, where they will likely receive a “chance to win” seed.