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High Point had struggled for more than two decades to get to the Big Dance before finally breaking through last year. As the Big South Men’s Tournament descends on Johnson City, Tennessee, High P looks like the favorites again, having dropped just four games all year and one game in conference. That loss was to second-place Winthrop, which pushed HPU for the conference title until the end.
Will High Point repeat, will Winthrop snatch away a bid, or will someone else pull off a huge surprise?
- High Point (15-1, 27-4 overall)
New coach? New team? No problem. High Point lost its dominant coach in Alan Huss and eight of their top nine scorers only for new coach Flynn Clayman to construct the league’s most dominant offense and defense through the portal. (Their leading scorer, Terry Anderson at just under 16 a game, was on the roster last year but averaged less than five points, 10th most on the team.) The Panthers lead the country nationally in turnover margin and have won 11 straight since losing at Winthrop in January.
- Winthrop (13-3, 21-10 overall)
Dominant as High Point was on paper, Winthrop kept pace with them basically until the last week of the season, when a two-point road loss in High Point was enough to seal the Eagles’ fate. Winthrop is buoyed by breakout star and POY candidate Logan Duncomb, who was averaging under three points a game in his first three collegiate seasons before breaking out for 18.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest. They surround him with scoring guards, including 5-foot-9 electric guard Kareem Rozier (13.3 points, 3.4 assists) and shoot more free throws than anyone else in the league.
- Radford (9-7, 16-15 overall)
Zach Chu, in his first year, matched the conference record of his predecessor Darris Nichols’ final season at Radford. Led by dynamic guard duo Dennis Parker (18.7 points, 5.9 rebounds) and Del Jones (16.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists), Radford gets to the line frequently, with a 38th ranked free throw rate (one of five teams in the top 60) but still lags behind High Point and Winthrop in just about every metric.
- UNC Asheville (8-8, 14-16 overall)
They’ll see that dynamic duo and raise them a dynamic trio: Kameron Taylor, Justin Wright and Toyaz Solomon each average at least 16.3 points a game, the only trio to average even as much as 14 points. Not a ton stands out about this team metrics-wise, other than slow pace and low 3-pointer rate, but they will get a bit of a home-court advantage being just down the road.
- Longwood (8-8, 16-15 overall)
Along with Winthrop, the Lancers are at the top of the conference in overall rebounding percentage. Expect a ton of turnovers in their games – they’re top 40 in turnovers forced rate, but bottom 40 in turnover percentage on offense.
- Presbyterian (7-9, 14-17 overall)
Jonah Pierce averaging nearly a triple double (16.2 points, 9.6 rebounds) has been a bright for the Blue Hose this year. An interesting stat: they have the best 3-point shooting percentage in the league this year, but shoot the fewest three pointers in the league.
- Charleston Southern (6-10, 15-16 overall)
Saah Nimley’s Buccaneer squad plays with a top-20 pace, and is 63rd in eFG% (second-best in the Big South) and 25th in eFG% defense. Good combination, right? Well, just one problem: their turnover rate is second-worst in the entire country.
- USC Upstate (5-11, 13-18 overall)
Not a whole lot went right for coach Marty Richter’s Spartans, who were near the bottom 30 in Bart Torvik offensive efficiency. Upstate’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance will likely have to wait another year.
- Gardner-Webb (1-15, 3-28 overall)
Here’s a bit of trivia: Gardner-Webb has the worst record of any team to make their conference tournament this year. They’ve won just one D-I game (against USC Upstate in January.) Don’t expect a whole lot.