The Big South Conference Tournament begins play on Tuesday with four games. Check the latest NCAA basketball lines.
The Big South Conference college basketball tournament begins on Tuesday with a couple notable teams and then everybody else. Coastal Carolina (26-4, 16-2 Big South) enters the conference tourney as the top overall seed after winning the regular-season title for the second year in a row, allowing the Chanticleers to play on their home court as long as they stay alive.
The higher seeds host games throughout the Big South Conference tournament, with eight of the 10 teams in the league qualifying. Coastal Carolina finished last season with a 28-7 overall mark and went 15-3 in conference games only to fall in the tournament championship game to Winthrop, 64-53. That loss sent the Chanticleers to the NIT rather than the NCAA tournament, something they will try to avoid this time around.
Coastal Carolina will host #8 seed Gardner-Webb (11-20, 6-12) on Tuesday night at Kimbel Arena and meet the winner of the matchup between #4 VMI (17-12, 10-8) and #5 Winthrop (13-16, 9-9) with a victory. The Chanticleers swept two meetings with each of those teams but lost 59-57 at home to the Runnin’ Bulldogs toward the end of the season, snapping their 22-game winning streak. If they avenge that loss, they would probably love a rematch in the semifinals with the Eagles, who earned the conference’s automatic bid by beating them here a year ago. Winthrop lost each meeting with Coastal Carolina by exactly five points this season while VMI was outscored by a combined 35 points in two games against Coastal Carolina.
The other side of the bracket features #2 seed Liberty (19-12, 13-5), which took home Big South Player of the Year (Jesse Saunders) and Coach of the Year (Dale Layer) honors. The Flames will face #7 High Point (11-18, 7-11) on Tuesday at the Vines Center and try to snap a four-game losing streak that ended their regular season. They played three of their last four games on the road after beating the Panthers 65-54 in the last meeting between the teams on February 12.
A victory for Liberty would mean a matchup with the winner between #3 UNC Asheville (16-13, 11-7) and #6 Charleston Southern (16-15, 9-9). Asheville is the only other conference team to beat Coastal Carolina this season, earning a 61-58 victory on the road last Tuesday. The Flames beat the Bulldogs twice by a combined six points during the regular season and won 70-69 at Charleston Southern on February 5 after winning the first meeting at home, 68-54.
Now that you have read this Big South college basketball tournament betting preview, check out the NCAA basketball odds on all the games to compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks.
