The Southern Conference Tournament tips off Friday, March 8th, at 5 p.m. ET, with No. 8 seed Mercer taking on No. 9 seed The Citadel. The tournament will take place at Harrah’s Cherokee Center—Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina. Let’s dive into my 2024 Southern Conference Tournament preview, picks, and best bets!
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2024 Southern Conference Tournament Preview, Picks and Best Bets
The Southern Conference Tournament takes place over the weekend. Two first-round games will be played on Friday, and four quarterfinal games will be played on Saturday. The semifinal matches will be played on Sunday, and the title game will be played on Monday, March 11th, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN or ESPN2.
The Samford Bulldogs have dominated the Southern Conference in the 2023-2024 season. The team set a school record with 26 regular season wins and only five losses, going 15-3 in the Southern Conference.
This is the second straight season the Bulldogs have won 15 conference games and the Southern Conference regular season title (a shared title in 2023 with Furman). However, Samford is still chasing its first Southern Conference Tournament championship since joining the conference in 2008.
Samford now sits just three wins away from their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the year 2000, when they won their second straight TAAC/A-Sun Conference title to get to the big dance.
In 2023, it was the No. 1 seeded Furman Paladins who took home the conference title, and automatic NCAA Tournament bid with their 88-79 victory over dark horse No. 7 seed Chattanooga.
The Mocs upset Samford in the quarterfinals and Wofford in the semifinals to make it to the championship game.
Odds to Win Southern Conference Tournament via DraftKings Sportsbook (ordered by seed)
Samford Bulldogs +150
UNC Greensboro Spartans +425
Chattanooga Mocs +550
Western Carolina Catamounts +500
Furman Paladins +700
Wofford Terriers +1500
ETSU Buccaneers +2000
Mercer Bears +6000
The Citadel Bulldogs +13000
VMI Keydets +50000
Best Bet – Samford Bulldogs (+150)
Sometimes, the chalky bet is just the best bet to make. We’ll grab some insurance against Samford in the mid-tier and dark-horse picks, just in case. Samford is clearly the best team in the Southern Conference.
They got upset early in the tournament last year and have revenge on their mind. As mentioned above, Samford has only lost three conference games this season and five games in total.
Ready to bring #BuckyBall to Asheville 🏔️#BuckyBall | #AllForSAMford pic.twitter.com/x1cnnc5Rgk
— Samford Men’s Basketball (@SamfordMBB) March 5, 2024
Mid-Tier – Chattanooga Mocs (+550)
The Mocs showed last year that they are a team that can get hot. As the No. 7 seed, they upset No. 2 Samford and went on to lose to the No. 1 seeded Paladins in the championship game. This team had quite a bit of turnover after last season, but head coach Dan Earl has them playing well.
The Mocs have shown they can beat the other teams in this conference. Chattanooga laid a whooping on the No. 2 seed UNCG Spartans last month, 89-61.
In January, they beat the No. 4 seeded Catamounts of Western Carolina 91-85. Sanford has been their toughest battle, losing to them in convincing fashion both times. However, if Samford can’t get it done, this Chattanooga team is one to watch for sure.
Dark Horse – Mercer Bears (+6000)
We all love a good Cinderella story in March. This Mercer Bears team has the outside chance to do that. The Bears head into this game as winners of six of their last ten games and are hoping to build momentum in the tournament. Mercer has already won against No. 1 seed Samford and played them close in their first matchup.
Mercer also beat No. 2 seed UNGC on the road in January 70-64, then again at home in convincing fashion 86-72.
It goes up and down throughout the season, but getting a little hotter to end it and showing the ability to upset the big dogs in the conference is enough of a case for this 60/1 Cinderella story.
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