Busting Brackets
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Sun Belt Basketball: Title race wide open after struggles from favorites

By Tristan Freeman

AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 29: The Texas-Arlington Mavericks bench reacts as they defeat the Texas Longhorns 72-61at the Frank Erwin Center on November 29, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 29: The Texas-Arlington Mavericks bench reacts as they defeat the Texas Longhorns 72-61at the Frank Erwin Center on November 29, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
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UT-Arlington had a ton to celebrate during the non-conference portion of the season. But once Sun Belt basketball play began, those smiles have disappeared.

Coming into the 2017-18 season, UT-Arlington was considered the favorite to win the conference title. After a win against BYU, as well as close games with Alabama and Creighton, the Mavericks looked every bit the top contender.

With potential NBA player Kevin Hervey (21.7 ppg) along with one of the top passers in the country in Erick Neal, there was no reason to pick another team. In my own preseason rankings for Busting Brackets, I had Arlington No. 1 as well.

Then conference play happened. The Mavericks started out with a pair of road games against Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State, two teams pegged to finish in the bottom half of the league. Both games shockingly ended in defeats, with UT-Arlington giving up an average of 85 ppg over the opening week.

In the preseason coaches poll for the Sun Belt, the Mavericks were picked first, with nine votes in the top spot. No. 2 was Georgia State, who has a fantastic player in D’Marcus Simonds. But unfortunately for the Panthers, he couldn’t lift them to a win in either of their first two road games, losing both of them as well.

There are three teams left unbeaten in the Sun Belt, with Louisiana being arguably the best team in the league. The Ragin’ Cajuns have an explosive offense, averaging 86 ppg, and have the leading rebounder in the league in Bryce Washington (10.3 rpg).

The road proved treacherous for the top teams, but Lafayette actually won both road openers, at Arkansas State and Little Rock. It’s only been one week, but the Cajuns have already put themselves in the driver’s seat for the regular season.

Next: 5 Mid-major questions for start of conference play

South Alabama and Appalachian State are also unbeaten at 2-0, completely flipping the preseason polls upside down. Look out for Georgia Southern, who has a dynamic backcourt duo of their own. The conference tournament will ultimately be what matters, but the regular season will surely be fun for the league affectionately known as the “Fun Belt”.