Big South Hoops: Preview of top contenders for 2018-19

BUIES CREEK, NC - MARCH 06: Players, coaches and staff of the North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs pose for photos with their trophy following their 77-68 victory against the Winthrop Eagles during the championship game of the 2016 Big South Basketball Tournament at Pope Convocation Center on March 6, 2016 in Buies Creek, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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BUIES CREEK, NC – MARCH 06: Head coach Nick McDevitt of the North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs dances with his team following their 77-68 victory against the Winthrop Eagles during the championship game of the 2016 Big South Basketball Tournament at Pope Convocation Center on March 6, 2016 in Buies Creek, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

Over the past three seasons, the Big South has been the definition of competitive parity, and in 2018 should again be ultra competitive. Here’s a look at the top teams.

The Big South was quietly one of the more competitive low major conferences last season. Over the past three seasons, seven of the conference’s ten teams have won 18 or more games in a season. The only teams not to reach the 18-win plateau in the last three years are Charleston Southern, Presbyterian, and Longwood.

The top five teams won at least 18 games last season and next year the conference could be even deeper as they welcome the Hampton Pirates. Hampton won 19 games and a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic regular-season championship and reached the conference championship game before being upset.

Liberty has left for the Atlantic Sun, but with the addition of Hampton, the Big South adds a team who has won at least 18 games three times in the last five years, with NCAA and NIT Tournament berths on their resume in that time.

Over the last four years, the Big South has had three different regular season champions and four different conference tournament champions, with Coastal Carolina being the last repeat champion in 2014 and 2015.

The Radford Highlanders will be looking to return to the NCAA Tournament but they will have to fend off plenty of challengers.

In 2018-19 the conference will likely once again be highly competitive, as there will be many teams looking to stake their claim to the Big South’s top spot. Here is a closer look at the top contenders in a deep Big South. Not profiled are Charleston Southern, Longwood, Presbyterian, and South Carolina-Upstate, who joins the conference from the Atlantic Sun.