Busting Brackets
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Sun Belt Basketball: Georgia State leads the favorites for 2019 Tournament

By TJ Miller

JACKSONVILLE, FL - MARCH 19: The Georgia State Panthers celebrate after the Panthers win 57-56 against the Baylor Bears in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 19, 2015 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - MARCH 19: The Georgia State Panthers celebrate after the Panthers win 57-56 against the Baylor Bears in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 19, 2015 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 16: Head coach Ron Hunter of the Georgia State Panthers talks with D’Marcus Simonds
NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 16: Head coach Ron Hunter of the Georgia State Panthers talks with D’Marcus Simonds /

Teams To Watch

Favorite: Georgia State

It’s hard to peg a true favorite given the tight cluster of teams at the top of the Sun Belt. But Georgia State gets the nod after beating Georgia Southern in a winner-take-the-crown game on Saturday. The Panthers finished the regular season at 22-9 (13-5) and managed to score wins over SEC schools Alabama and Georgia. Although Simonds is the clear number one scoring option, Coach Ron Hunter has four other players besides Simonds averaging at least 11 points per game to highlight this dynamic offense.

In a league that prefers higher scoring affairs, Georgia State is well suited for this kind of style. As a team, they shoot a very solid 39.3% from 3-point range. With that said, this group has the ability to get the paint with regularity, having just six contests with over 30 three point attempts. Coach Ron Hunter has taken his team to the NCAA tourney a couple of times giving this squad another edge.

Sleeper: ULM

The would be a deep, deep sleeper, especially with the new format of the Sun Belt Tournament. Louisiana-Monroe (16-14, 9-9) would have to win five games in six days to make this a reality. With that said, if this team can translate solid home success into winning games in New Orleans, then the Warhawks might be able to make a deep run. ULM scored back-to-back wins in home games vs. Georgia State and Georgia Southern back in February and also have the leagues second leading scorer in Daishon Smith (22.0 PPG).

Smith leads the Sun Belt in three pointers made on the season with 96 and is capable of having huge games. He scored 36 points in the victory over Georgia State and 38 points against Georgia Southern and also put up 42 points in a contest vs. Little Rock. You might expect Smith would have ugly shooting percentages with those point totals, but he’s actually been pretty efficient with a 45.3 FG%. If ULM can somehow put together several wins in a row, Smith will be the main reason why.