NCAA Basketball: Most competitive end of 2019-20 conference races

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 10: Malik Osborne #10 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts after a play against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 10, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

2 of 6

LAWRENCE, KANSAS – NOVEMBER 19: Lucas N’Guessan #25 of the East Tennessee State Buccaneers (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

Southern Conference

From the deliciousness of Fletcher Magee three-pointers and Wofford’s rise to first-ever AP Poll ranking and first-round victory over Seton Hall in last year’s NCAA Tournament to the disappointment and heartbreak of UNC Greensboro’s quest and near-miss for an at-large bid, the Southern Conference provided entertainment and joy for college hoops fans of all shapes and sizes last year.

A tough act to follow has indeed been followed as this season’s SoCon race is ultra-competitive. East Tennessee St., UNC Greensboro, and Furman have put together exceptional resumes this year in the league’s effort to shed the label of “one-bid” league. It appears likely that East Tennessee St. will be in the running for an at-large bid this year should it fall in the Southern Conference Tournament.

The regular-season conference race has been exciting and with two games to go is coming down to the wire. Steve Forbes’ Buccaneers (15-2) maintain a one-game lead over Furman (14-3) and two over UNC Greensboro (13-4) and. The latter two sides play tonight in Greensboro, where the Furman Paladins will look to avenge an earlier season loss to the Spartans. Meanwhile, East Tennessee St. will look to keep its lead over the victorious team in Greensboro when it travels to Spartanburg for a tough road tilt against Wofford.

Our bet is that ETSU wins its remaining two contests on the way to winning the SoCon regular-season title.

Home/NCAA Basketball News