Sun Belt Basketball: 2020 conference tournament preview and predictions

NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 12: The Troy Trojans celebrate after the championship game of the Sun Belt Basketball Tournament against the Texas State Bobcats at UNO Lakefront Arena on March 12, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Troy Trojans won 59-53. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 20: Nijal Pearson #22 of the Texas State Bobcats (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Key players for the Sun Belt Basketball Tournament

SR Josh Ajayi – South Alabama

2019-20 Stats: 14.6 ppg 7.2 rpg 1.3 apg

Senior Forward, Josh Ajayi, is the leading scorer on a South Alabama squad that has proven to have a lot of offensive weapons. While averaging 14.6 ppg, he shoots 56.2% from the field, and many of South Alabama’s offensive possessions go through him. A season ago, Ajayi was selected to the Sun Belt Basketball All-Conference Second Team. Unfortunately, Ajayi has not performed well as of late. In his last three games, he has scored two, zero, and four points. If South Alabama is to have a shot at winning the Sun Belt Basketball Tournament, things are going to have to get better for Ajayi.

SO Markquis Nowell – Little Rock

2019-20 stats: 17.2 ppg 3.0 rpg 4.9 apg

Little Rock’s Markquis Nowell is the leading scorer for the Trojans and one of the most prolific scorers in the Sun Belt. Nowell has consistently shown how dominant he is for most of the season. The other night, however, he only had 10 points in Little Rock’s 89-70 loss to Georgia State. Something tells me he’s ready to come back from that defeat and continue to be a huge scoring threat. If he gets hot in this tournament over the next few days, then the Little Rock Trojans may be the team heading into the NCAA Tournament from the Sun Belt.

SR Nijal Pearson – Texas State

2019-20 Stats: 19.3 ppg 5.4 rpg 2.4 apg

Averaging 19.3 ppg, Nijal Pearson is the leading scorer in the Sun Belt. A season ago, he was selected to the Sun Belt Basketball All-Conference First Team, and something tells me he is going to make it again. He does most of the work for the Bobcats, as the team as a whole struggle to find many scoring options outside of him. This may be what hurts Texas State in the Sun Belt Basketball Tournament, but Pearson is the kind of guy that could take over games and allow them to go on a big run.

JR Kane Williams – Georgia State

2019-20 Stats: 14.6 ppg 4.5 rpg 4.4 apg

Kane Williams of Georgia State is the only member from last year’s NCAA Tournament team that averaged in the double digits in scoring. Williams was the fifth leading scorer on that squad, averaging 11.1 ppg. This year, with the guys that were ahead of him gone, Williams has done a spectacular job stepping up to not only propel the offense of the Panthers but to be a great leader this can team can look to. Teams need to watch out for Kane Williams and Georgia State in the Sun Belt Basketball Tournament.