Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Conference purgatory – worst programs in each league

By Matthew Winick

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach Dave Leitao of the DePaul Blue Demons looks on during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on February 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach Dave Leitao of the DePaul Blue Demons looks on during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on February 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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ORLANDO, FL – NOVEMBER 16: UCF head coach Donnie Jones (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL – NOVEMBER 16: UCF head coach Donnie Jones (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images) /

Stetson Hatters, Atlantic Sun (6 straight bottom-three finishes)

This season marked the first time since 2012-2013 that Stetson rose from the bottom-three of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Back then, they were led by coach Casey Alexander, who then moved on to successful stints at both Lipscomb, and now Belmont. Coincidentally, Coach Corey Williams, Alexander’s replacement, was at the helm of all six of Stetson’s consecutive finishes at the bottom of the conference.

Surprisingly, it took Stetson that long to realize that Williams wasn’t the answer in DeLand. In just his first year with the team, former UCF coach Donnie Jones led the Hatters to a 9-7 conference record, good for 3rd in the Atlantic Sun. Led by two-star freshmen in Rob Perry and Mahamadou Diawara, Stetson will continue to be a threat in the conference for some time to come.

Let this be a lesson to many of the teams featured in the latter parts of this list. Sometimes, all it takes is a coaching change to fix a losing culture. In Stetson’s case, they’re much better off because of it.

Longwood Lancers, Big South (7 straight bottom-three finishes)

Behind a solid three-point shooting attack, Coach Griff Aldrich and his Lancers finally escaped the basement of the Big South this season, finishing 4th with a 9-9 record. They seemed destined for another bottom-three finish this season, starting out conference play at 1-6. However, the ended the season strong, until bowing out in the first round of the Big South Tournament.

Unbelievably, this season was the very first year since joining the Big South that Longwood wasn’t bottom-three finishers. In fact, heading into this season they were 28-92 (30.4%) in Big South Conference play all-time. They entered the league in 2012-2013 after playing their first five division-one seasons as an Independent.

With all that being said, Coach Aldrich does seem to be the right man for the job. His two seasons at the helm have been the most successful years for Longwood in recent memory, and his defense-first approach will hopefully stick in Farmville.

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