Atlantic Sun Basketball: 2021 Conference Tournament preview, predictions
By David Mullen
In a season ravaged by COVID, Atlantic Sun Basketball was able to put together a competitive season. However, three teams in the conference rose above the rest; Liberty, Bellarmine, and Lipscomb.
Bellarmine is in their first season of Division I competition and the stars aligned. They have positioned themselves to compete for the conference championship and their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Liberty is looking for a repeat. This time, however, they could get a chance to compete in March Madness after COVID-19 canceled last year’s.
A Bellarmine and Liberty matchup would prove worthwhile television. Liberty is known as an offensive team with a 108 ORtg while their defense is definitely a weakness (99 DRtg). On the other hand, Bellarmine has excellent advanced analytics as a team but they also played games against Transylvania (50 point victory) and Mount Saint Joseph (52 point victory). These games and margins of victory undoubtedly inflated Bellarmine’s ratings.
Unfortunately, Jacksonville Dolphins recently experienced an outbreak of COVID-19 and are following health and safety procedures. Therefore, they will not be participating in this tournament.