Atlantic Sun Basketball: 2021 Conference Tournament preview, predictions

Key Players in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament

AHSAN ASADULLAH – CENTER – LIPSCOMB

2019-20 stats: 14.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.5 apg

Center Ahsan Asadullah has been dominating the Atlantic Sun conference since he joined the Lipscomb men’s basketball team in 2018-19. Now a junior with the Lipscomb Bisons, Asadullah has racked up plenty of personal accolades in his three seasons including being on the Atlantic Sun all-freshman team and the All-Atlantic Sun team the last two seasons. There is no doubt he will complete the three-peat by the time awards are announced.

Asadullah has always been known as an offensive force and leads his team and the league in multiple offensive categories. Even though Asadullah’s usage is down (35.7% last season compared to 29.7% this season), he has shown to be more effective on the offensive end of the ball. Asadullah may have compromised defensive aptitude for increased offensive effectiveness.

Despite his DRtg increasing, his turnovers, rebounds, blocks, and steals decreased. Most concerning is Asadullah is turning the ball over 22 times for every 100 possessions which is a stark increase from a 15% turnover percentage one year ago.  Despite his rebounding statistics being decreased, Asadullah still leads the Atlantic Sun in total rebounds and is currently second in rebounds per game (7.8).

The Lipscomb Bisons will need Ahsan Asadullah to limit his turnovers while maintaining his offensive efficiency to make a dent in the Atlantic Sun tournament. The Atlantic Sun tournament strikes me as one of those tournaments where any team has a shot given the circumstances.

DONTARIUS JAMES – FORWARD – JACKSONVILLE – (OUT DUE TO COVID PRECAUTIONS)

2020-21 stats: 17.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.1 apg

The 6’8’’ forward transfer from Xavier has really seen his career take off with the move to Lipscomb. Only receiving limited playing time at Xavier in two seasons, James made the move to the Atlantic Sun conference, and, personally, it has paid dividends. Respectively, in his first two years with Xavier, James averaged 3.4 minutes per game and 7.4 minutes per game.

In his first year with the Jacksonville Dolphins, James has seen his playing team increase to 30 minutes per game. Admittedly, the quality of play is not the same as the Big East but James is proving he can hang.

James ranks third in conference in 3-point field goal attempts with 151. He also ranks 5th in field goal percentage and is currently sitting at a 36.4% success rate. On the seasons, James is taking around 16 shots per game with the shots evenly distributed between two-point field goal attempts and three-point field goal attempts. It is no surprise James is taking nine three-pointers per game and hitting around three of them.

James is not just an offensive presence. On the defensive side, he ranks in the top 15 in defensive win shares, top 5 in blocks, and top 15 in steals. James’ 6’8’’, 228-pound frame plays an enormous role on the offensive and defensive side of them all for the Jacksonville Dolphins. Like Asadullah for Lipscomb, as James goes – the Dolphins go. James is our MVP pick for the Atlantic Sun tournament.

DARIUS MCGHEE – GUARD – LIBERTY

2020-21 stats: 15.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 apg

This short in stature guard plays well above his physical limitations for the Liberty Flames. Standing at 5’9’’, McGhee has been an impressive, integral part of the Flames’ team for the last three seasons. He took a major jump forward in his offensive prowess during this, his junior season McGhee saw his points per game jump from 9.5 to 14.8 points while playing one less minute per game than the previous season. The reason? More usage. The Flames have entrusted McGhee to run the show for them this year and that is a result of an almost 10 percentage point increase in usage from a season ago (16% to 25.9%).

McGhee is an effective shooter who has shown advancements in each of his three seasons with the Flames. Over the last three years, McGhee’s field goal percentage has increased almost seven points from 38.4% during his freshman season to 45.1% currently. Next, McGhee has also taken about three more shots from beyond the arc this year which has translated into one more three-pointer made per game.

On the season, McGhee is having his best three-point shooting season yet by hitting 39.6% of his attempts. Compare this with two years ago and McGhee was shooting five 3-pointers per game but he was successfully making a pedestrian 31.9% of attempts.

McGhee ranks first in the Atlantic Sun conference in defensive win shares, overall win shares, turnover percentage, and three-point field goals. McGhee is our dark horse to win the MVP of the Atlantic Sun tournament. We love his heart and determination which is showcased by ranking in the top 15 each of the last two years in total defensive rebounds despite standing at less than 6 foot tall.