SoCon Basketball: 2021 Conference Tournament preview and predictions

LEXINGTON, VA - JANUARY 10: The Southern Conference logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Furman Paladins and the Virginia Military Keydets at Cameron Hall on January 10, 2019 in Lexington, Virginia. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

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SoCon Basketball UNC-Greensboro Spartans mascot Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports /

UNC Greensboro ended their season as SoCon Basketball regular-season champions for the first time since the 2017-18 season. The Spartans’ regular-season championship was clinched with a season-finale, overtime win against East Tennessee State University. The one seed affords UNCG a much-needed first-round bye.

Over the past six years, the regular-season champion in the Southern Conference has also won the conference tournament and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Will that streak stay the same this year?

UNC Greensboro will have to go through Wofford, Furman, and Virginia Military Institute in order to receive the automatic bid. The worrisome part of the journey is UNCG has split the season series with each of the top teams in the conference ensuring this tournament will be wide open.

Last year’s champion, ETSU, had a down-trodden season finishing just a win above .500 after a 30-4 record in 2019-20. Despite their record, ETSU still has a chance to compete in this tournament and make an appearance in March Madness. Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, they are entering the tournament on a three-game losing streak. Their season may have ended badly but a tournament is a fresh start for every team.