Sun Belt Basketball: 2021 Conference Tournament preview, predictions
By Josh Whitlow
Key teams to watch
Texas State
The Bobcats are currently the hottest team in the Sun Belt. They have won 7 straight games and are led by Junior guard Mason Harrell. While they seem to be the safest pick in the tournament, their loss to NAIA school Our Lady of the Lake in nonconference play raises some serious red flags. Overall, they are a balanced scoring team and do not have many holes in their game.
Georgia State
The Panthers are definitely the favorites of the computers, holding a conference-high 138 ranking in the NET. They are capable of beating anyone in the league, and even defeated tournament hopeful Georgia Tech in triple overtime earlier in the season. Justin Roberts is their leader, providing a sure ball handler and scrappy scorer that fuels this team.
Coastal Carolina
The Chanticleers will likely have their entire starting lineup healthy at the same time for the first time since December, where they dominated non-conference play. Coastal Carolina is lead by likely the Sun Belt POY in DeVante’ Jones. Jones can do it all, scoring from everywhere on the court and grabbing boards like a big. It is also worth noting that CCU is the 2nd leading rebounding team in the entire country, a big part of this being the contribution of redshirt freshman Essam Mostafa grabbing almost nine rebounds per game.
Louisiana
The Cajuns have gone through a rough patch here recently, but their early success was enough to get them a 2 seed out of the west division. They are led by guard Cedric Russell, another crafty guard in this stacked guard conference. They boast a 3-1 record over Texas State, proving that if they play their game, they could be a threat to punch a ticket to the big dance.