Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big South Basketball: 2022 Conference Tournament preview and prediction

By Cooper Watson

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 19: D.J. Burns Jr. #30 of the Winthrop Eagles attempts the shot against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half in the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on March 19, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 19: D.J. Burns Jr. #30 of the Winthrop Eagles attempts the shot against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half in the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on March 19, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
Big South Basketball Tim Craft Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
Big South Basketball Tim Craft Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

The Big South has given us one of the best stories in the country this season in Longwood, who finished the regular season at 23-6 overall, going 15-1 in league play to win its first-ever outright regular-season title.

Since joining the conference back in 2012, Longwood has never finished above .500 either overall or in league play. Head Coach Griff Aldrich has done a remarkable job turning this program around in just his fourth season in Farmville, VA.

For the first time since its inception back in 1986, the Big South Tournament will be held in Charlotte, NC. For those who factor geography into your March Madness predictions, it’s worth considering that Charlotte is a fairly central location in terms of the league as a whole, although Gardner-Webb, Winthrop, and High Point will have the shortest distances to travel.

Historically speaking, Winthrop has dominated the Big South Tournament, winning it 13 times in its 36-year history. That includes last season, which saw the Eagles go 23-2 overall, which earned them a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament where they gave Villanova a scare in the Round of 64.

After having 11 total teams for the last three seasons, the Big South added North Carolina A&T this year which gives it an even 12. That 12 was divided into two six-team divisions, with Longwood winning the North and Winthrop winning the South. This was important in selecting the top two seeds for the tournament, which were automatically awarded to the two division winners.

Here is the official Big South Tournament bracket:

https://twitter.com/BigSouthSports/status/1497753388536279047?s=20&t=IQyd-HmMEyi2U0GQIlYWgQ

The first round of the tournament will take place on Wednesday, March 2, with the quarterfinals and semifinals being played on Friday and Saturday of the same week. The first three rounds will be broadcast on ESPN+. The championship game will be played at noon on Sunday, March 6 and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Will No. 1 seed Longwood continue its dominance? Can Winthrop threepeat as tournament champions? Or will a dark horse emerge from the field?