Big South
College basketball can be such a cruel sport. High Point was far and away the class of the Big South Conference last season, but the Panthers lost when it mattered most, as Longwood won 80-79 in overtime in the conference tournament and went on to get the automatic bid. High Point was so good offensively that they ranked 43rd in adjusted offensive efficiency for Bart Torvik and 36th in Offensive Rating for Ken Pomeroy.
That was a team that no high-major wanted to see in the first round, but the Panthers found themselves in the CBI Tournament instead. They did make it to the championship game there before falling short to Seattle. Leading scorer Duke Miles transferred to Oklahoma, but second-leading scorer Kezza Giffa stayed and so did third-leading scorer and top rebounder Kimani Hamilton, making the Panthers the clear-cut favorite to win the Big South.
Longwood’s top two scorers and 7-footer Szymon Zapala are both gone, but Colby Garland is a good scorer from Drake and Michael Christmas (11.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG) is back. Remember that the Lancers were just 6-10 in conference play before their highly improbable tourney run.
Mike Morrell’s UNC Asheville teams are always solid on both ends of the floor, but the loss of Drew Pember is a huge deal. He led the team in 2-point and 3-point shots and was second in assists at 6-foot-11. Everything went through Pember, who had 20.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 3.5 APG. His 32.2% Usage Rate was the 13th-highest in the nation. There is no Pember on the roster, so this will be more of a guard-oriented team.
Winthrop is actually the challenger I like the most, as Mark Prosser brings back four starters. The Eagles get to the free throw line at one of the highest rates in the nation and improved dramatically on defense from the 2022-23 season. If they can make more 3s this season, they are very dangerous.
Gardner-Webb promoted associate head coach Jeremy Luther and USC Upstate is now led by former Drake assistant Marty Richter.
