login | Register

Snowflakes: Small Conference Hoops

* It will be quite a battle this weekend in the Big South for the coveted automatic berth to the Big Dance. North Carolina-Asheville and Winthrop both finished at 10-4 in the Big South and should be the favorites to get the Finals of the conference tournament. UNC-Asheville has rebounded to win 4 in a row after they suffered a surprising 4-game losing streak in the middle of February. The Bulldogs won both regular season meetings with Winthrop by double digits, but the Eagles have the experience at winning the conference tournament. Winthrop has won the Big South Tourney three years in a row, but they will have to do it this year on Asheville’s home court.

* The semifinals are set for this weekend’s OVC Tournament in Nashville. #1 seed Austin Peay will meet #4 seed Tennessee-Martin while #2 seed Murray State will face #6 seed Tennessee State. Peay is the clear favorite to take the automatic NCAA bid, but they will have to stop the OVC’s leading scorer in Martin’s Lester Hudson, who averaged 25.5 points a game this season. The Skyhawks also have two other players in Marquis Weddle (17 ppg) and Gerald Robinson (14.3 ppg) who finished in the Top 10 in the league in scoring. The Governors won both of the regular season contests, but it could be tough to defeat the high-scoring Martin for the third time. In the other game, Murray State and Tennessee State split their two games this season, and the favored Racers will have to beat the Tigers in their hometown. The OVC Tournament will definitely provide a ton of drama in the Music City this weekend.

* We’ve touted Davidson of the Southern Conference all season as a team that a high-seeded, bigger school will not want to see in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats and their superb guard Stephen Curry (25.3 ppg) will be the overwhelming favorite to win the league’s automatic bid although they should get an at-large bid in case of an upset in the Southern Tourney. Davidson has won 17 games in a row, and they were rewarded this week by being voted #25 in the country in the AP poll.

- Patrick Snow

related tags

Sports,
Kentucky,
North Carolina,
Tennessee,
Mountain,
Tribal Fever,

Related Dispatches