2021 Southern Conference Tournament Info, Facts, & Preview Links
First Round (Asheville, NC; Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville)
Friday, March 5, 2021
Game 1: (9) Western Carolina (11-15 overall; 4-13 conf) vs. (8) The Citadel (12-11 overall; 5-10 conf) at 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Game 2: (10) Samford (6-12 overall; 2-9 conf) vs. (7) Mercer (15-10 overall; 8-9 conf) at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Quarterfinals (Asheville, NC; Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville)
Saturday, March 6, 2021
Game 3: (9) W. Carolina/(8) The Citadel winner vs. (1) UNC Greensboro (18-8 overall; 13-5 conf) at noon ET (ESPN+)
Game 4: (5) East Tennessee St. (12-11 overall; 8-7 conf) vs. (4) Chattanooga (18-7 overall; 8-7 conf) at 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Game 5: (10) Samford/(7) Mercer winner vs. (2) Wofford (15-8 overall; 12-5 conf) at 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Game 6: (6) VMI (12-11 overall; 7-7 conf) vs. (3) Furman (16-8 overall; 10-5 conf) at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Semifinals (Asheville, NC; Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville)
Sunday, March 7, 2021
Game 7: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 at 5 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Game 8: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Championship Game (St. Louis, MO; Enterprise Center)
Monday, March 8, 2021
Game 9: Championship Game (Auto Bid) at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Tournament Winners (last 10 years):
2020: (1) East Tennessee St. (30-4 overall; 16-2 conf)
2019: (1) Wofford (30-5 overall; 18-0 conf)
2018: (1) UNC Greensboro (27-8 overall; 15-3 conf)
2017: (3) East Tennessee St. (27-8 overall; 14-4 conf)
2016: (1) Chattanooga (29-6 overall; 15-3 conf)
2015: (1) Wofford (28-7 overall; 16-2 conf)
2014: (3) Wofford (20-13 overall; 11-5 conf)
2013: (1) Davidson (26-8 overall; 17-1 conf)
2012: (1-South Division) Davidson (25-8 overall; 16-2 conf)
2011: (2-South Division) Wofford (21-13 overall; 14-4 conf)
NET ratings through games of 3/4/21 (347 teams)
Furman-75
UNC Greensboro-92
Wofford-114
ETSU-134
Chattanooga-135
Mercer-136
VMI-145
The Citadel-219
W. Carolina-231
Samford-258
Kenpom ratings as of 3/4/21
Furman-92
UNC Greensboro-110
Wofford-127
ETSU-132
Mercer-146
VMI-150
Chattanooga-151
W. Carolina-232
The Citadel-242
Samford-261
Here are some links for previews of the 2021 Southern Conference tournament and the official tournament championship page (in no particular order):
Southern Conference Tournament official page: https://soconsports.com/sports/2020/11/13/MBB_1113203256.aspx?path=mbball
FanSided/Busting Brackets tournament preview: https://bustingbrackets.com/2021/03/02/socon-basketball-2021-conference-tournament-preview-predictions/2/
Sports Betting Dime tournament preview: https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/news/ncaab/2021-southern-conference-tournament-odds-picks-bracket/
The Game Haus tournament preview: https://thegamehaus.com/college-basketball/southern-conference-tournament-bracket-breakdown/2021/03/05/
Basketball Society Online tournament preview: https://basketballsocietyonline.com/southern-conference-tournament-preview-and-predictions
Three Man Weave tournament preview: https://www.three-man-weave.com/3mw/socon-tournament-preview-2021
My brief take on the tournament: It's pretty crazy to see that the 1 seed has won this tournament 5 of the last 6 years (and 7 of the last 10). It seems like these mid-major tournaments always produce some big upsets every year and an occasional low seed winner. Not true in the Southern Conference (at least in the last 10 years; I have recency bias if you wonder why I don't go back farther than that plus realignment in a lot of conferences makes it less interesting to me). Anyways, this seems like a year where the Southern Conference is way more wide open than usual. It may not produce a low seed winner but I expect most games to be close and competitive. I will go with the metrics because I genuinely have no clue who will win this one, so my pick is 3 seed Furman. Enjoy!
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