The Big South Conference Tournament will be held at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, TN for the second straight year, as we get a neutral setting for this one. High Point is the odds-on favorite and, while they’re not as esteemed as last season’s team, the drop-off has been minimal, even with the loss of a ton of talent and the head coach. 

All nine teams qualify for the conference tournament, but the No. 9 and No. 8 seeds play in the opening round and everybody else starts in the quarterfinals. As the No. 1 seed, assuming that High Point beats the 8/9 winner, they get a pretty big scheduling advantage from a time standpoint from the quarterfinals to the semifinals.

How to Watch the Big South Conference Tournament

When: March 4, March 6-8

Where: Freedom Hall in Johnson City, TN (same venue as last year)

Format: Seeds 8 and 9 play in the first round; top seven seeds get bye to quarterfinals

Watch: ESPN+; Championship Game on ESPN2 on Mar. 8 at TBD p.m. ET

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Big South Conference Tournament Bracket

Coming soon.

Big South Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds

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1. High Point (-160)

2. Winthrop (+290)

3. Radford (+1300)

4. UNC Asheville (+1600)

5. Longwood (+2800)

6. Presbyterian (+3000)

7. Charleston Southern (+3000)

8. USC Upstate (+6500)

9. Gardner-Webb (+50000)

Current Odds

(odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)

Favorite To Win Big South Conference Tournament

High Point and Winthrop did a number on conference foes all season long. The Panthers went 15-1 to secure the No. 1 seed, while the Eagles went 13-3 to be the No. 2 seed. Nobody else in the conference won more than nine conference games. High Point is a top-100 team for both Torvik and KenPom. Winthrop is a top-140ish team. Nobody else is a top-240 team, so there is a big gap between No. 1 and No. 2 and a much larger gap between No. 2 and the rest of the field.

High Point led the Big South in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, plus TO% on offense and defense, with a TO% differential of nearly 10%. The only major blemish on the resume for the Panthers is that they struggled to shoot 3s in conference play, finishing just seventh in that department. High Point’s lone loss came at the hands of Winthrop by 15 in Rock Hill, SC, but they got revenge at home with a two-point win in the second-to-last regular season game.

Big South Conference Tournament Darkhorse

I really wish Charleston Southern didn’t run into Winthrop in the quarterfinals because I could have potentially made a stronger case for them at 30/1. The Buccaneers actually finished the regular season first in eFG% offense and first in eFG% defense. They just didn’t protect the basketball and also didn’t take it away. The Bucs turned it over on more than 20% of their possessions. But, they can shoot the hell out of the ball and take a ton of 3s. 

They are the kind of team that can make noise in a field like this, but the Winthrop draw is a bummer. That said, they did split with Winthrop and the loss was only by four points. They also took High Point to overtime. In the one-bid, super small conferences, this has been the long shot that I have liked the most.

Betting Pick to Win The Big South Conference Tournament

This is High Point’s tournament to lose. Winthrop does present some challenges, especially with how good they are on the offensive and defensive glass, but you can avoid any landmines by just taking the Eagles on the moneyline in the title game against High Point if that’s the final. They won’t be +290 in that game, but they shouldn’t be terribly far from that.

Ultimately, I do think High Point wins it. But, I do like a little bit of a sprinkle on Charleston Southern.

Pick: High Point (-160); sprinkle Charleston Southern at +3000

Makinen Power Ratings for Big South Conference

Coming soon.

  • Favorites over 7 points or more have been very successful in the Big South tourney since 2014, going 33-5 SU and 22-16 ATS (57.9%)
  • In the quarterfinal round of the Big South tournament, teams off a first-round bye taking on teams that already played are on a 23-7 SU and 19-10-1 ATS (65.5%) run, including 14-1 SU and 13-2 ATS in the last 15.

Check out the other previews in our 2026 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.

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