The No. 1 East Tennessee State Buccaneers have a proud hoops history with 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. But no one expected them to be 40 minutes away from an 11th, as they’ll face the No. 1 Samford Bulldogs in the final of the 2024 Southern Conference Tournament on Monday at 7:00 p.m. ET from Asheville, North Carolina.
We take a look at the two teams below and make a pick for the championship.
No. 7 ETSU: 19-15 (8-10 SoCon), 177 NET, 173 KenPom
The Buccaneers have gotten hot at the right time, winning five in a row including victories over No. 2 UNC-Greensboro and No. 3 Chattanooga on the way to the title game. Senior swingman Ebby Asamoah has been terrific in the tournament, picking up 18.7 points per game in Asheville while shooting 14-22 from three-point range.
That’s a counter to the season-long narrative, where the Bucs are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country at 31.3%. But they can be monsters on the offensive glass, recovering 35% of their misses which could be a big factor on Monday.
No. 1 Samford: 28-5 (15-3 SoCon), 74 NET, 80 KenPom
Don’t let the pretty record fool you; Samford has to win tonight to play in the NCAA Tournament. Their only Quad 1 game was a 98-45 loss to Purdue, and there’s just not enough juice in the SoCon to get them over the hump without basically an undefeated campaign as of now.
Bucky McMillan was named the SoCon Coach of the Year, and Australia’s Achor Achor (15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game) made First Team All-Conference. But the Bulldogs do it with pace and being lights-out from downtown: They average 72.6 possessions per game, and shoot 39.6% from three-point range, the sixth-best mark in college basketball. Achor (45.5%) and Jaden Campbell (11.1 ppg, 45.7% from 3) are what makes them go.
How to watch the Sun Belt Tournament Championship Game
When: Monday, March 11, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Harrah’s Cherokee Center
TV: ESPN
Livestream: WatchESPN.com, ESPN App
Odds for SoCon Tournament Championship Game from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Samford -9.5
Moneyline: Samford -520, ETSU +390
Total: 147.5
The Pick: ETSU +9.5
Despite having to play the extra game to reach the final, the Buccaneers wisely used plenty of their bench vs. VMI and beyond to stay as fresh as possible for a deep run. And while Samford is an offensive machine, they were just 6-21 from long-range last night against Furman with 15 turnovers.
East Tennessee’s recent form should be enough to keep this one close, as they’re the hottest team in the tournament by a good margin. It likely won’t be enough to win, but they should keep it to single-digits in the championship and get the cover.
