The Southern Conference is another team that has lost some of its luster due to realignment. It's been nearly a decade since Davidson, led by a young Steph Curry, made a run to the Elite Eight and came within a single possession of knocking off eventual national champion Kansas to advance to a Final Four. Davidson has since left for the Atlantic 10 and the Southern Conference has not won a Tournament game since the Wildcats' Elite Eight run in 2008.
The conference ended in a three way tie, with East Tennessee State, Furman, and UNC Greensboro all finishing with a 14-4 record. UNC Greensboro has the tiebreaker and will be the top seed. Most bracket projections have East Tennessee State going to the NCAA Tournament as a 14 seed, but this is going to be a very wide open tournament.
There are ten teams in the Southern Conference and all will participate in this tournament. The top six teams will receive a bye to the quarterfinals. The tournament will take place from March 3rd to March 6th at the US Cellular Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
First Round-Friday, March 3rd
#9 The Citadel vs. #8 Western Carolina
#10 VMI vs. #7 Samford
Quarterfinals-Saturday, March 4th
#8 Western Carolina vs. #1 UNC Greensboro
#5 Wofford vs. #4 Chattanooga
#7 Samford vs. #2 Furman
#6 Mercer vs. #3 East Tennessee State
Semifinals-Sunday, March 5th
#4 Chattanooga vs. #1 UNC Greensboro
#3 East Tennessee State vs. #2 Furman
Championship-Monday, March 6th
East Tennessee State won both games over Chattanooga this season, wining by five at home and then more convincingly at Chattanooga by 14 points. East Tennessee State will end all doubts as to who won the conference when they win this game and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Chattanooga 55, East Tennessee State 62
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