This season saw Big South basketball welcome a new member in North Carolina A&T. As a result, the Big South standings were split up into two divisions for the 2021-22 college basketball season. This year’s conference tournament bracket features a dozen teams, two more than last year’s field. Perennial powerhouse Winthrop is back to defend its 2021 championship from a season ago. However, it is Longwood who claimed the 1-seed heading into Charlotte after losing only one game in league play all season. The following contains the Big South Tournament bracket and schedule, as well as a preview of what we can expect to see.
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Big South Basketball Standings
| Team | Division | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Seed |
| Longwood | North | 15-1 | 23-6 | 1 seed |
| Winthrop | South | 14-2 | 21-8 | 2 seed |
| Gardner-Webb | South | 11-5 | 17-12 | 3 seed |
| USC Upstate | South | 10-6 | 13-15 | 4 seed |
| UNC Asheville | South | 8-8 | 16-13 | 5 seed |
| Campbell | North | 8-8 | 15-12 | 6 seed |
| High Point | North | 7-9 | 13-17 | 7 seed |
| Radford | North | 7-9 | 11-17 | 8 seed |
| North Carolina A&T | North | 6-10 | 11-19 | 9 seed |
| Hampton | North | 5-11 | 9-18 | 10 seed |
| Presbyterian | South | 4-12 | 12-19 | 11 seed |
| Charleston Southern | South | 1-15 | 5-24 | 12 seed |
Big South Tournament Schedule
Dates: March 2, 4-6
TV Schedule: ESPN+ (First Round, Quarterfinals, Semifinals); ESPN2 (Championship)
Venue: Bojangles Coliseum — Charlotte, NC
Byes: Top 4 receive single
Defending Champion: Winthrop
Big South Tournament Bracket
First Round
- (12) Charleston Southern 79, (5) UNC Asheville 78
- (6) Campbell 75, (11) Presbyterian 72 (2OT)
- (7) High Point 84, (10) Hampton 77 (OT)
- (9) North Carolina A&T 78, (8) Radford 71 (OT)
Quarterfinals
- (1) Longwood 79, (9) North Carolina A&T 65 (OT)
- (2) Winthrop 68, (7) High Point 51
- (3) Gardner-Webb 54, (6) Campbell 53
- (4) USC Upstate 72, (12) Charleston Southern 62
Semifinals
- (1) Longwood 78, (4) USC Upstate 70
- (2) Winthrop 76, (3) Gardner-Webb 67
Championship
- (1) Longwood 79, (2) Winthrop 58
Longwood advances to NCAA Tournament
Big South Conference Breakdown
When it comes to the history of the Big South Basketball Tournament, no team has come close to matching the success of Winthrop. The Eagles have won the league’s automatic bid to March Madness a record 13 times. Among active schools, the next closest on the all-time tournament wins list is UNC Asheville with five. Winthrop has won three of the last five conference tournaments. While the Eagles only lost two games in conference all season, that was still one more than Longwood. Thus, the Lancers will be the 1-seed as they seek their first Big South Tournament title.
According to the College Basketball Net Rankings, the gap between 1-seed Longwood and 2-seed Winthrop is slim to none. The Lancers ended the regular season ranked No. 142 in the Net, exactly one spot ahead of the Eagles at No. 143. While the two schools also finished one-two in the conference in scoring offense, Longwood separated itself by finishing third in scoring defense as opposed to Winthrop‘s No. 10 ranking. 2019 Big South Tournament winner Gardner-Webb was the only other team to finish with a top-200 Net Ranking at No. 164 overall.
When comparing the final Big South basketball season standings to the preseason poll, Longwood certainly stands out as an overachiever. The Lancers weren’t even picked to win the North Division, let alone be the best team in the conference. 4-seed USC Upstate also exceeded preseason expectations. The Spartans were picked to finish dead last in the South Division and are now enjoying a First Round bye in the Big South Tournament bracket. Although Campbell managed to finish second in the North Division, a .500 record in league play and a 6-seed in the tournament saw the Fighting Camels underachieve relative to expectations.
Team Stats | 2022 Big South Basketball Tournament
(1) Longwood Lancers
Net Ranking: 142 (No. 1 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 154 (No. 1 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 106.3 (No. 126)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 105.4 (No. 209)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -8.04 (No. 346)
(2) Winthrop Eagles
Net Ranking: 143 (No. 2 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 164 (No. 3 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 106.8 (No. 114)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 106.4 (No. 233)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -2.93 (No. 226)
(3) Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs
Net Ranking: 164 (No. 3 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 160 (No. 2 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 98.0 (No. 283)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 97.3 (No. 56)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -3.99 (No. 259)
(4) USC Upstate Spartans
Net Ranking: 271 (No. 8 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 279 (No. 8 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 102.0 (No. 211)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 111.4 (No. 315)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -2.96 (No. 227)
(5) UNC Asheville Bulldogs
Net Ranking: 222 (No. 4 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 214 (No. 4 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 101.4 (No. 223)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 104.9 (No. 201)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -4.97 (No. 282)
(6) Campbell Fighting Camels
Net Ranking: 223 (No. 5 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 219 (No. 5 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 102.2 (No. 206)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 106.1 (No. 225)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -5.73 (No. 298)
(7) High Point Panthers
Net Ranking: 256 (No. 6 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 238 (No. 6 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 100.0 (No. 255)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 105.7 (No. 213)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -3.37 (No. 244)
(8) Radford Highlanders
Net Ranking: 287 (No. 9 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 284 (No. 9 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 96.1 (No. 310)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 106.2 (No. 226)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -2.69 (No. 222)
(9) North Carolina A&T Aggies
Net Ranking: 291 (No. 10 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 295 (No. 10 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 97.6 (No. 289)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 108.6 (No. 273)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -2.58 (No. 220)
(10) Hampton Pirates
Net Ranking: 322 (No. 11 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 328 (No. 11 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 91.5 (No. 351)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 106.8 (No. 247)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -5.04 (No. 285)
(11) Presbyterian Blue Hose
Net Ranking: 270 (No. 7 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 267 (No. 7 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 97.2 (No. 295)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 105.6 (No. 211)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -2.52 (No. 217)
(12) Charleston Southern Buccaneers
Net Ranking: 351 (No. 12 in Big South)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 351 (No. 12 in Big South)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 92.4 (No. 346)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 113.4 (No. 338)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -3.20 (No. 235)
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