Conference tournaments are almost ready to tip off and the NCAA tournament bracket will be ready to take shape in just a few weeks.
The state of North Carolina is known for its prowess in the landscape of college basketball. But oftentimes, non-power-conference NC schools are overlooked in the equation.
Below, I'll preview three of NC’s best low-to-mid-major schools you should keep your eyes on for conference tournaments. These teams can maybe even be plays on North Carolina betting apps in March.
Appalachian State Mountaineers (Sun Belt)
The Sun Belt Conference tournament has all the ingredients to be one of the best in all of college basketball.
Whoever comes out on top will need to go through the top-seeded Mountaineers of Appalachian State.
After a rocky 1-2 start — including a loss to a meager Northern Illinois squad — the Mountaineers have rattled off 24 of their last 27, including wins over UNC Wilmington, Auburn during the non-conference and a sweep of James Madison.
Appalachian State’s resurgence can be easily explained when you look at its production on the defensive end of the court. App State currently sits in the top 50 in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency, via both Bart Torvik and KenPom.
So, how do they do it? Well, everything revolves around forward Justin Abson, who's third in the country in blocks per game with 3.0.
Abson is one of the best rim protectors in the sport. Because of his shot-altering ability, opposing teams won’t get anything easy at the rim. The Mountaineers have been able to hold teams to an eFG% of 45.4, good for seventh in all of Division I.
Additionally, App State has been able to lock down its opponents without fouling. The Mountaineers have held their opponents to a staggering 19.8% free-throw rate, which is second in the country.
A trip to the Big Dance may require a third win over James Madison in the Sun Belt title game. But with Abson and the Mountaineers' lockdown defense, you can never quite count them out.
If App State can break through the Sun Belt, any top seed should shudder at the thought of drawing this squad.
UNC Greensboro (Southern) (+500, FanDuel)
Under current Cincinnati head coach Wes Miller, UNCG established itself as one of the top programs in the SoCon. Under Miller, the Spartans reached two NCAA tournaments and made two NIT appearances.
Current head coach Mike Jones is trying to get the program back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021, and he’ll be leaning on forward Mikeal Brown-Jones to do so.
Brown-Jones was a key reserve at VCU for his first two years before he took his talents to Greensboro. Brown-Jones has enjoyed a breakout season in his senior campaign, as he’s second in the SoCon in scoring behind Western Carolina’s Vonterius Woolbright.
Brown-Jones is accompanied by the Langley brothers, Keyshaun and Kobe, as well as Donovan Atwell.
Under Jones, the Spartans play at one of the slowest paces in the country (314th in Adjusted Tempo, via KenPom).
While they’re putting their opponents to sleep in the half-court, the Spartans are one of the most lethal teams from distance, shooting a staggering 39.4% from 3, good for sixth in all of Division I. The Spartans space the court just as well as anyone, as they have six players who’ve made at least 20 3s on the season.
The Spartans’ combination of tempo and getting hot from a distance is a perfect recipe to frustrate any opponent.
Although they have just the fourth-shortest odds to hoist the Southern Conference Tournament, via FanDuel Sportsbook, UNCG’s team construction and style might be the SoCon’s best counter at knocking off a fast-paced and ultra-athletic Samford squad.
With one regular season game to go, UNCG sits as the second seed in the SoCon. If the Spartans can catch fire for a week in Asheville, don’t be surprised if UNCG represents the SoCon in the NCAA tournament.
UNC Asheville (Big South) (+330, FanDuel)
And lastly, we have the defending champions of the Big South, the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. Behind Tennessee transfer and 2023 Big South Player of the Year, Drew Pember, the Bulldogs were a 15-seed in last year’s bracket.
After a slow 5-6 start, the Bulldogs have won 14 of their 19, including an impressive win over in-state Appalachian State, where Pember finished with his lone triple-double in 2024.
In his six seasons as Asheville’s coach Mike Morrell has done a great job instilling an analytical approach to the team's defense. UNC Asheville allows just 32.6% of its opposition’s shots from beyond the arc.
Moreover, with Asheville’s ability to run teams off the 3-point line, it's proven to be deadly from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs are shooting 37.5% from 3, which ranks 23rd in all of Division I.
Now, if Asheville wants to repeat, it'll have to do so on top-seeded High Point's home court. The Bulldogs had some encouraging results against the Panthers this regular season, splitting the home-and-home with two competitive outings.
With their defense, ability to space the floor and Pember’s capability to take over any game, the Bulldogs could surprise and hoist the Big South title for a second consecutive year.
