At long last, it is conference tournament time in college basketball. Hundreds of teams hold out hope for a chance to play in the nation’s most prestigious tournament next month, but only a select few will get the opportunity. One of the first conferences to get underway is the Sun Belt, with the first round of action tipping off on Tuesday evening.  To prepare, we will discuss the favorite, a dark horse, and the best bet that we think could go dancing on the league’s behalf.

Sun Belt Conference Tournament Dates & Sites

Dates: February 28 – March 4

Location: Pensacola Bay Center – Pensacola, FL

Championship Game Details: Monday, March 5, 7:00 p.m. ET – ESPN2

Sun Belt Tournament Winner Odds

Favorite: Marshall +220

Head coach Dan D’Antoni is aware that he has two superstars that you don’t, and he isn’t afraid to run them into the ground. The senior backcourt duo of Andrew Taylor and Taevion Kinsey is electric, accounting for over 40 points per game in one of the fastest-paced offenses in the country. They each rank in the top four of minutes played among all Division I players this season. They almost never see the pine as D’Antoni utilizes the least bench minutes out of all 363 teams in college hoops. Foul trouble could cause issues for the Thundering Herd with their lack of depth, but they are not short of talent when it comes to their starters. They are rightfully the favorite to be off to the NCAA Tournament in two weeks.

Other Contender: Southern Miss +550

Jay Ladner has conducted one of the best turnarounds in college basketball with Southern Miss. After a 7-26 season with just one conference win in 2021-22, he has the Golden Eagles flying high with a 25-6 record and their first regular-season conference title since 2001. The Sun Belt also awards the top four teams – Marshall included – with a double-bye to the quarterfinals, leaving you with just three wins needed in order to cash this ticket. We’ll stray away from referring to Southern Miss as a “dark horse”  after winning the regular season and refer to them as another contender in what should be an incredibly competitive tournament.

Best Bet: South Alabama +1000

There are few teams in the country playing better basketball than South Alabama in the past month. Do you think that sounds like hyperbole? Since the start of February, the Jaguars rank 21st in the nation in T-Rank on barttorvik.com, ahead of teams like Indiana, Saint Mary’s, and Creighton. They are arguably the league’s hottest team over that span and provide a gorgeous price at +1000, which is likely based on season-long metrics. However, Richie Riley’s crew looks like an improved squad compared to their 2-7 start in league play. It’s a bit of a deep dive to the fifth-shortest odds, but you won’t find better value on the Sun Belt board than backing the guys in Mobile.

All NCAA predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid.