Atlantic Sun Tournament Betting Guide: An Intriguing Dark Horse

ASUN Tournament Best Bet: Austin Peay (+900)

We like the value of the Governors here. There isn't a truly convincing favorite within this conference that feels right to back. Austin Peay has proven they can beat Eastern Kentucky and hang with the other teams ahead of them, suffering narrow losses to Stetson and Lipscomb. This roster has experience, star power, and elite guard play. Those are all critical components to success in postseason play. Take the hefty price on the Governors to take the Atlantic Sun's automatic bid.

ASUN Tournament Favorite: Eastern Kentucky (+145)

A.W. Hamilton has done a great job in Richmond this season. It's the Colonels' fourth top-four finish in their conference in five seasons under Hamilton and the program's first regular-season conference title since 1979. They didn't start the season too hot with a 4-9 record, but a flying 7-0 start to ASUN play helped position them to take the league crown. While this isn't a very deep team, they have loads of continuity and chemistry with one another, with all five starters returning from a season ago. Their big three of Leland Walker, Isaiah Cozart, and Devontae Blanton are as good as it gets to the top trios in the league, and they are rightfully the favorite to come out of this bracket.

ASUN Tournament Challenger: Lipscomb (+300)

Lipscomb made a serious statement on Friday night, closing out the season with a home win over Eastern Kentucky. It capped off a stretch of seven wins in eight games since the start of February to help lift them to the two-seed in the bracket. They will be without star point guard Derrin Boyd, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear back on February 10th. Still, this roster has plenty of talent and offensive firepower to push the Bisons to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.

ASUN Tournament Dark Horse: Austin Peay (+900)

This backcourt is for real. DeMarcus Sharp is one of the best isolation guards in the country and can single-handedly win you a game against any opponent. That's the type of player you want to be backing in a single-elimination tournament like this. Quinnipiac transfer Dezi Jones has also come into his own over the past few months. After averaging just 9.2 points per game in his first 14 games this season, he has put up 16.9 points per contest in his last 17 games on highly improved shooting splits. He is a budding star in the league and is the guy you want running your offense with the chips on the table.

ASUN Tournament Best Bet: Austin Peay (+900)

We like the value of the Governors here. There isn't a truly convincing favorite within this conference that feels right to back. Austin Peay has proven they can beat Eastern Kentucky and hang with the other teams ahead of them, suffering narrow losses to Stetson and Lipscomb. This roster has experience, star power, and elite guard play. Those are all critical components to success in postseason play. Take the hefty price on the Governors to take the Atlantic Sun's automatic bid.