Season in Review
The Sun Belt was very competitive this season, with Georgia State winning the conference by just one game over three different teams tied in second. That figures to produce a super fun conference tournament with a ton of upset potential. Every team 1-7 was at least .500 in the conference, and while the Panthers are the favorite to return to the NCAA Tournament, there are plenty of great teams and players who can create some havoc in the bracket. Look for Georgia Southern and Texas State, both teams who won 20 games on the year, to challenge Ron Hunter's team for the tournament title.
Bracket
Contenders
Georgia State (22-9, 12-6)
The Panthers might be best known for the big shot hit by RJ Hunter that caused his father to fall off his stool a few years ago in their upset of Baylor. They have maintained some level of success since then, including making the NCAA Tournament last season. They have one of the best offenses in the conference, shooting 39.7% from behind the arc during Sun Belt play, best in the conference. They also play at a fast pace to speed up their opponents, which gets the easy buckets, and they take good care of the ball. Defensively, they do a very good job of forcing turnovers, getting 8 steals a game, tops in the conference and 25th in the nation. They typically play very small, which leads to struggles on the glass, but it allows them to play the way they want offensively, and few teams in the Sun Belt have had an answer for star guard D'Marcus Simonds. They are the favorites to get the bid from the Sun Belt again this season, so keep an eye out for the Panthers.
Georgia Southern (20-11, 12-6)
The Eagles lost the conference title with a loss to Georgia State on the last game of the season, and they figure to have as good a shot as anyone at winning the conference. They play at any even quicker pace, the thirteenth fastest in the country, but unlike their in-state rivals, they do most of their work inside the arc. They are sixth in the country at two point field goal percentage, shooting 57%, and it has given them one of the best offenses in the conference. They are led by dynamic point guard Tookie Brown, who does a great job orchestrating their high speed offense, and he is often a blur in transition. The thing that impresses me the most is their defense, as although they play fast, their defensive possessions are the slowest in the Sun Belt, which makes them hard to score against. They also get a lot of steals with 7.8 a game, trailing just Georgia State in the conference, and that helps them play very fast. They should be able to mount a strong challenge for the Sun Belt title.
Sleeper Team
Louisiana (19-12, 10-8)
The Ragin Cajuns are the reigning Sun Belt regular season champions, and they had what can be described as a disappointing season. They are led by senior forward JaKeenan Gant, and he can take over games at times since there are very few big men who can guard him in the conference. They also play at a high pace, and they lead the conference in assists per game with 15. They have been inconsistent throughout the season, but they have the ability to beat anyone on any given night, and they have beaten Georgia State, Georgia Southern, and UT Arlington at various points in conference plays, and they come in having won 6 of 8. Look out for them to make some noise in the tournament and potentially take down a higher seed.
Players to Watch
D'Marcus Simonds
Stats: 18.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 42.1/29.3/67.6
Simonds is one of the better scores in the country, and what is most impressive to me is that he doesn't without a consistent jumper. The guard has the ability to beat just about any player in the conference off the bounce, and he is very talented at scoring around the rim. He is also very good at rebounding, especially for his size, and he is also a very good playmaker for those around him. His game against Troy illustrates everything he does well, when he scored 27 points, had 7 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists. He can lead the Panthers on a deep tournament run, and he is certainly a player to keep an eye on.
Tookie Brown
Stats: 17.9 PPG, 4 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 50.9/35.5/76.7
The point guard on the Eagles is known for playing at high speeds, much like the rest of his team, and his frantic pace helps them win games. He likes to run in transition, and the numbers you see here are basically what he has been doing ever since he enrolled at Georgia Southern. He will be able to beat nearly everyone with his speed, and he also has a good enough jumper to keep defenders honest. He's averaging 20.8 points per game over the last four games of the season, so he's hot, and I'm very excited to watch him play in the Sun Belt Tournament.
JaKeenan Gant
Stats: 20.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.7 BPG, 54.3/35.5/79.7
Grant is a transfer from Missouri, and he has dominated the Sun Belt ever since he joined the Ragin Cajuns. He's had 11 double doubles on the season and with a three point stroke coming along, he is even more dangerous than before. The big man is dominant, finishing third in the conference in points, second in rebounds, and by far the leader in blocks. He had a big performance early on in conference play, with a 45 point, 11 rebound game against Arkansas Little Rock, and I think he's got a real shot to dominate the tournament and lead them on a deep run.
Daishon Smith
Stats: 22 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.9 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0 BPG, 45.3/40.5/86.1
The sophomore guard transferred from Wichita State, and he shined in his first year with the Warhawks. He led the conference in points and steals, ranked fifth in assists, and tenth in three point percentage this season. He is an incredible scorer, and he has turned it on in big games this season, so he could go off in the tournament. In back to back games against Georgia State and Georgia Southern, he went for 36/8/7 and 38/6/6, and Louisiana Monroe won both games. If he can play that way in the tournament, good luck stopping the Warhawks.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Daishon Smith, Louisiana Monroe
G: Tookie Brown, Georgia Southern
G: D'Marcus Simonds, Georgia State
G: Ty Cockfield, Arkansas State
F: JaKeenan Grant, Louisiana
Second Team
G: Rayjon Tucker, Arkansas Little Rock
G: Nijal Pearson, Texas State
G: Ronshad Shabazz, Appalachian State
F: Zac Cuthbertson, Coastal Carolina
F: Josh Ajayi, South Alabama
My Pick: Louisiana over Georgia Southern
I went for a little bit of madness in this one, but I really like the Ragin Cajuns' chances here. They have one of the top players in the conference, and it seems like there isn't anyone who can check him, especially not on Georgia State, who they would be matched up with, and I'm all over their role players, including Marcus Stroman, who has been excellent. While I like Georgia Southern and their ability to win the tournament, my gut feels like the Ragin Cajuns will take this one.
The Sun Belt was very competitive this season, with Georgia State winning the conference by just one game over three different teams tied in second. That figures to produce a super fun conference tournament with a ton of upset potential. Every team 1-7 was at least .500 in the conference, and while the Panthers are the favorite to return to the NCAA Tournament, there are plenty of great teams and players who can create some havoc in the bracket. Look for Georgia Southern and Texas State, both teams who won 20 games on the year, to challenge Ron Hunter's team for the tournament title.
Bracket
Contenders
Georgia State (22-9, 12-6)
The Panthers might be best known for the big shot hit by RJ Hunter that caused his father to fall off his stool a few years ago in their upset of Baylor. They have maintained some level of success since then, including making the NCAA Tournament last season. They have one of the best offenses in the conference, shooting 39.7% from behind the arc during Sun Belt play, best in the conference. They also play at a fast pace to speed up their opponents, which gets the easy buckets, and they take good care of the ball. Defensively, they do a very good job of forcing turnovers, getting 8 steals a game, tops in the conference and 25th in the nation. They typically play very small, which leads to struggles on the glass, but it allows them to play the way they want offensively, and few teams in the Sun Belt have had an answer for star guard D'Marcus Simonds. They are the favorites to get the bid from the Sun Belt again this season, so keep an eye out for the Panthers.
Georgia Southern (20-11, 12-6)
The Eagles lost the conference title with a loss to Georgia State on the last game of the season, and they figure to have as good a shot as anyone at winning the conference. They play at any even quicker pace, the thirteenth fastest in the country, but unlike their in-state rivals, they do most of their work inside the arc. They are sixth in the country at two point field goal percentage, shooting 57%, and it has given them one of the best offenses in the conference. They are led by dynamic point guard Tookie Brown, who does a great job orchestrating their high speed offense, and he is often a blur in transition. The thing that impresses me the most is their defense, as although they play fast, their defensive possessions are the slowest in the Sun Belt, which makes them hard to score against. They also get a lot of steals with 7.8 a game, trailing just Georgia State in the conference, and that helps them play very fast. They should be able to mount a strong challenge for the Sun Belt title.
Sleeper Team
Louisiana (19-12, 10-8)
The Ragin Cajuns are the reigning Sun Belt regular season champions, and they had what can be described as a disappointing season. They are led by senior forward JaKeenan Gant, and he can take over games at times since there are very few big men who can guard him in the conference. They also play at a high pace, and they lead the conference in assists per game with 15. They have been inconsistent throughout the season, but they have the ability to beat anyone on any given night, and they have beaten Georgia State, Georgia Southern, and UT Arlington at various points in conference plays, and they come in having won 6 of 8. Look out for them to make some noise in the tournament and potentially take down a higher seed.
Players to Watch
D'Marcus Simonds
Stats: 18.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 42.1/29.3/67.6
Simonds is one of the better scores in the country, and what is most impressive to me is that he doesn't without a consistent jumper. The guard has the ability to beat just about any player in the conference off the bounce, and he is very talented at scoring around the rim. He is also very good at rebounding, especially for his size, and he is also a very good playmaker for those around him. His game against Troy illustrates everything he does well, when he scored 27 points, had 7 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists. He can lead the Panthers on a deep tournament run, and he is certainly a player to keep an eye on.
Tookie Brown
Stats: 17.9 PPG, 4 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 50.9/35.5/76.7
The point guard on the Eagles is known for playing at high speeds, much like the rest of his team, and his frantic pace helps them win games. He likes to run in transition, and the numbers you see here are basically what he has been doing ever since he enrolled at Georgia Southern. He will be able to beat nearly everyone with his speed, and he also has a good enough jumper to keep defenders honest. He's averaging 20.8 points per game over the last four games of the season, so he's hot, and I'm very excited to watch him play in the Sun Belt Tournament.
JaKeenan Gant
Stats: 20.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.7 BPG, 54.3/35.5/79.7
Grant is a transfer from Missouri, and he has dominated the Sun Belt ever since he joined the Ragin Cajuns. He's had 11 double doubles on the season and with a three point stroke coming along, he is even more dangerous than before. The big man is dominant, finishing third in the conference in points, second in rebounds, and by far the leader in blocks. He had a big performance early on in conference play, with a 45 point, 11 rebound game against Arkansas Little Rock, and I think he's got a real shot to dominate the tournament and lead them on a deep run.
Daishon Smith
Stats: 22 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.9 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0 BPG, 45.3/40.5/86.1
The sophomore guard transferred from Wichita State, and he shined in his first year with the Warhawks. He led the conference in points and steals, ranked fifth in assists, and tenth in three point percentage this season. He is an incredible scorer, and he has turned it on in big games this season, so he could go off in the tournament. In back to back games against Georgia State and Georgia Southern, he went for 36/8/7 and 38/6/6, and Louisiana Monroe won both games. If he can play that way in the tournament, good luck stopping the Warhawks.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Daishon Smith, Louisiana Monroe
G: Tookie Brown, Georgia Southern
G: D'Marcus Simonds, Georgia State
G: Ty Cockfield, Arkansas State
F: JaKeenan Grant, Louisiana
Second Team
G: Rayjon Tucker, Arkansas Little Rock
G: Nijal Pearson, Texas State
G: Ronshad Shabazz, Appalachian State
F: Zac Cuthbertson, Coastal Carolina
F: Josh Ajayi, South Alabama
My Pick: Louisiana over Georgia Southern
I went for a little bit of madness in this one, but I really like the Ragin Cajuns' chances here. They have one of the top players in the conference, and it seems like there isn't anyone who can check him, especially not on Georgia State, who they would be matched up with, and I'm all over their role players, including Marcus Stroman, who has been excellent. While I like Georgia Southern and their ability to win the tournament, my gut feels like the Ragin Cajuns will take this one.
Comments
Post a Comment