2013 Atlantic Sun Tournamant Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Atlantic Sun Tournament Schedule and Tournament Bracket: The Atlantic Sun Conference made a little noise this season, toppling a cup of major conference opponents in out-of-conference matchups. However, the conference was also extremely top heavy with only Mercer and Florida Gulf Coast finishing above .500 for the year. Despite both teams having solid seasons, the overall lack of top-to-bottom strength of the Atlantic Sun means only one of them will earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The automatic berth will go to the winner of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, and needless to say, only one team is going to come away happy. For a closer look at which team has the edge, here is a preview of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
2013 Atlantic Sun Tournament Odds, Free Picks and Predictions
The Contenders
A season that included out-of-conference wins against Florida State and Alabama ended with an Atlantic Sun regular season title for the Mercer Bears (21-10, 14-4 Atlantic Sun). Now, the Bears will try to back up their regular season crown with a conference tournament title. Mercer isn’t a pretty team on the offensive end of the court by any means. In fact, the Bears are one of the worst offensive teams in the conference, averaging less than 65 points per game. However, the Bears also have the Atlantic Sun’s best defense by a wide margin. Entering the conference tournament, Mercer is holding opponents to just 57.4 points per game. When the Bears do need a basket, the experienced backcourt duo of Travis Smith and Langston Hall is where they turn. The two average a combined 24.1 points per game on the year and are the only players averaging double figures. Strong guard play and an even stronger defense has carried Mercer thus far, and it could carry them to the NCAA Tournament.
With a victory over the Miami Hurricanes early in the year, it became obvious the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (21-10, 13-5 Atlantic Sun) had a chance to have one of the better seasons in school history. Although they ultimately came up one game short of winning the conference’s regular season crown, a high-powered offense has the Eagles in prime position to compete for the Atlantic Sun tournament title. Florida Gulf Coast is averaging almost 73 points per game, and three players are scoring in double figures. A strong backcourt is the offense’s biggest strength with guards Sherwood Brown and Bernard Thompson combining for 29.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Defensively, the Eagles are active and aggressive, averaging nine steals per game. Aside from some inconsistent play on the road, Florida Gulf Coast has been a balanced team thus far.
Bottom Line
It is hard to imagine that the Atlantic Sun tournament title game features any teams other than Mercer and Florida Gulf Coast. During the regular season, the two teams split a pair of meetings with the Bears winning by seven at home in overtime and the Eagles winning by three on their home court. Florida Gulf Coast brings a little more scoring punch to the table while Mercer has the edge on defense. Both teams have excellent backcourts, and overall, both sides are evenly matched. That being said, Mercer does have a little more momentum heading into the tournament, having won nine of their last 10 games. More importantly, the setup of the tournament has the Bears playing at home, which tips the scales in their favor in an otherwise tight matchup.
Prediction: Mercer Bears Win the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament
2013 Atlantic Sun Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals, March 6-7:
No. 1 Mercer vs. No. 8 Lipscomb, March 6, 8:30 p.m.
No. 4 Jacksonville vs. No. 5 USC Upstate, March 7, 8:30 p.m.
No. 3 Stetson vs. No. 6 East Tennessee State, March 7, 2:30 p.m.
No. 2 Florida Gulf Coast vs. No. 7 North Florida, March 6, 2:30 p.m.
All games streamed on ESPN3
Semifinals, March 8:
Mercer/Lipscomb vs. Jacksonville/USC Upstate, TBD
Stetson/East Tennessee State vs. Florida Gulf Coast/North Florida, TBD
Top seed remaining will play at 5:30 p.m. Other game tips at 8 p.m. Both cames broadcast on Comcast Sports.
Championship, March 9, ESPN2, Noon
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