Things look different in the Big South this year with the departures of Hampton and North Carolina A&T, putting the conference now at just 10 schools.
As a result, the Big South has decided to move away from the two-division format and instead, will play a double round-robin schedule.
Longwood comes into the season looking to establish a new normal, as it’s coming off of its first-ever conference title and NCAA tournament appearance.
Winthrop, meanwhile, looks to retake its spot as the top dog, as it fell short in the conference tournament last year for the first time in the last three seasons.
The rest of conference is full of potential upset candidates, including USC Upstate, High Point and Presbyterian — the remaining three programs who have yet to win a Big South title.
Will we see two first-time winners in back-to-back seasons?
| Longwood | +200 |
| Winthrop | +280 |
| UNC Asheville | +400 |
| Gardner-Webb | +600 |
| USC Upstate | +1200 |
| Radford | +1400 |
| High Point | +1400 |
| Campbell | +2000 |
| Presbyterian | +3000 |
| Charleston Southern | +4000 |
| ATS Record 2021-22 | 19-10 (65.5%) |
| O/U 2021-22 | 16-13 (55.2%) |
Longwood is the favorite to win the conference, and for good reason. The Lancers return four of last year’s starters, as well as eight players total who recorded an offensive rating of 100+ last year.
But how will the Lancers respond with the target on their back?
Longwood enters the season as reigning champions for the first time ever — not to mention, it has some questions that need answered.
Those questions are specifically at point guard, as the Lancers lost Justin Hill to Georgia. However, I think Walyn Napper — a standout transfer from Southern Miss — can be the answer.