The Southern Conference basketball tournament tips off this Friday in Asheville, North Carolina. Two games are set for the opening round, with four more to go on Saturday. Furman University earned the number one seed after finishing Southern Conference play at 15-3. The Paladins shared the title with Samford University, but hold the tiebreaker after defeating the Bulldogs twice this year. The Sothern Conference basketball tournament odds have been posted. Bettors should review them before making their college basketball bets on these games.
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College Basketball Odds: Southern Conference Tournament Odds
Per DraftKings:
Furman (+120) opens as the favorites to win the SoCo tournament. They are trailed by UNC Greensboro (+250), Samford (+400) and Chattanooga (+1200). Furman, Samford and Chattanooga are the top three overall seeds in the brackets and will receive first-round byes. The other first-round bye belongs to Western Carolina (+2000).
The Paladins have achieved several milestones en route to their regular season title. Fifth-year Senior Mike Bothwell led the team and the league in scoring. He scored 35 points in the team’s clinching performance last week against Samford.
The regular season conference title is Furman’s first in six years. If they win the conference tournament it will be their first Southern Conference since 1990.
While Furman’s success can’t be ignored, both UNC Greensboro and Samford are close to them on the college basketball odds board.
UNC Greensboro finished third in conference play at 14-4. They defeated Furman on the road on Jan. 14 but lost the Paladins in Greensboro later in the month. The Spartans won the SoCo regular season and tournament crown two years ago. They are now looking to return to the top of the pack.
Samford tied Furman for the regular season title but they are a notch below UNC Greensboro in the betting odds. They are seeking their first Southern Conference tournament title since joining the conference in 2008.
The tournament is being held in Asheville, North Carolina, which is far closer to UNC Greensboro than Samford. Perhaps that proximity and their historical success has college basketball bettors boosting their odds above the Bulldogs.
The tournament is crucial for every team since the winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. No school in the conference is expected to receive an at-large bid. The only way into the Big Dance is through winning the SoCo tournament.
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