Which ASUN Team Will Earn an Automatic Bid Into The NCAA Tournament?
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels Lead The 2024 ASUN Tournament Odds
It’s finally here!
It’s time for March Madness!
Believe it or not, the Atlantic Sun Tournament begins tonight!
Only ten of the 12 teams are in the Tournament from the Atlantic Sun Conference. Bellarmine and Central Arkansas are already eliminated after no more than five conference wins each on the year.
Those two teams finished as the bottom two and are already looking forward to next year.
The teams with the highest conference records got a higher seeding for this Tournament. Check out the conference records and the 2024 ASUN Tournament odds below.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Eastern Kentucky (12-4) | +140 |
| Stetson (11-5) | +350 |
| Lipscomb (11-5) | +300 |
| Austin Peay (10-6) | +900 |
| North Florida | +2000 |
| North Alabama (8-8) | +2500 |
| Florida Gulf Coast (8-8) | +2500 |
| Queens (7-9) | +8000 |
| Kennesaw State (6-10) | +4000 |
| Jacksonville (5-11) | +13000 |
ASUN Bracket Format
The ASUN isn’t set up as a traditional bracket format.
The 9 and 10 seeds will face off in Round 1, and the 7 and 8 seeds will also play against one another. This is instead of the seven playing the 10 and 8 playing the 9.
After Round 1, each round will reseed. Therefore, the No. 1 team, Eastern Kentucky, would play the worst seed after Round 1. If Jacksonville pulls off an iconic upset, Eastern Kentucky will face Jacksonville. However, if Kennesaw State wins, Eastern Kentucky must play them.
This format benefits the top seeds as they play the worst-ranked team throughout the tournament. Also, the team with the best record will have a home college basketball game on their own campus site.
Round 1 begins Monday, and Round 2, the quarterfinals, will all play out on Tuesday.
After Round 2, the Semifinals will be on Thursday, and the Championship will tip off on Sunday.
Best Value On The Board
Lipscomb (+300)
The Lipscomb Bisons have one of the best offenses in the nation. If Lipscomb starts to get hot, look out!
The Bisons have shot a 56.4% effective field goal percentage this season, which ranks 11th in the nation. They’ve also nailed 38.2% from downtown and 55.9% from inside the arc on the year.
Beyond that, Lipscomb has dropped nearly 78% from the foul line and has only turned the ball over 14.4% of the time.
Ultimately, Lipscomb’s defense has hurt them big time this season. But not many teams will even be able to hang with the Bisons. Plus, Lipscomb has fouled at a really low rate. Opponents don’t get to the foul line much against the Bisons.
Anytime another college basketball team struggles from the field, the Bisons have a ridiculous advantage.
They’ve had three players in double figures this season. However, Derrin Boyd was injured in mid-February and won’t play another game for the Bisons this season. The senior guard added 17.6 points per game and shot over 52% from the field.
That’s going to sting. But the offense is still very capable of putting together a massive run in the tournament.
Jacksonville +130000
Before you start laughing, let me get my point across.
It’s unlikely Jacksonville will win the conference at +130000. The Dolphins are the No. 10 seed and would have to play an extra game than most of the favorites if they wanted to win it all.
They say defense wins championships. And if we’re being honest, the Dolphins have the best defense in the conference.
In conference play, Jacksonville has a defensive efficiency of 106.2 to lead the ASUN. They’ve also added 10.5% of steals and have earned 18.4% of turnovers against conference opponents this season. Those are both the best rates in the nation this year.
Opponents have only added 26.9% of offensive rebounds against the Dolphins, and Jacksonville has also limited teams to 50.9% from inside the arc and 35.7% from beyond the arc this season. Those two rates are also above the average in the conference.
While the offense isn’t nearly as good, they’ve still got Robert McCray V. He had committed to Wake Forest in 2022 and is a highly regarded NCAAB player for the ASUN.
McCray is a top-five player in this conference and has scored 17.2 points per game, adding 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He could take over. If McCray gets hot and the defense continues its dominant play, a realistic run is in play.
Eastern Kentucky (+140)
Eastern Kentucky isn’t the best team on offense or defense in this tournament. But the Colonels are the most well-rounded on both sides of the ball overall.
In conference play, via KenPom, Eastern Kentucky ranks third in offensive efficiency and third in defensive efficiency. They’ve got the No. 1 seed and will have home games for as long as they survive in the tournament.
The Colonels have held conference teams to a 47.7% effective field goal percentage, thanks to opponents shooting 45% from inside the arc against Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels have also blocked nearly 14% of shots in conference play, which is the most in the conference by a long shot.
They’re led by Isaiah Cozart, who has added 15.5 points and 9.9 rebounds and has shot 65.8% from the field this entire season. He’s also one of the best players in the conference and should put together a massive tournament.
Eastern Kentucky will have the easiest NCAA Men’s basketball schedule in the ASUN. Therefore, they’ve got the best 2024 ASUN Tournament odds.
Ultimately, we like Eastern Kentucky and Lipscomb when looking at these NCAAB odds. The Tournament Champion will be crowned in less than a week!
For NCAAB pick and parlay, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
