Southern Conference Tournament 2023 Predictions, Odds & Schedule

• The Southern Tournament tips off on Friday, March 3rd, in Asheville, NC
• Furman has the shortest odds to earn the automatic March Madness bid
• See the latest Southern Tournament odds below, plus a betting prediction

The only way a Southern Conference team will be dancing in two weeks is if they take down the conference crown. The Southern Conference Tournament begins on Friday, March 3rd in Asheville, NC, and oddsmakers have pegged top seed Furman as the betting favorite.

Southern Conference Tournament Odds

The Paladins boast the shortest price to win the tourney at +120, followed by number three seed UNC Greensboro at +250.

Furman earned the number one seed thanks to a 15-3 conference record, and currently project as a 14-seed in the March Madness bracket.

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Odds as of March 1, 2023, at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Southern Conference Tournament Schedule

Harrah’s Cherokee Center will play host to the event, beginning with first round action on Friday. The top-six seeds in the 10-team conference receive byes into the second round, leaving seeds seven through 10 to do battle on the tournament’s opening night.

Quarterfinal action tips off on Saturday, March 4th, with Furman and the rest of the top-six seeds joining the party. The semifinals are set for Sunday, March 5th, with the Championship Game taking place on Monday, March 6th.

Southern Conference Tournament Predictions: pic.twitter.com/zlzvjI3bS1

— Cheetah Sports Network™ (@CSN247) March 1, 2023

Opening round and quarterfinal action will stream exclusively on ESPN+. ESPNU and ESPNews will split semifinal coverage, while the title game will get the full ESPN treatment.

Southern Conference Betting Analysis

The Paladins boast the highest grade in the SoCon per KenPom’s efficiency metrics at 89. UNC Greensboro is the only other program ranked inside the top-110, with Samford being the next highest ranked team at 129.

Furman led the conference in points per game, averaging 82 a night. That was good enough for 16th in the nation, while they were also a top-20  program in assists (9th) and field goal percentage (19th). The Paladins are led by SoCon player of the year Jalen Slawson, while you could make the argument they feature the top-two players in the conference.

𝑷𝑳𝑨𝒀𝑬𝑹 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹

Congrats to Jalen Slawson for earning unanimous Player of the Year and 1st Team All-League Honors 🤝#AllDIN #BetterTogether pic.twitter.com/l2agrm7mNF

— Furman Basketball (@FurmanMBB) March 1, 2023

Slawson ranked number one in effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage. He shot 55% from the field, ranking top-six in points, rebounds and assists per game. Teammate Mike Bothwell led the conference in points per night with 17.9, while two other starters also averaged north of 11 points.

That type of balance is hard to find in college hoops, and it led them to a fantastic record down the stretch. Furman closed the season by winning 11 of 12, racking up six victories of 13 or more points along the way.

They beat each of the top-eight seeds over their final 12 games, blowing out second seed Samford, third seed UNC Greensboro, and fourth seed Western Carolina.

The Spartans may have the second shortest odds, but if you’re looking to back a team other than Furman, consider the Bulldogs instead. Their only loss over their final nine games was to the Paladins, and they took down UNC Greensboro in both of their meetings this season.

A third meeting with the Spartans looms in the semifinals for Samford, and we can expect the Bulldogs to ride the conference’s second best offense to another victory.

Southern Conference Predictions

That would set up a third matchup between Samford vs Furman this season. The Paladins took down the Bulldogs in each of the previous two meetings, and it’s tough to bet against them at this point.

Furman’s form is exceptional, and they have two players capable of taking over the game. Unlike the Bulldogs, who played a cupcake schedule, the Paladins are battle tested as well.

Samford vs Furman H2H This Season

Their out of conference opponents included Penn State, South Carolina and NC State, all teams that show up regularly in the NCAA Tournament odds. They held their own versus those much bigger programs, and that kind of experience will make them a dangerous matchup in two weeks.

Of course they have to qualify for March Madness first, but that shouldn’t be a problem. They are the class of the SoCon and their +120 price tag isn’t indicative of how dominant they’ve been. Grab the value on the Paladins while you still can.

Pick: Furman Paladins (+120)