Lipscomb Odds-On Favorite to Win NCAAM Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament

• Lipscomb has won at least 20 games in three straight seasons.
• Lipscomb (14-2) and Liberty (14-2) dominated the A-Sun regular season.
• Aside from Lipscomb and Liberty, only one other team in the A-Sun finished with an overall record above .500.

With their 87-75 win over the North Alabama Lions on Friday night, the Lipscomb Bisons earned a share of the Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season title and locked up the top seed in this week’s conference tournament.

While the Bisons are ranked 49th at KenPom, 46th in the NET, and have a 23-6 overall record, they might still need to win the ASun tournament to ensure their spot in March Madness.

That goes double for Liberty, the team that tied Lipscomb at the top of the ASun standings. The Flames are 65th at KenPom and 62nd in the NET, despite being 25-6 on the year.

Oddsmakers have posted odds on the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. Lipscomb is a heavy favorite to win it all, and Liberty is the only team that’s being given a fighting chance to pull an upset.

Odds to Win 2019 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament

*Odds taken 3/4

Lipscomb is on a Roll

It’s been a good few years for Lipscomb as the basketball program has now posted three straight 20-win seasons. That’s the first time that’s happened since the Don Meyer era (1984-2001).

ASUN Tournament MVP, Mr. Garrison Mathews!@gmathews_24 dropped 33 points, including 7 three-pointers in Lipscomb’s 108-96 victory over FGCU.#beLieve #ASUNMadness pic.twitter.com/oQELYItxFZ

— LipscombMBB (@LipscombMBB) March 4, 2018

The Bisons are led by Garrison Mathews, who was named the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year on Tuesday. He led the conference in scoring (averaging 19.8 points per game), the third consecutive season he’s done so. He has plenty of help, though, as he was joined on the All-Conference team by teammate Rob Marberry. Ahsan Asadullah made the all-freshman team as well.

Bisons Clinch Home-Court Advantage

While the Bisons have won at least one road game in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament in three of the last four years, they won’t have to this time because they’ve clinched home-court advantage throughout. While they tied Liberty atop the standings at 14-2, they won the tiebreaker and will get to host.

Garrison Mathews didn’t have his body even somewhat aligned…He’s absolutely on fire today for Lipscomb.

(via @clippittv) pic.twitter.com/oyXsbx7xTD

— Basketball Society (@BBallSociety_) March 4, 2018

It’s the first time since 2010 that Lipscomb holds the No. 1 seed at the conference tournament. They’ll host Kennesaw State on Monday, who finished the year just 6-25. Lipscomb has won six straight meetings and 16 of the last 18. They are 24.5-point favorites.

The Story of the Atlantic Sun

This tournament should really come down to two teams: Lipscomb or Liberty. There is good reason why no other team is shorter than +1200. The third-best team in the conference, North Florida, is 177th at KenPom and finished its conference slate just 9-7. While they have won six straight, they also lost to Jacksonville (257th at KenPom), FGCU (214th), and Kennesaw St. (341st) in late January.

.@LibertyMBB‘s @ScottieJames31 joins Homesley on the First Team All-Conference as the Flames earn two selections to the squad. #RiseWithUS

Article: https://t.co/QWJE3ZTj7r pic.twitter.com/uga1uw69WS

— #ASUNMBB? (@ASUNMBB) March 4, 2019

When you take into account the overall records, just one team (outside of Liberty and Lipscomb) finished above .500. That was NJIT at 20-11. But the Highlanders went 0-4 against Lipscomb and Liberty in conference play, losing by an average margin of 14.5 PPG.

Who is the Best Bet: Liberty or Lipscomb?

Liberty and Lipscomb have faced off twice this season and both sides actually won on the opponent’s home court. At the end of the day, I can’t see Liberty going on the road to Lipscomb and winning twice.

Mathews Named ASUN Player of the Year, Alexander Coach of the Year https://t.co/VHQmwlwhCs pic.twitter.com/7DCEczGtHg

— LipscombMBB (@LipscombMBB) March 4, 2019

Liberty is a solid team that’s played well in its first year in the Atlantic Sun Conference. They play at a very slow place (348th in tempo), but are top-100 in both offense (59th) and defense (92nd) in the KenPom ratings. They are a tough, defensive team that forces the game to a grinding halt. They make their opponents take tough shots.

However, Lipscomb has been the best team in the conference by a wide margin. They play at one of the fastest tempos in the country (14th), averaging 84.1 points per game (ninth in the country). They hit 37.7% of their threes, which ranks 41^st in Division I, but they protect the arc well themselves, allowing opponents to hit just 31.3% from three.

At the end of the day, this is an experienced team with a loaded roster. They’ll also be at home for the entire tournament, and most importantly, the championship game. Lipscomb is the best bet in this spot.