College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide: Coastal And Southern Odds, Picks, Stats

College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Preview - Coastal Athletic (CAA) and Southern Conference

The countdown to the NCAA Tournament is less than two weeks away, and Selection Sunday is March 16. The top teams are preparing for March Madness, and the small conference tournaments are in full swing this week as the most intense and exciting time of the college basketball season has arrived. Conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament produce the most live bet games of the season with wall-to-wall media coverage and memorable moments. 

You can read more of my conference tournaments introduction in the opening preview of the Missouri Valley and West Coast Conference tournaments. We'll add more including select picks and updates before getting to the major conferences that will send more than half the 68 teams to the NCAA Tournament from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Big East and SEC. 

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All odds provided by BetOnline, a top online sportsbook and the largest gaming company in Panama. 

Coastal Athletic Conference

Odds to win the Coastal (CAA) tournament, formerly Colonial, provided along with each teams offensive and defensive efficiency ratings from KenPom.

Towson is the most balanced team in the Coastal and has three of the top-10 scorers in the conference. But their is still a pretty sizable gap between the Tigers and top seed UNC Wilmington, who is the consensus top-ranked team for Torvik, KenPom, and Erik Haslam of Haslametrics. So despite finishing 2nd in the regular season behind Towson, the Seahawks are the favorites to win the CAA and celebrate with a spot in the NCAA Tournament. UNCW did lose to Towson in OT in their only meeting this season Jan. 2 with both teams shooting poorly (34-35%).

Monmouth guard Abdi Bashir Jr. is the top scorer in the CAA with 20.3 PPG. But Charleston’s Ante Brzovic, who is second in scoring (18.5 ppg) and third in rebounds (8.2 per game), is perhaps the top player to watch as the Cougars try to make a run having beaten Towson this season but lost to UNCW twice.

Elon is an interesting longshot, despite entering with 3-straight losses. But the Phoenix would need Nick Dorn and TJ Simpkins back in the lineup, and injuries are always something to monitor as teams push for a post tournament spot and intense conference tournament for a spot in March Madness. 

CAA Stats, Trends and Notes

- Small favorites of -4.5 points or fewer are on a strong run in the CAA tourney, boasting a 31-13 SU and 28-13-3 ATS (68.3%) since 2016.
- Teams off a bye taking on teams that already played in the CAA tourney are on a 23-4 SU and 16-11 ATS (59.3%) run over the last 11 years.

CAA Tournament Schedule

The CAA tournament is held in Washington D.C. at Care First Arena. Delaware is the defending conference tournament champion. 

First Round: March 7
Second Round: March 8
Quarterfinals: March 9
Semifinals: March 10
Championship: 7 p.m. March 11 on CBSSN 

Update: No. 12 seed Delaware Blue Hens come up just short as UNC Wilmington (-8.5) wins Coastal Athletic Assoc. championship game 76-72 to advance to the NCAA Tournament. 

Southern Conference

Chattanooga is the top seed and favorite, and the No. 1 seed has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in seven straight years out of the SoCon including Samford last season. But this tournament has six teams capable of making a run to the conference title and NCAA Tournament. The odds reflect that, and this is one of the most competitive small conference tournaments on the schedule this year. 

Chattanooga enters on an 11-game winning streak that includes a road win over No. 2 seed UNC Greensboro and two wins over No. 3 ETSU. The Mocs have the best offensive team in the SoCon, and top-10 in the nation in 2-point FG shooting (58.1%). The question is whether their defense is good enough, as you can see by their poor defensive efficiency rating (251), which ranks 7th in the conference. 

From other research and sources including VSiN, No. 5 seed Furman is second in the conference in Bart Torvik’s efficiency rankings since Jan. 15. In that span, the Paladins have the second-best offense in the conference, and they’re also just a few points per 100 possessions off the second-best defense. Furman guard PJay Smith Jr. is a versatile playmaker who can rebound and is a solid shooter that finished No. 2 in conference scoring (17.2 ppg). 

The other more capable contender at better odds is Samford, who is the best 3-point shooting team in the conference and top-40 in the country (37%) while playing faster and a top-30 pace. The Bulldogs have a top-100 team in offensive efficiency for both KenPom and Bart Torvik, and a superior defense to that of Chattanooga. 

Southern Conference Stats, Trends and Notes 

- Single-digit favorites in the opening round of the Southern Conference tournament are on a 21-8 SU and ATS (72.4%) run since 2011.
- The Southern Conference tourney semifinals are on a 15-7 Over the total run (68.2%).

Southern Conference Tournament Schedule

The SoCon tournament tips off from Harrah's Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville, NC.

First Round: March 7
Quarterfinals: March 8
Semifinals: March 9
Championship: 7 p.m. March 10 on ESPN 

Update: No. 6 seed Wofford (-1) rallied past No. 5 Furman 92-85 to win the Southern Conference tournament and automatic bid to NCAA Tournament. 

Select matchups and game odds with any additional information you can bet on provided as able as the conference tournaments progress. Along with any additional stats and notes with information you can bet on. 

Follow along and check out more conference tournament betting odds and futures at BetOnline.ag. 

You can bet on it. 

FairwayJay is a proven sports handicapper and insightful analyst. He chips college basketball and additional sports betting coverage and reporting on industry news and events. Read more great insights from FairwayJay and follow him on  X: @FairwayJay