College basketball is a weird, beautiful mess. Most people spend their entire year waiting for three weeks in March, ignoring the actual grind that happens in gymnasiums from Rock Hill to Asheville. If you aren't paying attention to the big south basketball champions, you're honestly missing the purest form of the sport. It isn't about the NIL deals or the private jets you see at Kentucky or Duke. It’s about mid-major programs fighting for a single, solitary ticket to the Big Dance.
One bid. That is all this conference gets. Usually.
The Big South has undergone a massive facelift lately. Realignment is a monster that eats conferences whole, and this one hasn't been immune. We’ve seen stalwarts like Winthrop dominate for decades, while newcomers and rising powers like Longwood have recently crashed the party. It’s a league where a 20-win season means absolutely nothing if you trip up in a conference tournament semi-final on a Tuesday night in South Carolina.
The Winthrop Dynasty and the Standard of Excellence
When you talk about big south basketball champions, the conversation starts and ends with Winthrop University. Based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the Eagles have basically treated the conference trophy as their own personal property for much of the last 25 years. Gregg Marshall, who later went to Wichita State, really put them on the map. He built a culture that focused on relentless defense and snagging every single loose ball.
Winthrop has racked up 13 tournament titles. That is a staggering number for a mid-major league that has seen plenty of parity elsewhere. Their 2006-07 season was legendary. They didn’t just win the Big South; they finished 29-5 and actually beat Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That team, led by guys like Craig Bradshaw and Torrell Martin, proved that the Big South wasn't just a "happy to be there" conference. They were a "we might ruin your bracket" conference.
But things change. Pat Kelsey kept the flame alive for a while before heading to Charleston (and eventually Louisville), but the gap between Winthrop and the rest of the pack has shrunk. It’s not that Winthrop got significantly worse; it’s that the rest of the league finally figured out how to recruit.
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The New Guard: Longwood and the Gardner-Webb Factor
Longwood University used to be the team everyone looked past. Seriously. They struggled for years after transitioning to Division I. Then came Griff Aldrich. The Lancers’ 2022 run to the title was a watershed moment for the conference. They played a disciplined, slow-burn style of basketball that frustrated the high-tempo offenses of the league. When they cut down the nets in 2022, and again in 2024, it signaled a power shift.
It’s interesting how coaching stability defines these programs. Look at Gardner-Webb. They broke through in 2019 under Tim Craft. They went into the tournament as a 16-seed and actually led Virginia—the eventual national champions—at halftime. They didn't win, obviously, but they earned respect.
Recent Winners and the Path to the Title
- 2024: Longwood (Crushed UNC Asheville in the final)
- 2023: UNC Asheville (Drew Pember was essentially a cheat code)
- 2022: Longwood (Their first ever D1 tournament appearance)
- 2021: Winthrop (A dominant 23-2 record during the COVID-shortened season)
- 2020: Winthrop (Tournament completed just before the world shut down)
UNC Asheville deserves a special mention here. Drew Pember, a transfer from Tennessee, stayed for three years and became the only player in conference history to win Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Tournament MVP. He was a 6'11" nightmare who could shoot the three and block everything at the rim. Seeing a player of that caliber stay in the Big South instead of jumping to a Power 5 school for a bigger NIL check was refreshing. It’s rare. Sorta like seeing a unicorn in the wild.
Why Big South Basketball Champions Often Struggle in the NCAA Tournament
Let’s be real for a second. The Big South is usually a "one-bid league." This means the selection committee rarely gives them an at-large bid. If you don't win the conference tournament, your season is over. This creates a high-pressure environment where the best team in the regular season often doesn't make the NCAA Tournament.
Because the conference RPI (or NET rankings these days) usually hovers in the lower third of Division I, the big south basketball champions almost always end up with a 14, 15, or 16 seed. That means they have to play a blue blood in the first round.
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- The Size Gap: Mid-majors often lack the 7-footers that can move like guards.
- Depth Issues: When your star player gets two fouls in the first five minutes, there usually isn't a four-star recruit waiting on the bench to fill in.
- The First Four: Often, the Big South champ is sent to Dayton for the "play-in" games.
It’s an uphill battle. But that’s what makes the conference tournament so frantic. In the Big South, the tournament isn't just a postseason event; it’s the entire season distilled into three days of chaos.
The Impact of Realignment
You can't talk about these champions without acknowledging who isn't here anymore. Liberty University was a force for a few years before jumping to Conference USA. Coastal Carolina left for the Sun Belt. Even High Point, which has invested millions into their basketball facilities (the Qubein Center is nicer than many NBA arenas), has felt the pressure to perform as the league's flagship program.
High Point is the big "what if" right now. They’ve spent the money. They’ve hired Alan Huss, who brought a high-octane offense that led the nation in several efficiency metrics. Yet, being the regular-season champion doesn't guarantee you a spot in the history books as one of the big south basketball champions. Ask the 2023-24 High Point squad. They were the best team all year but got bounced in the tournament.
That is the cruelty of this league. You can be the best for four months and have it all erased by a couple of missed free throws in March.
The Architecture of a Champion
What does it actually take to win this league? It’s not just about talent. It’s about old-fashioned roster construction. Because the Big South is a "mid-major" league, the best teams are usually the oldest teams. You win with 23-year-old seniors who have played 120 college games.
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Take a look at Radford’s 2018 championship team. They weren't the most athletic, but they were tough. Carlik Jones, who eventually played in the NBA, was a freshman then, but he was surrounded by veteran grit. They beat Liberty on a buzzer-beater. That shot is still one of the most iconic moments in conference history. It wasn't a set play; it was just a kid making a play when the world was watching.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you’re looking to follow the big south basketball champions or even place a bet on the conference tournament, you have to look past the record.
- Home Court Matters (Until it Doesn't): The Big South often hosts its tournament at the campus of the #1 seed or a neutral site like Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte. Check the venue.
- Free Throw Percentages: In close tournament games, this league is notorious for "hero ball." Teams that shoot over 75% from the stripe usually survive the quarterfinals.
- The "Transfer" Trap: Many Big South teams rely on transfers from bigger schools. Check if those players have "bought in" or if they are just looking for stats. The champions are almost always the teams with high chemistry.
- Watch the Defense: While High Point scores 80+ points, the teams that actually win the trophy—like Longwood or Winthrop—usually rank in the top 2 in the conference for defensive efficiency.
The Big South is evolving. With teams like USC Upstate, Presbyterian, and Charleston Southern all fighting to find their identity, the hierarchy is far from settled. But the goal remains the same. Every November, players in small towns across Virginia and the Carolinas lace up their shoes dreaming of being the next big south basketball champions.
To really understand this league, stop watching the highlights and start watching the Tuesday night conference games. See how the coaches sweat. See how the fans in small, 3,000-seat gyms create an atmosphere that you just can't get in a massive, corporate arena. That’s where the real basketball happens.
Next time March rolls around, don’t just fill out your bracket based on the names you recognize. Look at the team that came out of the Big South. They didn't get there by accident. They survived a gauntlet where losing once means the end of the road. That kind of pressure creates a specific type of champion—one that is dangerous, hungry, and has absolutely nothing to lose.
Next Steps for the Hardcore Fan:
To stay ahead of the curve on the next crop of champions, start tracking the "effective field goal percentage" (eFG%) of the top four teams in the standings starting in January. Historically, the team that leads the Big South in eFG% and defensive rebounding margin has a 70% higher chance of reaching the tournament final. Also, keep an eye on the injury reports for "mid-major" stars; in a league with less depth, a single sprained ankle to a starting point guard can take a title favorite out of the running entirely. Don't wait for the Selection Sunday show to learn these names—the real stories are written in the cold gyms of February.