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2009 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Predictions

The 2009 and 33rd annual Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament officially tipped off Wednesday, March 4th, but the action really picks up Sunday, March 8th with eight teams facing off at Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Championship Game will take place on Tuesday, March 10th and will be broadcast on ESPN. The Sun Belt Conference made a little bit of noise in 2008 with tournament champion Western Kentucky pulling off a No. 12 seed over No. 5 seed upset over Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tourney. The Hilltoppers win the regular season title and are the favorites to repeat. I’ll discuss Western Kentucky’s chances and outline another team in this league which could potentially win. Bet the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament at BetUS.

The Favorite: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
The Sun Belt was a very tight league this season with Western Kentucky tying with Arkansas Little Rock with a 15-3 league mark and Troy finishing just a game back at 14-4. Western Kentucky earned the No. 1 seed as it defeated Arkansas Little Rock on the road 78-69 back on February 19th to sweep the season series. The Hilltoppers really pummeled Little Rock in the season’s first meeting, winning by 32 points. The Hilltoppers come in having won 12 of their last 14 and 8 of their last 9 games. The East division, which houses both Western Kentucky and Troy is the much tougher side and that’s where I see the champion coming from. Western Kentucky is a guard-oriented team and that is where most of its scoring comes from as the Hilltoppers have 4 guards averaging in double figures with A.J. Slaughter leading the way at 15.7 points per game.

Another Team That Can Win: Troy Trojans
I think the Troy Trojans, and not the West champion Arkansas Little Rock Trojans, have the next best shot at winning the title. Arkansas Little Rock had the same conference mark as Western Kentucky, but getting swept convincingly during the season proved that it is not in the same class as the Hilltoppers. Troy, on the other hand, defeated Western Kentucky. The Trojans come in red hot, having won 12 of their last 13 games with their sole loss coming by 1 point at Florida International. The Trojans also defeated Arkansas Little Rock on the road this season by a five point margin in their only meeting against each other. If the Trojans can make a run to the title, they’ll need big time production from leading scorer Brandon Hazzard, who averages 15.9 points per game. So will it be Slaughter leading the Hilltoppers to another title or will Troy prove to be the biggest Hazzard? Right now I like Western Kentucky in a close one.

2008 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Recap:
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers took home the 2008 Sun Belt Tournament title with a 10 point win over Middle Tennessee State in the championship game. The win marked the Hilltoppers’ 6th tourney title, which is the most of any school in the league. Western Kentucky received a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated Missouri Valley Conference champion Drake on a last season three point shot in overtime in the first round of the tournament.

Beat the college basketball spreads with Jimmy Boyd’s NCAA basketball picks this March. Jimmy Boyd’s basketball betting tips will guarantee you the most winners through the Big Dance.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

• 2009 Sun Belt Conference Football Predictions
• 2009 Big East Conference Tournament Predictions
• 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Predictions
• 2009 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Predictions
• 2009 Southland Conference Tournament Predictions

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