Battle for the Big South

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Good morning. Today’s Field of 68 Daily is written by Sean Paul (follow him at @SeanPaulCBB).

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1. High Point should run the Big South again

There’s one question that matters for the Big South this season: Can anyone dethrone High Point?

Coach Alan Huss left to be a Creighton assistant, leaving Flynn Clayman as the man trying to replace the loss of its top four scorers. The good news for High Point? It has the resources to reload.

Four of the incoming Panthers averaged double-digit points at mid-major schools. Point guard Rob Martin (14.8 ppg, 4.5 apg at SEMO) might be the best player. Vincent Brady II (13.5 ppg at Missouri State) and Scotty Washington (14.6 ppg) should play big minutes on the wing. The frontcourt is probably underrated with Owen Aquino (8.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who started all 35 games for Liberty, and former top-50 recruit and ex-Xavier forward Cam Fletcher. Keep an eye on Arizona transfer Conrad Martinez, who didn’t play much last season but has solid court vision and shooting.

If Fletcher’s healthy, he can be an absolute monster. But he’s played just 28 games over the last three seasons.

So, who is the biggest threat to High Point? That’d be UNC Asheville. Coach Mike Morrell has led the Bulldogs to three straight 20+ win seasons and finished second or better in each season. Expect that again in 2025-26.

Big man Toyaz Solomon (15.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg) should be the Big South’s best player as a standout two-way big. Sophomore Kameron Taylor (8.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg) has the tools to be a 12-14 ppg player. Jordan Marsh led the team in scoring (18.8 ppg) and is now at USC. But Justin Wright (11.1 ppg in 23-24) can step in as a secondary scoring option after recovering from an injury.

New Radford Zach Chu brought in plenty of talent and shouldn’t be overlooked.

The Highlanders have a ton of strong guards starting with Del Jones (3.8 ppg at Clemson) and Brennan Rigsby (5.4 ppg at Minnesota). Jones should be the primary ball-handler. Radford also brought in Jaylon Johnson (14 ppg, 4 rpg, and 4 apg at Tennessee Tech), Mari Jordan (7 ppg at Tulane), and former 4-star wing Dennis Parker Jr. (NC State)

What holds Radford back is its interior. It has just four players taller than 6-6 and two are freshmen. This is a team that’ll rely on its guards and wings.

The darkhorse is Winthrop.

Guard Kareem Rozier (5.9 ppg) is quick and can shoot. He wasn't efficient at Duquesne, but should fit in nicely. The Eagles also brought in Joshua Meo (8.5 ppg at Coastal Carolina), Daylen Berry (13.5 ppg at Charleston Southern), and Kody Clouet (8.9 ppg at San Diego). Clouet could be one of the league’s best shooters. Seifeldin Hendawy (Loyola Chicago) and Braylhan Thomas (GA Southern) could be the depth pieces that get Winthrop into the top 3.

2. Five ACC matchups you shouldn’t miss

The ACC announced its return to an 18-game format back in the spring, which means every program got paired with a primary “partner” for a home-and-away game.

But that also means there’s one school that each program won’t play every season. Where does that leave fans for the best games on that full conference schedule that got announced Tuesday? Let’s break it down.

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