The 2024-25 college basketball is here, and teams representing the Gulf South Conference will look to break through to the Elite Eight in both the Men's and Women's NCAA Tournament. 

On the road to March, expect a fiercely competitive conference championship race on both sides. For the women, 2023-24 front-runners Union and Lee are tabbed to once again set the pace in pursuit of the title 

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Union topped the GSC preseason poll, garnering eight first-place votes. Lee checked in at No. 2 with four first-place votes behind returning 1st Team All-GSC honoree Mallory Hampton. 

The Lee men's team was also slotted second with a first-place vote in the preseason poll, trailing favorite Alabama-Huntsville. The Chargers embark on 2024-25 with a veteran lineup returning from last year's 21-win campaign. 

Also garnering first-place votes on the men's side, West Alabama is aiming to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing the 2024 postseason. 

Gulf South Men's Basketball

With West Georgia moving to Div. I, the Wolves leave a void atop the GSC that a variety of challengers will jockey to fill. Alabama Huntsville, returning the All-GSC backcourt of Luke Burnett and Tommy Murr, could be at the front of the pack. 

However, Lee returns a solid corps from a 2024 NCAA Tournament lineup. Forwards Tim Vaughn and Noah Boler-Kyle each averaged in double-figures scoring a season ago and were two of the team's top rebounders. 

West Alabama, tabbed third in the preseason GSC poll, regressed from a 27-win 2022-23 season to go 19-11 in 2023-24. However, the Tigers could return to the top of the GSC in 2025 behind the perimeter tandem of Thaddeus Williams and Jaylen Lemons. The duo combined to score more than 27 points per game and made 125 3-pointers between them a season ago. 

Meanwhile, Delta State, Trevecca Nazarene, and Mississippi College all build around preseason All-GSC selections — one of whom ranks among the most prolific scorers in all of college basketball. 

Will Rashad Bolden Win the 2024-25 Scoring Title? 

At 24.4 points per game, Mississippi College's Rashad Bolden scored his way to 1st Team All-GSC honors. Bolden's output was the second-highest in all of Div. II basketball — and adding his 4.6 assists per game, arguably no one in the game was more vital to his team's offense. 

Bolden's ability to distribute the ball as effectively as he scores is perhaps more central to the Choctaws' pursuit of an NCAA Tournament berth, but the MC guard being a contender to lead the nation in scoring could be one of the season's most intriguing subplots. 

Is This the Year the GSC Ends Its Elite Eight Drought? 

UAH's 28-win team in 2012 was the last from the GSC to advance to the Elite Eight. Gulf South teams have been the victim of upsets in the NCAA Tournament, the byproduct of playing in an especially deep region. 

Nova Southeastern ran from the South regional to win the national championship in 2023 and returned to the title game out of the bracket in 2024. Unseating Nova Southeastern is paramount to getting out of the region and into the Elite Eight. 

The Gulf South should have no shortage of Tournament-quality teams who will take their shot. Which is best equipped to take the next step? 

UAH, which earned a No. 4 seed last year but bowed out early vs. Embry-Riddle, returns one of the GSC's most veteran lineups. Lee's strength on the interior sets a foundation that might make the Flames worthy of torch-bearers. 

Valdosta State, Delta State, Mississippi College, and Christian Brothers all have elements that could see them emerge as the GSC's top team. It's a wide-open conference in 2024-25, and that leads to an unpredictable forecast for the postseason. 

Gulf South Women's Basketball 

Valdosta State had an outstanding 2023-24, going 30-3 with a balanced-scoring, veteran lineup. The Blazers open 2024-25 ranked No. 25 in the WBCA poll, making them one of two GSC seasons in the Top 25 to tip off the season. 

However, VSU was picked to finish third in the Gulf South preseason poll behind Lee. The Flames' exclusion from the preseason poll positions them as dark horses to watch in the coming season, reloading from their 21-win 2023-24 season with explosive scorer Mallory Hampton leading the way. 

Hampton averaged 19.6 points per game and knocked down 48 3-pointers in 2023-24. She was also a driving force in setting up her teammates with 111 assists. Only backcourt mate Haylee Johnson dished more. 

Johnson's returned for 2024-25, giving Lee one of the most dangerous backcourts in the country. The Flames will look to challenge preseason favorite Union, a team built for national championship contention. 

New-Look Union Ready to Make a Run 

GSC teams suffered upsets that cut their 2024 NCAA Tournament appearances short, including a Union bunch that fell to Eckerd. The Bulldogs lose some of their key contributors from a season ago, including Brooke Hampel — now on coach Mark Campbell's staff as a graduate assistant. 

But Macey Lee is an All-GSC performer and the veteran pillar for a talented, new-look lineup that promises to again be one of the best in the GSC. Olivia Lee, Bethan Dillard, and Alexis Callins are just some of the Bulldogs primed to step up into prominent roles in 2024-25. 

Expectations are high on the conference's preseason favorites, but they have the pieces to exceed the standard set a season ago — and take it further with a run in the NCAA Tournament. 

Dark-Horse Challengers 

Beyond the GSC's three preseason favorites, Auburn Montgomery and West Florida are two teams that could make serious noise. AUM returns Allasha Dudley, a 17.4-point-per-game scorer from last year's 20-win team. 

Dudley is one of the top returning players in the GSC and a contender to win Player of the Year. At West Florida, reserve guard Delaney Trushel steps into a key role to lead a talented, new-look Argos bunch in pursuit of a league title. 

As for defending champion Valdosta State, the Blazers face some roster turnover from their 30-win season but don't sleep on their chances. Victoria Ikenasio, a preseason All-GSC selection, scored in double-figures 12 times a season ago, including five straight in a stretch during conference play. 

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