Furman (17-9, 8-5 SoCon) hosts Chattanooga (9-18, 3-11 SoCon) in a key Southern Conference clash at Timmons Arena. Furman comes in have won 22 of its last 25 league games inside the friendly confines, with only UNC Greensboro (twice) and ETSU having been able to knock off the Paladins in their own fortress.
Chattanooga came pretty close last season, as the Paladins needed a late surge to finally put away the Mocs, with a 60-56 win in last February's meeting at Timmons Arena. Earlier this season, the Paladins and Mocs met in the Scenic City, with Furman able to pull away midway through the second half and get a 73-55 win over the Mocs.
Of course, Lamont Paris' club is a completely different one than the one that were the preseason favorites and defending Southern Conference Tournament champions that came to Greenville last season.
While the Mocs are young, they are talented and have improved as the season has progressed. The Paladins, who come into the contest off one of their best performances of the season, getting a 76-52 win over Wofford this past Saturday, can't afford to rest on the laurels of that performance. In this league this season, that has proven to be detrimental. Despite the struggles of a young basketball team, the Mocs have done something the Paladins haven't this year, as they are one of only two teams in the SoCon to claim a triumph over UNC Greensboro. Furman lost both games to the Spartans.
Chattanooga comes into Thursday night's clash coming off an 84-75 loss vs. Mercer at McKenzie Arena, and the Mocs will be on the road for three of their final four league games. Chattanooga will celebrate Senior Day by hosting Wofford Saturday evening at the Roundhouse.
The Mocs have been without leading scorer Nat Dixon (14.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG) each of the past two games for undisclosed reasons. That has put even more pressure on others to step up for the Mocs. Remember earlier this season, the Mocs were without big man Makinde London (13.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG) for a few games, and also have suffered other injuries elsewhere on the roster throughout the season so far.
The Mocs leading scorer if Dixon doesn't play tonight will be Rodney Chatman (13.4, 4.4 RPG), who has really come into his own as both a leader and a scorer in his second season with the Mocs. Chatman is coming off a 24-point performance last time out in a loss at Mercer. Chatman comes into the contest ranking third in the SoCon and 86th nationally in assists-per-game, averaging 4.8 helpers-per-contest.
Makale Foreman (9.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG) and and David Jean-Baptiste (6.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG) will team with Chatman as starters in the backcourt for the Mocs. Foreman has had some big performances for the Mocs this season, and he posted two of his best games of the season against The Citadel this season, with a career-high 30 points in the loss down in Charleston, while posting 22 points in the win against The Citadel at home last week.
Rounding out the starters will be Joshua Phillips (9.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG) and James Lewis, Jr. (8.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG). Phillips, who also played football for the Mocs, is one of the team's best athletes. Phillips turned in a solid game the first time around against the Paladins, posting 12 points and three rebounds. He can be a good defensive presence as well, having posted 10 blocks this season. James Lewis Jr. has three 15-point performances this season, with two coming in non-conference play and a 15-point effort in league play in a loss to VMI.
If Dixon doesn't play, London will be the top player coming off the bench and might be the toughest matchup personnel-wise for the Paladins due to his ability to score inside or outside, and his ability to hit the boards hard. In a game earlier this season in non-conference play prior to his injury, he posted 25 points and 18 boards in a narrow setback to Marshall.
London has back-to-back double-figure scoring performances, with 16 and 15 point performances, respectively, against both The Citadel and Mercer. In conference play, London had 21 points and 16 boards in a loss at Samford. London, like UNCG's Kuiper, is one of the best long-range shooters for a big man in the SoCon this season, having connected on 38 triples. He also leads the team with 20 blocks.
Furman sits on the verge of its 60th win since the start of the 2015-16 season, which impressive considering where this program was at the start of the 2014-15 season. Furman's record is 59-37 since the start of the 2015-16 season.
The Paladins are one of the most experienced teams in the Southern Conference, with veteran leadership, which includes a core of four experienced seniors of Devin Sibley (14.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG), John Davis III (12.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 39 steals), Daniel Fowler (11.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG), and Geoff Beans (3.8 PPG, 1.3 RPG), who have combined to start 327 games in their respective careers. It will be the second-to-last home game for the Paladins.
Sibley, who did not start the last game due to a coaches decision, was the Preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year and has remained one of the top players in the SoCon this season, despite struggle at times as an offensive threat.
While his struggles have come at times on the offensive end, Sibley has shown why his so highly thought of with his contributions in other areas, particularly as a defender, distributor and rebounder. The Knoxville, Tenn native 11 points in the first meeting this season with the Mocs, and had a season-high 26 points in a home win over The Citadel. Sibley ranks sixth in the SoCon in field goal percentage so far this season, connecting on 44.2% of his shots.
Fowler and Davis have been solid as always in the starting five for the Paladins in their respective senior campaigns, while Beans continues to excel in whatever role he has had to undertake this season, whether it be as a starter or a player coming off the bench. Those his perimeter shooting has been somewhat down, Beans has stepped up in other areas, most notably defensively, but also other areas that don't necessarily show up on a stats sheet, which includes things like charges taken.
In the paint, Furman has gotten its most solid and consistent season out of 6-7 junior forward Matt Rafferty (11.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG). The 6-7 junior from Hinsdale, Ill., has been not only a consistent scorer, but also as a rebounder, distributor and defender. Rafferty enters Thursday's matchup with the Mocs ranking second in rebounds-per-game (7.5 RPG) and fifth in steals (40 steals/1.5 SPG).
Fowler, too, has had an outstanding senior season and has continued to be one of the top one-on-one defenders in the SoCon this season. He has also been the model of consistency on the offensive end of the floor. He ranks tied for 11th in the SoCon in assists this season, averaging 3.0 helpers-per-game, while ranking as the career active leader and sixth overall in the league in steals this season, averaging 1.5 thefts per game.
Off the bench, the Paladins will rely on the athleticism of 6-7 forward Clay Mounce (4.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG) and center Jalen Williams (2.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG), while Jordan Lyons continues to be one of the top sixth men in the league, despite getting the start last time out against Wofford. Keep an eye on backup point guard and true freshman point guard Alex Hunter (2.9 PPG, 1.4 RPG) as well, who is emerging as one of Furman's best on-the-ball defenders, along with Fowler.
Furman will be in search of its first sweep of Chattanooga since the 2006-07 season.
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