ETSU (8-5) at The Citadel (3-10)
Dec. 30, 2025/McCalister Field House, Charleston, S.C.
6 p.m. EST
While non-conference play hasn't been anything to write home about so far this season, the new year and the start of conference play brings the hopes of promises of another exciting season on the SoCon hardwood.
The first three league games will actually take place as the final three games in 2025, and while there is a hope that better things are ahead for the SoCon in 2026, the hope is also that the final three games of 2025 will give us something to look forward to in the calendar year ahead, and in particular, in conference play as we decide the 106th season of Southern Conference basketball.
East Tennessee State (8-5) and The Citadel (3-10) will kick off Southern Conference basketball Tuesday night at McAlister Field House. The Bucs have been one of the top teams in the Southern Conference this season, while the Bulldogs have been playing better, but are still looking for that breakthrough performance to get off the schneid this season and end a streak of 34-straight losses to NCAA Division I competition when they host the Bucs this evening. The two teams will tip things up at 6 p.m. EST at McAlister Field House on Tuesday night.
The Citadel went winless in SoCon play a year ago and last picked a SoCon regular season win on Feb. 24, 2024, when the Bulldogs knocked off Chattanooga, 71-62 at McAlister Field House. The last time the Bulldogs tasted victory of over a NCAA Division I foe came on Nov. 11, 2024, when The Citadel was able to post a 74-52 win over Atlantic Sun member Stetson inside the friendly confines of McAlister Field House.
The Bucs claimed both games against The Citadel last season, finishing off The Citadel 81-66 in Charleston last season in what was the final regular-season conference game for both teams, while also taking a 70-52 win over ETSU in Johnson City early in SoCon play last season. The Bucs and Bulldogs will be squaring off for the 74th time in history in SoCon play, with the Bucs holding the commanding 53-20 all-time series lead, including having won six-straight in the series.
The Bucs have some great memories in recent times from their games played in Charleston. One that comes to mind immediately dates back to the 2022-23 season, as ETSU got 42 points from former guard Jordan King in what was one of the best historical performances for a Bucs player on the road in a conference game in program history.
King connected on 8-of-12 shots from three-point range in the win. The performance by King overshadowed a big game by Bulldogs center Stephen Clark, who scored a career-high 27 points in the home loss.
Coaching Ties:
ETSU will come into tonight's game looking to put an end to a three-game losing skid when it pays a visit to the Low Country of South Carolina.
For head coach Brooks Savage, he's got a unique history with Ed Conroy, as the two were together during Conroy's time as the head coach of Tulane in New Orleans back in the 2010-11 season, as Savage served as the video coordinator and Director of Player Development for the Green Wave.
Savage, a 2008 graduate of the University of Tennessee, originally met Conroy's final season as an assistant coach at Tennessee under Bruce Pearl in 2005. Conroy would move on to become the head coach of The Citadel in his first stint in 2006, serving as the Bulldogs' head coach for four years before moving on to Tulane.
Top Players to Watch:
Both ETSU and The Citadel have players worthy of attention this evening, with the Bucs having a backcourt that has been one of the best in the league to this point, with Brian Taylor II (14.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.0 APG) being among the handful of players that has put his name in the hat as a Player of the Year candidate.
Earlier this season, Taylor posted a triple-double against Central Arkansas, with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a lopsided win. Taylor will team with North Florida transfer Jaylen Smith (10.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG) and Allen Strothers (2.8 PPG, 3.9 APG) in the Bucs backcourt. Maki Johnson (6.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG) has been of the team's best on-ball defenders, and he has continued to be a prolific three-point option off the bench, as 22 of his 27 made field goals this season have been threes.
Only Smith's 23 trifectas ranks more on the Bucs roster this season, and both Johnson and Smith have shot the ball well from long range this season. Smith is connecting at 37.5% clip from long-range this season, while Johnson is connecting at a 35.5% rate.
In the frontcourt this season, ETSU is not as big as it was last year, but far more productive, with Cam Morris III (13.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG), Jordan McCullum (8.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG), and Blake Barkley (11.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG) giving the Bucs a productive and athletic front line.
That trio is also a big reason the Bucs have been among the best defensive teams in the SoCon and in mid-major basketball so far this season. Barkley is one of the real x-factors for this team, and his work ethic on both ends is something that head coach Brooks Savage loves.
Overall, the Bucs come in leading the SoCon in scoring defense (67.5 PPG), field goal percentage defense (41.0%) and blocked shots (51/3.92 BPG).
The Citadel counters with a pair of players averaging in double figures, led by 6-6 wing and Valdosta State transfer Braxton Williams (11.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG), while fellow wing Christian Moore (10.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG)
Florida State transfer Sola Adebisi (8.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG) has again strong on the offensive glass for the Bulldogs this season, averaging almost two offensive boards per game, ranking in the Top 15 in the league so far this season.
The Bulldogs shoot a lot of threes, as the Bulldogs are tied for third in the league in three-pointers made (123) and rank sixth overall in the league in three-point field goal percentage (32.2%).
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