Non-Conference Feature: Preseason Favorites Manage and Adapt to Adversity

Preseason League Favorites UTC and Furman Adapt and Adjust to Adversity 

The old adage that its harder to repeat as champion than win one in the first place does have at least a morsel of truth to it. Sometimes its preseason clippings and sometimes its just simply the pressure to live up to the lofty standards set by those who came before seem harder than climbing mount Everest.

For Furman and Chattanooga, though, they both had some adversity and some similar adverse experiences, as well as some different ones. The one main common thread that all teams in the SoCon have had to deal with to some extent is change wrought by the portal, which will unfortunately be a part of mid-major college basketball for the foreseeable future.

For Chattanooga, the 2024-25 season was magical, but reliving that magic and capturing in that same lens with that same joy, though we try to recreate it, isn't possible anymore unfortunately. It's a new team with new players and different challenges. The one constant for Chattanooga is its pedigree as the gold standard of SoCon basketball, which has hoisted more tournament title trophies and cut down more nets on a Monday night or Sunday afternoon than any team in the history of the league. 

There's no longer the stars around that were there a year ago for the Mocs. They've moved on and that magic, whether it be one-year wonders like Frank Champion, Garrison Keeslar, Jack Kostel and Bash Wieland, or its old reliables like Honor Huff and Trey Bonham, no matter how much we want there to be some continuity and some carryover from that regular-season SoCon and NIT championship team from a year ago, the harsh reality we must all accept is that it can't be the same. Not only for this season, but ever again.

Most folks, including myself, had Chattanooga and Furman as the two league favorites, and that was based mostly on the fact that the two teams were outstanding a year ago, and while Chattanooga had the perceived best recruiting haul, it was Furman's retention and continuity that were also highly valued coming into the season.

What we didn't anticipate is both the Mocs and Paladins having to deal with some pretty significant injuries already in 2025-26, and both teams have had to adjust accordingly. The Mocs have no doubt been hit hardest by the injury bug, as forward Sean Cusano has suffered a season-ending injury, while others have struggled to stay healthy for the Mocs.

In two of its last three games, Chattanooga has only dressed eight scholarship players. Talented freshman point guard Tate Darner, preseason all-conference post Collin Mulholland, wing guard/forward Sebastian Hartmann, forward Latif Diouf, reserve guard Parker Robinson, and forward Liam Vitters have all missed time or are currently missing time with injuries. 

Freshman guard Zach Bleshoy also has suffered a season-ending injury, and that has even forced head coach Dan Earl to remove the redshirt from three-star big man Josh Bowman, who Earl was hoping to redshirt this season. However, with the injury to Cusano proving to be a major blow, Earl had no choice but to pull the redshirt.

Furman's struggles have been less than UTC's in the injury department, but the unknown injury to Cooper Bowser in the penultimate non-conference clash at Manhattan could prove costly depending on its severity. Furman has already lost big man Davis Molnar for the season and talented guard Collin O'Neal will be back in a month after suffering an injury in a home win over Harvard in early December.

NON-CONFERENCE SUMMARY: CHATTANOOGA (6-7)

While the Mocs had some high expectations, they've simply been just trying to go game-by-game, and lineup continuity due to overall team health is at least partly to blame for the slow start in 2025-26, as the reigning SoCon regular-season and NIT Champions have stumbled out of the games-to a 6-7 start.

The Mocs have had some good moments, opening the season with a complete domination of NAIA  Union Commonwealth, as the Mocs claimed what was a 99-32 inside McKenzie Arena on a night that saw the NIT banners raised. It was perfect synchronicity, then, that the program should capture its 500th win in the history of the Roundhouse, with the 67-point rout of the Mocs' opposition.

The win allowed the Mocs to extend their winning streak to six, which briefly, was the nation's longest. 

Freshman guard Tate Darner led the way, scoring 15 points on five made threes, leading five Mocs in double figures on a night when the Mocs connected on a season-best 19 threes. Jikari Johnson showed out in his debut in front of the Mocs home crowd, posting 14 points, while both Brennan Watkins and Jordan Frison added 10 apiece.

The next two games for the Mocs would be especially tough, as the Mocs went on the road for a quick trip west to face both St. Mary's and UNLV in a quick turnaround. For Chattanooga, it would mark the second-straight season the Mocs had faced off against the Gaels. 

St. Mary's was too much for the Mocs for a second year in a row, as the team widely regarded as maybe the top mid-major in college basketball. The Mocs would play well for a large majority of the night, but like the year prior, the Gaels would wear down Chattanooga in the second half en route to what would be an 87-66 win in Moraga. 

 The Mocs would again charge back, as this time they got as close as 11 points when Bellarmine transfer Billy Smith connected on a three with 12:08 remaining, making it a 63-52 Mocs deficit. That would remain the deficit as the two teams headed to their respective benches for the second media timeout of the second half. 

But over the final 11 minutes of the game, the Gaels would take control of the game once and for all, extending the lead out to as much as 23 points following a Mantas Juzenas three, at 87-64, with 1:11 remaining. However, the Mocs would score the final points of the game on a Makai Richards dunk with 16 seconds remaining, setting the final score, at 87-66.

The Gaels would be led in the contest by Lewis' 28 points, as he connected on 7-of-13 from the field, which included a 4-for-6 effort from three-point land. He was also a perfect 10-for-10 from the line. Lewis added four rebounds, five assists and three steals to the cause.

Paulius Murauskas added 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe, while posting eight boards and dished out five helpers. 

Rounding out the Gaels players in double figures was Andrew McKeever, who added 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.

Chattanooga placed three in double figures, as Teddy Washington Jr. led the Mocs with 13 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists. He connected on 6-of-15 shots from the field, but went 0-for-5 from three-point range in the contest. He also connected on 1-of-2 shots from the charity stripe.

Washington was joined in double figures by both guard Billy Smith and Jordan Frison, who added 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the setback.

For the game, the Gaels shot a blistering 57.8% (26-of-45) from the field, which included a 50% (8-for-16) effort from three-point range. St Mary's was most impressive from the charity stripe, however, as the Gaels connected on 27-of-29 attempts (93.1%) for the game.

Chattanooga finished the contest connecting on 42.3% (22-of-52) of its shots from the field, including just 33.3% (7-of-21) from three-point range. The Mocs, who were one of the strongest free throw shooting clubs in the nation last season, finished a solid 78.9 from the line against the Gaels, connecting on 15-of-19 foul shots.

Chattanooga's battle with UNLV was interesting for the fact that the only reason the Rebels had even agreed to play the game in the first place was for the fact that the Mocs would have just 24 hours to travel, rest and recover before facing the Rebels at the Thomas and Mack Center.

In the second half, the weary Mocs would suffer as a result of this and though it can't be proven, I kind of wonder if it has had an impact on the whole injury situation for Chattanooga. 

After trailing 10-5 in the early stages of the game, freshman guard Tate Darner connected on a pair of threes to spark what was an 11-4 run in response, as the Mocs assumed a 16-14 lead at the under 12 minute media timeout.  

A few minutes later, the game was tied, 22-22, after Jikari Johnson knocked down a three-pointer for UTC.  The Runnin' Rebels then put together a quick 7-1 run to usurp the lead once again, at 29-23 with 7:25 remaining in the opening half of basketball. 

UNLV eventually stretched its lead to eight, 38-30, following a dunk from Kimani Hamilton with 3:39 remaining in the opening half of play.  The Rebels would eventually fatten their lead to 11, at 47-36, by the time the first half drew to a close. 

The Rebels would take complete control of the game in the early stages of the second half, scoring six of the first eight points to go ahead by 15 points, at 53-38. Makai Richards' layup would help stop the bleeding momentarily and get the deficit back to 13 for UTC. 

The Mocs would pull within 12 points several times over the next five minutes of game time, however, could not get any close, as the Rebels continued to hold a double-digit advantage on the scoreboard. With the score settling at 67-53 with just under 12 minutes remaining, the Rebels start to wear down the fatigued Mocs, and would end up increasing their second half lead to as many as 32 points before settling on a 101-69 victory. 

It marked the first time Chattanooga had played on consecutive nights since 1993, playing consecutive SoCon road games at both East Tennessee State in Johnson City and at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C., on Feb. 6 and 7, respectively, of that particular season. 

The Mocs faced off against the Florida Gulf-Coast Eagles as a part of the SoCon-ASUN challenge, and the struggles would continue for the Mocs, as Chattanooga fell to 1-3 following the 91-73 loss at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. 

The Mocs would have trouble finding their shooting rhythm for much of the afternoon and never seemed to get their bearings, struggling as much offensively in this game as they had in any game they had played so far in the season. 

It was the third-straight game in which the Mocs had allowed 80 or more points to an opponent, and it marked the first time it had done so against non-conference opposition since 2013. 

The Mocs looked decent enough early on in the contest, taking an early 12-9 lead following a Sebastian Hartmann layup at the 15:48 mark and that would be the score as the two teams headed to their respective benches for the first media timeout of the game.

However, midway through the first half, the Eagles would extend their lead out to double digits, at 25-15, following a layup by Isaiah Malone, which was part of a 16-3 run put together by the Eagles following the first media timeout. An 8-2 spurt by the Mocs, which was capped off by a backdoor layup from Tate Darner, got the Mocs back to within four, at 27-23, at the 7:32 mark of the opening half. But FGCU regained its grip over the final stretch of the opening 20 minutes of basketball, capping the half with a 14-2 run to take a comfortable 41-25 lead into the halftime locker room.

Following a Teddy Washington Jr. three-pointer, which got Chattanooga to within 13, at 45-32, with 18:08 left, it looked as if the Mocs might take back some of the momentum and begin to chip away at FGCU's lead. However, it would be as close as the Mocs would get the rest of the afternoon, as FGCU extended its lead out to as much as 29 following a J.R. Konieczny, at 91-62, with 1:51 remaining before the Mocs scored the final 11 points of the game to set the final margin. 

The Mocs finished with three players in double figures, as Jordan Frison led the way with 15 points, while Teddy Washington Jr. and Jikari Johnson added 12 and 10 points, respectively, rounding out the Mocs in double figures. 

The Mocs shot just 41.5% (22-of-53) for the game, which included a frigid 29.6% (8-of-27) from the beyond the three-point arc. 

The Eagles, meanwhile, got 24 points from Konieczny, while Rahmir Barno added 20, as FGCU finished the contest connecting at a 51.5% (34-of-66) clip, including shooting a strong 40% (10-of-25) from three-point range and a near flawless 86.7% (13-of-15) from the charity stripe.  The Eagles held a decisive edge in the paint, outrebounding the Mocs, 40-27, while posting big advantages in second-chance points (18-5) and points in the paint (42-26).

Chattanooga returned to the win column the next time out, as the Mocs improved to 2-3 win a 78-66 win over South Carolina State in Orangeburg. 

The 12-point win over the Bulldogs marked the Mocs first against an NCAA Division I opponent in the 2025-26 season, while S.C. State remained winless, falling to 0-5. The Mocs controlled the game from the outset, leading for nearly 37 of the 40-minute contest, leading the game by as much as 20 points before settling on the 12-point win. 

Both teams struggling shooting the ball in the opening half, and in particularly, down the stretch in the opening half of play, as the two teams combined to go just 2-of-20 from three-point range, but the Mocs still managed to take a 32-23 lead into the halftime locker room. 

In the second half, the Mocs would grow their lead to as many as 20, at 73-53, following a Jordan Frison layup with 2:53 remaining. The Bulldogs would outscore the Mocs 13-3 the rest of the way, however, it wouldn't matter as the Mocs held on for the key road win in Orangeburg. 

With that triumph, Chattanooga would get a little bit of momentum moving forward, as the Mocs hosted a big home game against North Alabama in what would be the second part of the SoCon-ASUN Challenge for the Mocs. 

The Lions had been one of the Cinderella Stories of mid-major basketball a year ago and were once again highly regarded entering the clash with the Mocs. The Lions were even picked to finish as high as No. 2 in the Atlantic Sun by Blue Ribbon Sports Publication, however, on this particular Saturday afternoon in the Scenic City, the Lions would be no match for Chattanooga, who posted a 71-57 over its visitors.

The win meant Chattanooga got its record back to .500 for the season, evening its mark at 3-3. The win also meant that the Mocs had posted back-to-back double-digit wins over the reigning regular-season champions out of both the Atlantic Sun and the MEAC from last season.

The performance also easily marked the Mocs' best defensive performance of the non-conference, holding a Division I foe to their lowest point total of the non-conference slate (57) and also held the Lions to just 42.0% (21-of-50) from the field, and only 30.0% (6-of-20) shooting from the three-point land. 

Bellarmine transfer Billy Smith led the Mocs with 18 points, while Sebastian Hartmann and Tate Darner contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, leading Chattanooga to the win. 

A loud, rowdy crowd of 3,455 fans saw the Mocs shoot the ball just a tad better than their visitors from Florence, AL, as Chattanooga connected on 44.6% (25-of-56) from the field and 33.3% (11-of-33) from three-point range.

Kevin Da Kovachich led the way for the Lions, as he matched Smith's game-high point total with 18 of his own. Smith knocked down four trifectas in the early portions of the second half, preceding a triple from Hartmann, which gave the Mocs a double-digit cushion, pushing the lead to 14 with 12 minutes left in the game. 

The Mocs would maintain a healthy distance on the scoreboard from there, increasing their advantage to as much as 18 (59-41) following a layup in traffic by Jordan Frison at the 9:21 mark of the second half. The Mocs were never seriously threatened the rest of the way.

Next up for the Mocs was their annual MTE, which was once known as the Dr. Pepper Classic and took place in late December, and has now moved to around Thanksgiving and now is sponsored by Coke Zero in the current iteration of the tournament.

The first opponent for the Mocs would also be the second of three non-Division I opponents in the non-conference slate, and Chattanooga would score a season-high 109 points en route to a 109-59 win on the home floor.

The win was the third-straight for the Mocs, as Chattanooga moved to 4-3 overall and used a 59-point second half to break open the game in what was the 72nd all-time clash between the two programs, with the Mocs improving to 54-18 all-time against the Bulldogs.

The Mocs held a 50-31 lead at the half before outscoring the visiting Bulldogs by 31 points in the second stanza, posting a 59-28 advantage over the latter 20 minutes of basketball.  The Mocs would end up placing six different players in double figures, as Jordan Frison once again led the way with 17 points, connecting on 7-of-8 shots from the field, including finishing the contest a perfect 3-for-3 from long-range.

Billy Smith added 15 points, while Teddy Washington Jr. and Makai Richards added 12 points apiece. Rounding out the Mocs players in double figures in the contest would be both Sean Cusano and Brennan Watkins, who both added 10 points apiece in the win.

Just when it looked like the Mocs might have gotten their groove back after having won three-straight, Chattanooga suffered a somewhat surprising home loss to Tennessee State in the Coke Zero Classic Championship game against Tennessee State, as the Tigers came to McKenzie Arena and surprised the Mocs, getting a 70-64 win. It ended a string of nine-straight home wins for the Mocs, which dates back to last season.

Chattanooga couldn't overcome a poor shooting half and fell behind by nine at the break (42-33), and despite playing much better basketball in the second half, and outscoring the Tigers, 31-28, couldn't overcome that tough start and ended up on the wrong end of a six-point loss. 

The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for Chattanooga against its in-state rivals from Nashville, as the Mocs suffered their first loss to the Tigers for the first time since Dec. 5, 1994, as the Tigers picked up an 86-75 on that occasion. Tennessee State raced out of the gates taking a 7-0 lead at the 16:45 mark and then after the first media timeout of the afternoon, increased its lead further to 19-8 following a layup by Antoine Lorick III at the 11:49 mark of the opening half. 

The Mocs would begin to settle in, and a Sean Cusano layup and free throw on a three-point play the old-fashioned way, got the Mocs to within six, at 27-21, with 7:24 remaining in the half. But another layup by Lorrick III and a three by Travis Harper II pushed the Tigers lead back to double digits with 6:11 remaining in the first half. A halftime buzzer-beating three by Tate Darner sent the Mocs to the locker room with some momentum and cut the Tigers lead to nine, at 42-33. 

In the second half, the Tigers built their lead back to 11 points, at 53-42, with 12:30 remaining following a Dante Harris layup. However, another Darner triple almost exactly four minutes later trimmed the Tennessee State lead to 55-52 with 8:38 left. It would be as close as the Mocs would get until half-a-minute remaining, following consecutive threes from Darner and Billy Smith, which got Chattanooga to within two, at 66-64. 

However, a powerful dunk in transition by Travis Harper II and a pair of free throws from Jalen Pitre helped seal the six-point win for the Tigers. 

Darner led the Mocs with 16 points, while Smith added 11. Unfortunately, about 24 hours after the loss bad news would start to make its rounds on social media, as it was learned that Sean Cusano would be done for the season with a lower body injury, leaving the already walking wounded Mocs a little more wounded.

Chattanooga had a week off before returning to the floor in early December to face SEMO at McKenzie Arena, as Teddy Washington Jr. prepared to face off against his former program. 

If the loss to Tennessee State had been a disappointment, then the 74-70 setback to the Redhawks might have had to be considered even more of a gut-punch, but despite the disappointment of a second-straight home floor loss, there would still be even more disappointment and adversity to come in the remaining non-conference tilts ahead. 

The game between the Mocs and Redhawks featured 19 lead changes and 13 ties before SEMO settled on what turned out to be a 74-70 win. Neither team held more than a five-point advantage all afternoon, as Chattanooga dipped to 4-5 on the season. 

Chattanooga went cold in the second half, however. After scoring a season-high 46 points against an NCAA Division I opponent in the opening half of play, the Mocs were held to their lowest point total since a 70-54 home loss to UNC Greensboro on Jan. 24, 2024, as Chattanooga could muster only 24 second-half points in the second half, getting outscored 30-24 over the latter 20 minutes of basketball. 

The Mocs took a 46-44 lead into the halftime locker room, blistering the nets at a 70.8% (17-of-24) shooting clip in the opening half. Slowly but surely, SEMO would steal the momentum in the contest, and with just under 11 minutes remaining in the game, Luke Almodovar's dunk gave the visitors a 57-55 lead. A Billy Smith jumper on the next trip down the floor tied the game for the Mocs. Chattanooga got a stop and then a Makai Richards three-point play the old-fashioned way to give Chattanooga a two-possession lead, at 61-57, with 9:24 left.

At was at this point, both teams had trouble making shots, with a combined 13 points being scored between the two teams for just under seven minutes. Following a pair of Jordan Frison free throws gave the Mocs a 66-65 lead with 5:28 left, the two teams would go scoreless over the next three minutes until Braxton Stacker's three put the Redhawks back on top 68-66 with 2:34 remaining. Richards tied the game for the Mocs 16 seconds later with a short jumper in the paint.

Consecutive dunks by Troy Cole Jr. sandwiched by two more Richards charity shots would see the Redhawks holding a 72-70 lead with 40 seconds remaining. The Redhawks got the crucial stop on the defensive end, forcing a tough, contested jumper for Teddy Washington Jr., and his shot was no good and rebounded by Almodovar, who got the ball to Stacker and he was finally fouled with 13 seconds remaining by Chattanooga, sending him to the line for the two-shot bonus. He connected on both charity shots, and SEMO walked away from the Scenic City with a four-point win. 

The Mocs had a couple of players finish the afternoon in double figures, with Jordan Frison leading the way with 17 points on a near perfect afternoon shooting the basketball, finishing 6-of-7 from the field and was also 5-of-7 from the line. His only miss of the afternoon came on the only three-point shot he attempted. Frison also added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Washington was the only other UTC player in double figures, as he finished with 11.

The next outing saw the Mocs welcome their final non-Division I foe to McKenzie Arena, as the game amounted to a "get right" game for the Mocs, who trounced visiting Oakwood University out of Alabama, 103-46, evening their record at 5-5.

The Mocs got 20 points from Jordan Frison, while graduate transfer point guard Brennan Watkins added 18, and the Mocs played 13 players en route to the 57-point homecourt win. Frison was again nearly perfect in the game, as he went 8-for-10 from the field, which included a 4-for-5 effort from three-point range in the win. 

The Mocs led from wire-to-wire, and Chattanooga connected on a season-high 21 three-pointers in the win over the Ambassadors, which is only one behind VMI's 22 triples for most threes in a single game for a SoCon team this season. The 21 threes were also the second-most in program history, bested only by the Mocs' 22 trifectas against Covenant on Nov. 19, 2022.  It was also Dan Earl's 73rd win at UTC in his fourth year as the head coach, and also matched the 73 games won by Earl during his seven seasons as VMI's coach.

When Chattanooga took the floor in the Holiday Hoopsgiving showcase at State Farm Arena in Atlanta against No. 21 Auburn, the Mocs had only eight scholarship and 10 active players dressed for the game with injuries having really taken their toll on Chattanooga's roster by this point of the non-conference slate. 

Despite being short-handed against the No. 21 team in the country, the Mocs played one of their best games of the non-conference slate, falling 92-78 in a valiant effort considering the circumstances at play.

It was more about just finishing the schedule out as best possible over the remaining games in the non-conference and try to get some players healthy over the short holiday break in time for the start of SoCon play. Things went from bad to worse for the already short-handed Mocs when rookie point guard, who had been playing exceptionally well against the Tigers, went out with an apparent ankle injury after only 14 minutes of action and did not return after an apparent ankle injury, finishing the contest with nine points.

Darner connected on 3-of-4 three-pointers before limping to the sidelines, and yet despite all the adversity, Chattanooga found itself trailing by just five points (43-38) heading into the halftime locker room. 

After trailing by 16 (70-54) with 9:41 remaining, The Mocs wouldn't go away and cut the Tigers' lead to just eight (80-72) following a Josh Bowman baseline jumper with 3:50 remaining. Bowman is a player that head coach Dan Earl had hoped to redshirt this season, however, circumstances have determined otherwise. The Tigers eventually pulled away for the 92-78 win, but the Mocs showed some grit through adversity, despite being severely outmanned. 

Chattanooga would be led in the game by Jordan Frison, who posted 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and was 8-of-10 from the line, while also dishing out six assists and adding four rebounds and a steal. The only other Mocs players in double figures in the game were SEMO transfer Teddy Washington Jr., who added 16 points off the bench, while Bellarmine transfer guard Billy Smith added 14.

Despite what would have to be considered a positive in the previous outing against Auburn, the Mocs would follow that up with a definitive low point of the 2025-26 season to this point on the road at Bellarmine, which was considered a lower tier Atlantic Sun team after winning only five games a year ago, finishing 5-26 with a NET Ranking of 353 to finish out the 2024-25 season. 

However, despite that and despite the fact that Knights trailed the Mocs for most of the night, they found a way to pick up a fifth win to match last year's wins total, downing Chattanooga in demonstrative fashion, 79-64.

The loss saw the Mocs fall to a surprising 5-7 in the non-conference, while Bellarmine improved to 5-6 overall. After Chattanooga took a comfortable 36-27 lead into the half, the Knights came out with an offensive explosion of sorts in the second half, as the Knights would outscore Chattanooga, 52-28, over the final 20 minutes of basketball to win in a somewhat surprisingly easy fashion. It would mark just Bellarmine's third win over an NCAA Division I opponent in 2025-26 and it was also the largest margin of victory of any of the three, as it bested the 12-point, 70-58, win over Chattanooga's fellow SoCon rival The Citadel in late November. 

The Mocs finished the game by shooting a season-low 32.8% (21-of-64) and were just 21.7% (10-of-46) from three-point range in the loss. The Mocs also had just nine assists, which marked the program's lowest assists total in over a year, finishing the Nov. 25, 2024 win over Tennessee State with just eight in the Coke Zero Classic.

The Knights took its first lead since the early stages of the game when Kenyon Goodin connected on a pair of free throws with 9:43 remaining, as Bellarmine assumed what was a 53-51 lead. Following a Jordan Frison jumper the next trip down the floor to tie the game, 53-53, the Knights 6-7, 215 lb senior wing and best player Jack Karisinski gave Bellarmine the lead for good when he converted a layup at the 8:39 mark to make it a 55-53 Knights lead. 

Three minutes later, a pair of Michael Wilson Jr. free throws increased Bellarmine's lead to double digits for the first time, at 63-53, with 5:43 left. At that point, Chattanooga only got to within double digits once more when Frison connected on a pair of free throws at the 3:17 mark to get Chattanooga to back within nine, at 67-58, however, three Bellarmine free throws on separate offensive trips put the lead back to double digits for good. 

Karisinski led the way for the Knights with a game-high tying 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, while finishing 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. He added 12 boards to complete the double-double effort, as the Knights dominated the glass (41-33) and the paint (30-18) in the win over the Mocs. 

About the only bright spots for Chattanooga was the play of starting guards Brennan Watkins and Jordan Frison, who saw their strong play carry over from the solid effort against Auburn, as the backcourt duo finished with 20 points apiece in the road setback.

Chattanooga's 13th and final non-conference game would see it travel to Huntsville, Alabama to face off against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs just four days before Christmas, and after what was arguably the worst performance of the season against Bellarmine, the Mocs followed it up with one of the best, getting a quality, 73-66, win on the road. 

Jordan Frison would end up locking up the final SoCon Player of the Week honor of the non-conference slate, as he would score 27 points, grab nine rebounds, dish out five assists and record a pair of steals in one of the best individual performances by any guard in the SoCon in a single game so far this season.  Also getting into the season-best performance theme was Jikari Johnson, who posted his best effort this season in a Chattanooga uniform, as he finished with 17 points in the road win.  Eight different Mocs scored in the game in an undermanned lineup due to injury

Alabama A&M held an early 12-9 lead before Johnson connected on a pair of triples and finished off a break with a dunk to give the Mocs a 23-17 lead with 8:27 left in the half. From that point, the Mocs got an and-one from Frison to assume a 29-22 lead with 5:25 remaining in the half and after assuming its largest lead of the game at eight (37-29) eventually settled for a 37-33 lead at the break.

The Bulldogs made things interesting after starting the half strong, cutting the Mocs lead to just one on a Koron Davis layup with 18:19 left. A turnaround jumper from Frison and a top of the key three from Brennan Watkins gave the Mocs a bit of a cushion once again, at 44-38, with 16:37 left. A third triple of the afternoon by Watkins would give Chattanooga a nine-point, 52-43, lead with 12:47 left.  Chattanooga's defense was, at times, some of the best it played in any of its previous 12 outings. 

Little-used sophomore guard Houston Holland pulled up and knocked down his first three of the season on his only shot attempt of the afternoon, giving the Mocs a 61-51 lead with 7:15 left. Holland had scored only 12 points the entire season prior to his made triple against the Bulldogs. While Holland's three might have been a surprise, it came as of little surprise as to the player that would put the final nail in Alabama A&M's coffin, as a Frison stepped into a huge triple with just 2:44 left, giving Chattanooga a three-possession lead, at 69-60. 

A three by the Bulldogs on their next possession got the margin back to six, but the Mocs closed the win out with four-straight foul shots to finish non-conference play with a 6-7 overall record. Chattanooga will open up league play on Jan. 1, 2026, facing UNC Greensboro on the road in a 4 p.m. EST contest at Fleming Gym.

Best Win:  KenPom No. 266 North Alabama (W, 71-57)

Worst Loss: KenPom No. 245 Tennessee State (L, 64-70)

Non-Conference MVP: G-Jordan Frison (15.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.0 APG)

SoCon Opener: Jan. 1, 2026 at UNCG (4 p.m. EST)

Chattanooga's Crystal Ball Moving Forward:

Chattanooga's path to success moving forward is actually pretty simple. Get healthy as soon as possible.

The Mocs have enough talent to stay in the race even if they are somewhat shorthanded, but duplicating last season's success of winning 15 out of 18 SoCon games seems less likely than it once did even if they do somehow get as healthy as they can possibly be.

It's not that Chattanooga is not talented enough to in fact win the league at full strength, though that could very well be true, however, it's more that despite being a very talented and offensively versatile team, the Mocs still are lacking on the defensive end of the floor.

As efficient as Dan Earl's offense is, it can't overcome defensive shortcomings and that's been the reality for not just this team, but even at times last year, as good as Chattanooga was, its defense ultimate let it down in the conference tournament. 

With Frank Champion providing a rebounding force in the paint, the Mocs likely would have cut down the nets in Asheville. However, with an unfortunate injury to Champion just prior to the SoCon Tournament, the Mocs didn't have time to adjust quickly enough. When they did, they would wind up winning the NIT.

This season, there's multiple injuries and while there's no player missing that is as good as Champion was a year ago, there's too many bodies missing right now for me to see Chattanooga winning the regular-season at this point. Whenever they regain full health, I expect the Mocs to compete near the top, but finishing with a second-straight regular-season title at least at this point, seems to be a fading reality. A top 3 finish might be a more achievable goal and to have things clicking by the time they arrive in Asheville might be the best course of action.

NON-CONFERENCE SUMMARY: FURMAN (9-4)

It seemed that Furman was headed for a similar type of fate to open the season, although not initially due to injury. The Paladins stumbled to a 1-3 start against an incredibly tough slate. Since that start, the Paladins have slowly but surely started to look like the team we thought they might be.

However, like with Chattanooga, the Paladins have bitten pretty significantly by the injury bug.

with Davis Molnar having gone down in the season-ending injury in the season opening exhibition against Alabama. The Paladins also saw talented freshman guard Collin O'Neal go down with a pretty significant knee injury in the home win over Harvard.  

The most concering injury was suffered by junior forward Cooper Bowser, who suffered a non-contact, lower body injury to Cooper Bowser, which he suffered against Manhattan in the final six-and-a-half minutes of the game. With Bowser on the shelf for an unknown amount of time, it has the potential of changing the dynamic of the rest of the season.

The Paladins came into the season with seven regulars returning, however, had to replace its top two scorers from the backcourt, in PJay Smith Jr. and Nick Anderson, who accounted for 208 of the team's 380 three-pointers last season. 

After starting the season with a precarious 1-3 start to the season, which is the worst start in Bob Richey's eight previous seasons as the head coach, the Paladins have rebounded nicely to win eight of nine to close out non-conference play and are the hottest team in the league heading into league play. 

The loss of Anderson and Smith have seen the Paladins begin to assert dominance in a different way this season. The normally guard-dominant, three-point sniping Paladins have shifted both offensive production, roles and efficiency to the frontcourt, which is a new wrinkle for Richey's Paladins. 

The Paladins have one of the biggest average heights of any team in the nation, averaging right at 6-5 for the team. The most dynamic of those performers throughout the season has been four-star recruit Alex Wilkins. The Mattapan, MA., product has been as good as advertised this season, and some say he's been the best freshman in the SoCon since Stephen Curry. 

Wilkins has five games in which he has scored 20 or more points in this season and has posted double figure scoring games in 10 of 13 non-conference games this season for the Paladins.  

The Paladins started their 2025-26 season off in the Field of 68 Marathon, and it was a less than memorable performance put forth by Furman, as the Paladins were brushed aside by High Point, 

as the team with a three-million-dollar NIL handed Bob Richey his first loss in a season-opener as head coach of the Paladins, and the Panthers did so in demonstrative fashion, posting what was a 97-71 win over the Paladins at the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center.

The concerning thing for the Paladins was the fact that the Paladins committed 22 turnovers in the setback, while the Panthers shot a blistering 58% (40-of-69) from the field, which included a 45.0% (9-of-20) from long-range. The Panthers had five players finish the game in double figures, with Rob Martin scoring a game-high 22 points to lead the reigning Big South champions.

Furman, which trailed by as many as 32 points in the second half, as was led by Charles Johnston's 16 points and 12 rebounds, as the junior center from Sydney, Australia led four Paladins in double figures in the losing effort.

Furman's 22 turnovers against High Point were its most since turning it over 22 times in a 117-110 double-overtime loss to Tulane on Dec. 14, 2023. It ranks as the most turnovers for a Furman team in regulation since Dec. 19, 2020, when the Paladins turned it over 23 times in an 87-71 loss at Winthrop.

In fact, it 262 games under Bob Richey prior to Monday night's season opener, the Paladins had only had seven games in which they turned it over 20 or more times, finishing 2-5 in those games. The only two wins came against South Carolina State (Dec. 3, 2022) and USC Upstate (Nov. 28, 2020). Furman's 22 turnovers in regulation were bested only once in Richey's tenure as head coach, and it ironically came in Rock Hill, as the Paladins finished with 23 turnovers in an 87-71 loss at Winthrop in December of 2020.

Following the loss against the Panthers, Furman was ready to officially open the refurbished Timmons Arena, welcoming in reigning Sun Belt champion Troy, and though the effort was much better than it was against the Panthers in the opener, the result ended up being the same, as the Trojans never trailed getting a 64-61 win over the Paladins in the home opener.

Against the Trojans, it appeared the game was trending towards another sizable loss to a good mid-major, but the Paladins would rally in the second half. The Paladins fell behind 15-3 in the opening minutes, however, would rally to get as close as three when Alex Wilkins converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way, making it a 23-20 game with 7:26 remaining in the half. 

The Trojans would close the half on a 13-3 run, however, taking a 36-23 lead into the halftime locker room.

The Paladins would then trail by as many as 15 points, at 42-27, following a three-pointer by Cooper Campbell with 16:57 remaining, however, the Paladins would chip away at the Trojans lead forward.

A 15-2 run by Furman, which started with an alley-oop slam by Cooper Bowser off a feed from Wilkins and ended with a three pointer from the right elbow off another Wilkins helper, helped the Paladins slice Troy's lead to four, at 44-40, with 11:25 left. A Wilkins jumper in the paint following a rebound off his own miss got Furman even closer on its next possession, at 44-42, with 8:50 remaining.

As is did for much of the night when the Paladins drew close on the scoreboard, the Trojans seemingly always had an answer, and an Austin Cross triple six seconds later gave Troy just enough breathing room, extending its advantage back to five, at 47-42.

Campbell would connect on another three four minutes later to keep Troy's lead at five, despite the Trojans best efforts, they couldn't shake loose of the hard-charging Paladins. An Eddrin Bronson corner three off a feed from Tom House got Furman to within two with 4:25 left, and following a missed hook shot by Theo Seng in the paint, Wilkins tossed another beautiful lob to Bowser, who slammed it with authority, tying the game, 55-55, with 3:32 left. 

Furman had three shots at taking the lead, missing a pair of layups in the paint and pretty good look at a three from Tom House allowed the game to remain tied. 

It appeared Furman might get a fourth chance to take the lead, however, after Charles Johnston rebounded a missed Cooper Campell three, Campbell stepped in front of Bowser's outlet pass and converted a layup off the steal to put the Trojans back up two, at 57-55, with 1:19 remaining. 

Following a Bronson missed 15-footer, Victor Valdes hit a dagger three from the top of the key to give the Trojans 60-55 lead with 31 seconds left. 

Furman's Asa Thomas and Johnston connected on a pair of threes in the final 12.1 seconds, but Theo Seng and Thomas Dowd went 4-for-4 from the line to close out the 64-61 road win. 

The Paladins would get their first win of the season over Columbia International, posting an 89-59 win. It was the first of what be several big nights for Alex Wilkins in non-conference play, as he netted a game-high 26 points to lead the Paladins in the lopsided win.

Furman's talented rookie guard connected on 9-of-17 shots from the field and finished 4-for-9 from three-point land, as well as posting a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the line. Additionally, the native of Mattapan, MA., added two assists, two steals and a pair of boards.

Wilkins' 26 points was the highest by a Furman freshman in over a decade, as it was the most by a Paladin rookie since former talented rookie guard and 2014-15 SoCon Freshman of the Year Devin Sibley scored 29 points on Feb. 14, 2015, in what was a 66-59 road loss to East Tennessee State.

At 1-2, Furman would head out on the road to face one of the best teams in mid-major basketball on the road, taking on the Northern Iowa Panthers for the first time since 2003. The Paladins would find scoring on the Panthers a tough task the entire night, as one of the top defensive teams in college basketball put the clamps down on the Paladins en route to getting a 70-54 win over Furman.

The Panthers would be led in scoring in the contest by Trey Campbell, who finished with 18 points to lead five UNI players in double figures, as the Panthers featured a well-balanced offensive output. Campbell knocked down 6-of-11 shots from the field and was 3-for-6 from three-point range and a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Additionally, Campbell added three assists and two steals in the win.

Campbell would be joined in double figures by Ben Schwieger, who gave off the bench to add 14 points for the Panthers, while starters Leon Bond III and Tristan Smith added 13 points apiece, and Will Hornseth added 11 points and eight boards to round out the balanced offensive effort from the Panthers.

Furman was led by junior center Cooper Bowser, who posted 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, while adding four rebounds, two blocks and an assist to his overall totals for the night. Charles Johnston added a double-double of 11 points, 10 rebounds and an assist, while shooting 3-of-7 from three-point range. The rest of the team shot just 1-of-23 from long-range in the game.

True freshman point guard Alex Wilkins also finished in double figures, finishing with 10 points and four assists, as he connected on 4-of-14 shots from the field, but was 0-of-9 from three-point land.

For the game, the Panthers ended the night connecting on 46.3% (25-of-54) from the field but were just 30.0% (6-of-20) from long-range themselves. UNI did knock down 14-of-17 attempts from the charity stripe, which converted to an 82.4% clip from the charity stripe.

The Paladins finished the night connecting on just 39.3% (22-of-56) from the field and just 13.3% (4-of-30) from three-point range and were 6-of-11 from the free throw line. Furman owned advantages in points in the paint (34-30) and second-chance points (6-5), while UNI held advantages in points from turnovers (13-11), fast-break points (5-2), bench points (15-9), total rebounds (35-33), and total assists (11-10).

Furman would pick up its second win of the season against its second non-Division I foe, as the Paladins would pick up a 79-44 win over Ohio Christian and that game would be the start of Furman's turnaround in non-conference play.

The win sees the Paladins improve to 2-3 on the young season. Asa Thomas scored a then career-high 22 points, finishing the night connecting on 9-of-16 shots from the field, including going 4-for-11 from beyond the arc, while adding seven rebounds, three assists and one steal in just over 29 minutes of playing time for the evening.

Thomas was joined in double figures by Charles Johnston, who notched his fourth double-double of the season, with 15 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and added two blocks, while Alex Wilkins finished his evening finishing in double figures for a fifth-consecutive game as a true freshman, as he posted 10 points in the Paladin win. For Johnston, his 11 rebounds marked his fifth double-digit rebounding performance of the season and also his fifth time out of five opportunities leading the Paladins on the glass.

Furman was without senior forward and main "glue guy" Ben Vander Wal, who missed the game with a minor injury.

Next up was a big Sunday matinee' test against an upstart Queens team, which was picked by the Atlantic Sun coaches to win its conference. The Royals had already dispatched SoCon member UNC Greensboro in a recent matchup, and Furman would play maybe its most-complete game of the season, as things started to "click" in the 90-79 home floor win for the Paladins. 

It was a big day on the Furman campus, with the Paladin soccer team having defeated Western Michigan at Eugene E. Stone Soccer Stadium, 1-0, in its round of 32 match earlier in the day, and the Furman women having played ACC member and local rival Clemson tough for most of the day before falling 76-58 at Timmons Arena to the Tigers.

Furman's men's basketball helped Paladin athletics cap off a pretty solid afternoon on campus, as the Paladins picked up their first win over an NCAA Division I opponent all season, as Furman would get an 11-point win over the Royals to move to 3-3 on the season.

Furman used a 56.3% shooting effort in the opening half of play and connected on six first-half threes, building what was a 45-32 lead at the break and would extend that lead out to as much as 58-38 in the second half after Cooper Bowser threw down a pair of dunks early on in the second half.

The Paladins finished the game with their top shooting performance of the season, as the Paladins posted a 53.3% (32-of-60) performance from the field, including a solid 36.4% (12-of-33) effort from three-point land. About the only thing the Paladins didn't do exceptionally well was shooting from the charity stripe, as the Paladins finished the game just 66.7% (14-of-21) from the charity stripe. The 90 points scored by the Paladins were also a season high. Furman's four turnovers were also a season low. 

Queens, which finished the two prior games shooting over 49% or better from the field and had hit 17 and 15 three-pointers in its previous two outings against UNC Greensboro and Sacred Heart in back-to-back wins, was held to 47.5% (28-of-59) and connected on just nine three-pointers, finishing the game connecting at a 34.6% (9-of-26) from three-point range. The Royals continued to shoot the ball well from the charity stripe this season, connecting on 82.4% (14-of-17).

The Paladins held the edge in total rebounds (36-27) and total assists (20-18), while Queens held slight edges in bench scoring (23-18), second-chance points (15-7), points from turnovers (7-5) and fast-break scoring (9-8). 

Next up was a trip back to Disney World for the Furman men's basketball team, which of course last time took down mighty Virginia, 68-67, in Fantasy Land at the 2023 NCAA Tournament at the Kia Center, and this time, the Paladins would garner what remains their biggest win and the biggest league win to this point in the season, as the Paladins took down Richmond, 73-72, inside the State Farm Fieldhouse as a part of the ESPN Events Terry's Chocolate Invitational Imagination Bracket. The win meant Furman would move on to the championship game to face Illinois State.

It was Furman's defense that had to overcome its miscues down the stretch to get the win, as the Paladins turned it over on their final five possessions and connected on just 9-of-21 (33.3%) from the line, but Furman's defense was enough.  

Furman got a career-high matching 26 points from Alex Wilkins, while Asa Thomas added 20, while Cooper Bowser finished with 10 to round out the Paladins in double figure scorers for the Paladins. 

Wilkins finished the afternoon by connecting on 10-of-19 shots from the field, including 2-of-7 from three-point range and was 4-of-7 from the charity stripe. The true freshman guard from Mattapan, MA., added four rebounds, three assists and had one steal.

Thomas connected on 7-of-12 shots from the field and he finished 5-of-12 from long-range and was 1-for-3 from the charity stripe. Thomas hit a key three and came up with one of the defensive plays of the night, blocking Jaden Daughtry dunk attempt following a rare turnover on the other end. His corner three with 4:12 remaining gave the Paladins a nine-point, 71-62, lead off a beautiful cross-court feed from Thomas. The Paladins would get only one more field goal, which came from Wilkins, for the remainder of the game, but held on despite getting outscored 10-2 down the stretch.

"We threw the zone [1-3-1] out there a little bit and got them off rhythm a little bit but we knew that wasn't going to last forever because Chris [Mooney] is too good of a coach and they were going to figure out...We started in the 1-3-1, but he had to trust our man-to-man late and they had two cracks at it baseline out to essentially take the lead and to be honest with you it was too not good looks" head coach Bob Richey said of his defense after the one-point win over the Spiders.

The Spiders held just two leads in the game, at 3-0 after Collin Tanner connected on a three on Richmond's first shot of the game, and then at 3-2 following an Alex Wilkins runner in the lane. A Thomas three in transition on the next trip down following a Spiders turnover gave the Paladins a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the game.

Furman was able to employ a 1-3-1 zone early on to get the Spiders out of rhythm early in the game, for a team that averaged 90 points coming into the game, was held to season lows in both halves, as the Paladins held the Spiders below 40 points in both halves for the first time all season to post the one-point win. The Paladins led by as many as 15 points in the opening half (28-13) following a Wilkins three with 8:26 remaining in the half. The Spiders would whittle the lead to five, at 43-38, at the half. 

In the second half, the Spiders were able to trim Furman's lead to one possession on six occasions, but could never take the lead, as the Paladins forced a shot-clock violation and Thomas blocked a shot at the rim, and then following a Richmond timeout and a review, forced a pair of tough shots from Aiden Argabright and Mike Walz on the final two shot attempts off baseline out of bounds attempts, and the Paladins held on for the one-point win.

"Coach kind of threw a curve ball there with the 1-3-1 and we thought it worked and they didn't know it was coming and we got a lot of stops at the beginning of the game and that allowed us to get out to that big lead and we kept it and that's all that matters," Furman redshirt sophomore guard Asa Thomas said.

Richmond would be led by three in double figures, as Jaden Daughtry led the Spiders with 12, while Mikkel Tyne and Will Johnston finished with 10 apiece.

The Paladins shot 51.9% (28-of-54) for the game, including a 32.0% (8-of-25) effort from three-point land.  The Paladins were strong defensively all day, holding the Spiders to just 40.7% (24-of-59) from the field and just 33.3% (9-of-27) from long range, but were able to stay in the game with a 88.2% (15-of-17) effort at the charity stripe.

The second day of action would see the Paladins take on Illinois State out of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Redbirds were the favorites to take the MVC Conference crown prior to the season and showed why, as Illinois State claimed what was an impressive 72-65 win over the Paladins in the second game in Kissimmee at the State Farm Fieldhouse. 

It was another strong performance from Alex Wilkins, who scored 25 points and finished with a tournament-best 51 points over the course of two games. 

The Redbirds, which returned to four starters and entered the season as the preseason favorite to claim the Missouri Valley Conference title, used their experience and Midwest grit down the stretch in a close game to claim the win over the battle-tested Paladins.

Illinois State shot the ball well in the second half, using a 57% effort to outscore the Paladins 39-29 in the second half, overcoming what was a 36-33 halftime deficit to come away with the win, improving to 6-2 overall, while Furman saw its three-game winning streak come to an end, falling to 4-4.

The Redbirds were a team built to adapt, and coach Ryan Pedon's team showed it could both play up-tempo and in the halfcourt, and offered a variety of scoring options that, if the opposition shut one down, another one always seemingly found a way to emerge.

While Boden Skunberg led the Redbirds in their semifinal win over Charlotte, with 22 points and 10 rebounds, in the championship win it was Imagination Bracket MVP Ty Pence that came up huge for the Redbirds, as he posted a career-high 20 points and 10 boards, and was the player that made key shots down the stretch to help the Redbirds get baskets when they needed them in crucial moments.

The Paladins, who got a career-high matching 26 points from true freshman point guard Alex Wilkins in Thursday's one-point win over Richmond, saw the talented true freshman point guard pour in 25 more points in Friday's title game to lead all scorers, as Furman came up just short and fell to 0-2 this season against Missouri Valley Conference teams. Furman also fell to another of the MVC's top teams a couple of weeks ago, falling 70-54 in Cedar Falls at Northern Iowa.

With the game tied, 52-52, just over midway through second half, the Redbirds made the move that would ultimately put them over the top and come up with the program's first in-season tournament title since the 2010-11 season, putting together an 8-0 run, which started with a Cameron Barnes tip-in and ended with a Ty Pence fade-a-way jumper at the 8:31 mark to give the Redbirds some cushion with a 60-52 lead.

A Cooper Bowser tip-in on the other end ended a 2:21 scoring drought for the Paladins and made it a two-possession game once again, at 60-54.

Over the next seven minutes, the Redbirds would maintain a 4-8-point advantage on the scoreboard until a Wilkins running layup on the other end brought the Paladins back to within three, at 68-65, with 39 seconds remaining. 

A Johny Kinzinger jumper from about 17-feet out with the shot-clock winding down off a nice set play following a Redbirds timeout, restored a two-possession lead, at 70-65, with 12 seconds remaining. 

Following Asa Thomas' missed three-pointer on the other end, the Redbirds' Skunberg got the rebound and was immediately fouled with four seconds remaining, and he knocked down both double-bonus foul shots to close out the win and create the final seven-point margin.

Furman fell behind 16-6 early in the contest, following another Kinzinger jumper at the 14:06 mark. After a Bowser two-handed flush on the other end, Skunberg got a nice feed from backcourt mate Ty'Reek Coleman to knock down a right elbow three to give the Redbirds their largest lead of the game, at 19-8, with 13:20 remaining. 

Furman would whittle the lead away over the final 10 minutes of the half, and went to the half with all the momentum, using a stretch of three made three-pointers by freshman guard Collin O'Neal over roughly a six-minute stretch, igniting the Paladin offense, and with a 10-0 run to close the half, the Paladins found themselves up, 36-33, at the break. 

O'Neal's career-best 12 points came in 17 minutes of work, which included a perfect 4-for-4 shooting effort from three-point range in the game. O'Neal, who suffered what looked to be a charley horse injury early in the second half and didn't return to the game, gave Furman some important points off the bench on an afternoon when two of its veterans--Tom House and Charles Johnston struggled to make shots on a combined 2-for-8 from the field and 0-of-5 from three-point land --also added four rebounds.

Pence finished off his career-best effort by connecting on 8-of-12 shots from the field and 2-for-3 from long-range, while adding 10 rebounds, two assists, one block and a steal. 

He was one of four ISU players in double figures, as preseason All-MVC selection and league player of the year candidate Chase Walker added 14 points and four boards, while Skunberg followed up his season-high 22 points yesterday with 12 and Kinzinger finished with 11 points.  Coleman just missed double figures, finishing with nine points, four assists and a pair of steals, while turning it over only once.

Wilkins, who led all scorers in the tournament with 51 points in two games, finished 9-of-17 from the field and 2-for-6 from three-point land and connected on five of his six charity stripe attempts to equal his game-high total of 25 times. In addition to his fourth 20+point scoring effort and eighth double-figure effort, The Mattapan, MA., product added five assists and a block, while turning over three times. 

Wilkins was one of three Paladins in double figures, as the freshman was joined by classmate O'Neal and junior Cooper Bowser, who both added 12 points apiece. All told, freshmen combined to score 37 of Furman's 65 points. 

The Paladins shot the ball at a 45.5% clip for the game (23-of-55) and 36.0% (6-of-11) from three-point range. Furman was once again not very good at the free throw line, as the Paladins finished the game just 6-of-11 (54.5%) from the free throw line and shot less than 50% (15-of-31) in the tournament from the stripe.

The Redbirds finished the game connected on 45.6% (26-of-57) from the field 33.3% (8-of-24) from three-point range.

Next up for Furman was a trip into CAA country where it would pick up maybe its most impressive victory of all in the 2025-26 season-to-date, as the Paladins, despite trailing by as many as 18 points in the opening half of play, went on the road to pick up a 97-88 win over a very good Elon team. 

The Paladins would also lead by as many as 15 points in the second half only to see the Phoenix fight hard to get back into the game at the Schar Center, as the two former SoCon rivals duked it out for the first time on the hardwood since the 2019-20 season. 

It was also Furman's first true road win of the season and 75th over the past nine years, which ranks as the fifth-most in all of mid-major basketball. 

Asa Thomas led five Paladin players in double figures, posting 21 points, three rebounds and two assists, as Furman overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to post its first true road win of the season, with a 97-88 win over Elon in non-conference basketball action Wednesday evening at the Schar Center.

With the win, Furman improved to 5-4 overall and have now won four out the last five games after a 1-3 start to the campaign. The loss sees Elon even its record at 4-4 on the young season, which includes having lost each of its past two games to SoCon foes. The Phoenix also dropped a 91-84 decision to Mercer this past Saturday.

Thomas completed the evening by connecting 6-of-12 shots from the field, including a 5-for-11 effort from three-point range in the win. The Clemson transfer was a big reason Furman was able to overcome that big deficit down the stretch in the opening half of play, as Thomas connected on 4-of-5 from three-point range in the opening half of play, helping Furman surge back from an 18-point deficit over the latter half of the opening half, helping ignite a 20-4 run for the Paladins to close the half to tie the game, 44-44.

Thomas would be joined in double figures for the Paladins by junior forward Cooper Bowser, who filled a Jalen Slawson-like stat-line, finishing the evening with 19 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two assists in 33 minutes of work. Furman senior center Charles Johnston added his SoCon-leading sixth double-double of the campaign, posting 12 points and 11 rebounds, while classmate Ben Vander Wal added 13 points and eight rebounds to round out four of five starters that ended in double figures for the Paladins in the game.

Tom House delivered his most productive outing of the season for the Paladins, as he came off the bench to add 12 points, which included a near-flawless performance from the charity stripe, as he was 9-of-10 from the stripe. Collin O’Neal came off the bench to add nine points for the Paladins, while freshman phenom Alex Wilkins finished with eight points and three assists after getting in foul trouble in the opening half, which limited his production. It was the first time this season that the freshman from Mattapan, MA failed to reach double figures.

Elon senior big man Chandler Cuthrell, who came into the game ranking sixth nationally in scoring average, led all scorers in the game with 25 points, as he was one of three Elon players in double figures, and was one of two with 20 or more points in the contest. Cuthrell finished his night by connecting on 8-of-14 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point land. He was also 7-of-9 from the charity stripe in the contest.

Cuthrell was joined in double figures in the game by Randall Pettus II, who added 21 points and Ja’Juan Carr rounded out the double-figure scorers for Elon, with a solid performance, adding 12 points, six assists and five rebounds.

The Paladins completed the night by connecting on 50.8% (31-of-61) from the field, including a 32.4% (11-of-34) effort from three-point range in the win. Furman, which came into the game ranking 356 out of 361 teams in free throw shooting, reverted to the sound shooting team from the stripe that it had been over the course of eight previous seasons under head coach Bob Richey, as the Paladins finished the night connecting on a season-best 77.4% (24-of-31) from the charity stripe. The Paladins were especially impressive down the stretch in the game, finishing off the win by connecting on 18 of their final 20 charity stripe shots in the game.

Elon, meanwhile, finished the game connecting on 42.6% (29-of-68) from the field, while matching Furman’s 32.4% (11-of-34) effort from beyond the arc. The Phoenix was also good from the charity stripe, finishing the night by knocking down 76.0% (19-of-25) from the free throw line.

It's never easy for any college basketball program during exam time, but at institutions of such academic prowess like Furman and Harvard, that time of year hits particularly tough, so it was hard to know what we might get out of the game between Furman and Harvard in early December. However, it would end up being another solid win for both the Paladins and the Southern Conference, as Furman found its way past their Ivy League visitors from the Northeast, taking a 79-69 win over the Crimson.

For the Paladins, they were starting to play some really good basketball, and it was the team's third-straight win, however, the win didn't come without a pretty heavy price, as freshman guard Collin O'Neal, who had really started to come into his own as being one of Furman's top players off the bench, as well as being one of Furman's best on-ball defenders, went down with some sort of what appeared to be knee injury.

It was Furman's second-straight win over the Crimson, having knocked off the Crimson, 77-63, in Boston during the 2024-25 season. Asa Thomas again delivered a strong performance for the Paladins, as he posted 18 points to lead four Paladins in double figures in the win. 

Thomas finished his strong efforts from three-point range of late, five of his six field goals were three-pointers, and over the past two games, the redshirt sophomore transfer from Clemson has connected on 50% of his shots from long range, knocking down 10-of-20 from long-range in the past couple of games. The Lake Forest, Ill., product finished by scoring 12 of his 18 points in the second half. 

All told against Harvard, Thomas had a strong shooting performance, connecting on 6-of-11 shots from the field and was 5-for-9 from three-point range, which was a microcosm of the team's season-high shooting performance of 57.1% (28-of-49). Thomas added five rebounds, two assists, and one steal to round out another complete performance. 

After finishing with eight points and battling foul trouble for much of the night in the win at Elon, freshman guard Alex Wilkins found his way back into double figures, finishing with 16 points, five assists, and three steals, however, did have seven of the team's 16 turnovers. 

Despite the turnovers, it was a complete game on both ends of the floor once again for Wilkins, as he continues to acclimate himself to the college game and Furman's intricate offensive system. 

Cooper Bowser put together another perfect outing from the field to finish, connecting on 5-of-5 shots from the field and was 2-of-2 from the line to finish with 12, while Ed Bronson added 11. 

Next up was a game against Bob Jones, as Furman headed down the home stretch of non-conference play. 

Cooper Bowser scored a career-high 24 points to lead five Furman players in double figures, as the Paladins breezed past Bob Jones to record what was a 105-59 win over their visitors in what marked the final game with non-Division I competition of the 2025-26 schedule. 

It was the first time the Paladins have surpassed the century mark this season, and the 105 points marked the 19th time Furman has reached the 100-point plateau in a game under head coach Bob Richey. The Paladins did so twice last season in two out of their three non-Division I games against both Oglethorpe (124 pts) and Montreat (100).

The win also marked Furman's 230th win since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is most among Southern Conference members over that span. 

Bowser, who came into the night leading the nation in field goal percentage at 79.4% this season, finished the contest 11-of-14 from the field and was 2-for-6 from the charity stripe to finish with his career-high 24 points. He also added six rebounds to his total and is now 61-of-77 from the field this season, which converts to a 79.2% shooting clip.

Tom House added a season-high 16 points, scoring in double figures for the second time in three games, as the senior from Dayton, OH., finished the evening going 5-of-9 from the field, including a 4-for-7 from three-point land.

The Paladins got 15 points and six rebounds out of "glue guy" and senior veteran Ben Vander Wal, while Charles Johnston added 12 points and eight boards to continue his consistency to start the season underneath the basket. 

Furman's double-figure scorers were rounded out by Asa Thomas, who added a quiet 10 points, finishing off his third-straight game in double figures. Leading scored Alex Wilkins didn't reach double figures, however, he did manage to dish out nine assists to lead a Paladin team that finished with 26 helpers in the win.

In what was the first meeting between the two programs since 1974 and first in the Big Apple since 1954, Furman was able to keep its good form alive following a nine-day break to finish up first semester exams, as the Paladins held off a solid Manhattan Jaspers team, 75-68, a week before Christmas.

Like the win over Harvard, however, the Paladins left Draddy Gym with a great deal of concern around big man Cooper Bowser, who exited the game with a non-contact injury with about six-and-a-half minutes remaining and did not return, as the Paladins picked up their second true road win of the season.

Bowser's perfect 8-for-8 performance from the field, which included an NCAA Division I season high seven dunks for an individual player against another NCAA Division I opponent was among the leading performances in the game, and it proved to be a big reason why the Paladins were able to pick up their eighth win of the non-conference. 

When Bowser went out, Charles Johnston stepped up, scoring eight points in a key flurry down the stretch, allowing the Paladins to overtake the Jaspers and create a little bit of distance on the scoreboard.

The senior from Syndney, Australia finished his night connecting on 4-of-8 shots from the field, which included a 3-for-6 effort from three-point range in the win to finish off his seventh double-double of the season, completing the contest with 11 points to go with his 11 rebounds.

Leading the scoring efforts for the Paladins in the seven-point road win was freshman guard Alex Wilkins, who posted 18 points and seven assists to lead the way, while Asa Thomas rounded out the Paladin double-figure scorers with 12 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists.

The Jaspers finished the game with their two dynamic guards leading the way, as Jaden Winston and Devin Dinkins both scored 17 points apiece to lead the way for the hometown team. 

Furman finished the game connecting on 50% (30-of-60) from the field, while connecting on 35.7% (10-of-28) from three-point range and 35.7% (5-of-14) from the charity stripe. 

Manhattan finished its evening connecting on 39.1% (25-of-64) of its shots from the field, including 26.9% (7-of-26) from three-point range and 68.8% (11-of-16) from the free throw line.

Along with Johnston's scoring flurry, Furman's biggest offensive rebound, and bucket of the night came from another veteran that was instrumental in helping Furman to post 25 wins last season in his first season with the program, as Eddrin Bronson would provide a key leading sequence late in the game.

Bronson grabbed Furman's biggest offensive rebound and putback of the night would be the only field goal of the night from the sophomore Bronson, who rebounded a Wilkins layup miss, that caromed high off the glass and his putback on a layup with the shot clock winding down restored Furman's two-possession lead, at 73-68, with just 13 seconds left. 

Furman's final game of the non-conference would come inside the friendly confines of Timmons Arena, as the Paladins hosted Charleston Southern before better than 1,800 fans on-hand inside the refurbished arena.

After beginning the season with a forgettable performance against a Big South in the 26-point loss to High Point, the Paladins would finish off non-conference play in grand style against a solid team from the same conference, as Furman would pick up an 84-76 win over pesky Charleston Southern in a game that seemingly had everything, and was defined by big runs on both sides, but it was Furman's 8-0 run late after it trailed by two (73-71) that proved to be the decisive one in the eight-point win. 

The win meant the Paladins would finish non-conference play 9-4, which is impressive considering the fact that the Paladins had to overcome the losses of its two top scorers and veteran, game-managing guards from a year ago, as well as navigating some injuries to key performers. However, despite the 1-3 start with a pair of lopsided losses to good teams, Furman's young talent at point guard, as well as its defending and shooting would begin to show the quality that Bob Richey's Furman teams so often do and so often have, and with the win over the Bucs, the Paladins will head into league play winners of eight of its final nine non-conference games, including five-straight. 

The Paladins played without big man Cooper Bowser, and along with the obvious issue of meaning having one less body meaning more injury spent collectively by the team, it also showed up in other areas, as the Paladins were outscored 44-28 in the paint, and had to rally to tie the game on the glass, 42-42, after trailing 26-19 on the glass at the break. 

Asa Thomas led the Paladins with a career-high 25 points, while Alex Wilkins posted his fifth performance of 20 or more points in the non-conference, finishing with 24, leading three Paladins in double figures in the win. 

Charleston Southern also placed three players in double figures, with A'lahn Sumler leading all scorers in the game with 26 points, as he knocked 11-of-20 shots from the field and was 3-for-8 from three-point range. Sumler also contributed five assists and posted a pair of rebounds. 

Joining Sumler in double figures for the Bucs was Jesse Hafemeister, who finished with 14 points and five rebounds, while Jacob Taylor finished with 12. Leading scorer Brycen Blaine, who came into the game averaging 19.2 PPG, was held to just three points, with Furman true freshman guard Abijah Franklin drawing the assignment of guarding Blaine for most of the evening and did a stellar job of holding him in check for much of the afternoon.

The Paladins also did a nice job of limiting the looks the Bucs were able to get from three-point range in the game, holding the Bucs to just nine made threes in the game, marking just the fourth time in 14 non-conference games that the Bucs had been held below double digits in made threes in the game. Charleston Southern entered the contest leading the nation in made threes per game (14), however, the Paladins ended up outscoring the Bucs, 30-27, from three-point range. 

The Bucs ended up connecting on 26.5% from three-point range (9-of-34), while the Paladins finished the contest connecting on 43.1% (31-of-72). The Bucs were also 5-of-9 from the charity stripe (62.5%).

Furman finished the game connecting on 44.3% (27-of-61) from the field and 40% (10-of-25) and concluded the game making 76.9% (20-of-26) from the charity stripe.  The Bucs held advantages on points in the paint (44-28), bench points (44-7) and points from turnovers (14-12). The Paladins held advantages in second chance points (14-10) and fast-break points (21-15).

The win marked Furman's 232nd (232-112) win since the start of the 2015-16 season, and it also marked the Paladins' 115th win at Timmons Arena over that same span, as the Paladins have posted a 115-20 record inside the friendly confines in 10 seasons of competition inside the facility. 

The Paladins improved to 6-1 on the home hardwood with Sunday's win.  The Paladins have now won 43 of their last 47 games against non-conference foes inside Timmons Arena. Furman's 232 wins over the past 11 seasons are the most among 10 current league members.  

Best Win: KenPom No. 99 Richmond (W, 73-72)

Worst Loss: KenPom No. 142 Troy (L, 61-64)

Non-Conference MVP: Alex Wilkins (16.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 4.8 APG)

Furman's Crystal Ball Moving Forward:

Though Furman has reached only one NCAA Tournament under Bob Richey (2023), it's become the standard for a program that has more wins than any other in the SoCon during Richey's eight-plus seasons as the head coach.  

Projecting Furman to be in the mix for the regular-season and tournament titles in Asheville seem to be a fairly easy projection, given Furman's overall talent level and track record of success, however, as has proven in the recent past, turning the lock to get to the Big Dance has been a tricky endeavor for Richey and Furman.

For evidence of that, one only need look at last season, when the No. 5 seed Furman entered the championship game as a pretty solid favorite against sixth-seeded Wofford only to find that, for the second time in three years, the Paladins would be on the losing end of a title tilt, as the Terriers handed the Paladins a 95-88 setback to become the SoCon's March Madness Representative. 

The start to SoCon play in 2025-26 could only be tougher if the Paladins started it on the road against a Mercer team that has arguably been the best in the SoCon to this point in the season. The Paladins and Bears will face each other on the final day of 2025 in what could turn out to be one of the biggest league tilts when it comes to deciding the regular-season league champion.

While I think Furman will no doubt be a team in the mix and one that could and will win it, as I predicted in the preseason, I think it's a lot trickier now if Cooper Bowser's injury is significant. One thing no one can prognosticate is how injuries will factor in as the league gets under way. In this case, Furman might have to figure it out along the way, and though it's not an easy process for any team, when it comes down to it, Furman has one capable to figure it out on the fly.

I'll stick with my preseason pick of Furman to win the league title, but it's a different puzzle now than it was if Bowser is out for a significant amount of time.