With a little
over a month gone in the SoCon Hoops season in 2024-25, we’ve seen more good
than bad out of a league that had so much turnover and we’ve had our share of
surprises, with Furman (9-1) having been the biggest surprise out of the
game. After losing 70% of its scoring from a year ago, head coach Bob Richey
has team playing some of the best basketball in all of mid-major basketball.
The Paladins have impressive wins over both Princeton (W, 69-63) and Florida
Gulf-Coast (W, 76-73) from this past week.
The Paladins got leading performances from senior
point guard PJay Smith Jr. once again, as he posted a solid 18-point performance
in what was a solid road win over the Eagles. The Paladins had to overcome a
13-point deficit with about nine minutes remaining, as the Paladins mounted a furious
24-8 run over the final 9:33 of game action to come up with the win. The
13-point deficit which the Paladins overcame in the contest was the largest
deficit the Paladins had faced in any one game since the rallying from being down
16 points against Tulane in the second half last season at Devlin Fieldhouse,
only to lose a double-overtime heartbreaker, 117-110, to the Green Wave.
Furman’s Ben VanderWal put together
his best performance of the season for the ‘Dins against FCGU, as he finished
with 10 points, three rebounds and blocked three shots off the bench, as he
recorded his first double-digit scoring performance of the season. His 10-point
performance came on a 3-for-5 shooting from the field and a 1-for-2 effort from
three-point range. VanderWal became the 11th different Paladin to reach
double figures this season in the win over the Eagles.
The win over the Eagles also gave the
Paladins four wins away from ‘The Well’ this season, which matches its four
road wins from the 2023-24 season. The Paladins already have road wins over Charleston
Southern (W, 67-46), Belmont (W, 76-74), Florida Gulf-Coast (W, 76-73), and
Seattle (W, 61-56) have all been claimed as road wins this season for
the Paladins. The win over FGCU saw the Paladins finish their portion of the SoCon-Atlantic
Sun Alliance with a 2-0 record, as the Paladins also knocked off Jacksonville
(W, 78-69) at ‘The Well’ earlier this season
Furman’s biggest win of the season had been
its early-season road triumph at Belmont, however, there could certainly be a
new argument to that win against the Bruins on the road, as the Paladins picked
up win No. 9 with an impressive 69-63 win over 33-time Ivy League
regular-season champion Princeton, as the Paladins put an end to Princeton’s
three-game winning streak with a 69-63 win over the Tigers.
With his fourth 20+ scoring effort of the
season, Smith showed not only that is the clubhouse leader for SoCon Player
of the Year honors, but also showed that he might be one of the leading candidates
for the SoCon’s Defensive Player of the Year award, as he posted four steals
and took his assignment of trying to lock down Princeton’s talented NBA prospect
junior guard Xavian Lee, who arrived in Greenville fresh off the program’s
first-ever triple-double, which he recorded last time out against St. Joseph’s.
The Paladins will return to the hardwood following exam week, facing in-state
rival South Carolina State (5-6) on Dec. 14. Tip-off for that
contest is set for 12 p.m. EST at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Preseason
title pick Samford (9-2) picked up two more wins this past week to move
to 9-2 overall, posting what was an 88-81 win on the road at South Carolina
State and then returned to the Pete Hanna Center three days later to finish
out its SoCon-ASUN Alliance games, with a rather easy win over Austin Peay, defeating
the Governors 72-47 contest in a game that saw the Bulldogs only ahead by four
(26-22) at the half.
In the battle of the Bulldogs last Thursday
night, and both teams shot the ball well from the outset of the contest,
connecting on nearly 60% from the field on both ends of the floor, and that led
to a high-scoring opening frame, as the Samford Bulldogs carried the 54-46 lead
into the half.
One of the key reasons the Bulldogs found
themselves with such a strong first-half performance came as a result of
knocking down 11 first-half three-point field goals, and for the game, Samford
would ultimately knock down a total of 15 long-range efforts, connecting at an
impressive 50% (15-of-30) clip downtown for the game.
Though the visiting Bulldogs never trailed
in Orangeburg for the entirety of the game, there was never a moment where Bucky
McMillan’s team could ever feel completely at ease either. The South
Carolina State Bulldogs (4-6) have made great strides under
third-year head coach Erick Martin, and not only did they provide a stiff level
of competition for the reigning SoCon Champions, they had also pushed a good Xavier
team to the brink before eventually losing, 71-68, during a ‘feast week’
matchup.
South Carolina State had six players finish
the contest in double figures, led by Wilson Dubinsky, who added 15 points on
6-of-9 shooting from the field, which included a 3-for-5 effort from
three-point land. SC State shot impressive percentages from both the field (55.6%)
and from three-point range (41.7%), while turning the ball over only 14 times against
that vaunted pressing style employed by McMillan’s team.
Samford continues to showcase the talent it
picked up from the transfer portal in the off-season in a big way, as guard Trey
Fort (25 pts), forward Jaden Brownell (17 pts) and wing Collin
Holloway (10 pts) all finished in double figures once again, while veteran
all-conference point guard Rylan Jones just missed finding his way into double
figures, with nine points, seven assists, and four rebounds in leading the
Bulldogs to their second true road win of the season.
Back at the Pete on Sunday afternoon, the
two teams showed some offensive rust in the opening half, however, while it
would be more of the same shooting woes in the second half for the visitors
from Clarksville, TN, but that wouldn’t be the case for the Bulldogs, which
almost doubled its total from the opening 20 minutes of basketball, as Samford
finished with 46 points, shot 56% from the floor and knocked down 8-of-16 from
three-point land en route to a lopsided 72-47 win. The win saw Samford improve
to 7-0 on its home floor this season and that extended the homecourt winning
streak for the Bulldogs at the Pete Hanna Center to 25 games.
Defensively, it was easily Samford’s best game
of the season, holding an opponent under 50 points Nov. 23, 2022, when the
Bulldogs held visiting Valpo to 49 points in a lopsided, 79-49, win. The
defense wasn’t limited to just holding the Govs to a low point total, but also
held the Governors to just 35.2% shooting from the field, which is a season-low
for an NCAA Division I foe against the Bulldogs, as well as also limiting an opponent
to a season-low 11.2% from three on just a 2-for-17 shooting performance.
Samford again got a leading scoring
performance from Fort, who was the co-leading scorer for Samford with 15 points
on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including going 5-for-8 from three. Riley
Allenspach came off the bench to add 15 for the Bulldogs to match Fort’s
leading performance. Samford ended up connecting on 40.9% of its shots for the
game, which included knocking down 11 threes and shooting a solid 35.5% from
long range in the game.
It’s getting late in non-conference play, and
if a Southern Conference team is going to knock off a team from a power conference,
one of those that looks like it could be up for the challenge is McMillan’s
Bulldogs. Following Sunday’s win over Austin Peay, the Bulldogs now have a
10-day break before exams before heading out to Tucson to tangle with the
Wildcats among the cacti and tumbleweeds. Keep an eye out for this one, as I
think this might be the upset the SoCon is looking for this season, but there
aren’t too many more opportunities.
The only real concern about saying it will happen
100% is due to the fact that the Bulldogs have such a long layoff. The Wildcats
haven’t played well this season, struggling to a 4-4 start. Arizona has wins
over Old Dominion (102-44), Davidson (W, 104-71), Southern Utah (W, 102-66) and
Canisius (W, 93-64). Losses have come against No. 11 Wisconsin (L, 88-103), No.
9 Duke (L, 55-69), No. 21 Oklahoma (L, 77-82), and West Virginia (L, 76-83).
The game between the Bulldogs and Wildcats
is slated for Dec. 18 and it’s must-see TV if you like great offense and up-tempo
style of basketball. It will be interesting to see the over/under point total
for this game because it’s going to be a pretty high total I would imagine. The
Bulldogs rank second in the nation in scoring offense (90.2 PPG), while the
Wildcats are currently No. 12 nationally in scoring offense (87.1 PPG). The tip-off time between the Bulldogs and Wildcats
at the McHale Center is set for 9 p.m. EST.
The
team starting to raise some eyebrows around the league, although it shouldn’t
really be all that surprising that they are good, is UNC Greensboro (5-4),
and like Furman, the Spartans were picked low in the preseason by the league’s
head coaches, as well as many members of the media.
The Spartans got off to a flying start a
year ago in Mike Jones’ third season at the helm, taking down then No. 14 Arkansas
a week before Thanksgiving, however, things would slowly but surely fizzle towards
the end of non-conference play when an injury to Mikeal Brown-Jones derailed
that start, and the Spartans would literally limp into league play off a
humbling loss at Texas.
This season, the Spartans have a new mix
with new energy and one of the things about the portal is that when players
leave, sometimes a positive byproduct of that can be the fact that the negative
vibes portal up, too. Though UNCG is off to just a 5-4 start, there’s certainly
a different vibe of team around this group, and the Spartans have challenged
themselves in the non-conference as much as anyone in the league, and slowly but
surely, Jones’ team is evolving into one that could end up being a serious
title contender this season.
The Spartans captured one of the league’s
most-prestigious wins of the season when UNCG took down Big South favorite High
Point (9-2), as the Panthers were a team being given AP Top 25
consideration when they came into the clash with the Spartans last week at
Fleming Gym on the campus of UNCG. The Spartans easily played their most complete
game of the season, taking what was a 72-68 win over the Panthers to record one
of the biggest wins of the Mike Jones era in charge of the UNCG Spartans’
program.
To give you an idea of how good of a win it
was over the Panthers, following the loss to the Spartans, the Panthers
returned to the floor next time out and took down one of the top teams in all
of mid-major basketball, in North Texas, as the Panthers were able to pick up
what was a 76-71 win over the Mean Green at the Qubein Center this past Friday
evening. High Point also posted what was a somewhat surprising 71-56 win over
East Tennessee State at Freedom Hall in a charity exhibition just prior to the
tip-off of the 2024-25 season.
The win captured by the Spartans before a
boisterous, rowdy crowd packed inside the much more quaint Fleming Gym in
comparison to UNCG’s normal venue (Greensboro Coliseum), as the 1,680 fans in
attendance, with a majority of them cheering for the Spartans in the cross-town
rivalry, helped give the Spartans energy enough of a lift to get over the top
for the win.
The story of the night for UNCG was Kenyon
Giles, who has been sensational in his first season with the Spartans after
transferring in from Radford. Giles finished with 25 points and started off a
memorable week, which would eventually land him Lou Henson National Player of
the Week accolades, saw him connect on 11-of-21 shots from the field, which included
a 2-for-7 from long-range.
While Giles did his thing, it was players
like Jalen Breath and Joryam Saizonou that was maybe even more
important than what Giles was able to provide scoring-wise in the win. Breath
posted just his fourth-career double-double, with 16 points and 10 rebounds,
while Saizonou chipped in with what was a career-high scoring performance of 15
points, including knocking down 6-of-8 shots from the field, which included going
2-for-3 from long-range.
The most surprising aspect of the win,
however, was the fact the Spartans beat the Panthers at their own two major strengths,
which was rebounding, as well as on the defensive end of the floor. The
Spartans finished the game with a 36-27 advantage on the backboards, while the
Spartans held the visitors from just down the road to just 44% shooting from
the field and just 33% shooting from long range. Meanwhile, the Spartans are
one of only two of High Point’s 11 opponents-to-date to have shot 50% or better
against the normally sound, defensive-minded Panthers.
UNCG would take initiative in the
basketball game in the early moments of the second half, using a 10-2 run out
of the blocks to assume the 45-41 lead. The Spartans would hold that lead for
nearly 12 minutes, however, Alan Huss’ team wasn’t going to go away easily, and
the purple-clad Panther would eventually retake the lead when Terry Anderson tipped
in a missed Panther shot with just under four minutes remaining to help the Panthers
regain the lead, at 66-65. But it was Giles to the rescue moments later, as his
three was part of a 7-2 run by UNCG to close out the game, and it would give
the Spartans a two-possession lead (70-66) and that would also end up proving
to be the exact winning margin.
The Panthers would end up being led in the contest
by three players finishing the game in double figures, with Kimani Hamilton finishing
the game with 13 points, while Kezza Giffa and D’Maurian Williams
added 11 and 10 points, respectively. For UNCG, the win was a long time coming
against High Point…literally. It was UNCG’s first win over High Point since
Nov. 8, 2013, when UNCG was able to pick up what was an 82-74 win at the
Greensboro Coliseum.
The
win some 11 years ago was the season opener and just like the 2024 win, the 2013
win came against the preseason Big South favorite. The Spartans won that game back
in 2013 under the direction of then head coach and current Cincinnati head
coach Wes Miller, and it came before a school-record audience on-hand to take
in the game, as 5,734 fans all but filled the lower bowl of the Coliseum to
witness the Spartans capture the upset win under their brash, young head coach.
The next test on the docket for Jones’ rapidly
improving team would come against North Carolina A&T out of the Coastal
Athletic Association. Taking the Aggies anything but with the utmost of
seriousness could be detrimental, as the Aggies had already taken down on
Southern Conference foe The Citadel at McAlister Field House
early last month.
Giles was once again on his game, matching
his career-high 25 points of the previous outing against High Point, as he
would lead the Spartans to another impressive win, with this one coming with a
bit more of a cushion, defeating the Aggies, 67-55.
Joining Giles in double digits for UNCG
were both Donovan Atwell and Jalen Breath. Atwell, a preseason All-SoCon pick
and one of the best pure perimeter shooters in the SoCon, finished his evening with
15 points, while Breath continued to provide strong play in the paint, notching
his second-straight double-double, with 10 points and 10 rebounds. It was the
fifth double-double of Breath’s career.
Giles was an impressive 50% from the field,
knocking down 9-of-18 shots from the field, which included a 5-for-10 performance
from beyond the arc, while Atwell once again did most of his damage from long
range, knocking down 4-of-8 shots from deep. Giles and Atwell combined to
connect on nine of the team’s 12 triples in the game, as UNCG finished the
night shooting 40% (12-of-30) from long range.
Ryan Forest was one of three Aggies in
double figures in the game, as he finished with 18 points, while Camian Shell
added 15 points and Jahnathan Lamothe chipped in with 13. Nikolaos Chitkoudis
narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 11 boards.
The headline-grabbing performance was once
again the play of UNCG on the defensive end, holding the normally high-scoring Aggies
to just 55 points and just 37.5% shooting for the game, which included a tough
night from long range, as UNCG held the Aggies to just 13.0% (3-of-23) shooting
from long range in their home gym. It was potentially UNCG’s top defensive
effort of the season.
The Aggies actually held a 36-35 halftime
advantage, and would lead for a large portion of the opening seven minutes of
the second half, however, the Spartans would eventually get their act to
together on both ends, scoring 12-straight points to break open a close game,
as UNCG assumed what was a 62-50 lead with just under seven minutes remaining
in the half on a three-pointer from Giles. The Spartans would extend that lead
out to as much as 15 points (67-52) when Donovan Atwell connected on a
three-pointer with 3:22 remaining and the Spartans would eventually end up
settling for the 12-point, 67-55 win.
The Spartans continue to lead the SoCon in
scoring defense (70.0 PPG) as well as field goal percentage defense, holding
teams to just 38.3% shooting from the field through the first nine games this
season. The Spartans are also holding foes to a frigid 28.1% shooting from
three-point range this season.
UNCG is set to return to the floor this
coming Saturday (Dec. 14) to play its final game in the SoCon-ASUN Alliance, as
the Spartans will be in Jacksonville to take on the North Florida Ospreys. The
tip-off for that contest is set for 5 p.m. EST.
East Tennessee State (6-4)
won four-straight games and then headed for maybe its toughest road trip of the
non-conference slate, as the Bucs started in the Old Commonwealth State of Virginia
to take on James Madison (6-4) before heading out to the Sunflower State
to take on the Wichita State (9-1) Shockers, which is of course, the former
home of Bucs start Jaden Seymour.
The Bucs would first put their four-game
winning streak on the line against the James Madison Dukes in Harrisonburg, VA,
where the two teams would be meeting on the hardwood for the first time since
the 2012-13 season and would also mark the 12th all-time clash
between the two border state foes, and few will forget some of those meetings
in the early 1990s, which of course was during the Bucs hey-day and it was also
at a time when the Dukes were under the direction of legendary head coach Lefty
Driesell.
The Bucs were able to win a pair of thrillers
over JMU during that era, taking what was a 110-90 contest inside a packed
Memorial Center during the 1991-92 season, while the Bucs also were 68-65 victors
over the Dukes at JMU’s Convocation Center the previous season. Speaking of the
Convocation Center, the Dukes have moved into a new facility in recent seasons,
which is called the Atlantic Union Bank Center and the Dukes opened the doors
on the new facility in 2019. Just like the Bucs’ friendly home confines of
Freedom Hall, the Dukes have been nearly unbeatable inside the friendly
confines, having sported a 45-6 all-time record heading into last week’s clash
between the two teams.
The
meeting between the two would mark the 13th all-time clash between
the two, with the Bucs holding the narrow 7-5 all-time series edge. One of
those six all-time setbacks for the Dukes had come in their game preceding
their tilt with ETSU, as the Dukes had dropped the rare home game, which was a
66-61 setback to George Mason.
The Bucs would lose a 71-61 decision to the
Dukes, and it was the first time in a few games in which we saw the Bucs once
again have some trouble in the post, particularly on the offensive end of the
floor, as both Davion Bradford and Roosevelt Wheeler continue to
develop and that can sometimes cause some inconsistencies from game-to-game.
It was similar to how we saw UNCG struggle last
season when Mikeal Brown-Jones went down with a minor injury. Between
both Wheeler and Bradford against the Duke, the duo combined to score only one
point and were a combined 0-for-3 from the field in a combined 22 minutes of
floor time.
As far as the rest of the Bucs’ front court
was concerned, DJ Hughes and Karon Boyd added a combined five
points. As far as Boyd is concerned, he’s seen his offensive game improve this
season and he has scored in double figures in six out of ETSU’s 10 games so far.
He’s again been a Bucs fan favorite, as well as being the Bucs’ top rebounder
as well as being the team’s on-ball defender.
The Bucs basically get scoring from three
players in most of the 10 games to start the season, with both Jaden Seymour
and Quimari Peterson having been elite in the backcourt to start the season.
The two have been a small handful of players in the league that have been among
those that could end up winning the SoCon’s Player of the Year award in
2024-25. Peterson led the Bucs with 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and
two steals in the loss to the Dukes.
Seymour wasn’t far behind his teammate,
adding 18 points, five rebounds, and two steals. The duo has been as good as
advertised time and time again this season, and their scoring production is
enough to carry ETSU even if the front court continues to struggle, however,
the longer the Bucs have struggles in the post, the more pressure it is going
to put on both Seymour and Peterson to hit shots, especially from the perimeter.
Peterson connected on 9-of-18 shots from
the field and went 1-for-4 from long range against the Dukes, while Seymour
finished the contest connecting on 5-of-13 shots from the field, including
going 2-of-4 from three. Peterson has found his way into double figures in nine
out of 10 games for the Bucs this season, and the only time he has failed to
reach double figures was against Tusculum, which saw him finish with just nine
points in just 15 minutes of game time.
Seymour on the other hand, has found his
way into double figures in all 10 games this season and if you look back to the
2023-24 season, now has a string of 19-straight double-figure scoring performances.
The graduate senior’s best game scoring-wise of the season also came against USC
Upstate in an ETSU home win, as he matched Peterson with 28 points.
The third and final Bucs player to reach
double figures against the Dukes in the road loss was John Buggs III, who
posted 15 points and 6-of-14 shooting from the field, but was just 3-for-10
from three-point land in the loss. The Bucs didn’t shoot the ball particularly
well in Harrisonburg either, as ETSU finished the afternoon connecting on just
35.9% shooting from the field, which included just a 27.6% (8-of-29) shooting
effort from long-range.
The Bucs found themselves trailing the
Dukes, 37-27, at the half. However, that wasn’t a huge concern given how the
Bucs had been able to turn the tide in games in recent second halves, with the best
example of that being ETSU’s 77-57 win on the road at Charlotte. ETSU went to the half trailing, 37-27, and
the Dukes would eventually extend their lead to as much as 16 (46-30) in the early
moments of the second half, but the Bucs would claw their way back, fighting
the Dukes for the entirety of the remaining 16 minutes of the game.
The Bucs would eventually whittle the Dukes’
lead to just five, at 58-53, when Karon Boyd connected on a three off a nice
feed from Peterson with 8:16 remaining. The Bucs would get as close as one
possession late with just over six minutes left, as Peterson’s lone three-point
field goal of the game was enough to get the Bucs to within 62-59 and it looked
like another strong second half was going to once again what proved to put the
Bucs over the top and into the win column.
Unfortunately for ETSU, the Dukes would
step up their play on the defensive end of the floor, and the Bucs also hit a
scoring drought at exactly the wrong time, as JMU closed the game on a 9-2 run
to secure the win. Four different JMU players found their way into double
figures in the game, with guard Mark Freeman and 6-11 big man Elijah Everett-Hutchins
adding 16 points apiece, while forward AJ Smith and guard Xavier Brown rounded
out the Dukes in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The Dukes shot a solid 46% from the field
for the game, but like ETSU, struggled from three-point range, as JMU finished
the evening connecting on just 31.3% (5-of-16) of its shots from downtown. ETSU
held a narrow 37-35 edge on the backboards, however, the Dukes managed to hold
a substantial advantage in points in the paint (34-16), while also holding edges
in bench scoring (11-5), points off turnovers (14-7) and fast-break points
(16-6).
Three days after the Bucs lost in Virginia,
they were ready to do battle with a program that had a long and storied
tradition, in Wichita State. The Shockers and Bucs have at least a couple of links
between one another, which includes Jaden Seymour, who transferred into ETSU
from Wichita State prior to the 2021-22 season, and former head coach Steve Forbes,
who was at one time an assistant at Wichita State from 2013-15 under former
head coach Gregg Marshall.
The Bucs and Shockers had never met on the
college basketball hardwood prior to last Saturday’s meeting between the two.
In what was a wild contest that saw both teams explode offensively, and in
particular the Shockers, who scored a season-high 96 points in what was a
nine-point, 96-87, win over the Bucs at Koch Arena.
Wichita State shot the ball at a 54.7% for
the game and a team, which is not known for making a lot of threes, the
Shockers made nine threes in the game and came in only averaging five made triples-per-game.
After struggling shooting the ball from the outside in the loss to the Dukes,
the Bucs knocked down 14 shot a solid 38.9% (14-of-36) from long range for the
game.
Unfortunately for ETSU, the Shockers hit
eight of their nine triples in the opening half of play, connecting on 58% from
the field and scored 54 points in the opening half, opening up a 17-point
(54-37) halftime lead.
The story of the night for ETSU was Seymour
and his return to the school that recruited so heavily out of high school, and
where the Charlotte, N.C., native would spend the first two years of his college
basketball career, as Seymour led the way with 25 points, posting his third
effort of 20 or more points this season. He finished the game by connecting on 10-of-18
shots from the field and was 2-of-7 from three-point and was 3-of-5 from the charity
stripe. Seymour narrowly missed a double-double, finishing the game with nine
rebounds.
Joining Seymour in double figures in the
game were both Karon Boyd and Quimari Peterson, who posted 16 points apiece in
the loss, while John Buggs III added 14 points on the strength of four made
three-pointers. The Bucs made 33 field goals for the game, which included a
season-high 14 made triples. ETSU’s lone lead of the night would come on its
opening possession of the game, as Missouri transfer connected on a corner
three-pointer to give the Bucs the early. The Shockers responded by scoring 12 unanswered
points to take the 12-3 lead/
In addition to making 33 field and 14
three-pointers in the contest, the Bucs finished the night connecting on 46.5% from
the field and knocked down 7-of-12 shots from the charity stripe to connect on
58.3% of their shots from the line. Wichita State, which shot 54.7% from the
field and 42.9% from three-point land, also connected on 17-of-21 free throws
to finish the evening shooting an impressive 81.0% from the stripe. Justin Hill
led the Shockers’ scoring efforts with 20 points, while Corey Washington and
Harlond Beverly rounded out the double-figure scorers, with 17 and 14 points,
respectively.
The Bucs will return to the floor on
Saturday, Dec. 14, when ETSU will finish out its SoCon-ASUN Alliance games with
a trip to take on former conference rival Jacksonville, with tip-off slated for
1 p.m. EST at Swisher Gym. The Bucs and Dolphins will be meeting for the 21st
time on Saturday, with the Bucs holding the 13-7 all-time series edge.
Chattanooga
(5-4)
was the one team in the league that was only in action once this past week,
with the Mocs losing their second game of the SoCon-ASUN Alliance, dropping
what was an 80-62 contest on its home floor to ASUN preseason favorite Lipscomb
(6-4).
The 18-point setback to the Bisons marked
the third-straight loss in the series to the Bisons by Chattanooga. Chattanooga
is a team that, a lot like Furman last season, has not been completely healthy
in the non-conference slate. One of the few bright spots in the 18-point loss
on its home floor for Chattanooga was the fact that the Mocs are at least
starting to get semi-healthy, with Frank Champion able to log his first
action of the season for UTC.
Champion was an NCAA Division II
All-American at the University of North Georgia prior to getting
to the Scenic City, and in his first action for the Mocs, saw 18 minutes of
floor time, scoring three points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field and going
1-for-2 shooting from three-point range, Champion also added three rebounds and
an assist in his first minutes in a Mocs uniform.
While Champion’s return for Chattanooga was
a positive, not much else was in this particular contest for the Mocs. Bash
Wieland continued to be best player on the roster in the early going in the
2024-25 season for the Mocs, as he led the way with 21 points on 9-of-14
shooting from the field and a 3-for-5 shooting effort from three-point land.
Lipscomb, meanwhile, had a balanced scoring
attack, which saw five Bisons players reach double figures, led by former Furman
point guard Joe Anderson, who tied for team-high scoring honors with 16
points, as he connected on 7-of-12 shots from the field and was 2-for-5 from
three-point land. Anderson also snagged seven rebounds and dished out a pair of
assists in 33 minutes of game action. Atlantic Sun Player of the Year candidate
Jacob Ognacevic joined Anderson for team-high scoring honors, with 16
points, six rebounds and three assists, while Anderson’s backcourt mate Will
Pruitt added 15 points, as did Gyasi Powell, who scored his 15
points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, including going 2-for-6 from
downtown.
Lipscomb carried a 38-33 lead into the
halftime locker room on the strength of an impressive 55.2% shooting clip,
connecting on 16-of-29 shots from the floor in the opening 20 minutes of
basketball. The Bisons led all but 15 seconds in the opening half of play, as
the game was back-and-forth for much of the opening 20 minutes. It wouldn’t be
until the second half, which would see the Bisons begin to pull away in the
game, as the Bisons took a 10-point (45-35) lead a little over three minutes into
the second half, when Ognacevic scored five-straight points, with his triple at
the 17:05 mark giving the Bisons the 10-point lead for the first time.
With 5:51 left in the game, the Bisons took
what would be their largest lead of the game at 21 points when Dylan
Faulkner’s layup for Lipscomb gave the Bisons a 73-52 lead. At that point,
the was pretty apparent Chattanooga was in line to drop its first game of the
2024-25 season at the Roundhouse.
Chattanooga finished the night shooting 44.6%
(25-of-56), while connecting on just 31.6% () from three-point range. The
continued struggles from beyond the arc for Dan Earl’s team are one of the things
the Mocs must fix before league play if they want to lift the regular-season
title trophy and grab the No. 1 seed in two-and-a-half months for the 2025
Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville.
The biggest concern moving forward for Dan
Earl’s Mocs is the fact that not only has the team struggled shooting the
basketball through the early portions of the 2024-25 season is addressing the struggles
shooting the basketball, which is well below what we normally see out of
Chattanooga teams of the past, as the Mocs are shooting just 27.5% (70-of-255)
from three-point range through the first nine games this season from long-range.
If you have followed Earl-coached teams,
then you know that is well below the shooting average from three-point range
during his career on the sidelines at both Chattanooga and before that, VMI.
The 27.5% shooting clip for the Mocs has them ranked 339th in the
nation, as well as being the last Southern Conference team ranked in
three-point field goal percentage.
A big reason as to why the Mocs have struggled
from three-point range this season is a direct result of the struggles of Trey
Bonham and Honor Huff have had shooting the ball through the first nine
games this season. Both Bonham and Huff near the end of non-conference play
averaging well below what they are accustomed to, and a big reason for that has
to do with their struggles shooting the ball from the perimeter, as the two are
a combined 30-for-118 from beyond the arc this season, which converts to just a
25.4% shooting clip from three-point land.
I have my concerns that this Mocs team will
get it together and while it’s obvious this team has talent, I have my questions
about this team’s overall shooting ability, which again reminds me of last year’s
Furman squad, which turned in a less than impressive 17-16 season according to
what the preseason expectations were. I could see the same thing happening to Chattanooga
this season if they can’t find a way to shoot the ball better.
The Mocs have been okay defensively, but no
one was really expecting this team to wow folks on the defensive end of the
floor. I also feel like there is a lot of pressure on Frank Champion to be the
answer to the struggles underneath for the Mocs to get it going. That’s a lot
to ask of a guy that isn’t completely healthy.
Chattanooga got some great talent from the portal,
however, given Earl’s track record of having highly successful perimeter
shooting teams, it seemed a little odd to me that the Mocs didn’t mine the
portal for more perimeter threats than it did. It did address the losses of
what it lost in the paint, which were some great players, in Jan Zidek
and Sam Alexis, however, in the backcourt the Mocs brought in players
that were more aggressive off the dribble at going to the basket rather than
perimeter threats. But then, the staff likely didn’t expect Bonham and Huff to
struggle shooting the ball like they have this season, especially through the early
portions of the non-conference slate.
Chattanooga will return to the floor Thursday,
Dec. 12, as the Mocs will be on the road in Missouri Valley country, taking on Evansville
(3-6), who has struggled out of the gates this season. The Mocs will be
looking to avenge what was an 85-77 home loss to the Purple Aces last season. Tip-off
for that contest is set for 8 p.m. EST.
Wofford
(4-6) posted a 2-1 record last week, with a pair
of lopsided home wins over both North Alabama (6-4) and Gardner-Webb
(4-6) before heading out on the road and suffering a lopsided road loss at
former Southern Conference member Elon (6-3).
The 79-56 loss to the Phoenix saw the
Terriers fall to 0-5 in true road games this season.
The first outing against the North Alabama
Lions was part of Wofford’s SoCon-ASUN Alliance, as the Terriers were able to
pick up what was a 74-54 win over the Lions at the Jerry Richardson Indoor
Stadium.
The Terriers put forth their top defensive
effort of the season, holding the visitors from Florence, AL., to just 35.2%
shooting from the field and a meager 22.2% shooting effort from beyond the arc.
The Terriers would finish with three
players scratching out double-figure scoring performances, with Dillion Bailey
leading the way with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, which included
a 4-for-8 effort from beyond the three-point line and was his seventh
double-figure scoring effort of the season, including his fourth in quick
succession.
Bailey would be joined in the double figures
scoring column by Corey Tripp, who added 12 points, nine rebounds and
one block, while forward Kyler Filewich finished out the game with 11
points, nine rebounds and a couple of assists. The Terriers also shot a solid 47.6%
from the field for the game, but were just 30.4% from beyond the three-point
arc.
In what was a game that was never close
past the opening 10 minutes, the most impressive stat for the Terriers to build
on moving forward in the season was a plus-20 on the backboards, as Wofford
owned what was a 45-25 advantage on the backboards. The Terriers also dominated
the paint, outscoring the Lions, 46-26.
Three nights later, the Terriers came out
and put forth another comprehensive game on both ends of the floor, blowing out
a solid Gardner-Webb team, 88-64, before a crowd of a little less than 1,000 on-hand
at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Terriers shot a season-best 58.6% from
the field and tallied an impressive 23 assists on 34 made field goals. The
Terriers again won the battle of the boards (31-25), while also in a similar
fashion to its previous game against North Alabama, showcased their dominance
in the paint, outscoring the Lions, 40-30, in the paint. A big part of its best
shooting night of the season was Wofford’s shooting accuracy from long-range,
which saw the Terriers knock down 50% (12-of-24) from three-point land.
The Terriers had five players finish out
double-figure scoring efforts, with 37 of their 39 bench points coming from
three of those five players that finished the night in double figures, with Jeremy
Lorenz leading the way with 16 points, four rebounds and one steal in 24
minutes off the bench for Wofford. Anthony Arrington Jr. and freshman guard Luke
Flynn also added double figures off the bench for the Terriers, with 11 and
10 points, respectively.
The Terriers got much of their first-half
production from just three players, as Filewich, Tripp and Lorenz would end up
combining for 28 of Wofford’s 42 first-half points, as the Terriers took what
was a narrow 42-31 lead into the halftime lead. A good portion of the Wofford
offense came off of Bulldogs miscues in the game, as the Terriers got 25 points
on 17 Bulldogs turnovers in the contest.
The Terriers took complete control of the
basketball game out of the locker room, as Wofford assumed what was a 26-5 run
in the middle portions of the second half, taking as much as a 29-point lead
with 29 points with just under 10 minutes remaining. The margin would be at
least 20 points for the remainder of the contest, as the Terriers charted their
second-straight win by 20 or more points.
On the strength on a pair of strong home
wins, the Terriers headed to former Southern Conference rival Elon prior to breaking
for midterm exams. It would be a tough night all around for the Terriers, who
shot just 28.8% from the field, which included what was just a 23.3% shooting
effort from three-point land, as the Phoenix ended Wofford’s mini winning streak
with what was a 79-56 victory. Needless to say that Wofford’s trips along
Tobacco Road this season have been forgettable experiences if you include the lopsided
loss at Duke last month, the Terriers have been outscored 164-96 along that stretch
of road in matchups against both the Blue Devils and Elon.
In contrast to the Terriers’ shooting woes,
however, the CAA foe finished the night connecting on 59.6% of their shots from
the field, which included a 50% effort from three-point range in what turned
out to be one of the most complete performances of the season by the Phoenix inside
the Schar Center.
Things seemed to be going well for the
Terriers after Justin Bailey’s three-pointer with just under eight minutes left
in the opening half, tying the game, 17-17. With the game tied, 20-20, a couple
of minutes later, the Phoenix proceeded to go on what was an 8-0 run to keep
the lead for the remainder of the opening 20 minutes, and Elon went to the
halftime locker room holding what was a 37-29 lead.
The Terriers were able to stay within
striking distance for much of the opening seven minutes of the second half.
However, a pair of free throws by TJ Simpkins gave the Phoenix its first
20-point lead of the night, at 53-33, with 13:06 remaining. After Bailey
connected on three-straight charity shots on the ensuing possession, the Phoenix’s
Sam Sherry connected on one of Elon’s 11 three-pointers in the game to put the
lead back to 20, at 56-36, with 12:26 remaining in the game. The Terriers
couldn’t get closer than 20 the rest of the way en route to the lopsided road
loss.
After
the loss dropped Wofford to 0-4 this season in true road games, the Terriers
will look to get road win No. 1 in a tough road environment, as Wofford braces
for a trip to former Southern Conference rival College of Charleston (7-2)
on Saturday night with tip-off set for 7 p.m. at TD Arena. The Terriers and
College of Charleston will be meeting for the 132nd occasion, with
the Terriers holding the 76-55 all-time series edge, and will also mark the
first time the Terriers and Cougars have met on the hardwood since the Cougars
left the SoCon for the CAA following the 2012-13 season.
Mercer (5-4) got
a pair of nice wins heading into its exam break, first taking to the Hawkins
Arena floor in a midweek, 11 am contest on “Education Day” to take on NCAA Division
I Basketball’s newest member West Georgia (1-10) before heading out on
the road for a test against defending Atlantic Sun champion Stetson (1-8),
which would take care of the Bears’ portion of the SoCon-ASUN alliance.
It would be the start of a big week for Bears
guard Tyler “Chip” Johnson, as the USC Aiken transfer would end up garnering
national recognition after being named to the United States Basketball Writers
Association (USBWA) Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week list for his
performances against the Wolves and Hatters last week.
Johnson was one of five players to be
included on the list, as he joined Central Connecticut State’s Devin Haid, Clemson
big man Ian Schefflin, Western Illinois guard Sean Smith, and Rhode Island
guard Sebastian Thomas after having a tremendous week both scoring and shooting
the basketball.
Johnson would lead the Bears in the 86-72
win over the Wolves last Wednesday by posting 24 points and turned around and delivered
a 26-point effort in Mercer’s road, 89-83, overtime win over the Hatters this
past Sunday. All told, in both games Johnson connected on an impressive
11-of-21 from three-point range during the week. Mercer returns to the hardwood
on Sunday when it hosts Chicago State (0-11) at Hawkins Arena. Tip-off for
that contest is set for 2 p.m. EST.
Western Carolina (3-5),
The Citadel (5-3) and VMI (5-6) have all seen their share of inconsistencies
of late on the Southern Conference hoops hardwood. The Catamounts were 1-1 on
the week, capturing what was an 86-74 win over Bellarmine (3-7) at the
Ramsey Center as part of the SoCon-ASUN Alliance, as the Catamounts would
finish 1-1 as a part of their alliance games. The next time out, the Catamounts
would drop what was a 74-68 contest to former ASUN member USC Upstate (4-8),
which was also at the Ramsey Center.
First-year head coach Tim Craft has a
scrappy team, which has some talent, but stringing together consecutive wins
and good performances together has been difficult for a team that was assembled
mostly from the transfer portal. Like so many teams in the Southern Conference,
one of the main weapons that the Catamounts use in their offensive arsenal is a
heavy reliance on the three-point shot. The only problem has been the
Catamounts have struggled shooting the basketball from beyond the arc this
season, currently sitting eighth in the 10-team Southern Conference in shooting
percentage from three-point land, connecting on just 32.2% (79-of-245) from
long range this season.
In the win over Bellarmine, the Catamounts did
get solid shooting performances from its top two long-range threats, in Cord
Stansberry and Chevalier “Ice” Emery, as the two combined for 41
points in the win, which included a career-best 24 from Stansberry. In the win,
the Catamounts were able to connect on 13-of-32 shots from long-range and both Stansberry
and Emery combined to deliver a solid 7-of-17 effort from three-point land.
In the loss to USC Upstate, the Catamounts
shot 44.4% from the field, but just 32.1% from long range. It was another strong
performance for Stansberry, who along with senior Bernard Pelote, delivered
a second-straight leading performance for the Catamounts, as both added 14-point
efforts for the Catamounts, who dropped their first game at the Ramsey Center
this season.
Pelote, who was one of three Catamount
players to return off that 22-win team last season, connected on 5-of-8 from the
field, including a 2-for-4 from three-point range and was a perfect 6-for-6
from the charity stripe. Pelote has now found his way into double figures four
times this season, which includes three-straight. He is starting to play some
of his best basketball of the season, which is a major positive for the
Catamounts moving forward in the season.
The Catamounts have a tough stretch to
close out non-conference play, which begins Saturday with a trip to face UNC Asheville
for a 2 p.m. EST at Kimmel Arena. Western Carolina will face Tennessee (Dec.
17, 7 p.m. EST) and Milligan (Dec. 19, 11 AM EST) to close out the
non-conference slate. WCU will open SoCon play on New Year’s Day against
Furman, with tip-off for that contest set for 1 p.m. EST at the Ramsey Center.
The Bulldogs will close out an eight-game
homestand Thursday night when they host Campbell (4-5) on what will be a
“Thirsty Thursday” at McAlister Field House. The Bulldogs have won two-straight
coming into the game against the Camels, having knocked off both a pair of
non-Division I foes, in St. Andrews and Toccoa Falls, and Thursday
night’s contest will mark the first time Ed Conroy’s team has taken the court
in a nine-day span.
In the 94-57 win over Toccoa Falls
Screaming Eagles, the Bulldogs got another strong scoring effort from 6-6 wing
guard Brody Fox, who continues to lead the SoCon in scoring and be the league’s
most electrifying scorer, posting 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field,
as it was his fourth double-figure scoring effort of the campaign. In the
previous outing against St. Andrews, which was a 100-85 win, Fox was able to
add a season-high 29-point effort. Fox’s 20.1 PPG continues to lead the
Southern Conference.
After starting the season 2-1 against NCAA
Division I competition, with wins over Bellarmine (W, 76-74) and Charleston
Southern (W, 80-69), the Keydets have since lost their last five against
Division I foes. The most recent of those losses to NCAA Division I foes came
last Saturday, with an 81-78 setback at home to Queens (5-5).
After trailing by 13 points at the break,
the Keydets battled back into the game, outscoring the Royals, 45-35, only to
come up just short in a three-point loss. The Keydets finished with four in
double figures in the loss, led by Rickey Bradley’s 19 points, while TJ
Johnson, Augustinas Kiudulas and Robert Peters finished with 17, 15
and 12 points, respectively. The Keydets were victimized by a blistering 60%
shooting effort from the field from the Royals.
The Keydets will play their final
non-conference home game Thursday night, as the Keydets host Regent in a tip-off
set for 6 p.m. EST.
SoCon Power Rankings
1.
Furman (9-1)
2.
Samford (9-2)
3.
UNCG (5-4)
4.
ETSU (6-4)
5.
Chattanooga (5-4)
6.
Wofford (4-6)
7.
Mercer (5-4)
8.
Western Carolina (3-5)
9.
The Citadel (5-3)
10.
VMI (5-6)
ASUN-SoCon Alliance Schedule and Results
Round 1:
The SoCon will win the inaugural SoCon-ASUN Alliance and leads 11-6 through
the 17 of 20 games to be played in the Alliance.
Nov. 4 - UNCG 73, FGCU 64
Nov. 8 - Eastern Kentucky 82, ETSU 78
Nov. 8 - Queens 67, Western Carolina 54
Nov. 9 - VMI 76, Bellarmine 71
Nov. 9 - Lipscomb 78, Wofford 69
Nov. 11 - The Citadel 74, Stetson 52
Nov. 11 - Furman 78, Jacksonville 69
Nov. 11 - Austin Peay 67, Chattanooga 61
Nov. 15 - Samford 97, North Alabama 96 (OT)
Dec. 4 – Mercer 86, West Georgia 72
Round 2:
Dec. 1 – Wofford 74, North Alabama 54
Dec. 3 – Lipscomb 80, Chattanooga 62
Dec. 4 – Western Carolina 86, Bellarmine 74
Dec. 4 – Furman 76, FGCU 73
Dec. 7 – Queens 81, VMI 78
Dec. 8 – Samford 72, Austin Peay 47
Dec. 8 - Mercer 93, Stetson 89 (OT)
Dec. 14 - East Tennessee @ Jacksonville
Dec. 14 - UNCG @ North Florida
Dec. 16 - The Citadel @ Central Arkansas
SoCon Upcoming Schedule:
Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024
Regent at VMI, 6 p.m. EST
Campbell at The Citadel, 7 p.m. EST
Chattanooga at Evansville, 8 p.m. EST
Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024
South Carolina State at Furman, 12 p.m. EST
ETSU at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. EST
Western Carolina at UNC Asheville, 2 p.m.
EST
UNCG at North
Florida, 5 p.m. EST
Sunday, Dec. 15,
2024
Chicago State
at Mercer, 2 p.m. EST
Alabama
A&M at Chattanooga, 2 p.m. EST
