NIT Final Four: Chattanooga Faces Loyola-Chicago Tuesday Night

What: 2025 NIT Semfinal

Who: Chattanooga (27-9) vs. Loyola (25-11)

When: April 1, 2025/9:30 p.m. EST

Where: Historic Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100)/Indianapolis, IND

What's Next: NIT Championship vs. North Texas/UC Irvine winner

Preview: While the NCAA Tournament continues to be a battle of college basketball big boy programs, with no mid-major or double-digit seed making travel plans for the tournament's second weekend, the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) has been where mid-major madness has the main item on the menu, with all four teams that have reached the penultimate stage of the tournament being from mid-major conferences.

While only two high-major programs decided to accept invitations to the tournament, the argument could be made that the tournament has been more thrilling with more mid-major teams having been added this season, and the quality of basketball has been outstanding.

For Chattanooga, Loyola-Chicago, North Texas and UC Irvine, Hinkle Fieldhouse will provide a fitting setting for the Final Four for a quartet of programs that represent a long, storied history, or for programs carving out a history and tradition in recent seasons. 

Hinkle Fieldhouse currently serves as the home venue for Big East member Butler, and the setting was the setting for the 1952 Indiana State High School Basketball Championship game between South Bend Central and fictional Hickory High School in the fictional movie "Hoosiers", which was released in late February of 1987. The Indiana High School State Basketball Championships were played at Hinkle Fieldhouse every year from 1911 until 1994.

Hickory High School was loosely based on the actual high school program and its small school run to an Indiana High School title--Milan High School--which knocked off Muncie Central--a school ten times its size in the championship game in the actual championship game for which the movie is loosely based upon in 1954.

With its colors similar to that of Hickory, the small school story of Loyola-Chicago and its unlikely run all the way to the Final Four back in 2018 bore some notable similarities to the run made by the fictional run by Hickory High School and head coach Norman Dale (played by the late Gene Hackman) in Hoosiers.

Though the Ramblers wouldn't ultimately win the NCAA Tournament seven years ago, all that surrounded that run to the title game, highlighted by Sister Jean--a Catholic Nun who captivated the nation for her love of Ramblers basketball--almost seemed a fitting marriage for the Ramblers remarkable Cinderella run back in 2018.

Chattanooga and third-year head coach Dan Earl both know a little something about being a Cinderella having made a run all the way to the semifinals of the NIT for the first time in program history. The Mocs are in uncharted territory in the college basketball postseason, having played more games (37) this season than in any other UTC team in program history. 

The Mocs would come close to reaching the semifinals back during that '85 NIT run, knocking off Clemson (W, 67-65) and then at Lamar (W, 85-84) to reach the Elite Eight of the '85 NIT only to see Denny Crum's Louisville Cardinals hand the Mocs a 71-66 setback at historic Freedom Hall. 

That same Cardinals team, which had the players like "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison, as well as fellow future NBA talents Milt Wagner and Billy Thompson, the Cardinals would go on the claim the national title a year later. The 2025 NIT appearance for Chattanooga marks its fifth in school history. With the 67-65 win over Bradley last Wednesday, UTC became the first SoCon team to reach the NIT Final Four since NC State did so way back in 1947. 

The Mocs are also now playing into April for the first time in program history, and the 27 wins is tied for the second-most in program history and first since finishing 27-8 on the Mocs' SoCon regular-season and tournament championship runs back in 2021-22. The Mocs are also the only SoCon team to ever participate in an NCAA sanctioned event in April in the 105-year history of the league. 

While all four NIT semifinalists have great traditions worthy of mention, only Chattanooga and Loyola Chicago have made deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, with the Mocs having reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament back in 1997 after knocking off Georgia and Illinois, while the Ramblers are the only program to have won an NCAA Division I national title of the four participants, claiming that back in 1963 by defeating Cincinnati.

The Mocs enter the game with 10-consecutive true road wins, which is tied with Final Four bound Houston for the longest road winning streak of the season, and since there will be no more true road games this season, that's how the Mocs will head into the 2025-26 season. 

The Mocs are currently 6-4 all-time in the NIT heading into Tuesday night's clash with the Ramblers and their 12-5 record on the road this season matches a school record, which was previously matched by the 2021-22 team that went on to win the Southern Conference regular-season and tournament titles. 

As for the series all-time between the Mocs and Ramblers, Tuesday night's clash between the two will mark the third all-time clash between the two programs, with Loyola-Chicago having won both previous meetings against the Mocs, with the last time the two met being Dec. 18, 1989, which saw the Ramblers come in and shock the Mocs, handing Derrick Kirce and the Mocs a 61-59 setback at the Roundhouse.

One interesting thing to note about the history of both programs is that they have nearly identical win totals in their respective basketball histories, with Loyola-Chicago having won 1,480 games in its tradition-rich basketball legacy, while Chattanooga has 1,479 wins in its basketball history. 

It's been a record-setting season for Chattanooga, having played more games (37), scored more points (2,865), dished out more assists (611), and made more field goals (1,012) than any other team in Mocs program history, while also setting new single-season marks for free throw percentage (77.0%), assist/turnover ratio (1.67) and least amount of turnovers per game (10.1).

A Look at the Ramblers:

It was seven years ago that the college basketball fans throughout the country were introduced to Sister Jean and Loyola Chicago, who at the time, were under the direction of Porter Moser, as the Ramblers made an unprecedented run to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before running out of gas against Michigan in the semifinals. Moser is now the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, where he just finished up his third season as the head coach of the Sooners, making way for Drew Valentine to officially take the reins of the Ramblers basketball program.

The Ramblers have been a stalwart in mid-major basketball ever since. Seven years later, the Ramblers find themselves in the semifinals of college basketball's other major tournament and under the direction of Moser, who helped lay the foundation for a program with such rich in college basketball tradition within its history.

The Ramblers' semifinal opponent is Chattanooga, and like the Ramblers, the Mocs also sport quite an extensive basketball tradition, which dates back to the hey-day of Ramblers hoops back in the decade of the 1960s, which includes the school's greatest accomplishment, which was winning the 1963 National Championship with a 60-58 win over Cincinnati. 

While Chattanooga will be making its first-ever appearance in the semifinal round of the NIT, it will mark Loyola-Chicago's first appearance in this round of the competition since 1962. 

The Ramblers have made a total of eight NCAA Tournament appearances in their history, including having made seven NIT appearances in their history and have made the championship game on two occasions. Like Chattanooga, the Ramblers have strung together back-to-back 20-win seasons, which has led to back-to-back NIT appearances. 

The past two seasons have seen a strong turnaround for the program, which won only 10 games in head coach Drew Valentine's first season at the helm back in 2022-23 season, however, that season of struggles two years ago was a small blip on the radar in the recent history of Ramblers basketball, as Loyola Chicago has recorded 20 or more wins in a season in seven of the past eight campaigns, dating back to that historic 2017-18 season, which saw the Ramblers make that historic won all the way to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed en route to winning a school-record 32 games. 

The Ramblers were 23-10 a year ago, which included a 15-3 record in the Atlantic 10, and that was good enough for head coach Drew Valentine to lead the Ramblers to a share of the 2023-24 title. Like Chattanooga's Dan Earl, Valentine is in his third season as the head coach of the Ramblers and Loyola was able to follow up last season's regular-season title by posting a 12-6 regular-season mark in the A-10, which was good enough for a third-place finish in the final standings. 

The Ramblers have been upset in the A-10 Tournament each of the past two seasons, falling to No. 7 seed St. Bonaventure (L, 74-75) last season and this season, the Ramblers fell at the penultimate stage of one of mid-major basketball's most prestigious conference tourneys, as Loyola fell to top overall seed and eventual tournament champion VCU, 62-55. 

Since its selection to the NIT for a second-straight season, the Ramblers have reeled off road wins over San Jose State (W, 73-70) and San Francisco (W, 77-76) before returning to Gentile Arena to claim what was a 10-point win over Kent State (W, 72-62) in their most-recent outing. 

Since making that Final Four back in 2018, the Ramblers have been a consistent winner in whatever conference they have played in, whether it be the Missouri Valley or the Atlantic 10. This season, the Ramblers welcomed the return of three starters off that team that ended up tying for the conference crown a year ago.

Leading the way for the Ramblers this season are a pair of strong, athletic guards that could cause matchup problems because of their size and physicality against Chattanooga's smaller, quicker guards that maximize their quickness to compensate for their size. 

Both 6-4 Jayden Dawson (13.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG) and 6-5 Des Watson (13.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG) presided over one of the top backcourts in the Atlantic 10 this season. The duo is a big, physical backcourt that isn't seen as much in the Southern Conference as in the Valley, however, there overall backcourt in terms of size and physicality probably resembles UNCG or Wofford in the SoCon. 

Like so many teams are doing these days, especially at the mid-major level and in the Southern Conference, the Ramblers employ four guards and a center. 

Watson isn't a great outside threat, and of the three starters in set to start in the backcourt for the Ramblers, he is the worst of the shooters from long-range, knocking down 33.9% (65-of-192) of his long-range efforts this season.  

Dawson is shooting a solid 36.3% (82-of-226) from three-point range this season, and his 82 three-point field goals this season, but a player that Chattanooga must be wary of at all times when he's on the floor is 6-4 guard Sheldon Edwards Jr. (11.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 105 threes), who has connected on one-third of the Ramblers' three-point field goals this season, having connected on 105 of the team's total of 306 long-range efforts this season. Lewis is connecting on a team-best 37.8% (105-of-278) from long-range this season. 

Dawson, Watson and Edwards were all a solid trio that all boasted starting experience for the Ramblers during that strong regular-season a year ago, which saw Loyola-Chicago win 15 of its 18 league tilts in the always-tough and prestigious Atlantic 10. The trio has been a part of 48 wins over the past couple of seasons.

Watson scored a season-high 25 points in a March 14 Atlantic 10 quarterfinal win over Saint Louis (W, 72-64), while Edwards Jr. posted season and career-high of 35 points in what was a NIT Sweet 16 road win at San  Francisco, which is among the Ramblers most impressive wins of the season. Edwards also posted his career-high in the month of March, as he posted 22 points for the second time this season in what was an 82-72 home win over Davidson. 

Of that talented trio of returning starters in the backcourt, however, only one was able to garner all-conference honors this season, as Dawson garnered second-team All-Atlantic 10 honors in the postseason. He was the only Ramblers player to garner a spot on any of the three all-league teams.

Center Miles Rubin (9.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 45 blks) has been a force as a rim protector, however, as he garnered a spot on the league's all-defensive team. The 6-10 center started 30 of 33 games last season, setting a new school record for blocks (76) in a single-season. This season, Rubin went about setting a new single-season blocks record after setting a new originally milestone last season, as the back-to-back All-Atlantic 10 defensive selection has set a new mark with 82 blocked shots this season. 

Rubin is a true rim protector and he's the first rim center of this type that the Mocs have seen since they  faced off against Furman's Cooper Bowser in the SoCon semifinals. 

Though Chattanooga is a highly-efficient offensive team, one area that their lack of size has bothered them this season is scoring around the basket, and that was particularly the case in the final of three meetings between Furman and UTC this season, which saw the Paladins upset the top-seeded Mocs, 80-77, in overtime of the conference tournament semifinals.  

In the third matchup, a strategic shift was made by the Paladins, playing Bowser deeper in the paint to help alter Chattanooga's shots at the rim in an effort to disrupt the Mocs' highly-efficient offensive efficiency in the paint, which has been a big reason the Mocs have been so for the opposition to gameplan for defensively this season. 

With so many teams concerned with Chattanooga's capabilities shooting the ball from the perimeter, it has opened up some easy buckets in the paint throughout the season for Chattanooga's big men. That will be something the Ramblers might want to avoid Tuesday night, and that is overcompensated and overcommitting to defend the three. The way you do that is by keeping Rubin deeper in the paint and as a stopper around that basket.

Rubin's ability to affect the game from a shot prevention/altering standpoint will be based on the depth at which the Ramblers coaching staff plays him at Tuesday night against the Mocs. Should they keep him closer to the basket as a true rim protector like Furman did in its semifinal matchup with the top-seeded Mocs, it could be something to keep an eye on. Rubin was particularly impressive on the offensive end the last time out in the win over Kent State, posting an 18-point an on 8-of-9 shooting effort from the field in the previous outing for the Ramblers.

Entering Tuesday night's NIT Final Four game against Chattanooga, Rubin ranks in the Top 15 in the NCAA in blocks-per-game, block percentage and total blocks.

Rounding out the projected starting five for the Ramblers, and what will be the fourth guard in the Loyola-Chicago lineup is 6-3 guard and "glue guy" and is comparable to say a guard like maybe Jah Quinones from Mercer or Brandon Morgan from Western Carolina. ]

He's not a great offensive threat, but he has a good knowledge of the Ramblers offense and posted starting experience two years ago as a freshman, and that experience has carried over to what is now his third season in the program, and he's been Loyola's floor leader over the latter third of the season. 

Off the bench for the Ramblers, keep an eye on Georgia transfer and senior forward Jalen DeLoach (5.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG), who has seen action in all 36 games this season, which includes making four starts. DeLoach spent short stints at both VCU and Georgia prior to his arrival at Loyola-Chicago.

Another big guard that provides even more depth to the Ramblers physical backcourt that has arguably as much size as any UTC has seen this season, is 6-7 guard Kymany Houinsou (6.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG). Houinsou hasn't seen action in either of the past two games, however, has logged 23 starts this season after transferring in from Washington State prior to the 2024-25 season.

All told, the Ramblers enter their NIT Final Four clash with the Mocs averaging 73.6 PPG, while limiting its opposition to 68.7 PPG this season, as the Ramblers are shooting 45.7% (947-of-2,072) from the field through 36 games this season, while limiting the opposition to 41.6% (849-of-2,040) shooting from the field. As a three-point shooting team, the Ramblers shoot a solid 34.7% from downtown (306-of-883), while holding opponents to just 33.0% (266-of-806) from long-range this season.

Loyola is a solid defensive team, and they will want to get this game at a slower tempo than the Mocs are accustomed to, and it will be an interesting contrast of styles on display in the second of two NIT Semifinals.

A Look at the Mocs:

If you didn't know by know, Chattanooga has been among the most efficient basketball teams in all of the NCAA Division I landscape each of the past couple of seasons, and no matter if players transfer out or come in, third-year Chattanooga head coach Dan Earl has maintained an impressive efficiency despite all the transition. That speaks to the type of coach Earl is, as well as the top of staff he has, highlighted by top assistant Ander Galfsky, who has been with Earl even prior to Earl's three years as UTC's head coach, spending three seasons with Earl in Lexington before matriculating to the Scenic City. 

If you know anything about the Mocs or for that matter the Keydets when Earl was there, you know his offenses operate almost seamlessly out of the motion offense, which has many Princeton-like principles within it and focuses on high skill-level passing the ball, spacing and shooting the three. When working in concert, it is a thing of beauty to see. 

It will come as no surprise, then rank seventh nationally in assist-turnover ratio (1.67) and rank inside the top 30 in all of NCAA Division I in effective field goal percentage (56.4%), assists-per-game (17.0 APG) and rank just outside the Top 30 nationally in free throw shooting (77.7%).

Where the Mocs struggle offensively is on the offensive glass, ranking 311th according to KenPom in offensive rebounding percentage (25.4).

Defensively, the Mocs haven't been great, but have stepped up and played some good defense in the last two games, particularly in the second half in the win over Bradley, as well as for the complete 40 minutes in the win over Dayton.

All told, Earl is in his as an NCAA Division I Basketball coach, spending seven seasons at VMI before his arrival at UTC in the spring of 2022. This season, the Mocs had to replace everyone but their two top players, which both entered the season with a legitimate chance to garner the SoCon Player of the Year award, and though neither would ultimately win it, but what Honor Huff (15.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 35 steals, 124 threes) and Trey Bonham (14.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 49 stls, 12 blks) have provided UTC on a nightly basis is a two absolute dudes every time the Mocs have stepped out of the floor this season to take on an opponent, and while either one of them is capable of putting UTC on their proverbial backs to lead the team to a win on even given night, having both of them in a UTC uniform for each of the past two seasons has been a real treat for UTC fans. 

And for head coach Dan Earl, it's been extra special to eventually be able to bring both immensely talented guards back into the fold for a team he coached, as the outstanding guard duo was first together during the 2020-21 season, which was the season just after the COVID-19 pandemic. Earl's 63 wins in three seasons are the most for any UTC coach in the NCAA Division I era for any Mocs coach, surpassing even great Mack McCarthy, who posted 62 wins in his first three seasons of his legendary tenure as Chattanooga's head basketball coach. As a result of having one of the best season's in program history, Earl was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 2024-25.

With the state of how collegiate athletics is in the current NIL/transfer portal era, there are no guarantees, so it makes absolutely total sense after the Mocs fell to Furman, 80-77, in overtime in the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament that Honor Huff felt as though he had let his closest thing to a blood brother down by failing to lead the Mocs to ultimately to the Southern Conference Tournament crown in Asheville. 

Not only was there some uncertainty about the immediate future for both players, but heartbreak also came out of the playing the "what if" game when it came to UTC's injured star post player Frank Champion in Asheville, as the graduate transfer from North Georgia College had been arguably UTC's best player over the latter portion of league play, and was key ingredient in helping the Mocs embark on a 12-game winning streak before eventually seeing that potential run at a 13th NCAA Tournament berth end at the hands of the Paladins. All told, Chattanooga comes into its contest against the Ramblers having won 15 of its last 16 games. 

It's true that likely in the back of each player's mind they knew they still had a chance to play postseason basketball, but it just wouldn't be in the NCAA Tournament. 

As heartbreaking as the loss in the SoCon Tournament to Furman was, it would wear off by the time the Mocs traveled just up I-24 a few nights later to face Middle Tennessee State in an opening round matchup against the Blue Raiders.

Bonham and Huff took the court on a different stage in the opening round win over the Blue Raiders, and it was one that Chattanooga hadn't competed in since 1985. Since then, the only Mocs postseason appearances have come in either the Big Dance, or one of college basketball's other less-advertised tournaments for mostly mid-major teams at the time, with one of those being the now defunct CollegeInsider.com Tournament, or CIT for short.

Huff, who put together one of his best shooting performances of his career in the three-point overtime loss to Furman, scoring 28 points and going 8-for-11 from long range, didn't have his best stuff in the first outing of the NIT, finishing with just six points. 

It's a good thing for him then, however, that Bash Wieland (14.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG), a transfer from Bellarmine, picked the absolute right night to have his best night as a Chattanooga Moc, posting a career-high 31 points, while Bonham added 27 points in what was one of the most thrilling wins in recent memory for UTC Basketball, and it's first win in the tournament since 1985 in what was the Mocs' fifth overall appearance in college basketball's oldest tournament and first since '87. 

In an NIT epic classic, this time the Mocs would leave the court with an overtime postseason victory, as the Mocs knocked off the Blue Raiders, 109-103, in triple overtime, setting up a huge home contest against one of Loyola-Chicago's common conference opponents, as the No. 1 overall seed in the region--the Dayton Flyers--visited McKenzie Arena for what would turn out to be maybe UTC's most complete home game of the season from start to finish.

Despite scoring only six points in the NIT opener against MTSU, Huff is having a record-setting season for the Mocs. Huff's 124 triples this season ranks second in UTC history and his 1,127 points in two seasons is the most-ever in two season over a two-season span, surpassing former Georgia transfer and two-time All-SoCon performer Derrick Kirce's mark of 1,113 points established over the course of the 1989-90 and '90-91 seasons. Huff is also a two-time all-league performer, claiming first-team All-SoCon status this past season, while his teammate and best friend Bonham was a second-team honoree.

In three NIT games so far, Huff has connected on 12 three-point field goals and is averaging 17.6 PPG in three NIT games. 

Both Bonham and Huff were back to optimum playing performance by the time the Flyers flew into the Scenic City, looking to put an abrupt end to UTC's magical season, but on the dynamic duo that play for all the right reasons in an era when so many others have validated their own self-importance in NIL value from the transfer portal, both Bonham and Huff play for one another and for Huff, he wants to see his best friend for life and brother on the basketball hardwood to go out in a blaze of Blue and Gold glory this season for whatever the future may hold for the senior guard moving forward. 

Following UTC's loss to Furman in the SoCon semifinals at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, it was an emotional Huff that detailed that very bond of friendship and sacrifice the two shared and how he had ultimately let his friend, Bonham, down. 

But that was then and the suddenness of the loss would soon give way to the joys of UTC's postseason success. Against Dayton, the Mocs, and in particular Bonham and Huff, did what they wanted to do, combining for 51 of the team's 87 points in what was a somewhat sizable win by 15 points over the Flyers. 

Huff led the way with 26 points on a 7-for-12 effort from the field, including a 5-for-10 effort from long-range. Bonham added 25 points on 8-for-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from downtown, as Chattanooga closed the doors on another successful season at McKenzie Arena, as the Mocs posted an impressive 14-3 mark in the Roundhouse over the course of the season. 

The Mocs 87-72 win over Dayton--a team that knocked off defending national champion UConn (W, 85-67) in demonstrative fashion in the Maui Invitational in late November--would ultimately in their 2024-25 season ended by Chattanooga.  

Bonham, Huff and the rest of the Mocs basketball team, however, would face their most on-the-court adversity in the Elite Eight round of the NIT last week against another team from the state of Illinois, as the Bradley Braves had the Mocs on the ropes late in the first half in Peoria, leading the by as much as 16 (38-22) before the Mocs grabbed the momentum going into the half, as it was Huff's three with 1:06 left that would ultimately give the Mocs the momentum heading to the half against the Braves, starting UTC on what would be a remarkable comeback trail.

While Huff hit the shot that got the Mocs started down the victory trail, it was Bonham's consecutive threes on back-to-back possessions that ultimately allowed the Mocs to reach a new height of achievement as a program, with his first three give UTC a narrow three-point lead, 64-61, with 66 seconds remaining. 

Then after Bradley's star guard Duke Deen answered with a long three that tied the game, 64-64, with 41 ticks remaining, it would be coach Dan Earl that drew up a play for a corner three to win that game, and it would be Huff and Bonham that would execute the well-devised play to perfection. 

While Huff received the ball with an excellent look at a three from the left elbow, his extra pass to Bonham in the left corner was the better shot, and Bonham's three was nothing but nylon with 15 seconds remaining, putting the Mocs ahead for good. It was the type of play that it seemed only fitting for the two to make after having to endure the setback of Champion's injury prior to the SoCon Tournament, and then despite being the best team in the SoCon throughout the duration of the season, the Mocs became the first No. 1 seed to fail to win in Asheville since 2017. 

Bonham and Huff's character would shine through, however, and it's why they find themselves in the NIT Final Four for the first time ever. So what's all the fuss about Bonham and Huff. It's the total effect both have upon the basketball game, and it's why the metrics love Chattanooga, and it's Huff and Bonham's versatility within their respective roles in Chattanooga's motion/Princeton-style hybrid offense, the inside-outside dynamic that this offense had with Champion as the main spoke or cog in the wheel made it nearly unstoppable at times during UTC's 13-game winning streak.

Without the skill level as an elite passer with Champion's injury, others have stepped up and assumed that role responsibility by committee. Champion's role in the high post for UTC was much the same as Furman has used its big men like Matt Rafferty, Jalen Slawson and Garrett Hien under Bob Richey, as the primary quarterback out of the high post. Before Champion, Sam Alexis occupied the same role, and then prior to that was Jake Stephens, who is one of the best passing bigs to come through the SoCon in recent memory. 

Since Champion's injury, Garrison Keeslar (6.2 PPG, 3.0 APG, 4.5 RPG) has occupied the role Champion's vacated position at the four, and that has pushed either Collin Mulholland (5.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.4 APG) or Makai Richards (3.7 PPG, 1.8 RPG), depending on which is starting, down to the No. 5 spot in the starting lineup. 

Keeslar is a solid distributor out of the high post and really shot some elite passing skill in the last game against Bradley, and he has 108 helpers this season to lead the Mocs.  A player like Mulholland could end up being the real x-factor in this game for UTC, with his ability as a perimeter threat, and that can make life difficult for opposing centers that don't wish to run and chase player's all over the floor on the defensive end and could end up taking that rim protection away from the basket. It might as well be a defensive requirement when facing Dan Earl-led teams because more often than not, one or both big men can shoot the basketball with efficiency from long-range.  

The future of what that overall skill in the post might look like next season for the Mocs, as the next edition of a Champion/Alexis/Stephens could be the Dutch-born Latif Diouf (3.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG). The 6-9, 240-lb native of Goulda, Netherlands is still coming into his own, but you can see all the tools and the skill he has already honed as a freshman and that only bodes well for Mocs basketball in the very near future as they won't have to look far for Champion's ultimate replacement next season. He will also add some size and shooting ability from the perimeter that, as talented as Champion ultimately was around the basket, lacked when it came to shooting from the outside. 

Out of the Mocs' big men, Mulholland and Keeslar are clearly the ones to worry about, although Mulholland it seems is the the much better shooter by comparison, however, the stats indicate Mulholland is just slightly better, with 36.8%-34.9% edge in shooting from beyond the arc, but Mullholland has just really shot the ball extremely well from long range over the past month-and-a-half, with his favorite spot being the top of the key three. Keeslar's grit and toughness makes him UTC's glue guy.  

Keeslar has really relished that role, and it's been that way virtually all season, dating back to early in conference play in an overtime win over Wofford, which saw Keeslar sacrifice his body and nearly suffer serious injury going after a loose ball that was going out of bounds against Wofford in a game that the Mocs overcame a 20-point deficit to get a remarkable come-from-behind win.  

Diouf's upside is there for all to see, and it's only a matter of time before he becomes UTC's next great highly-skilled post player that can shoot from the perimeter, as well as distribute out of the high-post with high efficiency, while also possessing a solid mid-range game. Sean Cusano (4.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG), who spent the entire 2023-24 season out with an injury, has logged time in 33 of 36 games thus far in 2024-25, and that includes making four starts when Champion, Mulholland and Wieland all missing some time at the start of the season with some minor injuries, with Champion's being the most significant, as he missed the first month of the season. 

The final player that has been outstanding in the backcourt this season for UTC is Wieland, and for at least the non-conference portion of the slate, Wieland was Chattanooga's best player. He currently ranks third on the team in scoring, and while he hasn't shot a lot of threes this season or made a lot, he can shoot them if left open, having knocked down 30-of-95 (31.6%) from long-range this season. 

While Earl's teams normally hover around the 37% mark shooting from long-range, this Mocs team, though highly efficient offensively, is one of the more mediocre perimeter-shooting teams under Earl, connecting on 36.2% (349-of-964) this season. 

Most of those Huff and Bonham alone have connected on a combined 187 of the team's 349 triples this season. Huff's 124 three-pointers are the second-most in a single-season in program history and currently ranks him third nationally, as he is just behind Monmouth's Abdi Bashir (127 threes) and Incarnate Word's Davion Bailey (126 threes). His 233 career triples ranks him third in school history, while he is tied for eighth in program history in career three-point field goal percentage, connecting at a 40.1% clip in his standout Mocs career. Huff is shooting a blistering 42.2% (124-of-294) alone this season from deep. 

The final player to keep in mind as another "glue guy" type of identity role player Jack Kostel, who like Keeslar and Champion, comes from the NCAA Division II level by way of Alabama-Huntsville, playing for former UTC head coach John Shulman. Kostel is gritty and tough, and is a decent perimeter threat, but adds a good mid-range game and is a solid on-ball defender off the bench for UTC.

Prediction: While Loyola-Chicago is a 2.5-point favorite currently according to Vegas, I think this is a night where the Mocs get hot from long range and advance to the program's first-ever NIT championship game. Chattanooga 75, Loyola-Chicago 72

NIT 2025: Chattanooga Moves On To Final Four With 12th Road Win of the Season

Mocs Milestone: Chattanooga Reaches NIT Semis for the First Time in Program History

PEORIA, ILL--For the first time in its history, Chattanooga will take part in the final four of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) semifinals after knocking off No. 3 Bradley on the road, 67-65, to move on to the tournament's penultimate stage.

The Mocs become just the second SoCon team to ever reach the semifinal round of college basketball's oldest NCAA sponsored tournament, joining North Carolina State, which made it to the NIT's Final Four way back in 1947!

With the win, the Mocs improve to a SoCon-best 27-9, while Bradley concludes its season with a 28-9 mark. UTC will await the winner of Kent State-Loyola-Chicago, which take place tonight in Chicago. The Mocs and the winner of that aforementioned matchup will meet next Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University at a time to be determined later.

The Mocs got the win, despite trailing by as many as 16 points in the opening half and 13 at the break, and did so before a rowdy crowd of 4,594 fans on-hand at Carver Arena Tuesday night to cheer on the Braves.

The Mocs' highly-efficient offense was fueled by the usual suspects, with Honor Huff (21 pts) and Trey Bonham (17 pts) combining to score 38 of the team's 67 points and connect on nine of the team's 11 three-pointers in the win.

Huff led the way with his 21-point effort coming on an 8-for-17 effort from the field, which included a 5-for-13 effort from long-range and added three assists, one steal and one rebound to his overall totals in 40 minutes of action.

Bonham finished his night by contributing a 5-for-12 shooting effort from the field, which included a 4-for-8 effort from long-range and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Bonham added six rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in the win.

Bradley placed four players in double figures in the loss, as Demarion Burch paced the Braves with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and added four rebound and two assists. Burch would be joined in double figures by Duke Deen, who added 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and a 2-for-6 effort performance from three-point range, while also connecting on 1-of-2 foul shots to equal his scoring total for the night. Christan Davis and Jaquan Johnson rounded out the Braves in double figures with 10 points apiece.

Chattanooga finished the night connecting on 40.6% (26-of-64) from the field, which included a 30.6% (11-of-36) effort from three-point land. Bradley, which connected on 60% (15-of-25) in the opening half of play, finished the night by being cooled off a little in the second half by UTC, but still ended up posting an impressive 54.2% (26-of-48) shooting effort from the field, including a 33.3% (6-of-18) shooting effort from three-point land.

The Braves finished the game connecting on a 63.6% (7-of-11) from the free throw line, while the Mocs were 66.7% (4-for-6) on the evening.

Chattanooga owned its biggest edge in second-chance points, as it outscored the Braves 13-2 in second-chance points, and that proved especially decisive in what was a close game in the second half. Chattanooga held an even bigger advantage on points off turnovers, as it posted a 20-5 edge in that category, forcing 12 Braves turnovers, while committing only five.

The Mocs posted 11 of its 32 total rebounds on the offensive end, while Bradley could only corral four offensive rebounds in the contest, but held a narrow 33-32 edge on the glass. Both teams tied, 28-28, in points in the paint, while Chattanooga claimed a slight advantage in total assists, at 17-12.

How It Happened:

Over the past two seasons in both Trey Bonham and Honor Huff have provided Mocs basketball fans with plenty of memorable moments to file within their collective memory banks, and as the duo sees their time playing together perhaps drawing to a close, the duo is making the most of their NIT journey together.

In Tuesday night's enticing NIT tilt between the Mocs and Braves, which decided the first of four semifinal spots in the 2025 edition of the tournament, it was Bonham that took and an extra kick-to-the-corner pass from teammate and best friend Huff to connect on a corner three with 14.1 seconds remaining, and Bonham was cool as a cucumber, hitting nothing but the bottom of the net on a corner three, giving the Mocs a 67-64 lead.

After Bradley took a timeout to set up a play, and the Mocs wisely committed a foul on Bradley's Duke Deen after letting some time run off the clock, as almost 10 seconds elapsed before giving its final foul to put the Braves in the bonus for a 1-and-1 with 4.8 seconds left.

Deen made the first, however, intentionally missed the second and UTC's Latif Diouf grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled with 2.7 seconds left. He went to the line and missed the front end, leaving the Mocs up two (67-65) and the Braves with a sliver of hope if they could connect on a miracle three-pointer, however, Deen's 65-foot heave was no good and the Mocs celebrated their 12th road win of the season.

The game was one that saw the Braves jump out to an early lead in the opening half of play, and it looked as if they might put the Mocs out of it early in the contest, opening up a 16-point advantage, at 38-22, following a Duke Deen three-pointer with 2:15 remaining in the opening half of play. A switch to the 1-3-1 zone just prior to the half altered Bradley's offense just enough to help the Mocs ensure there would be no further harm done for the remainder of the opening 20 minutes.

The Mocs would get the final three points of the half when Honor Huff connected on one of his five three-pointers in the contest with 66 seconds remaining, and that would at least give Chattanooga a little momentum heading into the second half of the game, trailing 38-25 at the half.

In the second half, the Mocs went about trimming the lead in a meticulous fashion before eventually being able to overtake the Braves on a Garrison Keeslar three-pointer with just under nine minutes remaining. Demarion Burch would give the Braves an 11-point, 44-33, lead with on a jumper in the lane with 16:21 remaining.

After Huff answered with a three on the other end nine seconds later, which would trigger a quick 7-0 spurt by UTC, making it a 44-41 game, and suddenly we had a ballgame on our hands.

The Braves would eventually push the lead back to seven following after scoring on consecutive possessions, but Chattanooga continued to chip away and would eventually get two within two after Huff converted a layup on a beautifully executed sideline, out-of-bounds play, and three Bonham free throws, which would get the Mocs to within 48-46 within two, at 48-46, with 11:47 remaining.

For the next three minutes, the Braves managed to maintain its lead, however, couldn't continue to hold it, with Chattanooga doing its part on both ends of the floor to continue its imminent threat. The stage would eventually be set for Keeslar, who isn't noted for his outside shooting capabilities, to make one of the biggest threes of the season for the Mocs, as he took a pass from Huff and knocked down a wide-open left wing triple to give Chattanooga a 54-52 lead with 8:44 remaining, which was the first lead Chattanooga had held since it was 2-0 following its opening possession of the game.

Following a steal by Keeslar, the Mocs would increase their lead to four, at 56-52, when Bash Wieland knocked down a jumper in the lane with just over eight minutes left. Bradley used a quick 5-0 run to surge back in front, which was highlighted by a Connor Dillon three and a Deen jumper, making it a 57-56 Braves lead with 6:23 remaining.

After a pair of missed threes on each end, Chattanooga would regain the lead when Bonham connected on a top-of-the-key three with 5:10 remaining, putting the Mocs back in front, 59-57. It would set the stage for quite a final flurry of basketball over the final five minutes, with the contest between the two mid-major powers seeing a pair of ties and two lead changes over that final stretch of the game.

With the game tied, 61-61, following a Bash Wieland layup with 1:44 remaining, the Mocs forced a crucial Bradley turnover and then on the other end, Bonham came up with the first of his two absolutely monumental threes to help the Mocs assume what was a 64-61 lead at the exact same point of the second half (1:06 left) that Huff would connect on a three in the first half to help quell Bradley's momentum.

However, the Braves had an arrow left in their quiver in the form of Duke Deen, who launched his perfect high-arching arrow of a three from the left wing with a hand in his face to tie the game, bringing the crowd to a higher decibel level after Bonham had silenced them just moments earlier.

At 64-64 with 41 seconds remaining, Earl drew up one final "picket fence" play to take the Mocs into their own version of a Hoosiers-like story next week at Hinkle Fieldhouse, as Huff served as the decoy and Bonham played the role of Jimmy Chitwood, with his corner three with 14.2 seconds left giving the Mocs a three-point lead and put all the pressure on the Braves. The Mocs would make that hold up, winning a thrilling 67-65 decision to reach its first-ever NIT Final Four.

UTC/SoCon Notes

--With the win, the SoCon has now had a team win 27 or more games in a season in 10 of the past 11 campaigns, and that is with the COVID-19 Season (2020-21) included. That is the only season in which at least one SoCon team has failed to reach 27 or more wins. That's the longest such streak in the 105-year history of the league.

--UTC has 47 road wins since 2020-21, which is the most in all of NCAA Division I college basketball. The Mocs improved to 12-5 away this season, including having won 10-straight on the road to tie Houston for the nation's longest active streak.

--Chattanooga has been one of the hottest teams in college basketball over the past two months, having won 15 of its past 16 games, with the lone loss in that span being an 80-77 overtime loss in the SoCon semifinals to Furman. Chattanooga also improved to 19-4 since the calendar flipped to 2025.

2025 NCAA Tournament: Wofford's Magic Carpet Ride Ends With Opening Round Loss to No. 2 Tennessee

 

Wofford senior wing Jackson Sivills (Photo courtesy of Wofford Athletics)

NCAA Tournament Recap: No. 2 Tennessee 77, No. 15 Wofford 62

LEXINGTON, KY---No. 2 Tennessee got a game-high 29 points from Chaz Lanier, while SEC Defensive Player of the Year Zakai Zeigler added a double-double, with 12 points and 12 assists, setting a new program record for career assists in the process, as the Vols held off SoCon six-time champion and No. 15 seed Wofford, 77-62, in a Midwest Regional opening round NCAA Tournament clash Thursday night at Rupp Arena.

With the win, the Vols improved to 28-7 overall and will move on to face No. 7 UCLA, who took down No. 10 Utah State, 72-47, in the nightcap at Rupp Arena. 

Wofford concludes its 2024-25 season with a 19-16 overall record, as the Terriers became the first-ever No. 6 seed to win the SoCon Tournament title, when Wofford knocked off No. 5 Furman, 92-85, in the SoCon Championship game last week. Wofford became the first non-No. 1 seed to win the Southern Conference Tournament in eight years, with ETSU the last non-No. 1 seed to do it, winning the 2017 SoCon Tourney title with a 79-74 verdict over No. 1 seed UNC Greensboro. The Bucs entered the '17 SoCon Tournament as the No. 3 seed.

For Wofford it was the program's first NCAA Tournament game since the 2019 tourney, when that historic 30-win Terrier team took down No. 10 seed Seton Hall, 84-68, for the first NCAA Tournament win in program history. The seventh-seeded Terriers would eventually bow out of the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 32, as the seventh-seeded Terriers lost to No.2 seeded Kentucky, 62-56, in the ensuing round.

For Tennessee, it improved its NCAA Tournament record to 29-27 overall and won its fourth-straight opening round tournament game under veteran head coach Rick Barnes, who is making his 29^th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, as Wofford picked up its second all-time NCAA Tournament win over a Southern Conference foe, knocking off Furman, 80-69, in a East Regional First Round game at the Greensboro Coliseum in the 1980 NCAA Tournament.

The Vols are now 9-0 all-time against Wofford, as the Terriers fell to 1-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The SoCon is now 33-82 all-time in the Big Dance. 

Lanier’s 29 points came on 11-of-22 shooting from the field, while the former North Florida Osprey added a 6-for-13 effort from beyond the three-point arc. The native of Nashville, Tenn., also added five rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block in the win.

Zeigler added his 12 on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, including a 2-for-5 mark from three-point range and was 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. Perhaps the most impressive stat for Zeigler in the contest is that he played 37 minutes of basketball in an NCAA Tournament game without committing one turnover. According to Elias Sports Bureau, it was just the sixth time a player has posted 12 points, 12 assists and no turnovers in the past 50 seasons (1975-2025).

Wofford ended the night with four players in double figures, with two of those playing their final game in a Wofford uniform. Jackson Sivills was one of those, and he closed out his career by turning in an incredible final four games, including scoring a career-high 20 points in last week’s championship win over Furman, and he followed that up by contributing 15 points in his final game in the Old Gold and Black. Sivills added his 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and was 2-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc, including a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line and added five rebounds,

Corey Tripp, Wofford’s leading scorer coming into the game, added 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field and 2-for-8 from three-point range to post 14 points in 35 minutes of game action in what was his final game as a Wofford player. Tripp, a native of Medina, OH, also added three assists and two steals, but committed six of the team’s 11 total turnovers. He appeared to be the only player that could create his own shot off the dribble against Tennessee’s tenacious on-ball defense in the game. Rounding out the Terriers in double figures in the were Jeremy Lorenz and Justin Bailey, who added 12 and 10 points, respectively. SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player Kyler Filewich finished with two points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field, while contributing five rebounds and two assists in his final game for Wofford.

For the game, Tennessee connected on 48.1% (26-of-54) from the field and posted a 35.7% (10-of-28) from three-point range, as well as 68.2% (15-of-22) from the charity stripe.

Wofford would finish their final game of the 2024-25 season by connecting on 41.8% (23-of-55) from the field and connected on 42.3% (11-of-26) from three-point range. Wofford attempted only nine free throws, shooting 55.6% (5-of-9) from the stripe. The Terriers made 48 threes in their final four games of the season. Wofford shot the ball at a blistering 43.6% (48-of-110) from three-point range over the final four games of the season.

Wofford held a slight 22-20 advantage in points in the paint, however, the Vols used a 14-0 advantage in the “points from turnovers”, as the top defensive team in the SEC forced 11 Terrier miscues, while committing only six itself over the duration of 40 minutes of basketball, while recording nine steals.

The two teams were even on rebounds (31-31), while the Vols held a slight 15-13 edge in total assists. The Vols also held advantages in fast-break points (3-0) and second-chance points (9-7), while Wofford held a narrow advantage in bench scoring (15-5). Tennessee outscored Wofford 15-5 at the charity stripe on 13 more attempts.

Tennessee started the game strong, posting the first five points of the game, and though Wofford would fight throughout, the Vols never relinquished the lead for the remainder of the night, leading wire-to-wire. The Vols would take a 36-27 lead into the locker room. Despite getting blitzed on the boards in the opening half of play, the Terriers had managed to get to the half trailing by less than double digits, as Wofford’s defense and timely shot making when Tennessee had threatened to put the game out of reach being two key positive bullet points Wofford and head coach Dwight Perry could highlight as positives during the halftime intermission.

It looked like Wofford might get run out of Rupp Arena following a 12-0 run midway through the opening half, as Tennessee assumed a 14-point lead, at 22-8, following a Chaz Lanier three with 9:58 remaining in the frame. Triples on consecutive trips down the floor by Sivills and freshman guard Luke Flynn got Wofford back to within 22-14 to end the long scoring drought in the opening half. Wofford battled the rest of the half, and was rewarded for its efforts continuing to get timely answers for Tennessee’s shot-making down the stretch, settling for a nine-point deficit at the break

In the second half, Tennessee controlled the opening minutes of the frame, increasing the advantage back to 14, at 48-34, following a pair of Jahmai Mashack free throws just after the first media timeout of the second half at the 15:33 mark. Just as it had done in the first half, the Teriers closed the deficit inside double digits two minutes later, as a Jeremy Lorenz triple would get Wofford back to within eight, at 48-40, with 13:33 remaining.

It would be the closest Wofford would get for the remainder of the game, as a 13-5 spurt by the Vols pushed Tennessee’s lead to its largest of the night to that point, at 16 points, as a Zakai Zeigler three would give the Vols a 61-45 lead with 10:35 remaining. Tennessee would never see its leading margin dip below 11 and would take its biggest lead of the night when Cade Phillips knocked down a pair of free throws with 41 seconds left to give Tennessee a 77-59 lead.

Wofford’s final points of the season would come just as the first points of the season had come against Erskine College back on Nov. 4—via a three-pointer—had come on a three-pointer from Dillon Bailey, while its final points of what would turn out to be a SoCon title season four months later, would come from the Terriers’ lone addition from the transfer portal, as Justin Bailey’s three-pointer with 28 seconds left got the margin back to 15, setting the final score at 77-62.

Wofford ended the season with 19 wins for the third time in the past six seasons. Since Wofford won a historic 30 games and went unblemished in SoCon play with an 18-0 record in 2018-19, the Terriers have posted an overall mark of 106-85 with one tournament title over the past six seasons. Wofford has finished above .500 overall for eight-straight seasons, reaching 20 or more wins in a season twice.

 

 

 

 

Furman's Season Ends With NIT Loss at North Texas

Eddrin Bronson's 15 points on a perfect 6-for-6 night leads Furman in scoring in the final game of 2024-25 season

DENTON, TX—The last time a Furman team went to the State of Texas for a playoff game, its football team was trying to stop a prolific Incarnate Word offense that averaged over 50 PPG back in the FCS Second Round back in December of 2022. 

However, while the Paladins dropped a 41-38 heartbreaker in South Texas in San Antonio back in 2022, Furman’s basketball team headed to North Texas with its sights set on on an upset of the No. 2 seed in the Dallas Region, and the Mean Green came in sporting one of the top defenses in college basketball, allowing just 59 PPG, and cracking the code against the 2023 NIT Champions was always going to be a tall order for Bob Richey’s team.

Unfortunately for Furman and the Southern Conference, the Paladins basketball team joined their Paladin student-athlete brethren in football from a little over two of years earlier in suffering a season-ending defeat in the Lone Star State, as the Mean Green  would outscore Furman 43-30 in the second half, and were able to get a combined 37 points from veterans Jasper Floyd and Atin Wright and overcame a 34-32 halftime deficit to get a 75-64 NIT opening round win over the Paladins Wednesday night at the Super Pit.

With the win, North Texas improves to 25-9, which includes a 16-1 mark inside the friendly confines of the Super Pit, and will move on to host No. 3 Arkansas State this weekend. The 25^th win for UNT is tied for second-most in school history.

The game against the Mean Green marked Furman's second-straight foe in the NIT from the American Athletic Conference (AAC), as the Paladins, who dropped a home game thriller to Wichita State in the 2019 NIT back, as the No. 3 seed. 

On that former occasion, the Shockers were able to pull out what was a 76-70 win in a game that would prove to be the final one in the memorable careers of both Matt Rafferty (2015-19) and Andrew Brown (2015-19), which were major reasons the Paladins achieved the school's first-ever AP Top 25 ranking as well as helping see the Paladins garner their second invite to the prestigious NIT in program history six years ago. 

UNT finished the 2024-25 season second overall in the AAC behind only NCAA Tournament-bound and Top 25-ranked Memphis. The Mean Green posted an impressive 14-4 mark in the AAC this season, which was good enough for second-place and just behind the perennial league juggernaut Tiger

Floyd finished the game with a game-high 19 points for UNT, as he connected on 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range, while knocking down both of his shots from the charity stripe. Additionally, Jasper added seven assists, six rebounds and one steal. 

The senior guard's fellow backcourt mate and classmate, Atin Wright, finished the contest with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, which included a 4-for-10 effort from three-point land. Wright added three steals, two rebounds and an assist. 

Big man and native of Bamako, Mali, Moulaye Sissoko, rounded out the Mean Green in double figures, as he posted 11 points and six rebounds. Forward Grant Newell finished just one point shy of double figures, completing the contest nine points and two rebounds, which included a perfect 6-for-6 effort from the charity stripe.

Furman concludes its 2024-25 season with a 25-10 record, falling to 0-3 all-time in the National Invitational Tournament. The Paladins will take the floor in the new Timmons Arena in 2025-26, as it was given a 40-million-dollar upgrade during the season, as the Paladins played their home games in three different home venues, with a majority of those having been played downtown at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. 

"The Well", as it is affectionately known, will host the opening two rounds of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, marking the fourth time the facility has hosted the men's tournament opening two rounds previously in 2002, '17 and '22. 

The Paladins the 2024-25 season with a 10-3 record at "The Well" and are now 19-12 all-time in the facility. The Paladins also posted a 10-6 on the road this season, including posting a 9-6 mark in true road games. 

The good news for Furman was that its two leading scorers in what turned out to be the 2024-25 season finale are both slated to return next season, with redshirt freshman guard Eddrin Bronson leading the way for the Paladins, as he added 15 points off the bench on a perfect 6-for-6 effort from the field, which included going 3-for-3 from long-range. 

Bronson added one rebound and had just one turnover in 20 minutes of action off the Furman bench. The Tampa, FL, native, who scored 14 points in Furman’s loss at Kansas earlier this season and provided a career-high 16 points in a late January, 79-74, road win at Mercer, found his way into double figures for the eighth and final time to conclude his first season on the floor in a Furman uniform.

Bronson redshirted the 2023-24 season, and finished his first season for Furman developing his game on both ends of the floor in preparation for a 2025-26 season that should see him become one of the key cogs on both ends of the floor, as his offensive game took steps in a positive direction after having hit the "freshman wall" before find his shooting touch and scoring confidence in recent outings down the stretch for Furman, which began with the Paladins 80-72 road win at Samford last month. Bronson has already acquitted himself as one of the team’s best on-ball defenders this season.

The redshirt freshman was joined in double figures by junior guard Tom House, as the Florida State transfer continued his strong play down the stretch of the season adding 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field, including 3-of-7 shooting from long range.  The junior guard added two boards and an assist in 25 minutes, as he made his fourth start in his first season after transferring in from Florida State prior to the season

Like Bronson, House is slated to be a key piece to the puzzle for the Paladins in 2025-26 and will be one of Furman’s top offensive threats and its best returning perimeter shooter heading into the upcoming campaign. 

Furman played without 6-7 starting wing forward Ben VanderWal, who missed the game with an illness. VanderWal is widely regarded as Furman’s “glue guy” and his presence on the defensive end, as well as on the offensive glass, were particularly missed in the game for the Paladins.

Rounding out the double figure scorers for the Paladins was Nick Anderson, who finished out an outstanding season with Furman, as the Barry University graduate transfer added 12 points, one rebound and one assist in 33 minutes of action. He was hounded all night by the Mean Green’s tough man-to-man, physical defense, as he finished 4-for-14 shooting from the field and 3-of-9 from three-point land. In his one season with the Paladins, Anderson was outstanding, as he finished the campaign with 512 points and shot an impressive 39.5% (96-of-243) from three-point land.

Furman’s leading scorer—senior point guard PJay Smith Jr. (17.6 PPG)—also found his final game for the Paladins a tough one and was credit to the Mean Green’s stingy defense, which turned out to be as good or better than advertised. 

Smith, a native of LaVergne, Tenn would begin his final season in a Furman uniform in memorable fashion, with a thrilling buzzer-beating three to help Furman to a 76-74 road win at Belmont, finished out his second and final campaign with seven points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 1-for-4 from three-point land. His final shot of his Furman career was the final Paladin points of the season was fittingly a three-pointer, as he knocked down his lone triple of the night five seconds remaining. 

For much of the night, Smith Jr. was clutching both his elbow and shoulder, which could have meant he was less than 100% in addition to the excellent defense played by North Texas. Whatever the case, Smith's two seasons will be remembered around Greenville for years to come, as his two years of contributions were vital to helping the program sustain success. 

Along with Anderson, the 2024-25 season will be remembered as one that both transfers helped bridge an important gap for the Furman program, which just a couple of months before the season, lost its top portal addition Jalen Sullinger, who returned to Kent State. Despite that, behind the blistering perimeter shooting and scoring ability of Smith and Anderson, the Paladins posted 25 wins, despite the loss of Sullinger. 

It was a testament to not only how good both players were, but how hard each worked and led Furman during the 2024-25 season. It was a season that, according to the media after the loss of a scoring talent of Sullinger's ilk, shouldn't have yielded such an impressive win total, but yet like so many times during the season, Furman defied the odds and found a way to overcome them no matter what any analytic said they wouldn't or couldn't do. 

Like Anderson, Smith transferred into Furman from an NCAA Division II program, in Lee University, just prior to the 2023-24 season. After finishing last season averaging 10.0 PPG, Smith returned as the Paladins’ leading go-to scoring threat following the graduation of 72% of Furman’s scoring production from a year ago. Smith didn’t disappoint, finishing out his final season in a Furman uniform in style, posting a team-best 582 points and posted 111 three-point field goals, which was just two shy of matching Alex Hunter’s (2018-2022) single-season program record of 113 made threes.

Smith completed his campaign with a 41.3% success rate (111-of-269) in his long-range attempts and accumulated 911 points over two seasons for the Paladins. Like Anderson, Smith is one of the reasons why this 2024-25 season will be unforgettable for Paladin hoops fans, with two game-winners that provided Paladin road wins against both Belmont and at Wofford to end the regular-season.

Forwards Garrett Hien and Tyrese Hughey, who were part of the best Furman team in school history, with both ending their respective careers among the program’s winningest players, also suited up for the final time for the Paladins in the loss to the Mean Green. 

Both Hien and Hughey added emphatic dunks to account for their final points as Paladins, with both players adding one bucket in the game. Hien, who scored his 1,000^th-point in his final home game in dramatic fashion in a win over The Citadel, finished out his Furman career with 108 career wins, finishing fourth in program history in total wins, while Hughey was a part of 92 victories in his Paladin career, which was good enough to finish sixth in program history.

North Texas finished the contest shooting an impressive 53.8% (28-of-52) from the field, which included an impressive 44.4% (8-of-18) from three-point range, and were 84.6% (11-of-13) from the charity stripe, out-scoring Furman by nine points (11-4) from the free throw line on nine more attempts (13-4).

Furman finished the game connecting on 48.1% (26-of-54) from the field and 33.3% (10-of-33) from beyond the arc, while connecting on 50% (2-of-4) from the charity stripe. The Paladins were able to take a 34-32 lead into the halftime break courtesy of an impressive 56% (14-of-25) effort from the field and 40% (6-of-15) effort from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes.

The Paladins ended the game by posting advantages in points in the paint (26-24), total assists (13-10) and bench scoring (25-16). North Texas finished the game holding advantages in points from turnovers (17-10), fast-break scoring (6-5), and second-chance points (12-9). The two teams ended even on the backboards, 28-28.

How It Happened:

The Paladins and Mean Green would be meeting for the first time in series history, and the Mean Green came in sporting one of the top defenses in the nation and bore a lot of similarities to the SoCon’s own UNC Greensboro Spartans. 

 However, in contrast to what was supposed to be a defensive stalwart on paper due in large part to UNT’s style of play, the game wouldn't start out that way, as both teams shoot north of 50% in the opening half of play, Furman connecting on 56% (14-of-25) of its shots from the field, while the Mean Green connected on 52.1% (12-of-23) as Furman took a narrow 34-32 lead on the strength of strong shooting from long-range, as the Paladins connected on six first-half threes and shot 44.4% (6-of-15) from long range in the opening 20 minutes.

However, the Mean Green came out a bit “meaner” on the defensive end in the second half, while finding the spark it needed on the offensive end in the opening minutes of the second half, gaining the cushion it needed to take control of the basketball game for good. UNT opened the second half with a 13-2 run, which was powered by three made threes from Jasper Floyd (2) and Attin Wright (1), as the Mean Green would eventually assume a 45-36 advantage following a pair of Grant Newell free throws less than four minutes into the second half. The Mean Green came out fire hot, as they would connect on four of their first five shots from the field, including all three efforts from beyond the arc

Despite UNT taking advantage early in the second half, the Mean Green struggled to pull away by double digits, taking a brief 10-point lead (58-48) on a Wright short jumper in the lane to give the Mean Green a brief 10-point lead before the Paladins quickly trimmed the lead back inside double digits, however, Furman couldn’t get closer than three at any point in the second half.

 With just over three minutes left, the Mean Green would push the lead to double digits for good on a pair of Jonathan Massie free throws (70-59), and would lead by as much as 14 just inside a minute remaining on a free throw by Moulaye Sissoko, which gave the Mean Green a 73-59 lead with just 56 seconds left.

2024-25 Season-Ending Notes

--Furman’s 25 wins are tied for the second-most in program history. The Paladins posted their 14^th 20-win season, including their seventh since 2016-17 and sixth under the direction of eighth-year head coach Bob Richey. Though having never won SoCon Coach of the Year, Richey has more wins than any SoCon Coach in the past eight seasons (181-81) and is averaging 22.6 wins-per-season over that span, which ranks sixth (two-season minimum) in average wins per season in the tradition-rich history of the SoCon. The 22.6 wins-per-season by Richey in eight seasons at Furman ranks just behind some legends of ancient and recent past in the league, including Everett Case (26.7/7 seasons at NC State), Steve Forbes (26.0/5 seasons at ETSU), and John Kresse (23.8/4 seasons at CofC as a coach in the SoCon), while ranking just ahead of legendary Mocs head coach Murray Arnold (22.5/6 seasons at UTC).

--Since the 2015-16, the Paladins now have a league-best 223 wins and have posted a record of 223-108 over that span.

--PJay Smith Jr. and Nick Anderson combined to score 1,094 points and connect on a combined 207-of-512 three-point field goals for the season, which converts to a blistering 40.4% shooting clip from long-range.

--Furman reached the SoCon Championship game of the tournament for the third time in four seasons and the Paladins closed the season strong, winning six of their final eight games.

--Furman, which finished fifth in the SoCon standings, was predicted to finish in that exact position in the preseason. However, the Paladins are currently tied for the most wins in the league, with 25 victories, with the final one over regular-season SoCon Chattanooga in Asheville, which has currently also won 25 games and will go for its league-best 26^th win in the NIT Saturday afternoon, when the Mocs host Dayton at the Roundhouse. The Mocs were picked to finish second in the SoCon, returning its top two scorers from a year ago, while Furman had to replace72% of its scoring.

--While Furman loses four players to graduation, including its two top scorers, a key nucleus of players returns, including Tom House and Eddrin Bronson in the backcourt, as well as Cooper Bowser in the front court, as the Paladins should once again be among the favorites to win both the regular-season and tournament titles in the 2025-26 season.

--Through eight seasons under Bob Richey, the Paladins have connected on 2,690-of-7,285 from three-point range, which converts to 36.9%...The Paladins connected on 380 three-point field goals during the 2024-25 season, connecting at a 36.6% clip from long-range, which was good enough for second overall in the SoCon this season.

Head Coach Bob Richey Following Season-Ending Loss to UNT

NCAA Tournament Preview: No. 15 Wofford (19-15) vs. No. 2 Tennessee (27-7)

2025 NCAA Tournament Preview

Region and Round: Midwest Region/First Round

The Day, Date and Time: Thursday, March 20, 2025/6:50 pm EST

The Game: No. 2 Tennessee (27-7) vs. No. 15 Wofford (19-15)

The Location and Venue: Lexington, KY/Rupp Arena

Series: 9th meeting/Tennessee leads 8-0

Where to Watch: TNT

The Game: When Tennessee and Wofford take on each other in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night, it will mark just the ninth all-time meeting between the two and just the second meeting in the past two decades. The most recent clash between the two came during the 2023-24 season, as the Vols picked up what was an 82-61 win over the Terriers.

The Southern Conference enjoys a proud tradition as one of the mid-major conferences that has not only one that has thrived through the years, but also one that that is on the rise in strength in recent seasons, and the league ranks 13^th out of 31 NCAA Division I Basketball Conferences according to KenPom. The SoCon has posted a 33-81 record all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

The only other Southern Conference team the Vols have faced in their history in the NCAA Tournament is Furman, taking on the Paladins back during the 1980 NCAA Tournament, as the Vols were able to pick up an 80-69 win over Furman in an East Regional First Round matchup at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The Terriers have written themselves quite their own narrative story over the past 2.5 seasons under the direction of third-year head coach Dwight Perry, who has led the Terriers to this game, despite a dark cloud hanging over the program following former head coach Jay McCauley’s 3.5 years as the head coach. Perry took over the Wofford program in December of 2022, and it didn’t take long for Perry to influence his core group, as he helped lead the Terriers to a thrilling 67-62 win over SEC member Texas A&M in just his third game in charge as the interim head coach.

The Terriers have shown glimpses of what they could be in Perry’s short time as the head coach over the past three seasons. In addition to that win over the Aggies in Perry’s first season as the head coach, Wofford would pick up a thrilling buzzer-beating win over No. 3 UNC Greensboro courtesy of a BJ Mack layup at the buzzer that propelled the Terriers to an unlikely semifinal appearance in Perry’s first season as the head coach, although at that time, it was as an interim head coach.

It could be argued that the 2023 SoCon Tournament quarterfinal win over No. 3 UNCG was a significant turning point for Perry personally, who was hired as the head coach shortly after that thrilling win over the Spartans in Asheville, as it was evident the effect that Perry had on his team. The fact that despite all that could have gone wrong during that 2022-23 season, the then 35-year old head coach was able to piece together what was a 17-16 campaign when the team had threatened what amounted to a team mutiny if McAuley remained installed as the head coach of the Terrier program in early December of 2022, almost seems like a minor miracle in hindsight.

The biggest thing that Perry has been able to do is helping Wofford take notable steps back towards the championship success and the ultimate high bar of success reached by the Terrier program in terms of success back in the 2018-19 season, as Wofford became one of only four teams to ever win 30 games in a season in league history, as well as being one of just two current members and three members overall to win a tournament game this century.

Wofford took down Seton Hall, 84-68, in an opening round win during the 2019 NCAA Tournament before eventually bowing out to No. 2 Kentucky (L, 56-62) in the Round of 32. It was a remarkable run under former head coach Mike Young, who helped the Terriers earn a No. 7 seed in the Midwest Region in the tournament after achieving its first-ever AP Top 25 ranking during the regular season.

Perry has had to deal with some key departures ever since his first season as head coach, with much of that having to do with the fallout of the McCauley era as the head coach, in which must have seemed more like a dictatorship rather than a coaching tenure under McCauley. Among the main issues was practice time, or too much practice time put in a different way.

Because of such a tumultuous situation, Perry lost two top performers, in forward All-SoCon forward BJ Mack and guard and SoCon Freshman of the Year Eric Paveletzke heading into the 2023-24 season, and despite the tough situation, Perry was able to lead Wofford to a sixth-place finish.

For the first time in his short time as the head coach at Wofford, Perry was able to retain nearly all of his talent that he had from a previous season, and though the regular-season might have only shown a near-identical finish to last year’s finish, the patience paid off for guys like guards Corey Tripp (14.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.2 APG), Jackson Sivills (9.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG), guard Dillon Bailey (11.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG), forward Jeremy Lorenz (7.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG) and center Kyler Filewich (11.9 PPG, 9.4 RPG), who have stayed loyal to Perry and the Terrier program, despite opportunities to leave and go explore other options.

In an era when it would have been easy to just hop into the transfer portal to make a change, Wofford would return all but eight points from a year ago heading into the 2024-25 season. The eight returnees marked the most to return for Wofford from one season to the next since the 2021-22 campaign. The Terriers

As big as it was to retain nearly all that talent from last season, Wofford and Perry even had some adversity to deal with entering the 2024-25 season, with Wofford’s top sixth man—guard Chase Cormier (7.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG in 2023-24)—deciding to step away from the program and redshirt just prior to the season to enter the transfer portal, as well as a season-ending injury to Egyptian big man Belal El-Shakery (3.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG), who was lost just eight games into the season and was a player set to be one of the most improved big men in the league this season and was set to make a jump similar to that of Samford’s Achor Achor had he not has season end prematurely due to an injury.

So even though Wofford has turned its retention into ultimate success in Asheville, it’s been a team affected depth-wise in both the backcourt and frontcourt this season without those two key pieces, which could have really helped Wofford reach an even higher level this season should one or both been with the team this season.

The trio of Filewich, Tripp and Sivills have been with Perry every step of the way during his short time as the Wofford head coach, while he added Dillon Bailey prior to the start of last season after he transferred in from Division II Northeastern State in Arkansas. Bailey was added prior to the start of the 2023-24 season, while the Terriers and staff added one significant player from the transfer portal prior to this season, with Justin Bailey (9.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG) making the short transition from nearby USC Upstate to Wofford prior to this season. Justin Bailey, along with freshmen guard additions Kahmare Holmes (4.1 PPG, 2.0 RPG) and Luke Flynn (4.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG), have proven to be key cogs in the wheel for Wofford and a big reason they were able to break through and win the 2025 SoCon Tournament title.

By and large, though, it’s been loyalty and patience that offered their notable payoff over the course of three days in March, as Wofford was able to knock No. 3 off East Tennessee State (W, 72-60), No. 7 VMI (85-65), and No. 5 Furman (W, 92-85) en route to helping Wofford get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years. The Terriers became just the first No. 6 seed in the 105-year history of the SoCon Tournament to make the tournament title game as well as win it.

Wofford took on an extremely tough non-conference slate, which featured trips to NCAA Tournament teams Duke and Lipscomb, as well as games at CAA members Elon and College of Charleston and Atlantic 10 member Saint Louis, as well as a tricky home game against vastly improved North Alabama. Elon (CBI), Saint Louis (NIT), and North Alabama (NIT) will also be a part of the March festivities, with that trio set to take part in March Madness as a part of either the NIT or the CBI.

It could be argued that there was a significant shift to Wofford’s season after it went on the road and captured a 68-63 win at Saint Louis, and though Wofford seemed to get lost in the mix in the regular-season in what was a tough Southern Conference, they were never an opponent that could be counted out in Asheville, proving what many prognosticators of the league had said prior to the 2025 tournament, and that is any of six teams could win the title. Wofford entered the 105^th SoCon Tournament as the No. 6 seed. The Terriers ended a streak of eight-straight SoCon regular-season champions to cut down the nets at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center.

While Filewich’s consistency, rebounding and toughness were main factors in Asheville, which ultimately landed him 2025 SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player accolades, it was the timely perimeter shooting of Wofford over three days that likely proved just as important. Wofford’s trend upward on the defensive end has also been notable, and though the Terriers are one of just four teams to win the SoCon Tournament in Asheville without ranking in the top three in defensive efficiency entering the tournament since 1996-97, the Old Gold and Black ranked just outside the top three at No. 4 entering the tournament in Asheville.

Maybe even more important was how Wofford was able to shoot the basketball from three-point range that enabled it to finish off the season in style, connecting on 37 threes at a 44.0% (37-of-84) over a three-game stretch to ultimately cut down the nets in Asheville. It was the most combined threes the Terriers have hit over any three-game stretch this season. Wofford ended up connecting on a total of 329 three-pointers for the season following their prolific performance last weekend in Asheville, finishing third in the SoCon behind only Furman (370) and Samford (344).

The thing that the Terriers do better than anything, however, is rebound the basketball, as the Terriers enter the 2025 NCAA Tournament leading the SoCon in rebound margin (+7.6) and that also ranks 12^th overall in the NCAA.

Wofford’s Filewich, who transferred in from Southern Illinois prior to the 2021-22 season, and he’s become the heart and soul of Perry’s team. Much will be made about his unorthodox free throw style, and the fact that Rick Barry was brought in to try and help improve his technique, but I am pretty sure the big fella would rather the analysts focus on other parts of his game that he does amazingly well rather than an area that he has struggled with for a large portion of his career at both SIU and Wofford.

For his career with the Terriers, Filewich has posted 21 double-doubles and has 22 in his career going back to his time spent at SIU. The 6-9, 260-lb native of Manitoba is currently tied for 29^th nationally in total double-doubles, while his 9.4 rebounds per game were good enough to lead the Southern Conference this past season. He ended up garnering Third-Team All-SoCon honors according to the league’s head coaches, however, he was named the SoCon Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

In addition to his ability to rebound the basketball and position his body inside to get easy points on the interior, with a 57.6% (182-of-316) field goal percentage, the senior from the Great White North averages 3.1 assists-per-game, which makes him arguably the best passing man in the Southern Conference. His primary kryptonite is his free throw shooting, as Filewich is shooting just 31.8% (42-of-132) from the charity stripe this season. Despite that, however, teams have not resorted to intentionally fouling Filewich this season.

While Filewich will start in the paint, Perry surrounds him with four guards that can all shoot the basketball. The most versatile of those four is without question Corey Tripp, who is without question one of the best overall basketball players in the Southern Conference. Tripp is an outstanding athlete, a good defender, as well as being a three-level scorer. He’s the only player that could really challenge Tennessee from an ability standpoint, but he is prone to careless turnovers at times. He will have to be especially cognizant of that facing the SEC’s top on-ball defender, in Zakai Zeigler, as he is Tennessee’s all-time steals leader.

Tripp owned the month of February, as he averaged 18.3 PPG over the final month of the regular-season, and he finished off the regular season and tournament playing some of his best basketball of the season, finishing a late-season home loss with a career-high 31 points in the 73-68 loss. Tripp is one of three players to cross the 1,000-point plateau this season, as he was joined by forward Kyler Filewich and guard Justin Bailey in that category during the 2024-25 season.

Tripp has found his way into double figures in 28 of 33 games during the 2024-25 season, which included 20 or more points in five games this season. The senior from Medina, OH, is shooting 35.5% (60-for-169) from three-point range this season to go along with his team-leading average of 14.3 PPG. Tripp finished last season’s loss to Tennessee with 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and was 1-for-5 from three-point land. He also averages 4.0 rebounds-per-contest and is dishing out 3.2 assists-per-game.

Tripp will be joined by Wofford’s three other primary starting guards, which are Jackson Sivills, USC Upstate transfer Justin Bailey and sharp-shooting perimeter threat Dillon Bailey. Sivills is a player to keep an eye on for Wofford, as seemingly he was a player in the Southern Conference Tournament that would end up being key to Wofford’s success, knocking down vital threes in every game, with two big ones down the stretch in Wofford’s wins over both East Tennessee State and in the championship game against Furman. He was the only other Terriers player in double figures against Tennessee last season with the two played each other, finishing that contest with 10 points.

Sivihas connected on a career-best 60 three-pointers in 2024-25 and is shooting 34.7% (60-of-173) from downtown, which included going 11-of-17 from downtown, or 64.7% from downtown in the Southern Conference Tournament. In my estimation, without his elite shooting in Asheville, Wofford wouldn’t have won the SoCon Tournament, and he likely should have been the tournament’s “Most Outstanding Player.” Sivills scored a career-high 20 points for the Terriers in Wofford’s SoCon title win over Furman.

Both Baileys—Justin and Dillon—also add an element of a threat from three-point range this season, with the two having combined to connect on 120 of the team’s 329 triples this season, with Dillon Bailey’s 65 treys leading the team, while Justin Bailey’s 45.1% (55-of-122) shooting clip from downtown leads the team. Justin Bailey is right on the cusp of double figures averaging 9.6 PPG to go with a team-leading 1,2 steals-per-game (41 steals), as he is widely regarded as the team’s best on-ball defender.

The native of Taylors, S.C., is the missing piece that the Terriers added this season and his perimeter defending, especially during the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, was key to leading the Terriers back to the Big Dance for the first time in six years. On an interesting side note, Justin Bailey was a teammate of Tennessee guard Jordan Gainey during the 2022-23 season in what was Bailey’s freshman season, while Gainey was a sophomore. Bailey averaged 10.6 PPG and Gainey posted 15.2 PPG as a sophomore, highlighting was a talented Spartans backcourt.

Off the bench, Wofford will look to a pair of freshmen guards Kahmare Holmes and Luke Flynn, while Jeremy Lorenz has been a key piece as any, offering key support in the post when Filewich has to get a breather or gets in foul trouble. Another key piece that wasn’t available during the SoCon Tournament is guard Anthony Arrington (4.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG), who was notably missed during the SoCon Tournament, as he became ill a night before the Terriers’ first game against ETSU.

Tennessee Tidbits: Tennessee hangs its hat on the defensive end of the floor, and the Vols aren’t the biggest team in the world, but their length and athleticism on both ends of the floor could be cause for concern for Wofford. Tennessee has been able to leverage much of its success on the backs of mid-major talents each of the past couple of seasons, with Northern Colorado’s Dalton Knecht being one of the main reasons the Vols advanced all the way to the Elite Eight a year ago, while this season, it’s been more of a committee, with Jordan Gainey (11.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG) from USC Upstate and former North Florida Osprey Chaz Lanier (leads team at 17.7 PPG) having proven to be a major part of the Vols’ 27 wins this season. In fact, the third ingredient to that mid-major turned major matrix has been forward Igor Milicic Jr (10.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG), who came on board prior to this season from Charlotte. The lone major conference transfer the Vols have been reliant is 6-11 junior forward Felix Okpara (7.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 54 BLKs), who came on board for Barnes and the Vols just prior to the season from Ohio State. He gives the Vols a true rim protector, and has made opponents adjust their shots time and time again in his first season with the Vols. He has three games this season in which he has blocked four shots and has swatted away a total 54 blocks this season, which is among the top 10 best in program history for single-season blocks. Okpara’s 6.2 RPG is second to only teammate and frontcourt partner Igor Milicic’s 6.9 RPG. Tennessee’s top all-around player, however, is point guard Zakai Zeigler (13.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 242 assists, 64 steals) and he will finish out his career on the top five in SEC history in career assists (714 helpers). Zeigler was the 2024-25 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and one of the matchups to keep an eye on Thursday evening will be the one between Wofford’s Corey Tripp and Tennessee’s Zeigler. The final piece to the a potential national title puzzle this season has been senior guard Jahmai Mashack (6.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG), who connected on a 35-foot three at the buzzer to help the Vols defeat Alabama in one of many SEC thrillers this season. He’s been Tennessee’s “glue guy” this season and is one of the top “glue guys” in all of college basketball this season.

How Can Wofford Defeat Tennessee:  It’s going to be an incredibly tall order for Wofford to win this game, however, the path to an upset for this No. 15 seed is pretty simply, and that is they have to probably connect on 12 or more threes, while winning the battle of the boards. The Vols are 0-1 when giving up 12 threes this season, with the only team to accomplish that feat being the Vanderbilt Commodores, which connected on 12-of-27 (44.4%) in what was an 81-76 at Memorial Gym in Nashville. In fact, the Vols lead the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.8%), which is going to be a tall order.

Second-chance threes could be the elixir that keeps Wofford in the game and gives them a chance at an upset. The biggest issue Wofford likely faces, however, is that they aren’t a great free throw shooting team, ranking 334^th out of 355 teams nationally in free throw shooting (66.1%), and one of the main reasons that you see upsets in the tournaments is underdogs not only being able to get to the line, but knock down shots from the charity shots.

I think for Wofford to pull off a miracle against Tennessee, it will not only require at least 12 made threes, it will also require the Terriers to get at least 15 points from the free throw line. It then will need the Terriers to shoot well above its seasonal clip entering the game, and that will mean that Filewich needs to likely hit at least 70% of his shots from the line, which is something he hasn’t done in any one game all season.

However, I think back to when Furman’s Garrett Hien hit two free throws to get Furman to within two of UVA two years ago in Furman’s upset of the No. 4 Cavaliers, as he is a career 46% shooter at the line, however, was 100% when Furman needed him to be. Filewich needs that kind of clutch shooting at the line for the game if Wofford is going to have a chance to do the unthinkable.

Then, on the defensive end of the floor, Wofford needs to hold Tennessee to 42% or less shooting for the game while limiting second-chance points and offensive rebounds to single digits. I haven’t felt less confident about a SoCon team’s chances to pull an upset in the tournament since No. 16 Chattanooga had to face Hashim Thabeet and No. 1 seed UConn during the 2009 NCAA Tournament, which saw the Mocs get handed a 56-point loss (L, 47-103) by Thabeet and the Huskies. That UConn team was dominant, losing one step short of the title game to Michigan State in the Final Four.

I feel the same about Wofford in this game, and though it won’t be close to being a 56-point defeat, I just don’t feel a SoCon team vs. an SEC team in a year like this for the SEC is going to be one conducive to success for the Terriers. By comparison, Wofford, which lost 86-35 to Duke earlier this season, faced a Blue Devils team that ranks fourth according to KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency (89.7), will be facing a Tennessee team that is even better, ranking third by KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency (89.1). In my estimation, it’s the toughest opening round foe and biggest challenge for a SoCon team since that 2009 tournament.

Being a fan of SoCon hoops like I have been since my childhood, I hope the Terriers can find a way to continue to shoot at a high level from three, and I am hoping for the Vols to miss at an unorthodox rate, leaving the game in the balance in the final 5-7 minutes of the game. As we have seen in recent seasons and even during Wofford’s first decade as a SoCon member (1997-2007), which saw the Terriers knock off the likes of Auburn (2004-05), Virginia Tech (2002-03) and Cincinnati (2006-07), Wofford has made a name for themselves, much like Davidson during its time as a league member, of being able to pull these types of upsets.