Furman (13-4, 4-0) at Wofford (11-5, 2-1)
Furman and Wofford represent one of the best rivalries in all sports in the Southern Conference, but as of late, the one in basketball has been pretty intriguing.
Along with East Tennessee State, Furman remains one of the two un-beatens in the Southern Conference. With the Bucs' 68-58 win over UNC Greensboro Thursday night in Johnson City, ETSU matched Furman's 4-0 start to Southern Conference play.
Along with East Tennessee State, Furman remains one of the two un-beatens in the Southern Conference. With the Bucs' 68-58 win over UNC Greensboro Thursday night in Johnson City, ETSU matched Furman's 4-0 start to Southern Conference play.
Furman will be paying its first ever visit to the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium Saturday night--a place where the Terriers have lost only once in their inaugural season playing inside the immaculate and palatial venue, which came in the season opener against South Carolina (L, 52-73).
The Terriers and Paladins enter Saturday night's matchup as two of the hottest teams in the SoCon, with Furman having won nine of its past 10 games, while Wofford has won eight of its last nine contests.
Furman is coming off a 73-55 win at Chattanooga, while Wofford posted a huge non-conference win over Ivy League power Harvard Wednesday, escaping Tommy Amaker's Crimson with a 63-62 win at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
Of course, the Terriers have already posted two ACC wins this season, with victories at then No. 5 North Carolina (W, 79-75) and home against Georgia Tech (W, 63-60), so a win over the Crimson in the Terriers' final non-conference game is just icing on the cake for what turned out to be a very successful non-conference campaign for head coach Mike Young and his Terriers.
Furman also turned in a strong non-conference slate, going 9-4. Though the Paladins lacked the marquee win or wins that Wofford earned, the Paladins won the games they were supposed to, and even through a mighty scare into then No. 20 Tennessee before dropping a 66-61 decision in Knoxville to the Volunteers.
Furman is off to a 4-0 start in Southern Conference play for the first time since 1986-87, however, Furman's four wins in league play have come against teams that are a combined 0-13 in league games so far this season, with Furman being responsible for four of those losses. Now the real season starts for the Paladins.
Furman will face top SoCon foes Wofford (Jan. 13), East Tennessee State (Jan. 18), Samford (Jan. 20) and UNC Greensboro (Jan. 24) over the next 11 days, which is a huge challenge for the team picked by the SoCon media to win the SoCon title in 2017-18.
If Furman is going to win the Southern Conference tournament title for the first time since the 1980-81 season, it will likely have its genesis in Saturday night's game at Wofford. The Paladins face one of the most successful Southern Conference programs over the past decade, and it's a Terrier basketball program that has qualified for the Big Dance in four out of the past eight years, and one that has been tough for the Paladins to overcome. In fact, Furman has not won at Wofford since a 73-68 overtime win back in January of 2011.
The Terriers have taken 12 of the past 14 wins between the two programs, with Furman's two wins coming at Timmons Arena. The Paladins took a 78-69 win in the friendly confines last season, while Stephen Croone's tip-in at the buzzer allowed the Paladins to come up with a 63-62 victory in Greenville on Jan. 23, 2016. Furman, however, has dominated the all-time series between the two programs, holding an 85-55 all-time series lead.
There is also some familiarity between the two coaching staffs, with former Furman assistant Jay McAuley back on Mike Young's staff, but now with a new title--as the associate head coach. McAuley spent the previous four seasons as an assistant on the Furman staff under the direction of head coach Niko Medved. He assisted the Paladins in getting 62 wins during his four seasons under Medved, which included a trip to the 2015 Southern Conference title game, where the Paladins eventually lost, 67-64, to Wofford in the championship game.
He was also part of the staff that tied a Furman record for single-season victories, with 23 last season, and also claimed a share of the Southern Conference regular-season title--the program's first since 1990-91. Prior to joining Medved's staff in 2013, McAuley spent three seasons at Gardner-Webb and before that, two campaigns under Young as an assistant at Wofford.
He was a part of the Terriers' 2010 team that won 26 games and made the NCAA Tournament after winning both the regular-season and tournament titles. McAuley joined Young's staff following the departure of former associate head coach Dustin Kerns, who took the head coaching job at Presbyterian this past spring.
Each of the past six meetings has been decided by 10 points or less, dating back to the final game of the 2014-15 regular-season, which saw Wofford emerge from Greenville with a 56-53 win. Of those six meetings, four of those games have been decided by four points or less. The two teams split last year's two meetings, with each winning by nine points on their respective home floors.
Who To Watch:
Wofford comes into the matchup red-hot, having won eight of its last nine games. One of the biggest reasons is the potentially record-breaking season junior shooting guard Fletcher Magee (23.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 27 assists) is having.
A recent addition to the updated mid-season Lute Olson Award List, Magee ranks second nationally in three-pointers made, having knocked down 72 already this season. Magee is on pace to potentially break Stephen Curry's national and single-season Southern Conference records of three-pointers made in a season, when he knocked down 162 triples during the 2007-08 campaign.
Magee, a native of Orlando, FL., comes in ranking ninth in the nation in overall scoring, at 23.0 PPG. Magee had a 27-point performance in a win over No,5 North Carolina in non-conference play, while also playing a large role in the Terriers' win over Georgia Tech, Magee posted a career-high tying 36 points, including connecting on 8-of-14 three-point field goals.
Magee will team with three other guards, in Trevor Stumpe (10.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG), Derrick Brooks (3.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG), and Storm Murphy (5.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG) in Mike Young's four-guard offense. Murphy has proven himself to be an effective point guard for the Terriers this season after adjusting to the college game, and the role of having to replace all-everything point guard and four-year starter Eric Garcia coming into the season.
The 5-11 Murphy record a career-high 17 points in a recent Southern Conference win over The Citadel. Murphy leads the Terriers with 57 assists so far this season. Meanwhile, Stumpe has also stepped up the scoring for the Terriers in his sophomore campaign, and like Murphy, posted a career-high against The Citadel recently with 19 points in the victory over The Citadel.
Brooks is the Terriers' most athletic guard and is one of the team's top on-the-ball defenders. He has yet to score in double figures this season, but was on the verge against The Citadel last week, posting nine points in the Terriers' home win.
The lone man in the paint for the Terriers will be one of the best post players in the SoCon, in Cameron Jackson (12.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG). Jackson is a tremendously quick and athletic, leading the league with 31 steals so far this season. When Jackson stays out of foul trouble, the Terriers are tough for anyone to beat, especially in the friendly confines of Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
Jackson recorded a career-high 13 rebounds against The Citadel to go along with 13 points. He was the Lute Olson National Player of the Week, as released on Christmas week, highlighted by an 18-point, nine-rebound, six-block, three-assist, three steal performance in the win at North Carolina on Dec. 20.
In addition to leading the SoCon in steals, Jackson also ranks fifth in the league in rebounding (6.9 RPG), fourth in field goal percentage (59.5%) and third in blocks (1.5 BPG). It will be imperative for Jackson to stay out of foul trouble if the Terriers want to hold serve at home against the talented Paladins this evening.
Off the bench, keep an eye on sophomore guard Nathan Hoover (9.8 PPG, 1.7 RPG) and 6-11 junior center Matthew Pegram (6.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG). Hoover posted 21 points in the win over The Citadel, while Pegram has scored in double figures five times this season, with a career-high 18 points in a big win over Bob Jones.
Furman counters with a solid starting five, which consists of three seniors and a pair of juniors. Knoxville native and senior guard Devin Sibley (15.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG) won the Southern Conference Player of the Year award last year and is the favorite to do it once again this year. Sibley, who ranks 12th in the history of Furman basketball in scoring (1,629 pts), posted nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds last time against Chattanooga. Sibley has eight 20-point scoring performances so far this season. He is shooting 40.2% (35-for-87) from three-point range so far this season.
The three guards teaming with Sibley in the backcourt will be Daniel Fowler (11.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG), Andrew Brown (7.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG) and John Davis III (11.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 40 assists). Fowler and Davis III are veterans with plenty of know-how. Remember they were both a part of the team that met Wofford in that 2015 SoCon Tournament run to the title. Fowler is one of the best defensive players in the SoCon, and enters Saturday night's contest against the Terriers ranking as the SoCon's career-active leader in steals (135), and ranks third in rebounds (467) and assists (316). Davis III had one of his best games of his career against Wofford in the 2015 regular-season finale against the Terriers, scoring a game-high 20 points in the 56-53 setback for the Paladins.
Brown turned in one of his best games of the season last time out at Chattanooga, posting 16 points, three rebounds, a steal, and handed out four assists in the Paladins' 18-point road win over the Mocs.
Rounding out the starting five for Furman is 6-8 junior forward Matt Rafferty (11.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG). Rafferty might be the most important piece to the Paladin puzzle tonight and this season. The Hinesdale, Ill., was injured for much of the 2016-17 season, and the first game he missed with back issues last season came at Wofford. Rafferty was clutch the last time out against Chattanooga, posting a team-high 17 points, four rebounds, three steals, and handed out three assists in the road win.
So far this season, Rafferty leads the SoCon in field goal percentage (65.3%), ranks second in rebounding (7.9 RPG) and steals (29), and is 11th in the league in assists (3.0 APG). He has posted double-figure scoring performances in 13 of 17 games this season for the Paladins. The matchup with Wofford's Jackson will go a long way in determining which way this rivalry matchup goes tonight.
Off the bench, keep an eye on Furman's Jordan Lyons (8.2 PPG, 1.2 RPG) and Geoff Beans (2.8 PPG, 1.5 RPG). Both Lyons and Beans have been playing well as of late for the Paladins, and Lyons has really been shooting the ball well from the perimeter as of late. His strength driving the basketball in the paint could also be important for the Paladins this evening. Beans has improved on the defensive end of the floor as much as any player in the league, and appears to be fully recovered from a foot injury that affected him early on in the season.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Wofford 72, Furman 71
There is also some familiarity between the two coaching staffs, with former Furman assistant Jay McAuley back on Mike Young's staff, but now with a new title--as the associate head coach. McAuley spent the previous four seasons as an assistant on the Furman staff under the direction of head coach Niko Medved. He assisted the Paladins in getting 62 wins during his four seasons under Medved, which included a trip to the 2015 Southern Conference title game, where the Paladins eventually lost, 67-64, to Wofford in the championship game.
He was also part of the staff that tied a Furman record for single-season victories, with 23 last season, and also claimed a share of the Southern Conference regular-season title--the program's first since 1990-91. Prior to joining Medved's staff in 2013, McAuley spent three seasons at Gardner-Webb and before that, two campaigns under Young as an assistant at Wofford.
He was a part of the Terriers' 2010 team that won 26 games and made the NCAA Tournament after winning both the regular-season and tournament titles. McAuley joined Young's staff following the departure of former associate head coach Dustin Kerns, who took the head coaching job at Presbyterian this past spring.
Each of the past six meetings has been decided by 10 points or less, dating back to the final game of the 2014-15 regular-season, which saw Wofford emerge from Greenville with a 56-53 win. Of those six meetings, four of those games have been decided by four points or less. The two teams split last year's two meetings, with each winning by nine points on their respective home floors.
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| Fletcher Magee continues to rank highly in the nation in three-pointers made with 72/ photo courtesy of Wofford Athletics |
Who To Watch:
Wofford comes into the matchup red-hot, having won eight of its last nine games. One of the biggest reasons is the potentially record-breaking season junior shooting guard Fletcher Magee (23.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 27 assists) is having.
A recent addition to the updated mid-season Lute Olson Award List, Magee ranks second nationally in three-pointers made, having knocked down 72 already this season. Magee is on pace to potentially break Stephen Curry's national and single-season Southern Conference records of three-pointers made in a season, when he knocked down 162 triples during the 2007-08 campaign.
Magee, a native of Orlando, FL., comes in ranking ninth in the nation in overall scoring, at 23.0 PPG. Magee had a 27-point performance in a win over No,5 North Carolina in non-conference play, while also playing a large role in the Terriers' win over Georgia Tech, Magee posted a career-high tying 36 points, including connecting on 8-of-14 three-point field goals.
Magee will team with three other guards, in Trevor Stumpe (10.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG), Derrick Brooks (3.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG), and Storm Murphy (5.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG) in Mike Young's four-guard offense. Murphy has proven himself to be an effective point guard for the Terriers this season after adjusting to the college game, and the role of having to replace all-everything point guard and four-year starter Eric Garcia coming into the season.
The 5-11 Murphy record a career-high 17 points in a recent Southern Conference win over The Citadel. Murphy leads the Terriers with 57 assists so far this season. Meanwhile, Stumpe has also stepped up the scoring for the Terriers in his sophomore campaign, and like Murphy, posted a career-high against The Citadel recently with 19 points in the victory over The Citadel.
Brooks is the Terriers' most athletic guard and is one of the team's top on-the-ball defenders. He has yet to score in double figures this season, but was on the verge against The Citadel last week, posting nine points in the Terriers' home win.
The lone man in the paint for the Terriers will be one of the best post players in the SoCon, in Cameron Jackson (12.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG). Jackson is a tremendously quick and athletic, leading the league with 31 steals so far this season. When Jackson stays out of foul trouble, the Terriers are tough for anyone to beat, especially in the friendly confines of Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
Jackson recorded a career-high 13 rebounds against The Citadel to go along with 13 points. He was the Lute Olson National Player of the Week, as released on Christmas week, highlighted by an 18-point, nine-rebound, six-block, three-assist, three steal performance in the win at North Carolina on Dec. 20.
In addition to leading the SoCon in steals, Jackson also ranks fifth in the league in rebounding (6.9 RPG), fourth in field goal percentage (59.5%) and third in blocks (1.5 BPG). It will be imperative for Jackson to stay out of foul trouble if the Terriers want to hold serve at home against the talented Paladins this evening.
Off the bench, keep an eye on sophomore guard Nathan Hoover (9.8 PPG, 1.7 RPG) and 6-11 junior center Matthew Pegram (6.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG). Hoover posted 21 points in the win over The Citadel, while Pegram has scored in double figures five times this season, with a career-high 18 points in a big win over Bob Jones.
Furman counters with a solid starting five, which consists of three seniors and a pair of juniors. Knoxville native and senior guard Devin Sibley (15.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG) won the Southern Conference Player of the Year award last year and is the favorite to do it once again this year. Sibley, who ranks 12th in the history of Furman basketball in scoring (1,629 pts), posted nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds last time against Chattanooga. Sibley has eight 20-point scoring performances so far this season. He is shooting 40.2% (35-for-87) from three-point range so far this season.
The three guards teaming with Sibley in the backcourt will be Daniel Fowler (11.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG), Andrew Brown (7.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG) and John Davis III (11.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 40 assists). Fowler and Davis III are veterans with plenty of know-how. Remember they were both a part of the team that met Wofford in that 2015 SoCon Tournament run to the title. Fowler is one of the best defensive players in the SoCon, and enters Saturday night's contest against the Terriers ranking as the SoCon's career-active leader in steals (135), and ranks third in rebounds (467) and assists (316). Davis III had one of his best games of his career against Wofford in the 2015 regular-season finale against the Terriers, scoring a game-high 20 points in the 56-53 setback for the Paladins.
Brown turned in one of his best games of the season last time out at Chattanooga, posting 16 points, three rebounds, a steal, and handed out four assists in the Paladins' 18-point road win over the Mocs.
Rounding out the starting five for Furman is 6-8 junior forward Matt Rafferty (11.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG). Rafferty might be the most important piece to the Paladin puzzle tonight and this season. The Hinesdale, Ill., was injured for much of the 2016-17 season, and the first game he missed with back issues last season came at Wofford. Rafferty was clutch the last time out against Chattanooga, posting a team-high 17 points, four rebounds, three steals, and handed out three assists in the road win.
So far this season, Rafferty leads the SoCon in field goal percentage (65.3%), ranks second in rebounding (7.9 RPG) and steals (29), and is 11th in the league in assists (3.0 APG). He has posted double-figure scoring performances in 13 of 17 games this season for the Paladins. The matchup with Wofford's Jackson will go a long way in determining which way this rivalry matchup goes tonight.
Off the bench, keep an eye on Furman's Jordan Lyons (8.2 PPG, 1.2 RPG) and Geoff Beans (2.8 PPG, 1.5 RPG). Both Lyons and Beans have been playing well as of late for the Paladins, and Lyons has really been shooting the ball well from the perimeter as of late. His strength driving the basketball in the paint could also be important for the Paladins this evening. Beans has improved on the defensive end of the floor as much as any player in the league, and appears to be fully recovered from a foot injury that affected him early on in the season.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Wofford 72, Furman 71
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