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| Western Carolina forward Mike Amius/Photo courtesy of WCU athletics |
Western Carolina travels to VMI for a key Southern Conference tilt at Cameron Hall, as the Catamounts could force a tie for fourth-place with Furman in the standings with a road win over the Keydets tonight.
The Catamounts sit in prime position to end up with a bye in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament in three weeks in Asheville. For a VMI, a win would do wonders for Dan Earl's Keydets, who look to make a run themselves towards the No. 6 seed in Asheville in three weeks, and a win would put the Keydets within a half-game of eighth-place Samford after the Bulldogs' loss at Wofford last night.
Western Carolina was able to take a 65-58 win over the Keydets in the earlier meeting this season in Cullowhee at the Ramsey Center.
In the second game, Chattanooga will host red-hot The Citadel in another key Southern Conference tilt. The Bulldogs have posted back-to-back wins over two of the SoCon's top five teams, with wins over both Wofford and in one of the best games of the SoCon season, a 100-92 overtime win over the Furman Paladins.
The Bulldogs face a Chattanooga team that has seemingly transformed itself into a competitive tough out for any league foe, as opposed to the one that started league play and struggled. Part of the reason the Mocs have improved is they are starting to get players back to 100% after some early season injuries. The other major reason the Mocs have seen such improvement under first-year head coach Lamont Paris has much to do with the team maturing as the season has progressed. It's no secret that the Mocs have one of the youngest teams in the nation, with an average age of 19.
From the middle of January until the present, the Mocs have steadily gained confidence. Despite the fact that the Mocs come in with two-straight losses at East Tennessee State (L, 61-81) and at Western Carolina (L, 68-70). That came on the heels of Chattanooga's signature win of the season, which came against UNC Greensboro, as the Mocs claimed a SoCon instant classic, 87-85, double-overtime win over the Spartans.
In the first meeting between The Citadel and Chattanooga this season, which was at McAlister Field House in Charleston, the Mocs dropped a 110-101 contest to the Bulldogs. The Mocs have played four overtime games this season, with three of those games coming in Southern Conference play. The four overtime games this season are most among any of the 10-member SoCon schools. A win by the Bulldogs tonight would put them a half-game ahead of Mercer in the standings for the sixth and final bye seed.
Players to Watch Tonight:
An argument could be made for Western Carolina's transfer big Mike Amius as newcomer of the year in the SoCon tonight. Amius is athletic, and his addition has transformed the prospects of Larry Hunter's Catamounts this season.
He comes in averaging 13.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG, and he has been instrumental in wins for the Catamounts in both conference and non-conference play this season. In a win over Appalachian State, Amius' dunk helped secure a narrow 72-71 win over their mountain rivals. In league play, Amius has posted several strong performances worthy of mention, including 13 points and 12 rebounds the last time out in the 88-71 win over Samford at the Ramsey Center this past Saturday.
VMI has been led by its own newcomer this season, in true freshman guard Bubba Parham, who should make a serious run for SoCon Freshman of the Year honors. Parham has led all freshmen in the Southern Conference in scoring for a good portion of the season, and comes into tonight's battle with the Catamounts averaging 15.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG. He currently ranks third overall in the Southern Conference in scoring.
The Citadel's Zane Najdawi has been one of the top scoring posts in the league over the past few weeks, and comes into this evening's game with Chattanooga as the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week. That's because the junior forward from Midlothian, VA., averaged 22 points and 8.5 RPG in wins over Wofford and Furman. Najdawi's 37 points in the earlier win over Chattanooga in mid-January remains a SoCon season-high for points.
He comes into tonight's clash with the Mocs after having posted a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds in The Citadel's come-from-behind overtime win over Furman last time out. This season, Najdawi, who comes into the game with the Mocs averaging 14.1 PPG and 4.2 RPG, has posted double figures in 14 of 23 games for The Citadel, including having done so in each of the past nine outings for the Bulldogs.
For the Mocs, keep an eye on talented guard Nat Dixon, who comes in playing some of his basketball for Chattanooga of late. Dixon has posted double-figure scoring performances in 22 of 25 games for the Mocs this season, and the 6-4 junior guard had a streak of 14-straight games in double figures snapped last time out in a 20-point loss at arch-rival East Tennessee Ststge, posting just seven points. He posted a season and career-high of 30 points in the double-overtime win over UNC Greensboro a little over a week ago. He comes into the matchup against the Bulldogs averaging 14.9 PPG and 4.7 RPG.
Odds and Ends:
--East Tennessee State has won 15 games in a row and a win Saturday at VMI could mark a 16th-straight, which would tie the longest winning streak in school history with the 2003-04 Bucs. ETSU's 2003-04 team went on to win the Southern Conference crown that season, with a victory in the North Charleston Coliseum over the Jeff Lebo-led Chattanooga Mocs.
--Furman has only lost to three Southern Conference teams inside the friendly confines of Timmons Arena since the start of the 2015-16 season, or have won 21 of the last 24 inside the friendly confines against SoCon competition. UNC Greensboro holds the distinction of claiming a pair of those wins. The Spartans claimed a 73-52 win over the Paladins last season in late February, while also posting an 80-67 win last night. The only other Southern Conference foe to win at Furman since the start of the 2015-16 season is East Tennessee State, which claimed a 62-61 win over Furman at Timmons Arena in mid-January.
--A big SoCon matchup is directly ahead of us. The matchup Saturday between Furman and Wofford at Timmons Arena will go a long way in likely deciding the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds for the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament. With a Furman win, it can stay in the hunt for a No. 3 seed and would be tied with the Terriers in the league standings. A win by Wofford, and it would help the Terriers gain a stronger grip on No. 3 heading to Asheville in a few weeks. Wofford won the first meeting between the two this season, with a 79-70 triumph over the Paladins back on Jan. 13. After starting the SoCon with its best start since 1986-87 by winning their first four league games, the Paladins have gone just 3-4 since and have not beaten a top three squad in the league yet this season.
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