ETSU Looking to Get Back on Track Friday Night Against Wofford

Wofford and ETSU Highlight a Big Friday Night of SoCon Matchups

As the Southern Conference Tournament picture begins to come more into focus, Friday night's matchups could go a long way in deciding the final bracket for the first weekend in March at the US Cellular Center.

Previewing Wofford at ETSU: 

The biggest matchup of Friday's slate will be in Johnson City, Tenn., as  East Tennessee State (23-6, 14-2 SoCon) plays host to Wofford in a huge Southern Conference clash.

The Bucs let a prime chance to claim a second-straight Southern Conference regular-season title slip through its proverbial fingertips last Wednesday night, with an 84-82 home loss to The Citadel Bulldogs. 

It is important to note that the Bucs were playing without Southern Conference Player of the Year candidate Desonta Bradford sidelined with a sprained ankle. Without him, the Bucs missed a beat, and The Citadel became the first Southern Conference foe to knock off the Bucs at Freedom Hall this season, and joined Troy as one of only two foes to win inside ETSU's home facility this season.

Meanwhile, Wofford (19-10, 10-6 SoCon) could have provided the Bucs at least a little bit of help Wednesday night, had the Fletcher Magee-led Terriers been able to knock off UNC Greensboro at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. However, the Bucs would only find that their missed opportunity, coupled with UNCG's 76-66 road win at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, brought the Spartans to within a half-game of ETSU in the Southern Conference standings. 

Wofford's loss combined with Furman's 76-54 senior night win over VMI took the Terriers to a full game behind Furman for third-place in the Southern Conference standings. If Wofford were to get a win at Freedom Hall and tie Furman in the standings, the Terriers would temporarily take over third place in the standings due to gaining a season split with the Bucs, and would depend on what the Paladins did on the road at Western Carolina and at ETSU to close out the season. 

The Bucs claimed the first meeting between the two this season, taking a 75-62 win in Spartanburg last month. The meeting between the Bucs and Terriers will mark the 46th meeting between the Bucs and Terriers, with ETSU holding a commanding 36-9 all-time series lead. With a Wofford win, it would give the Terriers 20 wins in a season, and would give the SoCon a fourth team with 20 wins this season. Only two other conferences--the ACC and the Big Ten--can make that claim so far this season. 

Who To Watch:

The Bucs should have the services of Desonta Bradford (15.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 3.5 APG) once again on Thursday night. Bradford missed the game against The Citadel with a sprained ankle, which he suffered in practice a couple of days prior to the matchup with the Bulldogs. 

Bradford has been the catalyst for Forbes' Bucs all season, and he is a leading candidate for Southern Conference Player of the Year due to the fact he does so many different things well on both ends of the floor. Bradford comes into the contest ranking fourth in the SoCon in scoring (15.3 PPG), seventh in rebounding (5.9 RPG), first in steals (1.9 SPG), ninth in free throw percentage (76.3%), fifth in minutes played (32.4 MPG), third in field goal percentage (47.3%) and eighth in assists (3.5 APG). 

In the first meeting with the Terriers this season, Bradford led the Bucs with a solid performance, posting 17 points, seven boards, three assists and had a steal in the win. Bradford will team with Devontavius Payne (9.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG) and defensive stallwart Jermaine Long (3.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG), whch should round out the starters for the Bucs in the backcourt on Friday evening. 

After having coming off the bench for much of the season, Payne looked good in the win at Western Carolina. He led the Bucs with 22 points in an 11-point win over the Catamounts, but was held to six points in the last outing against The Citadel. Payne only took four shots against the Bulldogs, and was 2-for-4 from the field, including going 1-for-1 from three-point range and 1-for-2 from the line. Payne will likely be making his seventh start of the season for the Bucs. 

Payne has been ETSU's most consistent shooter from three-point range this season, ranking fifth in the SoCon in three-pointers made (62) and 11th in three-point field goal percentage (39.5%). Jalan McCloud (11.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG), who was starting, has been coming off the bench of late. He had 16 points in the first meeting between the two SoCon rivals. 

Additionally, Bo Hodges (9.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG), who is a candidate for SoCon Freshman of the Year, led ETSU the last time out in the loss to The Citadel, posting 17 points. And for what it's worth, I'll add this. I would pay money to see UNCG's Isaiah Miller and ETSU's Hodges compete in a SoCon Freshman dunk contest.   

In the paint, the Bucs have continued to rely on their athletic stretch four David Burrell (7.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG) and center Peter Jurkin (7.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG). Jurkin has continued to be one of the best rim protectors in the league this season, but problems can present themselves for the Bucs if he gets in early foul trouble. Jurkin continues to rank among the league's top shot-blockers, averaging 1.6 swats-per-game. Burrell had a strong game the last time out, posting 15 points, three assists and a steal in the loss to The Citadel.

Wofford counters with a talented backcourt of its own, which of course, features Fletcher Magee (22.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.8 APG), but also has other performers capable of stepping up and scoring in the backcourt if opponents focus too much on Magee. Freshman point guard Storm Murphy (6.0 PPG, 3.8 APG) is capable of hitting shots from the perimeter and getting to the hoop if called upon to do so, and maybe the biggest surprise this season for Mike Young's Terriers has been Trevor Stumpe (11.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.2 APG). The 6-5 guard is versatile, and can score points in a variety of different ways. He enters Friday night's contest as Wofford's second-leading scorer. 

One of the toughest things about playing the Terriers is the amount of hand-offs they run offensively, which is probably among the highest in NCAA Division I basketball. It's no wonder the Terriers rank second in the Southern Conference in three-point field goals made this season, with 309 made triples so far this season. One of the elements of this matchup to watch Friday night will be how well ETSU is able to handle that particular aspect of the Terrier offensive scheme. 

In the first meeting, the Bucs held Wofford to just 8-of-25 (32.0%) shooting from three-point land in the initial matchup between the two. Wofford also has some sharp-shooters coming off the bench, and the best of those is sophomore guard Nathan Hoover (10.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG). Hoover's 57 triples this season ranks second on the team. Magee's 129 made triples this season continues to lead the nation. ETSU leads the SoCon in three-point field goal percentage defense (32.0%), while Wofford enters the contest leading the league in three-point field goal percentage (41.8%).

In the paint, the Terriers were without top big man Cameron Jackson (11.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG) in the first meeting with the Bucs, as he missed the game with a minor injury. Like ETSU's Jurkin, the Terriers are a different team when they are able to keep Jackson out of foul trouble, as opposed when they can't. Jackson is one of the quickest big men in the SoCon, as evidenced what he does on the defensive end of the floor, ranking second in the SoCon in steals (48/1.8 SPG) and second in blocked shots (1.4 BPG). 

Jackson is pretty much alone in the paint with the Terriers utilizing a four-guard offense. Keep an eye on Keve Aluma (2.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG) and Matthew Pegram (5.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG) off the bench for the Terriers. Aluma is young, but has outstanding athleticism. Pegram gives the Terriers size off the bench and has the ability to step out and hit shots from the perimeter.

Who Wins: ETSU 72, Wofford 68

Stay tuned for more of Friday's previews coming later today and tomorrow morning.