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| UNCG guard Isaiah Miller goes up for thunderous dunk at North Carolina A&T |
1. UNCG (2-1)--UNCG did nothing to discourage its preseason ranking in the Southern Conference in the first three games, and may have improved it with its 82-61 road win at UNC Wilmington Tuesday night. The Spartans ability to pull away from the Seahawks was most impressive about that win.
The Spartans have played all three of their first three games away from Greensboro Coliseum to start the season, which also includes a hard-fought win at North Carolina A&T (W, 74-66). The Spartans posted a strong performance in the 97-91 loss to No. 23 LSU, connecting on 19 three-pointers in the loss.
Francis Alonso (20.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG) has, as expeccted, led the Spartans through the earliy portion of the season, while backcourt mate Isaiah Miller (13.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 3.0 SPG) has provided a few highlight-reel dunks through the early portion of the campaign. His nine steals lead the team and is tied for first in the SoCon.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season thus far has been the play of junior forward Kyrin Galloway (17.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG). He is shooting a blistering 61.1% (11-for-18) from three-point range through the first three games of the season.
Wes Miller's club will return to the floor Friday night to open the home slate against Johnson and Wales, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. EST.
2. Furman (3-0)--Following wins over Bob Jones, 2018 Final Four participant Loyola-Chicago, and surviving an overtime decision against winless Gardner-Webb, second-year head coach Bob Richey has his club playing better than some expected. What hasn't come as a surprise is the play of senior All-SoCon forward Matt Rafferty through the first thrree games of the season, as he has connected on 64.1% of his shots from the field, averaging 22.0 PPG. Rafferty's 22.0 PPG scoring average currently leads the Southern Conference, while his 64.1 FG% ranks third, and his 15 assists through three games are also tied for third in the SoCon.
Rafferty has scored a career-high 24 points in wins over both Gardner-Webb and Bob Jones, and added a double-double against the Bulldogs, as he pulled down 10 boards. In his return to his hometown, Rafferty didn't disappoint, as he posted 18 points and seven rebounds in Furman's win over the Ramblers. Redshirt sophomore forward Clay Mounce has also scored in double figures in all three of Furman's games so far this season, including a career-high 26 points last time out against Gardner-Webb and had the game-winning jam in the at Loyola-Chicago.
The Paladins will take the floor again on Thursday night to take on North Greenville with tip-off slated for 7 p.m. Furman will head to defending national champion Villanova for a 5 p.m. game Saturday evening. The Wildcats dropped a 73-46 decision to Michigan Wednesday night in a rematch of last year's national title. The Paladins scored a 77-73 upset win over the Wildcats in Greenville back on Dec. 23, 1987.
3. Wofford (2-1)--The Terriers started off the season with a hard-fought, 78-67, loss to then No. 8 North Carolina in a game, which saw the Terriers trying for a second-straight win over the Tar Heels in as many seasons.
While that night may have been an off-shooting night for preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Fletcher Magee, the next time out, he didn't disappoint. Magee registered a game-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-for-8 from three-point land, as the Terriers went on the road and scored a good, 68-60, non-conference road win at High Point this past Saturday. Cameron Jackson was also impressive, as he added a double-double, with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the road win.
On Tuesday night, the Terriers scored an easy 94-35 win over Carver Bible College. Magee posted 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including 5-for-7 from three-point range, as he led three Terriers in double figures. Jackson just missed a double-double, with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Through the first three games this season, Magee ranks third in the SoCon, averaging 19.3 PPG, while he has 13 three-point field goals to rank second in the SoCon. For the season, Magee has conneced on 13-for-31 three-point field goals, which ranks him 13th in three-point field goal percentage through the first three games.
Jackson has gotten off to a strong start to his senior season, as the Winchester, VA, product is averaging 11.3 PPG through the first three games, and his 9.7 rebounds-per-game ranks third overall in the SoCon. He also ranks fifth in the SoCon in blocks-per-game (1.7 BPG) and is tied for sixth overall in the SoCon in field goal percentage (57.7%).
Wofford returns to action on Friday night, when it heads for Stanford in hopes of scoring another upset in the early part of the season for the Southern Conference. Wofford opened the 2014-15 season on the road at Maples Pavilion, dropping a 74-59 decision to the Cardinal. The Cardinal are 2-1 on the season, having dropped a 90-72 decision to North Carolina this past Monday night. Tip-off for Friday night's contest between the Terriers and Stanford is set for 10 p.m. EST.
4. East Tennessee State (1-2)--East Tennessee State has nearly a completely new cast of players, yet the Bucs were in both games they lost with a chance to win both and be 3-0 instead of 1-2. The Bucs have dropped games on the road to Big East member Creighton (L, 69-75) and Sun Belt power Georgia State (L, 68-74) through the early portion of the non-conference slate. The lone win thus far has come against non-Division I foe Hiwassee (W, 109-44).
The Bucs are re-loaded, and appear to be a bit stronger and deeper as a team than they were even a year ago. Of no surprise, forward Jeromy Rodriguez (10.0 PPG, 12.7 RPG) has been as good as advertised through the early portion of the season. Rodriguez is a player that coach Steve Forbes called the most-skilled player he has ever coached, and having watched the Creighton game on Sunday, it was easy to see why with his rebounding ability on both ends, as well as his adept passing out of the post. Rodriguez currently leads the SoCon in rebounding, bringing down 12.7 rebounds-per-contest.
Tray Boyd III (11.7 PPG, 0.7 RPG) is as quick as any guard in mid-major basketball, and at points in the game against Creighton, he almost got going to fast. Boyd reminds me a little of former Tennessee guard Tony Harris only with a little better shot selection.
The Bucs return to the hardwood on Saturday afternoon, when they take a trip to Winthrop to take on Pat Kelsey's Eagles.The Bucs and Eagles will be meeting for just the third time and first time since the Bucs claimed a 69-64 road win over the Eagles back in the 2014-15 season. Tip-off Saturday is slated for 2:30 p.m.
5. Samford (4-0)--Samford is the first team to reach 4-0 in the SoCon and is one of two remaining unbeatens in the league, along with Furman.
Head coach Scott Padgett's club has pulled out wins over North Alabama (W, 91-74,), Jacksonville State (W, 92-72), Kennesaw State (74-60) and Miles College (66-57). No one really knew what to expect of head coach Scott Padgett's club with so many new faces on the roster.
One of the veterans still around is Josh Sharkey, and Sharkey, who is one of the quickest guards in the Southern Conference is up to his old tricks, garnering the SoCon's first Player of the Week accolade for the 2018-19 season. All Sharkey did last week was average 17.3 PPG and 9.0 APG in the opening three games of the season.
Seven-foot center Ruben Guerrero (17.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG) has been one of the newcomers that has surprised during the early portion of the 2017-18 season for the Bulldogs. Guerrero transferred to Samford from South Florida, and is a redshirt senior. He is shooting 62.2% from the floor through the first four games in 2018-19.
The Bulldogs return to the hardwood on Sunday, traveling to Cleveland State. Tip-off for that contest is set for 5 p.m. EST.
6. The Citadel (2-1)--The Bulldogs have gotten out of the gates to no one's surprise, and after showing us what they could against No. 22 Clemson to open the campaign, with a 100-80 loss in Tiger Town, the Bulldogs have scored a pair of lopsided wins over non-Division I programs Mid-Atlantic Christian (148-75) and Johnson (137-60).
The 148 points scored in the win over Mid-Atlantic Christian in the home opener at McAlister Field House were a school record.
One of the big surprises so far for Duggar Baucom's Bulldogs has been the play of Lew Stallworth (13.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG)--a transfer from Utah Rio Grande Valley--and he has been a solid replacement for Preston Parks in the backcourt and Frankie Johnson, who transferred out of the program during and following the 2017-18 season, respectively.
It shouldn't really come as a shock that sharp-shooting guard Matt Frierson (19.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG) and versatile center Zane Najdawi (13.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG) are the Bulldogs top scorers through the first three games. Frierson's 19 three-point field goals through the first three games of the season leads the SoCon.
The high-scoring Bulldogs, who are leading the nation by averaging 121.7 PPG through the first three games of the season, return to the floor Friday night in a game at Texas. Tip-off for Friday night's contest is set for 8 p.m.
7. Mercer (1-2)--Like Samford and Chattanooga, Mercer has had plenty of turnover during the off-season, albeit for a different reason, to their roster, as the Bears and head coach Bob Hoffman have virtually entire new team with the graduation of all five starters.
Perhaps the Bears' most impressive showing so far has been in a 62-60 road loss to Georgia State last time out on Tuesday night. The Bears have gotten strong play out of Serbian-born sharp-shooter Djordje Dimitrijevic (12.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG) and veteran returning guard Ethan Stair (12.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG) through the first three games of the season. Dimitrijevic has been coming off the bench, while Stair has started all three games for Bob Hoffman's Bears.
The Bears will obviously looking to get the same production from Ross Cummings (8.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG) as the season progresses. Cummings is another outstanding shooter, and was the player that really started to emerge as a go-to-scorer when Ria'n Holland got hurt down the stretch last season.
The Bears picked up their lone win of the season against Piedmont College (105-52) in the home opener, while losses have come against UAB (L, 67-75) and Georgia State (60-62). The Bears return to the hardwood Friday night, hosting UT-Martin with tip-off set for 7 p.m. at Hawkins Arena.
8. VMI (3-1)--VMI looks like it will be able to hold its own against most in the Southern Conference in Dan Earl's fourth season at the helm. The Keydets went out and scored their first Division I win of the season Wednesday night, knocking off Big South member USC Upstate (78-72).
The Keydets were paced in the win by 6-8 freshman center Jake Stephens, who came off the bench to post 20 points, going 6-for-7 from the field, including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range in the win. It was a good, hard-fought win for a young basketball team that will look to gain experience going forward.
Sophomore guard and reigning SoCon Freshman of the Year Bubba Parham (18.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG) is one of the best pure scorers and shooters in the SoCon. He is off to another fast start for the Keydets, and currently ranks fifth in the SoCon in scoring. The Keydets also have wins over Goucher (W, 98-34) and Washington College (W, 89-56), while the lone loss has come against Pittsburgh (L, 55-94) on the road last Saturday. VMI returns to the hardwood on Sunday, facing Kentucky. Tip-off for that contest is slated for 6 p.m. EST.
9. Chattanooga (2-1)--Chattanooga coach Lamont Paris has seen some flashes of how good this Mocs team can be in moments through the first three games.
With a new cast of characters, the Mocs opened the season with an impressive 80-69 win over Charlotte at Halton Arena, paced by 18 points from Fairfield transfer guard Jerry Johnson Jr. That win looked even more impressive after Charlotte went on the road to defeat Oklahoma State on a three at the buzzer a few days later.
The disappointment for Paris might be in the 81-78 to Ohio Valley Conference member Eastern Kentucky (L, 78-81) in the home opener at the Roundhouse, which saw Colonel forward Nick Mayo go for 40 points and 12 boards in the helping EKU garner the non-conference road win. Then came a 92-61 win over Cumberland, which sees the Mocs sit 2-1 as they head to the Goldie and Herman Ungar Classic in Mobile, AL, where the Mocs will play three games in three days beginning with a Friday showdown against South Alabama in a tip-off set for 8:05 p.m.
UAB transfer Thomas Smallwood (14.7 PPG, 10.7 RPG) and outstanding freshman guard Kevin Easley (17.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG) have been among the most impressive players in the early portion of the season for the Mocs.
10. Western Carolina (0-3)--The Mark Prosser-era has gotten off to a tough start, as the Catamounts have dropped their first three games to open the season against SMU (L, 65-98), College of Charleston (L, 74-77) and Wright State (L, 73-96).
The Catamounts are coming off a loss to the SMU Mustangs on Wednesday night. The losses to College of Charleston and Wright State were against teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season. The Catamounts strong in their home opener against College of Charleston, only to drop a heartbreaker.
A couple of newcomers have shined early on this season for Prosser's club, with both freshman guard Kameron Gibson (17.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG) and JUCO transfer forward Carlos Dotson (13.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG) having gotten off to strong starts to the 2018-19 season. The Catamounts return to action on Saturday, hosting non-Division I Hiwassee College.
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