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| Wofford and East Tennessee State meet in a huge Southern Conference clash Saturday night in Spartanburg |
Coaches around the Southern Conference have begun to prepare their teams for a much anticipated season in the SoCon, beginning with three early-December league tilts. Below are previews for the games set to open league play this Saturday.
The Big One:
East Tennessee State (6-2, 0-0) at Wofford (5-2, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Venue: Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (3,400)
TV/Internet: ESPN+
When the SoCon schedule was released, more than a few raised eyebrows around the league. For the media, those eyebrows were raised in anticipation of the matchup, however, for both head coaches Mike Young and Steve Forbes, they were likely raised with surprise and dislike.
It’s no secret that coaches around the SoCon aren’t big fans of early December SoCon matchups, and one of this magnitude this early could actually have a huge effect on the league race. Though I haven’t asked their two head coaches of well-respected programs whether team’s are a finished product on Dec. 1, I imagine I probably already know how to answer the question.
That being said, how from a media or fan’s perspective can you not be excited about Saturday night’s clash? Wofford-ETSU is an emerging rivalry in the SoCon. It’s a matchup between two teams picked second and third, respectivrely, in the SoCon preseason media and coaches poll. Wofford was picked second in both polls, while ETSU was picked third in both.
The Wofford-ETSU rivalry has become one of those to keep an eye on around the league, and when the two meet Saturday, it promises to be no different. The two will be meeting on the college basketball hardwood for the 47th time, with the Bucs holding a commanding 35-11 all-time series edge. The two teams split the season series last season with each winning on the other’s home floor.
ETSU head coach Steve Forbes brings a Bucs program into the contest that has won five-straight, and a team starting to find its way. A great rebounding team (+16.3), the Bucs will offer the Terriers one of the biggest challenges in the low post, with forward Jeromy Rodriguez (11.4 PPG, 12.5 RPG) and center Mladen Armus (10.0 PPG, 9.4 RPG). It will be a big must for Mike Young’s club for Cam Jackson (13.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG) to avoid foul trouble in the contest for this very reason.
Obviously it’s no secret Young’s Terriers can shoot the basketball. The Terriers enter Saturday night’s clash ranking second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (40.1%), and third in the SoCon in three-pointers made (81/11.6 PG). That prolific, accurate shooting from the perimeter was on full display Monday night at South Carolina, as Wofford took South Carolina behind the woodshed on the Gamecocks home floor, with an 81-61 win. Nathan Hoover’s (13.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG) nine triples were part of a career-high 30-point performance in the win.
He team’s with one of the SoCon’s most prolific shooters in history, Fletcher Magee (17.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG, team-leading 11 steals), as the two combine to form one of the most lethal shooting duos in mid-major hoops. Magee and Hoover are a combined 26-for-27 from the charity stripe through the first seven games this season, with Magee a perfect 13-for-13 this season. Magee’s 379 career triples are third-most in SoCon history and needs just 17 more to surpass former College of Charleston great Andrew Goudelock.
The good news for the Bucs is they could have their best on-the-ball defender Bo Hodges (10.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG) back. The 2018 co-SoCon Freshman of the Year has missed the last five games with a groin injury. JUCO transfer Tray Boyd III (13.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG) will cause Wofford problems defensively with his quickness, while Appalachian State transfer Patrick Good (10.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG) has looked as if he will emerge as one of the SoCon’s top perimeters this season.
Purple Haze:
Western Carolina (2-6) at Furman (7-0), 4 p.m.
Venue: Timmons Arena (3,500)
TV/Internet: ESPN+
There’s a new face on the sidelines for the Western Carolina side of purple to this SoCon rivalry. His name—Mark Prosser. Prosser will face off against Furman in his first-ever SoCon game as a head coach. He replaced Larry Hunter, who retired, shortly after the Catamounts dropped a 97-73 SoCon Quarterfinal to Furman last season. Sadly Hunter passed away this past April due to complications from a stroke.
The Catamounts have been nothing short of exciting and resilient under Prosser so far, nearly rebounding from an early 18-point (21-3) deficit to beat Wake Forest for what would have been a historic upset for Prosser’s Catamounts against his father’s former program. However, the Demon Deacons were able to hold off the Catamounts late, posting a 71-64 win.
Sure, we have all seen that Furman has beaten two 2018 Final Four teams early on. However, the SoCon is still a one-bid league and head coach Bob Richey knows. The second phase of the season now takes shape for his 7-0 Paladins, and that comes with the start of league play. Furman will look to maintain the level of success it has enjoyed early this season, with Matt Rafferty (18.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG) having posted seven-double figure efforts and three double-double efforts to begin his senior season.
Countering Rafferty for Western underneath the basket will be JUCO transfer and local product Carlos Dotson (12.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG). Dotson has managed to be one of the best posts and newcomers in the SoCon through the early portion of the season. Saturday’s individual matchup between he and Rafferty will be one to watch. Dotson played his prep basketball just up the road from Greenville at Dorman High School in Spartanburg. He’ll likely have plenty of fans and friends in the stands at Timmons Arena Saturday.
In the backcourt, few will soon forget Jordan Lyons’ (20.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG) 54-point performance against North Greenville a couple of weeks back. He also tied the NCAA record for three-pointers made in a game with 15. Matching that shooting prowess in the backcourt for Western will be sophomore guard and leading scorer Matt Halvorsen (14.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG). Halvorsen currently leads the team with 25 made threes this season, shooting an impressive 41.0% from long range.
Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Furman is 24-3 against SoCon foes at Timmons Arena.
Pace-Setter:
Mercer (4-3, 0-0) at The Citadel (5-2, 0-0), 1 p.m.
Venue: McAlister Fieldhouse (6,000)
TV/Internet: ESPN+
Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman and Mercer head to Charleston to take on The Citadel in yet another intriguing SoCon clash. The Citadel is my darkhorse in the SoCon this season, and have looked solid through the early portion of the non-conference play, including a resounding, 112-87, win over High Point earlier this week. The Citadel connected an incredible 23 triples in the contest, with eight of them coming from sophomore guard Kaiden Rice (13.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG)
The Bulldogs have the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, Lew Stallworth (17.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG), who is also The Citadel’s leading scorer through the early portion of the season. Stallworth teams with the league’s most prolific outside shooter, Matt Frierson (17.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG), through the early portion of the season.
Mercer counters with a backcourt that has been effective in helping replace Jordan Strawberry and R’ian Holland, who have both graduated. Serbian-born Djordje Dimitrijevic (15.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG) and Ross Cummings (13.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG) have become the go-to-guys for more guard-oriented Bears team than in recent seasons.
The Citadel leads the nation in scoring (103.0 PPG), while Mercer ranks second in the SoCon in field goal percentage defense (38.4%) and scoring defense (62.0 PPG). That certainly makes for an intriguing matchup.
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