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| Mercer point guard Neftali Alvarez (photo courtesy of Mercer Athletics/A.J. Henderson) |
Three unbeatens remain among the SoCon basketball brethren, as The Citadel (5-0), Chattanooga (6-0), and Mercer (6-0) remain the lone unbeatens as the SoCon moves closer towards the Christmas holiday. It's an important week for the league, as team's continue to navigate around COVID-19 with scheduling.
Before we glance at the matchups directly ahead, let's take a look back at the weekend that was in the league, as their were exciting finishes throughout the league, as well as some rather shocking news coming out of the Scenic City.
You can't start talking about the weekend that was without talking about the Mercer-Georgia Southern game, which might have been the game of the weekend in terms of thrill-seeking hoops enthusiasts. The Bears, which play nearly the entire Peach State, remained unbeaten on Saturday afternoon, as the Bears went to Hanner Field House and escaped with a 77-75 win on a Neftali Alvarez layup as time expired, allowing the Bears to move to 6-0 on the season, including having gone 5-0 against teams from its home state.
The way Mercer did was perhaps most impressive of all, as the Bears rebounded from a 16-point deficit with just under 18 minutes remaining in the game to storm back and get the win on the road. The only major program the Bears have not faced or defeated in the Peach State so far this season is the University of Georgia, and while COVID-19 has been a headache for all to deal with, perhaps it will present us with the opportunity to see that matchup in a season of what has seen some unforeseen scheduling.
Alvarez, a transfer from Fairfield, where he was a member of the MAAC All-Freshman Team two years ago, has been the type of player that has been a game-changer for Greg Gary's club. He showed that in the most literal way on Sunday evening with the game-winning lay-up. This past summer in a conversation with coach Gary, he talked about the importance of having a guy like Alvarez in the lineup, with his ability to take players off the dribble and beat people. He said was a dynamic that the Bears lacked during his first season in 2019-20, even though the Bears were much improved.
Alvarez finished off the contest by scoring just eight points, but also handed out eight assists, with five turnovers, a block, ripped down eight boards and had one steal.
Senior guard Ross Cummings continued his strong start to the season, as he has put himself in a position as one of the early candidates for the Southern Conference Player of the Year distinction. He led the Bears in their trip south, as he posted 22 points, connecting on 6-of-11 shots from the field, including going 4-for-8 from three-point range.
What's Ahead for Mercer:
The 6-0 Bears will be on the road at Georgia State on Wednesday, as they go in search of the season sweep of Georgia State, having defeated the Panthers rather easily back on Nov. 30 in Macon, as the Bears posted what was an 86-69 win at Hawkins Arena.
A Couple of Heartbreakers:
While Mercer was celebrating a close win on the road, the same can't be said for both Wofford and East Tennessee State, which suffered close losses to South Florida and UAB, respectively.
Jay McAuley's Terriers continue to acquit themselves well while being short-handed, despite not having yet defeated a Division I program this season. The Terriers were at State Farm Arena in Atlanta for the Holiday Hoopsgiving Tournament, where they had the opportunity to face the South Florida Bulls for a second-straight season.
Though the Terriers came up on the short end of what was a 58-56 loss, the game went much better than it did last season for the Terriers, which dropped a 69-55 contest to the Bulls in Tampa last season.
Tray Hollowell continued his superb play to start the season for Wofford, canning at least three three-pointers in all four games this season, and finished the contest against the Bulls with a career-high 21 points. Hollowell certainly wasn't shooting the basketball, either, as he connected on 8-of-21 shots from the field, which included a 4-for-15 performance from three-point range.
In a conference that has been defined by its stellar point guards over the past couple of seasons, Storm Murphy has certainly made his argument as the best true point guard in the league. He can shoot, pass, and plays excellent defense, while he doesn't mind being called upon in the clutch, which he has been called upon to be a shot-maker in crucial moments several times in his career. On Saturday against the Bulls, Murphy had quite the impressive stat line, posting 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists and a steal to complete what was another solid performance.
The game did not lack opportunities for the Terriers to tie the contest inside the final minute, including the final 20 seconds, as the Terriers had a chance to tie or win the game twice inside the final 19 seconds, but missed a shot in the lane as well as a three-pointer, allowing the Bulls to pick up a win over the Terriers for a second-straight season.
What's Next for Wofford:
The Terriers will be back at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on Tuesday evening for a 6 p.m. contest against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Things haven't only gone unbeaten for Jamey Chadwell's football version of the Chanticleers, but Cliff Ellis' Chanticleers of the basketball hardwood are also off to a 4-0 start to begin the season. Like Wofford in its first game of the season, however, the Chants have feasted on mostly non-Division I programs this season, with Coastal's lone Division I win coming in a 78-71 win over North Carolina Central.
Bucs fall in home opener or the first time in six years:
While Wofford dropped a close contest on a neutral court, reigning Southern Conference champion East Tennessee State finally got to open its home slated in what was a drastically different atmosphere inside Freedom Hall against the UAB Blazers.
What transpired was a 65-61 loss to UAB, marking the first home-opening loss for ETSU at Freedom Hall since dropping what was a 65-61 decision to UAB to fall to 1-3 on the young season. Meanwhile, UAB is off to its first 6-0 start in program history.
There continued to be signs that the Bucs were on the right track under first-year head coach Jason Shay, despite what has been a bit of a rough start to the season. The Bucs continued to play tough on the defensive end of the floor, which has been a trend for a majority of the season so far. The Bucs held UAB to just 22 first-half points and just 29.0% shooting from the field. That helped the Bucs take a 25-22 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Blazers started the second half with a 14-4 run and led for most of the second half until a LeDarrius Brewer three-pointer with just under a minute remaining tied the game tied the contest, 59-59. However, the next trip down the floor saw Andy Kennedy's Blazers make the game-winning play, as a second-chance opportunity came off a blocked shot from Brewer, and the ball found its way into the hands of Tavin Lovan, who stepped up and made a clutch three-pointer to give UAB the boost it needed to come away with the win.
While holding UAB to just 22 in the opening half of play, the Blazers got things going more at their pace in the second half, as they out-scored ETSU 43-36 in the second half.
Brewer was one of two Bucs players in double figures, posting 18 points, while forward Silas Adheke added 10 points and eight boards. While the Bucs yielded nearly double what they did in the first-half points-wise to the Blazers, the fact remains ETSU played good enough defense to win the basketball game, holding the Blazers to a meager 36.1% shooting from the field for the game. UAB's Michael Ertel led all scorers with 19 points, while Jalen Benjamin added 16 points off the bench.
What's Next For The Bucs:
The Bucs will be back on the home hardwood on Tuesday night, welcoming the North Carolina A&T Aggies to Freedom Hall. oach Will Jones, who had his interim head coaching status extend to full-time head coach this season after leading the Aggies to a 14-5 record down the stretch last season. In all, the Aggies are coming off a campaign in which they finished with a 17-15 overall record, which includes 12-4 record in MEAC play, and that was good enough for a tie for second-place in the regular-season standings. North Carolina A&T has already lost close battles to a pair of ETSU's SoCon rivals, having dropped a 78-70 decision at The Citadel, and were a 104-98 loser at home to Western Carolina in overtime.
Cardiac Cats have gotten a quick start from Matt Halvorsen:
If you could actually go to games this year as a fan, the Catamounts would be worth the price of admission. Western Carolina, which is off to a 6-1 start this season, has seen five of its seven games decided by 10 points or less.
From Mason Faulkner's buzzer-beating three against Tennessee Tech, to Saturday afternoon's overtime win at North Carolina A&T, Mark Prosser's Catamounts have more often than not pulled games out in the clutch this season. The Catamounts have already won three games in overtime this season, and it was senior guard Matt Halvorsen, who continued his good play early on in the season, posting a team-best 23 points in Saturday's road win over the Aggies, which saw the Cardiac Cats improve to 6-1 early on this season.
Halvorsen has arguably been Western's best player in the early portion of the SoCon basketball season. He also had a 20-point effort in the win over UNC Asheville a couple of weeks ago.
In the 104-98 win over North Carolina A&T, the Catamounts won their fifth-straight game heading into Tuesday night's big clash against VCU in Richmond. The six-point win over the Aggies marked the first time the Catamounts have won three overtime games in one season since the 2013-14 season. Halvorsen's performance against the Aggies was notable, as the three-point marksman connected on seven triples for the contest, which was also a career-high for the senior guard from Kingsport has is shooting a sizzling 43% (29-of-67) from long-range this season.
For his career, Halvorsen in shooting 37% from three-point range, having knocked down 243-of-654 career three-pointers. In fact, he ranks second to only Faulkner in scoring for the Catamounts this season, averaging 16.6 PPG. So far this season, 67 of his 77 field goal attempts have been from long range, and he went a blistering 7-for-10 from deep in the win over the Aggies.
What's next for the Catamounts:
As mentioned above, the Catamounts return to the court Tuesday night when they face off against Mike Rhoads' VCU Rams. Despite only one starter returning for Mike Rhoads’ bunch this season, excpect the Rams to once again be a strong factor in the Atlantic 10.
The Rams are coming off a solid 2019-20 campaign, which saw them finish the campaign with an 18-13 overall mark, while posting what was an 8-10 record in conference play, which was good enough for a tie for eighth in arguably the nation’s toughest mid-major conference. Still, the 8-10 conference mark is well below what those have come to expect out of a mid-major team that made the Final Four back in 2011.
The Rams were picked to finish ninth in the 14-team A-10 preseason coaches and media poll in early November. For the Catamounts and Rams, it will mark the fifth meeting between the two schools, and the first since 1978, with VCU having won 88-61. The Rams have won all four previous meetings. So far this season, the Rams are off to a 5-2 start this season.
VCU made the famed run all the way to the Final Four back in 2011 under the direction of Shaka Smart, who is now the head cToach at Texas. On that staff were two assistants that would go on to become head coaches, in Rhoads and current UNC Asheville head coach Mike Morrell. Morrell offered the Catamounts a similar version of the chaotic press the Catamounts will see the entire night in the Siegel Center--a place the Rams were nearly unbeatable in the pre-COVID era when fans flocked to see the Black and Gold play. Tip-off for the contest is slated for 7 p.m.
The strange week in the Scenic City
Chattanooga is one of those teams that has gotten out of the gates quickly in the Southern Conference play, off to a 6-0 start and has a chance to head into its Southern Conference opener against Furman unbeaten. In fact, the 6-0 start in this strange year may be even stranger to believe that the all-time most-decorated program in SoCon men's basketball is off to its best start as a Division I program.
Making the year even stranger in a much more negative way. The team's scoring leader at 18.8 PPG announced he will be entering the transfer portal effective immediately. Jean-Baptiste was the one player that had been there since the start of the rebuilding project undertaken by former Wisconsin assistant and current head coach Lamont Paris, who is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Mocs.
For one reason or another, the Mocs have had players transferring out of the program at a record rate even dating back to Matt McCall's final season.
Players like Nat Dixon, Makinde London, Jerry Johnson Jr., Rodney Chatman, Makale Foreman and Maurice Commander are just several of those that have decided to leave the Chattanooga program in the three previous seasons under Paris' leadership. But the Haitian-born Jean-Baptiste had remained loyal, and so it came with great surprise to Lamont Paris when it he learned of Jean-Baptiste had decided to enter the portal. Add to that, Jean-Baptiste had developed into one of the best guards in the Southern Conference garnering preseason All-SoCon praise.
FULL STATEMENT FROM COACH PARIS:
“Based on David’s deciding to return for his final season, his role on the team, how he was executing it at a high level, our record of success and our personal relationship, I’m stunned by his decision. I can only surmise from our discussions this is a personal choice more than about basketball.”
(Story From WDEF in Chattanooga)
What's next for Chattanooga:
Chattanooga returns to the hardwood where it will face UNC Asheville Wednesday night in McKenzie Arena. The game against UNC Asheville will be against one of the upper echelon teams in the Big South coming into the season. Chattanooga was able to go in and take a narrow 68-64 win over the Bulldogs at Kimmel Arena last season.
After losing their first two games without two key starters, the Bulldogs have since won three-straight, including getting out to a 2-0 start in conference play with a pair of wins over High Point last weekend. One of Asheville's losses this season was to Chattanooga's SoCon rival Western Carolina, which was an 83-81 decision in overtime.
The Mocs will have the advantage of being able to host the Bulldogs this season. Asheville head coach Mike Morrell heads into his third season at the helm of the Asheville basketball program, and led them to an 11-win improvement last season, as the Bulldogs finished with a 15-16 overall mark, which included an 8-10 finish in the league.
That was good enough for a tie for fifth place in the Big South standings. The Bulldogs will return all five starters from last season, including leading honors candidates DeVon Baker and LeVar Batts Jr at two of the guard positions.
The Bulldogs play much like VCU, as that where much of Morrell’s influence came from Morrell’s days as an assistant coach at VCU under Shaka Smart, meaning the Bulldogs will press you all over the floor, much like Mocs fans saw Chattanooga employ when another former Smart assistant Will Wade was the head coach at Chattanooga from 2013-15. The Mocs and Bulldogs will be meeting for eighth time in the history of the series, with the Mocs holding a 7-0 all-time series edge.
UNCG Rebounds from a tough shooting night vs. Coppin State to defeat Norfolk State Sunday:
It's been a weird start to the season for Southern Conference co-favorite UNC Greensboro. Following the shocking, 85-80, midweek loss at Coppin State, the Spartans put the Spartans on lockdown en route to a 64-47 win at the Greensboro Coliseum in the home opener. The UNCG defense stifled Norfolk State all afternoon, holding the Spartans to just 34% shooting for the game.
UNCG struggled themselves shooting the basketball once again, hitting shots at just a 36% in the win, however, it was good enough due to the fact that UNCG's big-time defensive effort held the visitors to just 20 points on 23.8% shooting from the field.
Also of note was the fact that it was a milestone afternoon for star guard and preseason mid-major All-America selection Isaiah Miller. The senior from Covington, GA., reached the 1,500-point scoring milestone with a 17-point effort in the win, and now had 1,516 points in his career. He became just the ninth player in program history to reach the 1,500-point milestone for a career. His 1,516 points ranks eighth all-time in UNCG history in scoring, moving past Yusuf Stewart into eighth-place over the course of the contest.
Not to be lost in the winning effort was the performance of Kaleb Hunter, who totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win. It was the third double-double of his career, while Khyre Thompson rounded out the double-figure scorers for UNCG with `12. The win marked the 68th home win for the Spartans since the start of the 2015-16 season.
What's Next For UNCG:
The Spartans ended up tying for seventh in the Big South standings last season, completing the campaign with a 13-19 overall record, including a 7-11 record in league action. All five starers return for Dickerson’s club heading into the 2020-21 campaign, and Upstate was recently selected to finish fifth in the 11-team Big South at the league’s preseason virtual media day.
Upstate has continued to make strides as a program since moving to the Division I classification back in 2007-08, originally as a member of the Atlantic Sun before joining the Big South a couple of years ago. Upstate is the home of current Denver Nuggets guard Torrey Craig, who is the ultimate example of a small-school player, making to the big-time from a lower-tier mid-major.
This current collection of talent, which includes the likes of guard Tommy Bruner (14.0 PPG, 2.3 APG), Everette Hammond (14.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG) and sharp-shooter Bryson Mozone (8.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG) to the fold, is comparable to its heirs from about a decade ago, which included the likes of the aforementioned Craig, Ty Greene, Ricardo Glenn and Jodd Maxey to name a few.
However, it's been a rough start to the 2020-21 season for Upstate, which has been without its coach, Dave Dickerson, who is spending time away from the team to be with his wife, who is ill, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Upstate Spartans are off to an 0-6 start, and have already played a couple of foes on UNCG's 2020-21 slate. The Spartans lost a pair of games to Winthrop and an early-season setback at Furman. The Spartans continue to be led by Bruner--the talent scoring guard--as he is currently averaging 18.5 PPG.
For UNCG and USC Upstate, it will mark the sixth all-time meeting in the series between the two, with Upstate holding a narrow 3-2 lead. UNCG was victorious the last time the two met on the hardwood, with UNCG claiming a 76-70 win on Nov. 24, 2007.
An interesting sidebar to the matchup is that Winston-Salem native and local star Chris Paul has a brother, C.J. Paul, who was a guard for the Upstate Spartans back in the mid-2000s. Chris Paul signed a contract a month ago tomorrow to play the 2020-21 NBA campaign with the Phoenix Suns.
Furman heads to Alabama Tuesday night for SEC Battle:
Prior to last season’s clash with Alabama, which saw the Crimson Tide get a hard-fought, 81-73, in the 2019-20 campaign inside the friendly confines of Coleman Coliseum, hadn’t met since the mid 1980s, and Tuesday night’s meeting between the Paladins and Crimson Tide will mark just the third meeting between the two on the college basketball hardwood, with the Crimson Tide owning a 2-0 lead in the all-time series, which also included a 96-69 win over the Paladins in 1986.
Alabama comes into the matchup having played five on the season, sporting a 3-2 mark. The Crimson Tide have claimed wins over Jacksonville State (81-57), Providence (88-71), and UNLV (86-74), while the two losses by the Crimson Tide have come against Stanford (L, 64-82) and Clemson (L, 56-64) the last time out.
Furman comes into the matchup against the Crimson Tide with a 5-1 overall record, having posted wins over Tusculum (W, 95-62), USC Upstate (W, 91-63), Southern Wesleyan (W, 89-49), at College of Charleston (W, 81-57), and Flagler (W, 86-61). Furman’s lone loss came on the road the road at Cincinnati (L, 73-78).
Furman comes in holding a 67-135 all-time mark against SEC competition, with the last time the Paladins tasting victory over an SEC foe being Dec. 22, 2010, as the Paladins were able to knock off South Carolina 91-75 in Greenville. The Paladins were also victors over Vanderbilt (W, 70-62) back in November of 2006 under then first-year head coach Jeff Jackson.
The two programs are under the direction of a pair of up-and-coming head coaches, in Furman’s Bob Richey (78-27) and Alabama’s Nate Oats (115-59, sixth season/19-17 at Alabama). Oats has a Crimson Tide basketball team that comes into the matchup ranked No. 51 Alabama and No. 67 Furman in the latest KenPom rankings.
Like this season’s loss to Cincinnati, Furman’s 81-73 setback at Alabama accounted for one of the worst shooting performances in one game last season. In fact, Furman’s 30.9% shooting percentage was a season-low for the 2019-20 campaign, and the Paladins went just 11-for-41 from three-point range, which accounted for just a 26.8% clip from beyond the arc. The Crimson Tide also owned a 43-34 edge on the backboards.
Alabama was able to out-score the Paladins 38-16 in points in the paint, and posted a 28-9 advantage in bench scoring. One of the areas Furman head coach Bob Richey is hoping to see his team improve in is bench scoring, and at least the last time out, there were some bright spots, namely a 15-point effort off the bench from Jaylon Pugh, as the Paladins out-scored the Flagler bench 25-11.
Aside from last season’s clash with the Crimson Tide last season, the Paladins have also faced SEC competition with games against No. 13 Auburn (L, 78-81/2019-20), LSU (L, 57-75, 2018-19), and Tennessee (L, 61-66, 2017-18).
In Furman’s other matchup against power conference competition—a 78-73 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats—the Paladins struggled shooting the basketball, knocking down just 39.7% from the field and just 25.0% from three-point range. Furman’s bench was also out-scored in the contest 21-2 and out-rebounded 33-23.
The most disturbing number of course for Richey is the bench scoring stat. The fourth-year head coach knows that that trend must change if the Paladins are to fulfill preseason expectations this March in Asheville. The Paladins will be in search of their first win over power conference foe since defeating Villanova, 76-68, in overtime a couple of years ago.
The SoCon will have a conference record five games nationally-televised by ESPNU
Story from SoConSports.com
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Five Southern Conference men’s basketball games will air on ESPNU this season, representing the most home-originating national broadcasts in league history.
“It’s exciting to see the significant growth in our national television coverage for this year in men’s basketball with our relationship with ESPN,” SoCon Commissioner Jim Schaus said. “I believe it is a testament to the enhanced image Southern Conference men’s basketball is developing nationally.”
The first game in the package will be Dec. 29, when Mercer hosts Wofford for its first national home broadcast since joining the league. The contest was moved up one day from its previously announced date. Wofford is 2-2 with losses to No. 19 Richmond and USF by a combined seven points, while the Bears are off to a 6-0 start to the season and are ranked No. 7 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
Defending SoCon regular-season and tournament champion ETSU visits Furman at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Jan. 16 in the next ESPNU broadcast. The Paladins are ranked No. 3 in the mid-major poll.
Furman hosts UNC Greensboro for the first of two meetings between the preseason SoCon favorites on national television on Jan. 25 at 9 p.m. That contest was moved up two days from its previously announced date. The Feb. 10 contest in Greensboro, North Carolina, will air on ESPNU at 5 p.m. The Spartans were the SoCon coaches’ preseason pick to win the league, while the Paladins were the media’s favorite.
The SoCon’s fifth home ESPNU broadcast takes place Feb. 22, when Samford hosts Wofford at 7 p.m. Eastern in a contest that was originally slated for Feb. 24. The Bulldogs earned an impressive win at defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Belmont on Dec. 5 and played to a four-point loss at Georgia on Saturday.
ESPN will assign the on-air talent for each contest.
2020-21 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball games on ESPNU
Dec. 29 Wofford at Mercer, 7 p.m. (moving from Dec. 30)
Jan. 16 ETSU at Furman, 4 p.m.
Jan. 25 UNCG at Furman, 9 p.m. (moving from Jan. 27)
Feb. 10 Furman at UNCG, 5 p.m.
Feb. 22 Wofford at Samford, 7 p.m. (ET) (moving from Feb. 24)
Why has the league's overall demand increased?
In recent seasons, the SoCon has taken off as one of the premier mid-major leagues. A big reason for that has been due to the wins over the likes Villanova, North Carolina and most recently, Georgia Tech. Below is a link to a PDF document that takes a look at the notable wins against big name programs over the past 20 years.
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