Short-handed Paladins go 1-2 at Myrtle Beach Invitational

Furman guard Marcus Foster

For the second-straight season, Furman's men's basketball team traveled to the coastline of the Palmetto State to play in a basketball tournament, and for a second-straight season, the Paladins went 1-2, with the lone win coming over a team from South Carolina, while one of the two setbacks came to a team from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

One major positive to come out of the three-game tournament was the play of both Carter Whitt and Marcus Foster. Whitt was solid in all three games, with his career-highs of 20 points and eight rebounds helping key Furman's 89-80 win over Coastal Carolina in the second game. All 20 of Whitt's points came in the second half of the game, including going 4-for-7 from three-point land. 

Foster became the first Furman player to post back-to-back 30-point performances since 2003, when Karim Souchu posted 32 points in a road win at East Tennessee State (W, 84-71) before posting 31 the next time out in a home win in the regular-season finale against UNC Greensboro (W, 78-74). Foster's 18 points in the tournament finale against Wyoming saw him score a combined 78 points for the entire tournament, setting a new tournament standard for a three-game span. 

The trip to the coast in 2023-24 saw a Paladin team that struggled shooting the basketball from long range for the weekend, as the Paladins connected on just 26-of-94 attempts from three-point range for the entire tournament. The Paladins would face eventual tournament champion Liberty, Coastal Carolina and Wyoming over the three-day stretch.

The Paladins lost both their first and third games of the tournament, respectively, dropping their opener, 88-74, to Liberty, as a 20-2 run in the final two minutes of the first half spanning until the first three minutes of the second half would ultimately spell doom for Furman in the 14-point loss. It was the first meeting between the Paladins and Flames since the 2016-17 season.

Furman returns to action after Thanksgiving, as the Paladins will be in Birmingham, AL, to take on the UAB Blazers at Bartow Arena in a tip-off slated for 6 p.m. EST. Last time the Paladins were in Birmingham to face the Blazers was the 2016-17 season when the Paladins ended UAB's 26-game home court winning streak by coming away with an 84-74 win. 

The Blazers, who are under the direction of head coach Andy Kennedy, are off to a 2-2 start to the season and will face Conference USA co-favorite Middle Tennessee State Tuesday night in Murfreesboro. The Blazers are coming off a season which saw them finish as the runner-up in the NIT and finished the campaign with a 29-10 overall record. The Blazers are embarking on a new journey this season, playing as a member of a new conference, as UAB is now an official member of the American Athletic Conference. 

Below are Furman's game recaps.

Liberty 88, Furman 74

Liberty went on a combined 20-2 run over the final three minutes of the first half and the opening couple of minutes of the second half to take control of the game, as the Flames parlayed that strong finish in the opening half to a 64% effort from the field in the second half en route to capping the opening day of the tournament with an 88-74 win over Furman at the HTC Center.

With the win, the Flames remained perfect on the season, improving to 3-0, while Furman suffered its first setback of the season, falling to 2-1, in the first meeting between the two foes since the 2016-17 season.

Furman’s Marcus Foster led all scorers, posting a career-high 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, which included a 3-of-6 performance from long-range. He also finished the contest going 9-for-11 from the charity stripe.

The only other Paladin in double figures in the contest was JP Pegues, who finished with his second-straight 20-point scoring performance to open the 2023-24 season, posting his 20 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 2-of-5 effort from long range. He also added three assists and six rebounds and was 8-for-9 from the charity stripe.

Foster and Pegues were the only two Paladins in double figures in the contest, as the duo combined for 50 of Furman’s 74 points in the contest. 

Liberty was simply sensational on both ends of the floor, featuring near-flawless play on both ends of the floor at times in the latter 20 minutes of the contest. 

The Flames finished a balanced scoring effort on the offensive end of the floor, with veteran redshirt senior forward Kyle Rode leading the way with 19 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field, including going 1-for-5 from three-point range.Rode was also 6-for-7 from the charity stripe.

Joining Rode in double figures for the Flames in the win were Brody Peebles, who added 16 points off the bench for the Flames, while Kaden Matheny added 15 points, and Zach Cleveland finished the contest with 11 points and six rebounds.

The Flames finished out the contest connecting on an impressive 54.4% (31-of-57) shots from the field, while connecting on 37.5% (9-of-24).The Flames finished out the contest connecting on an impressive 54.4% (31-of-57) shots from the field, while connecting on 37.5% (9-of-24) from three-point land. The Flames lived up to their moniker in the second half, as the Flames sizzled at or above 70% from much of the second half, finishing the latter frame by connecting on an impressive 18-of-28 shots from the field.

Furman finished the night connecting on 41.5% (22-of-53) shots from the field, which included a 25.0% (6-of-24) effort from three-point range. The Paladins were impressive from the foul stripe in the contest, finishing with a 77.4% (24-of-31) clip from the charity stripe, which included a 12-for-13 effort in the opening half of play. 

The Paladins played without forwards Tyrese Hughey and Alex Williams, who missed the game with injuries, which affected Furman’s normally deep scoring lineup.

“Tyrese is out, Alex [Williams] is out but that’s no excuse, we have enough. We like playing nine or more but we had what we had tonight, and that wasn’t the reason we lost the game. We got eight really good players that played and we didn’t have the defensive connection or effort and intensity that we need to have in a big game like that for a 40-minute period,” head coach Bob Richey said.

The Flames finished the contest holding advantages in points in the paint (40-30), bench points (32-8), total assists (17-12), and points from turnovers (11-4).  Furman owned advantages in total rebounds (35-33), second chance points (10-9) and fast-break points (9-7).

How It Happened:

Liberty was easily the most impressive team of the eight teams to play basketball on the opening day of the Myrtle Beach Invitational, and while the game with Furman lived up to its billing as a blockbuster mid-major clash in the opening half of play, it was the Flames’ experience and know-how that started to take over towards the latter portion of the first half and the Flames were able to parlay that momentum into a strong start to the second half, overwhelming a good Furman team.

When shots weren’t falling early, Liberty’s poise and maturity never wavered, and a team that returned four starters off a team that won 27 games a year ago was apparent. 

“I think it’s characteristic of our group on the offensive end…typically we’re so unselfish on the offensive end that we’ll get a great shot and we had some average-to-decent looks at the beginning that didn’t go in but I think towards the end of the half we saw a couple go in and then we got a little bit more intentional about the other end,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said of his team’s confidence and overall defensive enthusiasm after a few shots went down towards the end of the first half. 

With the Paladins leading 33-27 following a pair of Marcus Foster free throws with 3:08 left in the half, the Flames ended the half on a flurry, rolling to an 11-0 run. Brody Peebles, who scored 16 off Liberty’s bench, got things started with a jumper in the paint with just under three minutes left to trim Furman’s lead to four.

Then following a Kyle Rode steal, he found Peebles again for another jumper in the lane, and the Flames all of the sudden had all of the momentum, trailing just 33-31 with 2:31 remaining in the opening half. 

A JP Pegues miss on the other end for the Paladins was rebounded by one of Liberty’s trio of talented guards—Joseph Venzant—and then the ball found its way to Rode, who would be fouled by Furman’s Marcus Foster with just under two minutes left in the half. He knocked down both ends of the one-and-one bonus to tie the game, 33-33. 

From there, Furman would see both Garrett Hien and Carter Whitt miss on three-pointers with 1:45 remaining in the half, and it was another empty possession for the Paladins. 

Rode’s missed layup on the other end left the door cracked for Furman to retake the lead, but JP Pegues’ triple missed the mark and Peebles corralled the rebound. It would lead to a Shiloh Robinson layup on the other end and a 35-33 lead with just 36 ticks left in the opening half. 

After a PJay Smith Jr. three wouldn’t fall for the Paladins, Peebles capped the 11-0 flurry to end the half with a three-pointer from the left corner to bring the Liberty fans in attendance to their collective feet, as the noise level rose inside the HTC Center.

After Pegues scored a layup and was fouled on Furman’s opening possession of the second half, the Paladins trailed, 38-35, and though Pegues missed the free throw, it looked as if his layup might give the Paladins the spark they needed early in the second half. 

That was not the case, however, as Rode was fouled by Smith in the act of shooting and converted a pair of foul shots to make it a 40-35 game. Following a turnover by Smith and a steal by Rode, the Flames would make the Paladins pay dearly when Kaden Metheny knocked down a triple in transition to make it an eight-point Liberty advantage with 18:50 left.

After Foster had the ball knocked away and stolen by Colin Porter, he found Zach Cleveland down the floor in the open for a layup and the lead increased to double digits for the first time all night, at 45-35, with 18:29 left. A Foster missed three led to a Rode layup on the other end and the Flames were clicking on all cylinders, leading 47-35.

The Paladins would then get an 8-2 spurt to get within 49-43 when Marcus Foster converted a layup with 15:51 left, however, another 18-7 spurt by the Flames, which started with a Porter layup and ended with a Matheny three-pointer saw Liberty push their lead to their largest of the evening at 17 points (67-50) with just over 11 minutes left.

The Flames lead would grow to as much as 21 when Venzant converted a layup in the paint to make it an 84-63 contest with 4:18 remaining. The Paladins would outscore the Flames 11-4 down the stretch to provide the final margin. 

Furman 89, Coastal Carolina 80

For the second-straight game, Furman had two players combine for 50 points, as Marcus Foster went for 30 points in consecutive games, while Carter Whitt posted all 20 of his points in the second half, as the Paladins overcame a 60% shooting effort by Coastal Carolina in the second half by 62% of their own en route to an 89-80 win over the Chanticleers in the consolation bracket of the 2023 Myrtle Beach Invitational Friday evening at the HTC Center.

With the win, Furman improves to 3-1 overall and will meet Wyoming in the fifth-place game of the tournament, which is set for 10:30 am Sunday morning. The loss sees Coastal Carolina fall to 1-2 on the season and into the seventh-place game in the consolation bracket against College of Charleston, which is set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the HTC Center.

Foster tied his career-high of 30 points set just a day earlier in an 88-74 loss to Liberty a day earlier, as he connected on 12-of-23 shooting from the field, which included a 2-of-10 effort from long range, while also dishing out five assists and bringing down six boards in the game. Foster also connected on 4-of-7 free throws in the win.

The redshirt junior from Atlanta, GA now has 60 points in two games, needing just 16 points in the final game vs. Wyoming to set a new Myrtle Beach Invitational record.The current record-holder for points over a three-game stretch in the tournament is held by Khalil Ahmed of Cal State Fullerton, who posted 75 points in three games back in the 2018 edition, including scoring a tournament record 40 points in his first of three tournament games against Monmouth.

Whitt’s career-high effort of 20 points all came in the second half, as he finished by connecting on 7-of-13 shots from the field, including going 4-for-9 from long range in what was an impressive shooting display in the second half. Whitt’s career-high scoring effort was matched by a career-high eight rebounds in a game when the Paladins needed someone else to step up, as the Paladins remained without Tyrese Hughey and Alex Williams, as well as Ben VanderWal, who missed the game after becoming ill not long before tip-off.

The third Paladin in double figures in the contest was JP Pegues, who registered his third-straight double-figure scoring effort to open the 2023-24 season, as he finished with 14 points 4-of-8 shooting from the field and a 4-of-7 performance from long range. Pegues posted nine of his 14 points in the opening half of play. 

Senior big man Garrett Hien delivered a solid performance in 31 minutes of floor time, posting seven points, six rebounds, while dishing out a career-best eight helpers and registered five of Furman’s 12 team steals. 

The Chanticleers also finished the contest with three players in double figures, as Kylan Blackmon led the way by posting a career-high of his own, finishing with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, including a 5-of-8 effort from long-range in the loss. He also connected on 2-of-4 from the charity stripe in the loss. Blackmon added three rebounds, two assists and a steal to his stat line to round out his most impressive performance in a Chanticleers uniform.

Blackmon was joined in double figures by Jocob Meyer, who added 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from long-range, while Nigerian-born center Ginika Ojiako just missed a double-double, posting 14 points to go with nine boards.

The Paladins finished the game connecting on an impressive 50.8% (32-of-63) from the field, which included a 33.3% (12-of-36) effort from long range. Furman were a solid 76.5% (13-of-17) from the charity stripe in the win.

The Chanticleers were just a shade under 50% shooting for the game, as Coastal Carolina finished by making good on 47.8% (33-of-69) of its shots for the game, including finishing 43.5% (10-of-23) from three-point range in the loss. The Chanticleers finished by connecting on 57.1% (4-of-7) from the free throw line.

For the game, Furman held advantages in points from turnovers (21-16), fast-break scoring (21-10), bench scoring (25-16), and total assists (27-15). The Chanticleers held advantages in points in the paint (42-40), total rebounds (41-30), and second-chance points (13-0). The Chanticleers were able to stay close in the game all night as a result of their performance on the offensive glass, converting 16 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points.

How It Happened:

The Paladins built 12-point leads in both halves and led for over 31 of the 40 minutes, however, could never completely find the type of comfort desired in an effort to pick up its first win of the 2023 Myrtle Beach Invitational. 

After Furman built a 62-50 lead following a Marcus Foster layup with 10:51 left to match its largest of the night, it appeared the Paladins might be ready to pull away for good. However, a 15-5 run by the Chanticleers made things pretty tenuous over the final six minutes-and-change, as an Ian Granja three-pointer got the Chanticleers within two, at 67-65 with 6:22 remaining.

Just eight seconds later, Marcus Foster hit maybe the biggest shot of the night, answering with a three-pointer to give the Paladins a bit of a cushion, extending the lead back to five, at 70-65, with 6:14 left.

The Chanticleers would get within one possession on more time on the ensuing possession following a layup by Jocob Meyer with 5:52 remaining, making it a 70-67 deficit for Coastal Carolina. 

After the Chanticleers had cut the Furman lead to six, at 77-71, on a Meyer jumper, however on the next possession a huge Carter Whitt three took the Paladins lead back to nine, at 80-71, with 2:31 left. The Chanticleers sliced the Paladin lead to six on three more occasions, however, could get no closer, as Furman had the needed answer on each occasion. 

On the strength of a combined 24 first-half points from Foster (15 pts) and JP Pegues (9 pts), the Paladins went to the locker room with a 39-31 advantage. Despite just a 5-for-20 shooting effort in the opening half, Furman’s 10 steals were key to helping the Paladins take the eight-point lead into the half.

Wyoming 78, Furman 71

Sam Griffin posted a career-high 26 points, while Akuel Kot added 20, as Wyoming was able to hold off a late Furman rally to come away with a 78-71 win in the fifth-place game at the Myrtle Beach Invitational at the HTC Center.

The win would see the Cowboys improve to 4-1 overall, while the Paladins will leave Myrtle Beach with a 3-2 mark. Wyoming marked the second Mountain West Conference foe the Paladins have faced in its last six games, dating back to their 75-52 NCAA Tournament loss to eventual NCAA Tournament runner-up San Diego State last March. 

It was the first-ever meeting between the Paladins and Cowboys on the college basketball hardwood. The Cowboys, who are under the leadership of fourth-year head coach Jeff Linder, were a program tabbed to finish 10th in the 11-team MWC following a 9-22 season in 2022-23 and just a 4-14 league mark. The Cowboys, however, gave no impressions that prognostication was an accurate one for at least each of the three games they played inside the HTC Center early in the 2023-24 season.

It’s rare, however, it was Wyoming and not Furman that shot the ball better from long range in the game, with the Cowboys connecting on 12 long range efforts in the contest, and were relatively efficient in doing so, connecting on 48.0% (12-of-25) from long-range, while the Paladins could only manage to connect on 28.5% (8-for-34) from downtown. 

In fact, three-point shooting wasn’t exactly a strong suit for Furman the entire weekend, as the Paladins shot just 27.6% (26-of-94) from long range in the three games in the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

Overall, the Cowboys finished the contest by shooting 47.5% (28-of-59) from the field for the contest, while the Paladins could only connect on 41.5% (27-of-65).

Furman’s Marcus Foster was sensational for a third-straight outing, following up back-to-back 30-point scoring efforts by posting 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 1-for-5 from long range, as his 78 points in three games set a new tournament standard. He was selected to the all-tournament team Sunday afternoon.

Junior point guard JP Pegues led the Paladins in scoring, as he added 22 points on 8-of-21 shooting from the field and 3-for-11 shooting from long-range. Carter Whitt finished just outside double figures, with nine points and seven assists.  

Wyoming's Griffin led all scorers with his 26-point effort coming on an 11-of-19 shooting effort. Akuel Kot added 20 points, while Brendan Wenzel and Caden Powell finished with 13 points apiece to round out the Cowboys' double-figure scorers. 

Wyoming finished the contest holding advantages in second chance points (15-14), total assists (18-17), points from turnovers (11-9), and fast-break points (12-9). Furman held advantages in total rebounds (36-33), bench points (22-9), and points in the paint (32-26).

How It Happened:

Early in the second half, the Paladins would fall behind by as many as 17, at 48-31, following back-to-back threes by Sam Griffin and Akuel Kot, but the Paladins wouldn’t go away and would eventually cut it to a three-point deficit (70-67) with 1:40 left following a pair of JP Pegues foul shots.

However, Kobe Newton answered with one of the 12 threes made by the Cowboys in the game, as Wyoming was able to hold off the Paladins the rest of the way and post a 78-71 win in the fifth-place consolation game at the Myrtle Beach Invitational inside the HTC Center. The Paladins were never able to trim the deficit to fewer than three points for the entire second half, as Wyoming never trailed in the contest. 

Wyoming went to the locker room with a 37-28 lead, using 12 first-half points from star guard Sam Griffin and a defensive effort, which held the Paladins to their lowest point total in a half this season, limiting the Paladins to just 28 points and 40% (12-of-30) from the field and just 20% (4-of-20) from the field. 

Furman would get off to a slow start, falling behind by nine points, 12-3, however, Carter Whitt would connect on a three, draw an offensive foul on the other end, and then on the ensuing trip down the floor, a no-look pass to Davis Molnar for a lay-up, and following a missed shot by Wyoming on the other end, Whitt found Ben VanderWal for a wide open three from the right elbow to get the Paladins to within a point, at 12-11. 

An Akuel Kot layup would increase the Cowboys lead back to three, at 14-11, as the two teams headed to their respective benches for the second media timeout of the opening half, but the Paladins switched to the 1-3-1 out of the media, creating a couple of turnovers, with one of those leading to a Garrett Hien layup, getting the Paladins to within a point once again, at 14-13. The Cowboys led by as many as 10 in the opening half (25-15) before settling for a  nine-point lead (37-28) going into the halftime locker room. 

Tournament Scoreboard:

11/16  Vermont 73, Charleston 64                            

             Saint Louis 79, Wyoming 69                           

             Wichita St. 86, Coastal Carolina 77               

             Liberty 88, Furman 74                                     

11/17  Vermont 78, Saint Louis 68                            

             Wyoming 67, Charleston 60                           

             Furman 89, Coastal Carolina 80                    

             Liberty 83, Wichita State 66                           

11/19  Wyoming 78, Furman 71 

             Charleston 80, Coastal Carolina 72

             Liberty 71, Vermont 61

             Wichita State 88, Saint Louis 69

All-Tournament Team

Player, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Class, Hometown, Note

Kyle Rode, Liberty, F, 6-7, 220, Sen., Lexington, Ky., 19.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 10-22 3FG - RHODES MVP

Brody Peebles, Liberty, G, 6-2, 170, Jun., Hartselle, Ala., 13.3 ppg, 17-29 FG (58.6%)

Shamir Bogues, Vermont, G, 6-4, 190, Jun., Killeen, Tex., 13.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 19-37 FG, 8 Steals

Sam Griffin, Wyoming, G, 6-3, 188, Sen., Miami, Fla., 21.7 ppg, 3.0 apg, 8-17 3FG (47.1%)

Marcus Foster, Furman, G, 6-4, 200, Sen., Atlanta, Ga., 26.0 ppg*, 5.7 rbp, 27-50 FG (54.0%)

Xavier Bell, Wichita State, G, 6-2, 185, Jun., Wichita, Kan., 19.3 ppg, 3.3 apg

Terrence Hargrove Jr., F, 605, 215, Sen, East St. Louis, Ill., 15.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3 blocks

  

 

SoCon Hoops 2023-24: Opening Week Observations and Power Rankings

 SoCon Basketball Early Observations

Earliest observations of Southern Conference hoops after one week of play are that we are in for another exciting season in SoCon hoops.

After some head-scratching scores on the opening night of the season, with some of the league’s teams struggling against Division II foes, and one even losing one of those games. However, by the end of the week, the league would put away two ACC wins and a solid victory over a traditionally good mid-major out of the Missouri Valley.

Samford’s train wreck to open the season

Much was made of Samford’s weak non-conference slate a year ago, however, the Bulldogs dodged no one to start the season, with games against both No. 2 Purdue and traditional power Purdue, offering us a chance to get a look at a relatively “new look” Bulldogs team without the likes of talented scorer Ques Glover or big man Logan Dye still being around.

Much noise had been made about Bulldogs going up against one of the favorites to win national Player of the Year, in 7-4 Zach Edey. Knowing this, and the fact that he had one of the shortest players in college basketball, in Nova Southeastern transfer guard and 5-7 Dallas Graziani, Bucky McMillan was able to get a lot of run out of the fact that Graziani was going to jump up against Edey to start the game, and even ran a promo on X. It got a lot of pub, and then when Samford actually did put Graziani for the jump ball against Edey, it caught even more publicity. 

Unfortunately for McMillan and his Bulldogs, the disparity and size and Graziani’s chances of actually winning the jump ball against Edey were closer than the actual game, as the Bulldogs were wrecked” by the Boilermakers, who posted a 98-45 win over the Bulldogs in the first official game of the season. 

The Bulldogs, who are now led by veteran leader and all-conference performer Jermaine Marshall, were overwhelmed from the outset of the game, falling behind 24-4 early and went to the locker room behind 51-17. Two of the few bright spots in the season opener were Jaden Campbell and Rylan Jones, who finished with 11 and eight points respectively, however, it was a tough night all the way around, as Samford was held to an ice cold 25.0% (17-of-68) from the field, which included just a 16.1% (5-of-31) from three-point land.

It got no easier for the Bucky’s Bulldogs, who were criticized for playing one of the weakest non-conference schedules in mid-major basketball last season, certainly didn’t dodge anyone at least to start the season, as three nights later the Bulldogs would play at one of the toughest venues for an opponent in mid-major basketball, as Samford headed to the Siegel Center to take on a VCU team that was still smarting from a season-opening loss to former head coach Will Wade and the McNeese State Cowboys.

That said, the Bulldogs came out and looked much better against the Rams than it had in the season-opener, however, fell to 0-2 with a 75-65 setback. 

The Bulldogs were ready to play, jumping out to leads of 13-4 and 25-12 in the early going, and that helped stem the enthusiasm of the raucous crowd of 7,114 on-hand for the second home game of the season for the Rams. The Bulldogs held their lead into the second half, taking a 41-33 lead on a dunk by AJ Staton-McCray with just under 17 minutes left. The Rams continued to chip away from there, taking their first lead at 56-54 on a Christian Fermin jumper with 7:02 left. 

The Rams were able to hold on for their first win of the season, despite seeing the Bulldogs cut it to two points (64-62) late in the contest, using an 11-3 run to close out the game.

A major bright spot for the Bulldogs was Jermaine Marshall’s performance the second time out, as after a rough season debut against Purdue saw him post just four points in 14 minutes before fouling out, however, against the Rams, Marshall finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists in 31 minutes of court time, showing why he is one of the premier players in the SoCon and why so many had him has him as the league’s top player in the preseason.

The Bulldogs will have a chance to get a little healthier mentally this week, with games against Mississippi College (Nov. 14) and South Carolina State (Nov. 17) in their first two games at the Pete Hanna Center this season. 

Chattanooga, Western Carolina and The Citadel challenge ACC

Chattanooga, Western Carolina and The Citadel all faced ACC competition in the opening week of the season, with Ed Conroy’s Bulldogs facing two to start out the season on the road against North Carolina State, while hosting Boston College in the second game of the season.

The Bulldogs looked solid in both games, dropping what was a 72-59 decision at North Carolina State to open the season, while falling 75-71 at home against Boston College.

In the opener against the Wolfpack, the Bulldogs made things somewhat interesting early in the second half when Vandy transfer Quentin Millora-Brown converted a layup in the paint to get the Bulldogs to within six (39-33), however, the Wolfpack responded with an 18-6 run to take back full control of the game. Guard AJ Smith was the only Bulldogs player to end up in double figures, with 15 points.

The Bulldogs showed everyone just how tough a venue McAlister Field House can be, and Earl Grant’s Boston College Eagles nearly found out the hard way. You have to give props to Grant for bringing his Eagles down south to play in a tough mid-major venue at The Citadel.

Prior to taking the BC job, Grant spent seven seasons as the head coach of College of Charleston before moving on to BC to become the head coach in 2021-22. 

The Citadel more than made things interesting against the Eagles, as Elijah Morgan’s third triple of the night gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the night, at 46-39, just before the first media timeout. The Bulldogs would eventually see the Eagles regain the lead when Claudell Harris Jr. dunked it home in transition to give the Eagles a 60-58 lead. A layup by Claudell Jr. in the paint helped BC create a little cushion, as the Eagles took a 69-63 lead.

A 5-0 spurt by the Bulldogs on a three-pointer by Christian Moore and a layup by Madison Durr with 3:26 remaining got the Bulldogs as close as they would get down the stretch, however, the Eagles were able to hold on for the four-point win before a raucous crowd of 3,337 on-hand inside the facility.

The Bulldogs finished with four in double figures, as Morgan led the way with 17, while AJ Smith chipped in with 14 and Kenyan Davis and Durr added 12 and 10, respectively. 

The third game of the opening portion of the 2023-24 season kept Ed Conroy’s Bulldogs within the border of the Palmetto State, as The Citadel headed for the Templeton Center in Clinton, S.C., to take on a Presbyterian College team that had already ended its 18-game losing streak by opening the campaign with one of the biggest upsets of the young season–a 68-62 win at Vandy.

The Blue Hose (3-0) would remain unbeaten and the Bulldogs winless (0-3) following a 71-64 decision won by the Big South member Monday night. The Bulldogs held a brief 31-30 lead with 90 seconds remaining in the opening half, however, that would be the last time The Citadel would hold the lead in the contest, as PC closed the half on a 8-0 run to take a 35-31 lead into the locker room. 

While the loss against PC isn’t a bad loss, as it appears the Blue Hose might be one of the most improved teams in mid-major hoops this season, the loss is still a disappointing one for the Bulldogs, who had played well in their first couple of games against ACC competition. The Bulldogs return home in search of their first win on Thursday night, with a 7 p.m. tip-off at McAlister Field House against Division II North Greenville, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.

Chattanooga notched the SoCon’s first power conference win of the season, and it wasn’t that much of an upset, as the Mocs were the better basketball team. It was almost two years to the day since fellow SoCon member Furman went to the Yum Center and handed Louisville an 80-72 setback in overtime. That ended a 59-game winning streak in the month of November in home games, while handing the Cardinals their first-ever November non-conference home loss at the Yum Center, as Louisville fell to 46-1 in November non-conference home games.

Last season, former SoCon member Appalachian State went to the Yum Center and were 61-60 victors over the Cardinals.The latest SoCon team to have success in the Yum Center was Chattanooga, as the Mocs notched their first win vs an ACC foe since 1985, with an 81-71 win over the Cardinals. It was also UTC’s first-ever regular-season win over an ACC foe. 

So how did the Mocs turn the trick this time around? Mostly due to the play of Honor Huff and the sharp shooting of the Mocs from the perimeter. The Mocs blistered the nets for 41.2% (14-of-34) from long range in the win, led by Honor Huff, who posted a career-high 25 points, as he went 9-of-19 from the field and connected on 7-of-13 from three-point land. 

One of the SoCon’s top freshmen—6-2 guard Myles Che—finished the contest with 22 points and connected on 7-of-12 shots from the field and was 2-for-6 from three-point land. Big man Sam Alexis rounded out the Mocs players in double figures, posting a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards.

The Mocs built as much as a 21-point lead in the second half with just under seven minutes remaining in the contest  before the Cardinals mounted a rally, using a 19-5 run that took a little over four minutes, and got the hometown Cardinals to within 70-63, however, Mocs newcomer Jan Zidek provided what would prove to be the dagger, as his clutch triple with 1:14 remaining gave the Mocs a double-digit lead once again, at 73-63.

The win would see the Mocs improve to 3-24 all-time against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Mocs, who have been in the SoCon championship game each of the past two seasons, appear to be a team that will be in strong contention to make it a third-straight season in the tournament title game, as well as being a significant contender for the regular-season crown under the Mocs third-year head coach.

On Saturday, another of the SoCon’s league title contenders was in a battle with an ACC program, as Justin Gray’s Western Carolina team was in South Bend, IN, to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It was the Catamounts that looked every bit the part of contender for a Southern Conference regular-season and tournament title contender, and seemingly picked up right where they left off last March, as the Catamounts claimed the SoCon’s second ACC win in a span of less than 24 hours.

Western Carolina’s guard trio is among the best in mid-major basketball, and it was SoCon preseason Player of the Year Vonterius Woolbright and Russell Jones Jr. that helped spearhead the 71-61 Catamount victory on a night when the Catamounts’ other major scoring threat—Tre Jackson—didn’t have his best stuff.

Woolbright finished with a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Russell Jones Jr. added 20 points in helping the Catamounts, who trailed just once (3-2/18:29 1st half), look dominant at times in a game that Western Carolina had control of for most of the afternoon. 

Carey Booth got the Fighting Irish to with two, at 27-25, late in the opening half on a three-point play the old fashioned way, however, it was a key 11-0 spurt by Western Carolina , which included three-pointers from Woolbright and Bernard Pelote to WCU’s lead back to double digits by the time the two teams entered their respective locker rooms at the half, with the Catamounts taking a 42-29 lead into the intermission.

That lead would grow to as much as 17 (46-29) in the early moments of the second half, however, it was a 20-7 run by the Fighting Irish that turned the screws just a little tighter on the Catamounts. 

However, the Catamounts were strong, shooting the ball from the charity stripe down the stretch, connecting on 7-of-9 foul shots over the final four minutes to close out the win. Getting to the line was one of the Catamounts’ calling cards last season, attempting the third-most foul shots (674) in the league last season behind only Samford (756) and Furman (727), while posting a solid 71.5% clip. 

Woolbright, who posted 11 of his 22 points from the line, was among the most fouled players in the country going to the basket last season, and he went 6-for-6 down the stretch in the game to help the Catamounts notch their first win over power six conference foe since 2010. The Catamounts finished the game by converting 14-of-18 free throws, with Woolbright going 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. 

While Jones and Woolbright were outstanding, they had to be for WCU to pull the upset. That’s because Tre Jackson, who posted the second-most points in an NCAA Division I game last season (47 pts vs Wofford) and led the Catamounts in scoring average (15.8 PPG), finished with just three points on a 1-of-11 shooting effort, including an 0-for-6 effort from three. 

The major winning element for Gray’s Cats though was its defense, limiting the Fighting Irish to just 37.9% (22-of-58) and only 30.8% (8-of-26) from three-point land.

Rounding out what was a trio of double figure scorers in the win was DJ Campbell, who finished with 12 points on a 6-for-10 shooting effort.

It was one of the biggest wins for Catamount basketball in recent memory, with the aforementioned win over Depaul in 2010, as well as a victory over the nationally-ranked and Rick Pitino-led Louisville Cardinals in 2009.

The most impressive win in the opening week for Western Carolina, however, may be its win at Middle Tennessee State this past Monday night. The Blue Raiders are a solid basketball team and one that could very well be one that finds itself in the mix in Conference USA this season.

It was preseason SoCon Player of the Year Vonterius Woolbright who helped the Catamounts push through and get the road win on Monday night, as he was able to post his second-straight double-double performance by knocking down a pair of foul shots in the waning moments, helping the purple and gold escape with a 66-64-win Monday night at the Murphy Center. It was part of a 21-point, 12-rebound effort for Woolbright–the reigning SoCon Player of the Week.

For the second-straight game Tre Jackson struggled to find his shooting touch, having gone just 2-for-20 from the field and is 0-for-15 from three-point range in wins over the Fighting Irish and Blue Raiders.

That’s okay as long as DJ Campbell continues to play the way he has to start the season, as he posted his third-straight game in double figures to start the season for the Catamounts, posting 14 points and eight rebounds in WCU’s second-straight road win. Cornelious Williams–-a transfer from LSU–posted his first double-figures scoring game for the Catamounts, finishing with 10.

One of the more intriguing matchups this week will be when the Catamounts welcome Will Wade’s McNeese State  Cowboys (4-0) to the Ramsey Center for a good early-season mid-major matchup. While Wade’s team will be in Cullowhee to take on the Catamounts, he will not, as he is currently serving a 10-game suspension to open the season as a result of level three violations, according to the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP). 

One of the more impressive wins for the Cowboys to open the 2023-24 season was a 76-65 win over VCU, however, the Cowboys have played three non-Division I programs since. The Catamounts and Cowboys met last season at an MTE hosted in Lake Charles by McNeese State, with an 88-69 win over McNeese on its home floor. 

Mercer’s Struggles

While the SoCon can celebrate its successes against a pair of ACC foes, it also had some negatives to take into account in the opening week of the season, with the most notable being the Mercer Bears. 

Something just seems off in Macon, and it has for a very long time. Greg Gary has had his moments for sure, like his opening season at the helm of the program, when he led the Bears to a surprising 17-15 season and a fourth-place finish in the league standings, however, the Bears have been largely disappointing under the direction of Matt Painter’s former right-hand man at Purdue.

When the Bears downed Duke in their final season as an A-Sun member in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, it was a basketball program that, under the direction of Bob Hoffman, prided itself on having the identity of being a developmental basketball program. 

Following the tragic murder of Jibri Bryan in Feb. of 2016, Mercer lost its way under Hoffman and started selling out to get talent from the transfer portal as part of a “quick fix” to issues that existed within the program, and that proved to be Hoffman’s unfortunate undoing.

That trend to go to the portal seemingly has been more prevalent under Gary, with some due to having to replace outgoing talent, while it also became part of Gary’s plan. Mercer is a long way from a program that developed guys like seven-footer Daniel Coursey into the mid-major’s version of Zach Edey from 2011-14, or Langston Hall into one of the best all around guards in the country on both ends by the time the Bears reached the 2014 Big Dance and date with destiny.

If that was a high point over the past decade of hoops, as the Bears readied to step into the SoCon, then surely the low point was Nov. 6, 2023, when the Bears lost a game to Clark Atlanta (L, 64-71) to open the 2023-24 season. It definitely wasn’t a good look, and it’s losses like that that caused a major drop in KenPom. 

When the SoCon fell from No. 12 to No. 20 in the KenPom rankings, it was losses like Samford’s  loss to NAIA Tennessee Southern (L, 82-84) that stood out. It was the league’s first such loss since Furman fell to Mars Hill during the 2013-14 season under then first-year head coach Niko Medved. Mercer’s loss to Clark Atlanta marked the second-straight season in which the league has suffered one of those embarrassments. The Citadel’s home loss to Chicago State later in non-conference play was also not a good look last season.

It could have been worse if the Bears hadn’t been able to rebound on the road against one of the worst programs in NCAA Division I college basketball, as it traveled to face Chicago State following the opening night debacle. Fortunately Gary’s Bears were able to post the 66-61 win overcame that season-opening loss to get a 66-61 road win over the Cougars.

While it appears the Bears are in for another long season, the good news is Mercer has a pretty solid frontcourt, led by Jayln McCreary, who has scored in double figures in each of the first two games of the 2022-23 season, posting 14 and 18 points, respectively, against Clark Atlanta and Chicago State. With that said, the Bears again a team that can’t shoot from the perimeter, which is a problem in a league that sees a large majority of it have offensive concepts with the three-point shot a major emphasis, with a large majority of the league shooting the ball in solid fashion from long range.

Robby Carmody at least appears to give Mercer one more deep threat than it had last season, as the Bears finished seventh overall in the 10-team SoCon last season by shooting 33.4% (196-of-586). The 196 made threes were the least made from beyond the arc in the SoCon last season were seven fewer than East Tennessee State’s 203 triples. 

One area that plagued the Bears last season was point guard, where inconsistencies plagued the Bears throughout the season.

The first couple of seasons under Gary saw the Bears shoot the ball relatively well from long range since. In the 2019-20 season, Mercer shot the ball with some proficiency, shooting the ball at a solid 36% (246-of-686) from long range during that particular season. The Bears would be even better from long range in 2020-21, connecting on 37.1% (311-of-433) from three-point range. The 2021-22 season would see the Bears take a significant step back again in three-point marksmanship, connecting on 43 less shots from long range, connecting on still a solid 35.1% (268-of-764). We have a long way to go this season, however, Mercer’s 13-of-50 (26.0%) through the first two games isn’t a good sign.

For a program and a coach that needs to win and win now, the Bears should be comfortably 2-0, however, they have had to scratch to get to 1-1. Mercer returns to the floor Tuesday night at Morehead State before heading to nationally-ranked Alabama on Friday.

Furman and UNCG off to strong starts again

While Furman’s 84-68 win over North Greenville last Monday night left a little more to be desired from the defending champions, it was without two of its best postseason performers from a year ago, with JP Pegues sidelined with a minor injury and Alex Williams leaving the game with an injury. Williams will be out a few weeks, but should be back sometime in December.

JP Pegues—the 2023 SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Performer—returned to the floor in time for Furman’s mid-major blockbuster clash with Belmont.  He didn’t disappoint in his debut of the 2022-23 season, flirting heavily with a triple-double, as he posted 23 points, nine assists and nine rebounds, as he paced five Paladins in double figures in what was a statement, 99-76, win over another solid mid-major program.

The Bruins, who were picked a respectable fifth in the Missouri Valley preseason poll, were no match for the Paladins, as Furman knocked down 12-of-29 from three-point range and posted 25 assists after posting just 10 in the season opener against North Greenville. 

It was a second-straight strong performance from preseason All-SoCon senior guard Marcus Foster, who posted 16 points and seven rebounds, while newcomer PJay Smith Jr and Garrett Hien added 15 and 13 points respectively, with all of Hien’s scoring coming in the opening half of play. 

Six-foot-11 Cooper Bowser continued to impress off the bench for Furman through the first two games of the season, as he added 10 points, which included three monstrous dunks off the bench for the Paladins. He also added three blocks, a rebound and an assist. Bowser also made it two-for-two in his collegiate career in double-figure scoring performances after having posted 13 points in the season opener against North Greenville.

One thing that most will notice about the Paladins this season is that Furman is an extremely deep basketball team, and a team that might even be deeper than the one that won 28 games, including an NCAA Tournament game a year ago. The win over Belmont was Furman’s 99th at Timmons Arena since the start of the 2015-16 season, as well as its league leading 185th win overall during that same span. 

Furman returns to the hardwood Thursday, taking part in the Myrtle Beach Invitational. The Paladins will tip off that tournament against another top mid-major, as the Paladins will face Liberty in a 7 p.m. matchup at the HTC Center on Thursday night.

UNCG, which along with Furman and Western Carolina, is considered to be a prime contender for the SoCon title this season, and the Spartans were the final of the league’s 10 teams to get their season underway. The Spartans opened play in the 2023-24 season against a familiar foe, in cross-town rival North Carolina A&T.

The Aggies, who were picked to finish dead last (14th) in the preseason CAA basketball poll, were no match for the experienced Spartans, as UNCG coasted to a 94-78 win to open the season. Four Spartans finished the night in double figures, with two players notching double-double performances. 

Mikeal Brown-Jones and Kobe Langley were the two players to record those double-doubles in the season-opening win, with Brown-Jones notching his own 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Langley, a graduate student,  posted 11 points and dished out 10 assists. 

Kobe’s twin brother Keyshaun Langley, who is also a graduate student that decided to return for his final season of eligibility, added 12 points. Sophomore Donovan Atwell delivered his best performance as a Spartan, leading UNCG’s offensive efforts with a career-high 18 points, which included a 4-of-7 effort from three-point range. It was part of a 15-for-29 shooting performance from beyond-the-arc (51.7%) for the team, which was even better than the 47.2% (34-of-72) field goal percentage for the game.

UNCG will have a chance to garner a third power conference win Tuesday night, when it travels to Vanderbilt to take on the Commodores at 8 p.m. EST inside historic Memorial Gym. The Commodores dropped a 68-62 contest last week against Presbyterian College to open the season. 

Bucs off to 1-2 start

The first three games of the season have had both positives and negatives for new head coach Brooks Savage and his ETSU Bucs. After picking up a 73-56 win over NCAA Division II King College to open the season, the Bucs headed to CAA country and the Schar Center to face off against an Elon team the Bucs had defeated 77-64 in the Asheville Championship a year earlier.

The Phoenix are an improved basketball team from the one that went just 8-24 a season ago, however, under second-year head coach Billy Taylor and that could easily be discerned in the Phoenix’s season opener against Wake Forest, as the Phoenix hung around for a while before dropping a 101-78 decision to the Demon Deacons.

It was still at least a little surprising when the Bucs fell behind by 22 points (60-38) with just over 10 minutes left, and ETSU looked to be headed for disaster in its first road game of the Brooks Savage era, however, ETSU would show some grit and fight to get back into the game and make things interesting.. Elon’s 22-point lead following a Kendall Campbell foul shot had officially doubled their 11-point, 39-28, halftime advantage. 

The Bucs chipped away at the Phoenix substantial lead, and got the deficit to single digits on a layup by Quimari Peterson with a little over six minutes remaining. Peterson’s layup was part of a 29-point performance on the night for the Bucs’ talented newcomer running the point, and he would keep the Bucs in it and give ETSU a chance to win the game down the stretch.

Despite seeing the advantage pushed back to 13 moments later, ETSU wouldn’t go quietly against the former SoCon member. Consecutive triples from Peterson got the Bucs to within three, at 74-71, with just 29 seconds left. Another three by Peterson got the Bucs within two (78-76) with nine seconds left, the Bucs were forced to foul TJ Simpkins after an apparent missed traveling violation against Elon. Simpkins knocked down 1-of-2 to make it a 79-76 Elon lead, and in an attempt to get the ball to midcourt and call a timeout to set up a final shot, the Bucs turned it over, allowing the Phoenix to hold on for the three-point win. 

Peterson, who mid-major madness chose as the SoCon’s Newcomer of the Year, certainly has been one of the league’s top backcourt performers through the first three games of the season, which of course includes that 29-point effort in the loss to Elon. 

The junior guard has been a revelation through the first three of games this season, and it appears that I originally thought he might just be the best newcomer in the league this season. Peterson has led the Bucs in scoring in two out of the three games this season, posting 15 points in the season opener, while finishing with a league-best 29 points in the loss to Elon. Peterson finished connecting on 12-of-23 shots from the field, including 3-for-7 from three-point range to equal his 29-point effort and was a major part of the Bucs’ furious rally vs. Elon.

The only game in which Peterson has struggled a bit was in the lopsided, 81-47, setback to Butler—a game in which ETSU failed to produce a double-figures scorer—as the newcomer from John A. Logan College posted just four points on a 2-for-10 shooting performance, including going 0-for-3 from long range. Through three games this season, Peterson is averaging 16.0 and PPG, 6.0 RPG.

Veteran all-conference performer Jaden Seymour has had his moments in the first three games, and is second on the team in scoring average, posting 12.3 PPG, while also snagging 8.7 RPG to lead the team. ETSU is still very much a work in progress, and the hardest thing for a young head coach—particularly a rookie head coach—is figuring out the right rotation of players. There is a lot of talent on ETSU’s roster, but it’s going to take some time to figure out both the right mix of players, and for that mix of players to gel playing together. 

The Bucs will hope the shooting improves with the progression of the season, especially from the perimeter, as ETSU has connected on just 24.7% (20-of-81) from three-point range through the first three games. The 81 attempts from long range are the most in the league, with the Bucs one of four teams in the SoCon having played three games so far on the young season. 

It gets no easier Friday night for Savage and the Bucs, who welcome former SoCon rival Davidson (2-1) into Freedom Hall for a 7 p.m. contest. 

Guard Play

The final observation from the opening week of the SoCon hoops season is guard play. It’s been outstanding and it looks as though the league will have guard play that will be comparable to any mid-major conference membership in the nation in 2023-24. Western Carolina has not been a surprise to anyone that paid close attention to SoCon hoops last season, with the Catamounts really coming on during the month of February and that would continue into March. The Catamounts returned two of the top guards in mid-major basketball, in Woolbright and Jackson, and now DJ Campbell is playing like an all-conference performer through the first three games.

Chattanooga has a good mix of newcomers in its backcourt, with freshman Myles Che and redshirt sophomore Honor Huff leading another sharp-shooting Mocs team. While the Mocs had veterans like AJ Caldwell and Dalvin White running things last season, and those two were steady players, however, Che and Huff give the Mocs a similar scoring dynamic to that of the Catamounts, and with the shooting ability of Huff, it will keep the Mocs in the league title race throughout the duration this season.

Furman has a new dimension without top guard and scorer Mike Bothwell, as he helped lead the Paladins to a breakthrough school-record 28-win season to go along with the Paladins first NCAA Tournament appearance in 43 years and first NCAA Tournament win in 49 years. The Paladins don’t have a player of Bothwell’s scoring ability, however, what they do have is more depth and are a tad better defensively in the backcourt. 

The head of the snake is obviously point guard JP Pegues, and he has the always-reliable and veteran leadership of Marcus Foster to lean on for scoring support. However, Furman’s strength in the backcourt will be in what it can do with different lineups and combinations, with the addition of Lee University transfer PJay Smith Jr. and maybe the most improved player in the Southern Conference–Carter Whitt.

UNCG still has the Langleys (Keyshaun and Kobe), and it was those two that facilitated play on both ends, leading to the best shooting night of any team in the league to open the season, as the Spartans knocked down 15-of-29 attempts from three-point land in the 16-point win over North Carolina A&T to open the season. While Kobe Langley is the reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year and Keyshaun Langley is a candidate to win SoCon Player of the Year, it was the performance of sophomore Donovan Atwell, who posted a career-high 18 points in the season-opening win that has Spartans fans excited about their collection of backcourt talent moving forward in the 2023-24 season.

Along with Chattanooga’s Che, VMI has had one of the best freshman guards in the SoCon this season, with true freshman Tyran Cook off to a strong start to his VMI career, leading the Keydets in scoring, averaging 13.0 PPG and 4.3 RPG off the bench in the first three games of the season for the Keydets. In VMI’s 74-64 loss at South Carolina Monday night, Cook posted his best performance yet in his young career in the Red and Gold, posting 16 points on a 6-for-11 shooting performance against the Gamecocks. The Keydets are again one of the youngest teams in college basketball, however, head coach Andrew Wilson has brought in an exciting collection of talent in the backcourt to keep an eye on this season. 

Finally, Quimari Peterson, Gabe Sisk, and Eddy Asamoah are three talented newcomers that help highlight some exciting scoring potential for ETSU on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor coming into the season, with Peterson and Sisk bringing a scoring punch, while Asamoah–a transfer from Delaware–adding a defensive presence not all that unlike former Bucs guard Isaiah Tisdale brought to the mix when he starred for ETSU from 2018-20. We’ve already seen what Peterson can do offensively, scoring a league high 29 points in ETSU’s loss at Elon.

Those guards mentioned above are just a sample size of what the league has to offer this season, however, whereas the SoCon has been a league that has had some dominating big men over the past five or six seasons, it appears that the league will have some dynamic guards that will be a storyline throughout the 2023-24 season. 

Week 1 Power Poll

1. Western Carolina (3-0) --The Catamounts have the league’s two most impressive wins so far at Notre Dame and even more impressive at Middle Tennessee State.

2. Furman (2-0) --The Paladins were impressive in their win over Belmont and have a big week ahead at Myrtle Beach Invitational

3. Chattanooga (2-0)--Mocs looked good with another former VMI star leading the way in the win at Louisville.

4. UNCG (2-0)--The Spartans continue to show they can shoot it from three–a trend that started last February with a win over ETSU.

5. Samford (0-2)--Bulldogs had a rough start to the season but should get wins over Mississippi College and South Carolina State this week.

6. Wofford (2-0)--The Terriers looked good in wins over Brevard, but things get real with tests upcoming at.Tennessee (Nov. 14) and at Virginia Tech (Nov. 19) in the Mike Young Invitational.

7. ETSU (1-2)--Bucs still finding their way under new head coach Brooks Savage.

8. The Citadel (0-3)--Despite an 0-3 start, the Bulldogs have plenty to build on moving forward and should pick up their first win of the season Thursday night.

9. VMI (1-2)--The Keydets played well at times against South Carolina, and if they can cut down on the turnovers, VMI will make some noise as it gains experience and maturity.

10. Mercer (1-2)--Losing to Clark Atlanta is embarrassing and following it with a narrow five-point win at Chicago State isn’t exactly promising.

Recent SoCon wins vs ACC

Chattanooga 81, Louisville 71 (Nov. 10, 2023)

Western Carolina 71, Notre Dame 61 (Nov. 11, 2023)

Furman 68, Virginia 67 (NCAA Tournament/Mar. 16, 2023)

Furman 80, Louisville 72 (Nov. 13, 2021)