Furman (13-2, 1-1 SoCon) at The Citadel (5-8, 0-2 SoCon)
Where: McAlister Field House (5,600)/Charleston, S.C.
When: Jan. 8, 2025/7 p.m. EST
Coaches: Furman--Bob Richey (169-73/9th season)/The Citadel--Ed Conroy (75-127/7th season at The Citadel over two different stints)
When the Bulldogs and Paladins tip it up on Wednesday night in what will be the third Southern Conference game of the season for both teams, it will mark the 222nd all-time meeting between the two programs in a rivalry that dates back to the 1919-20 season, which saw the Bulldogs hold off the Paladins 22-16 in Greenville.
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| Furman head coach Bob Richey |
The two have met met every season ever since, with the lone interruption in the series being a two-year hiatus from 1942-44 for World War II. Despite winning six of the first eight meetings between the two, The Citadel has seen the Paladins dominate the all-time series between the two, owning a 133-88 all-time series lead.
The Paladins trailed nearly the entire way in the meeting between the two at McAlister Field House last season, however, the Paladins would get more late-game heroics from JP Pegues to force overtime and eventually hold off a pesky Bulldogs team, posting an 82-79 overtime win over the Bulldogs.
Pegues connected on a three-pointer with less than a second left to force overtime in a game Furman didn’t take its first lead until the 7:44 mark of the second half, as the junior guard's triple rang true to tie the game, 72-72, and the Paladins would limit The Citadel to 1-of-8 in overtime to come away from a packed McAlister Field House with a key 82-79 Southern Conference win. It was a game that the Bulldogs, who outplayed the Paladins for much of the night, let slip through their collective grasp. It was the third of just four road wins for the 'Dins in what was a peculiar 17-16 season in a follow-up to their championship run of 2022-23.
Off to a 13-2 start this season, the Paladins have surprised nearly everyone around the league except themselves. Furman was picked to finish fifth, while the Bulldogs were selected to finish 10th. Despite the fact that Furman has won 19 of the past 23 meetings between the two, it's been a hotly contested rivalry of late.
The Bulldogs last pulled off a victory in the series just two years ago in Furman's school-record 28-win, SoCon title-winning season, as the Bulldogs pulled off a 69-65 win in Charleston.
Prior to that four-point win over the Paladins a couple of years ago, you have to rewind back to Bob Richey's first season in charge of the Paladins program to find the most recent Bulldogs win, as the Duggar Baucom-led Bulldogs would overcome as much as a 17-point second-half deficit to hold on for a 100-92 win.
In Baucom's first season in charge, which was the 2015-16 season, the Bulldogs were able to post an 89-86 win over in Charleston and a year earlier, the 62-56 win by Chuck Driesell's Bulldogs club at Timmons Arena round out the four wins for The Citadel in the past 23 meetings between the two.
Previewing the Bulldogs:
It's long been known that The Citadel's Ed Conroy is one of the best basketball minds anywhere. Once a Bulldogs player and now in his second stint as the head coach of the Bulldogs, Conroy, whose father Pat Conroy, became a best-selling author, with books like Prince of Tides and My Losing Season which details life as a cadet and Bulldogs basketball player, revealing a look at what it was like being a student-athlete at The Citadel in mid-late 1960s, focusing primarily on Pat Conroy's senior campaign in 1966-67.
Conroy's father details a revealing, harsh and brutally true look at The Citadel's athletics culture in that time period, and in particular, the basketball program, which made put him at odds with the program for a while until all was forgiven several years later.
Pat Conroy passed away in 2016, and the family name is now praised once again and very much held in high regard throughout the low country for the many positive things both the late Pat Conroy did, as well as what his son is currently doing for the Military College of South Carolina in a positive manner, and in particular, the hoops program.
Ed Conroy is not only one of the best coaches in mid-major basketball, he's also one of the best people, as he is not only one of the most-repected coaches in the country, he's also well-liked by coaching peers because of his kindness and professionalism.
At a program like The Citadel, he's a perfect fit because of his understanding of the culture and what it takes to be successful as a head coach in what is one of the most challenging jobs in all of NCAA Division I College Basketball.
Conroy even spent a stint at Furman as an assistant coach for three years from 1994-97 during the Joe Cantafio era (1994-97).
Since he was long seen as an extension as his father, the younger Conroy drew some of the dislike and distrust during the period before all was all forgiven by the program and it's loyal following of fans and alums.
It had certainly helped that in his first stint as the head coach, he had coached the Bulldogs to one of their best seasons in program history when he led the 2008-09 The Citadel Bulldogs to just their second 20-win season in program history, and the program's first non-conference affiliated postseason basketball tournament, as The Citadel ended up garnering an invitation to the 2009 CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
After another 16-16 record a year later, Conroy departed Charleston to become the head coach of the Tulane Green Wave. After things didn't go according to plan and Conroy was fired at Tulane, he was welcomed back to Charleston as the new-old head coach after being re-hired to lead the Bulldogs in May of 2022. Ever since, he's been trying to build The Citadel Basketball program into a consistent winner in the Southern Conference, which has been a thankless task for a program that has never made the NCAA Tournament.
The 2024-25 season has seen the Bulldogs get off to another rocky start in the 2024-25 season, as the Bulldogs come into the clash with the Paladins sporting a 5-8 overall mark, including an 0-2 mark in league action. The Bulldogs have opened SoCon play with losses with two of the top three projected three finishers in the league, suffering a 30-point loss at reigning league champion Samford (L, 56-86) to open SoCon play and dropped what was a 81-68 loss to Chattanooga last time out on Saturday on their home floor.
The lone win over an NCAA Division I opponent came against Stetson early on in the season, as the Bulldogs were able to get a 74-52 win over the defending Atlantic Sun Tournament champions. The other three wins for the Bulldogs have come against Toccoa Falls (W, 94-57), Erskine (W, 86-56), St. Andrews (W, 100-85) and North Greenville (W, 79-54).
The Bulldogs suffered double-digit losses in five of its eight losses against Division I competition so far this season, with only the road loss at Boston College (L, 60-69), the home loss to North Carolina A&T (L, 73-82) and road loss at Central Arkansas (L, 71-73) being the exceptions to that. The Bulldogs lost by 52 points at Vanderbilt (L, 53-105), 13 points vs Chattanooga (L, 68-81) last time out, 30 points at Samford (L, 56-86), 28 points vs. Campbell (L, 58-86) at home, and 15 points at home vs. College of Charleston (L, 61-76).
Needless to say its been a rough start to year three of Conroy's second stint in charge of the program. One thing is that the Bulldogs have never had an issue with is getting a little extra motivation to play its arch-rival from the Upstate, especially on their home floor.
The Bulldogs have some nice pieces, despite their struggles through the first 13 games of the 2024-25 season. The most notable of those players and a key addition via the transfer portal has been transfer Brody Fox () from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. The 6-6, athletic guard has been sensational for the Bulldogs since being acquired during the off-season, and his game has translated especially well to the Southern Conference.
So far through the first 13 games in a Bulldogs uniform--all of which he has gotten the starting nod--Fox is averaging 16.6 PPG, which is tied for highest scoring average in the league so far this season. Fox has some similarities as a point-forward to that of former Paladin and Summerville native Jalen Slawson in terms of his athleticism and ability to play multiple positions on the floor depending on the opponent's personnel on the floor at any different portion of the game.
The most notable comparison that most can see between the two is the athleticism and leaping ability. Fox's ability to slash and take the ball aggressively to the rim is an element that's not been often been seen in recent seasons in Charleston. A native of Mahtomedi, MN, Fox has posted double-figure performances in 10 of 13 games this season, including each of his first eight. He started the season with eight-straight double-figure scoring performances, which included a season-high 29-point effort in the win over St. Andrews.
The 6-6 guard has scored 20 or more points on five occasions this season, with the most recent being the last time out against Chattanooga, as he posted 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, including a 7-of-11 effort at the line. Fox is a straight scorer, and I've mentioned it several times in other articles that he scored an eye-popping 72 points in a game at UW-Stout last season. He's a scorer, however, he's not a great perimeter threat, having connected on only 2-of-18 (11.1%) long-range efforts this season. He is shooting 54.5% (78-of-143) from the field so far this season, however, he shoots only 52.7% (58-of-110) from the charity stripe.
Not only has Fox been impressive on the offensive end of the floor this season for the Bulldogs, he's also been solid on the defensive end of the floor, as he currently ranks tied for first in the league in steals in conference games after the opening week of play, as he is averaging 2.5 steals-per-game in league play.
Set to team with Fox in the backcourt Wednesday evening are 6-0 senior point guard Cam Glover (8.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.9 APG) and 6-6 junior shooting guard Sola Adebisi (8.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG). Both have been solid for the Bulldogs this season, with each having had their moments.
Glover, who is a graduate transfer from NCAA Division II Montevallo, is listed as a starter, and though he started the first six games of the nine he's seen action in this season, he has started on the bench in each of the past three contests.
Glover has posted five double-figure scoring efforts this season, however, he has not reached double-figures in scoring in each of the past five outings, as he came closest to doing so last time out against Chattanooga, as he finished with eight points on what was a 3-fof-5 shooting effort from the field.
Adebisi has caused some matchup issues for opponents at times this season, and he enters Wednesday night's midweek showdown between the Palmetto State rivals having logged starts in all nine games he's seen action in this season for the Bulldogs.
He was a late arrival from Florida State via the transfer portal, and he's been a nice addition to the Bulldogs' roster. The 6-6 Adebisi has found his way into double figures on four times this season, which includes a 12-point effort the last time out against the Mocs.
Adebisi is a has a nice shot from the perimeter, although he's only 9-of-31 (29.0%) from long-distance this season. He shoots a solid 54.3% (44-of-81) from the field, and he logged his most-productive performance of the season in the Bulldogs' lopsided win over Erskine, posting 16 points against the Flying Fleet in the second game of the season.
Like Fox, Adebisi has the ability to play multiple spots because of his overall ability and skill as a ball-handler, and he's been probably most effective on the glass this season, averaging a team-best 6.8 RPG this season. Should Glover not start again Wednesday night for the fourth-straight game, look for Lipscomb transfer Paxton Davidson (6.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG).
Davidson is exactly the kind of player and guard you'd expect him to be, which is savvy and smart, as well as being a player that takes decent care of the basketball, which is pretty much a requirement to see time on the floor for Conroy.
He isn't going to wow you with great offensive numbers or his shooting percentages, but he does have a good understanding of what Conroy's offensive system entails, as well as given the Bulldogs some added maturity on the floor, as he makes sound decisions with the basketball. Davidson's breakout performance for the Bulldogs came in the 73-71 road loss at Central Arkansas, as he posted a season-high 23 points in the two-point loss. It is one of two double-figure scoring performances this season for The Citadel. Davidson is shooting 32.3% (21-of-65) from long-range this season.
In the paint, the Bulldogs will rely on the services of both Kenyan Davis (9.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG) and transfer portal addition John Adams (5.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG). Davis battled some injuries, but the 6-5 forward has started 12 of 13 games for the Bulldogs as a sophomore this season and has picked up where he left off as one of the league's top rookies a year ago. He's improved both his scoring and rebounding averages this season, as he has gone from averaging along six points per game last season to just under double figures this season, at 9.2 PPG.
In fact, Davis scored in double figures in the first three games of the 2024-25 season, posting 10, 11 and 18 points in his first three games to start out the campaign this season. His 18-point effort in The Citadel's 22-point win over Stetson. His 18-point effort also matched his career high of 18, which he established previously in The Citadel's win vs. Chattanooga in his rookie campaign last season.
Davis is shooting 41.4% (41-of-99) from the field so far this season, while connecting at a 28.3% (21-of-27) from three-point land. In last season's overtime setback to the Paladins in McAlister Field House, Davis posted 15 points and give boards.
Adams has been a solid addition this season, and the 6-8 forward has given the Bulldogs some decent size and athleticism, but it will be challenging against one of the bigger teams overall in the league. He's shooting 56.5% (26-of-46) from the field this season and enjoyed his best games of the campaign against Campbell, Stetson and Chattanooga, posting eight points in each of those games.
Colby McAlister (7.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG) rounds out the significant contributors for the Bulldogs coming into the matchup, and he's been the top guy coming off the bench this season, as he is kind of The Citadel's "glue guy". He's found his way into the double figures scoring column five times this season, including a season-high 17 points in the Bulldogs' win over Toccoa Falls. He posted a pair of 15-point efforts in back-to-back outings against Vanderbilt and Central Arkansas in recent outings.
According to KenPom, the Bulldogs have ranked near the bottom of college basketball on both ends of the floor, making it tough to come by many wins. The Bulldogs rank No. 346 (95.2) of 364 NCAA Division I college basketball teams in offensive efficiency, as well as ranking No. 341 in defensive efficiency (115.4) this season.
One of the real head-scratchers is the fact that the Bulldogs rank as one the worst free throw shooting team in college basketball, connecting on just 57.9% from the line as a team this season. All told, KenPom has the Bulldogs ranked No. 357 of 364 in all of NCAA Division I. The Bulldogs rank second-to-last in the SoCon in scoring offense (71.8 PPG) and rank sixth in scoring defense (71.8 PPG). The Bulldogs rank sixth in the league in team field goal percentage (45.2%), as well as ranking eighth in the nine-team SoCon in three-point field goal percentage (30.4%).
Noting the Paladins:
--Furman has dropped both of its games this season by double digits, which include a 35-point setback at then No. 1 Kansas and a 17-point, 84-67, setback last time out against UNCG. As a rule, the Paladins aren't used to such a strong start, as well as haven't been used to getting blown out in losses, and though there are only two of them, the way Furman has lost games this season is of slight concern. With that said, it's more likely that the UNCG loss was an exception to the rule to SoCon losses in eight previous seasons under Richey, as is the loss to Kansas at the end of November. Things snowballed in both games, with every shot seeming to go down on one end, while everyone seemed to miss on the other end.
--Furman's 17-point loss to the Spartans was its second-worst SoCon loss by margin under current head coach Bob Richey and worst since the Paladins dropped a 23-point contest at East Tennessee State (L, 56-79) in late December of 2018. Strangely, the Spartans have more double-digit wins over the Paladins under Richey than any other SoCon program, having now posted five.
--The Paladins continue to be one of the best defensive teams that has suited up over for head coach Bob Richey, who is in his ninth season at the helm. Despite seeing the Spartans blister the nets at 57.4%, the Paladins still rank 61st nationally in field goal percentage defense (40.5%), tied for 44th in scoring defense (65.0 PPG), and third in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.0%).
--Furman's 12 non-conference wins are a school record, and it's 13-1 start marked the best 14-game start to a campaign since the 1931-32 season.
--Furman point guard PJay Smith Jr. continued his strong to start to the 2024-25 season last time out at UNCG, as he posted 24 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field and was 4-for-11 from three-pont land in the setback. He led the team with his scoring effort and it marked the first time this season that the Paladins only had one player in double figures. He currently ranks 11th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (46.5), eighth in three-pointers made per game (3.54) and 30th in three-pointers made (46). Smith has 20 or more points in six of the 13 games he's seen action in this season, including 29 point efforts on two occasions. He has scored in double figures in 10 out of the 13 games he's played for Furman this season.
--The Paladins have had 11 different double-figure scorers this season and six different Paladins have led the Paladins in a game in scoring this season.
--Offensively, Furman averages 17.7 assists-per-game, which ranks 19th in all of NCAA Division I, and it's 1.62 assists-turnover-ratio ranks the Paladins 26th in the nation in that statistical category.
--The Paladins have only suffered consecutive conference losses on eight occasions in the eight previous seasons Bob Richey has been the head coach, with three of those groups of consecutive league setbacks coming in the 2023-24 season.
Probable Paladin Starters:
G--PJay Smith Jr. (17.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.5 APG)
G--Nick Anderson (11.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.7 APG)
F--Ben VanderWal (5.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG)
F--Cooper Bowser (8.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.8 BPG)
C--Garrett Hien (8.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.8 APG)
Key Players off the Bench:
G--Eddrin Bronson (6.3 PPG, 1.5 RPG)
C--Charles Johnston (7.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 45.5% from 3pt range/15-of-33)
G--Tom House (6.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG)
F--Davis Molnar (2.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG)
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