Furman heads to UNC Greensboro Saturday for Blockbuster SoCon Clash

SoCon Two Most Successful Programs Over The Past Decade:

Over the past decade, there have been no two more successful Southern Conference basketball programs other than Furman (13-1, 1-0 SoCon) and UNC Greensboro (8-6, 1-0 SoCon) in terms of both total wins and conference wins. The Paladins, who are off to their first 13-1 start since the 1931-32 season, have won 211 games (211-99) since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is most among SoCon programs over that span. UNCG isn't far behind in the total wins category, having won 206 games (206-106) to rank in second place in total wins.

As of Friday, Furman's 13 wins are tied with Oklahoma and Florida for most in all of college basketball this season, while the Paladins five true road wins trails only UC Irvine, which currently has six.

With its 68-66 win over Wofford to open Southern Conference play on the road this past Wednesday, the Spartans notched their 117th (117-46) Southern Conference win since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is most among current league members over that span. With Furman's 90-61 win on the road at Western Carolina, the Paladins notched their 114th league win over that same span (114-46).

It could also be argued that during non-conference play, both UNCG and Furman picked up the two most impressive wins by any of the other league members, with the Spartans taking down High Point, 72-68, last month at their on-campus facility of Fleming Gym, while Furman took down Princeton, 69-63, in its home away from home at the moment--Bon Secours Wellness Arena. 

The Spartans are unbeaten at home so far this season (5-0) and have posted an impressive 113-29 record on their home floor since the start of the 2015-16 season. Furman has won 70 road games since the start of the 2016-17 season, which ranks third-most in all of NCAA Division I College Basketball. 

The Series:

Last season, UNCG claimed the extremely rare season sweep between the two, as the Spartans picked up a 79-68 win over an injury-plagued Paladin team to open SoCon play in early January of 2024, and then came to Furman's Timmons Arena a month later to claim a thrilling 89-87 win over the Paladins. 

With that season-sweep of Furman last season, the Spartans assumed a 25-21 all-time lead in the series that has been one of the best in the SoCon over the past decade. UNCG has owned the proceedings as of late, having won four of the past five meetings between the two.

The Matchup:

Saturday afternoon's matchup inside the First Horizon Coliseum will pit the SoCon's top two defensive teams, with UNCG coming into the contest leading the SoCon in both scoring defense (63.4 PPG) and field goal percentage defense (38.5%). 

As for the Paladins, they rank second in both scoring defense (63.8 PPG) and field goal percentage defense (39.4%), while ranking tops in the SoCon and second in the nation, holding opponents to just 25.2% shooting from long-range so far in the 2025-26 season.  The Spartans rank 10th nationally and second in the SoCon defending the three, holding foes to just 27.4% shooting from three-point range this season. 

By contrast, the Paladins enter the contest leading the SoCon in field goal percentage (48.1%) and ranking third in three-point field goal percentage (36.7%). The Paladins also rank second in the league in three-pointers made (153) and rank third in the SoCon in scoring offense (79.7 PPG).

As for UNCG, the Spartans enter the contest ranking ninth in team field goal percentage (43.4%), but by contrast rank second in the SoCon in three-point field goal percentage (37.1%) and fourth in the league in three-point field goals made (136). 

Scouting the Spartans:

Like Furman, UNCG has had to look to the transfer portal to replace a huge portion of its outgoing talent, with both Kobe and Keyshaun Langley having both graduated, as well as Mikeal Brown-Jones having moved on via the transfer portal to Ole Miss. 

Head coach Mike Jones is not a big fan of the transfer portal, as he would be more in favor of player development. However, though he might be against the process itself and how its affecting college basketball as a whole, he has managed to procure some pretty good talent from the portal. The additions of guys like Kenyon Giles (16.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG), who is one of seven newcomers, has helped stabilize the UNCG program and helped it sustain its standing as a viable SoCon Title contender once again this season.

Like Furman, UNCG was picked much lower than the high expectations that should go along with a program that has won more than 200 games over the past nine years, as the Spartans were picked to finish sixth by the league's head coaches at SoCon Media Day back in October.

Giles was one of the real difference-makers that Jones was able to get from the portal, and he's making a strong bid for SoCon Newcomer of the Year honors. So far this season, the 5-9 junior guard, who transferred into the UNCG program from Radford, is off to a nice start in the Blue and Gold of UNCG. He has posted 13 double-figure scoring games in 14 outings for the Spartans so far and is coming off a 12-point performance last time out in what was a 68-66 UNCG win at Wofford.

In that contest, Giles knocked down 3-of-10 shots from the field and went 1-for-4 from three-point land. Giles currently ranks seventh in the SoCon and leads the Spartans in scoring so far this season, averaging 16.0 PPG. He comes into UNCG's SoCon home opener against the Paladins shooting 45.1% (82-of-182) from the field through the early portions of the season and is also connecting at a 42.7% (41-of-96) from beyond the arc this season, which ranks him as one of the better perimeter shooters in the SoCon. 

Giles is the kind of explosive scorer that can easily go for 20-25 points on a given night, and he enters Saturday afternoon's contest having already posted five games this season in which he has totaled 20 or more points, including a pair of 25-point efforts, which came against High Point and at North Carolina A&T, which both resulted in Spartan wins. Giles has also been a key component on the defensive end of the floor for UNCG this season, having posted a team-best 22 steals. 

Backcourt mates Donovan Atwell (13.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG) and Ronald Polite III (12.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG) have helped the Spartans boast one of the more solid backcourts in the SoCon so far this season. Atwell was a preseason All-SoCon selection and was one of the SoCon's top three-point shooter's last season, connecting a blistering 41.7% (88-of-211) from long-range last season. In Greensboro against the Paladins last season, Atwell was on fire in last season's 79-68 win over the Paladins, finishing as one of four Spartans in double figures in the game, as he posted 17 points.

Atwell finished his night against the 'Dins going 6-of-12 from the field, including making 5-of-9 shots from three-point land to finish with a team-high tying 17 points. This season, Atwell is just behind the pace at which he was last season at this time, as he is shooting 38.9% from long-range (42-of-108), with his 42 triples so far this season leading the club. 

Through the first 14 games this season, Atwell has posted double-figure scoring efforts in nine games, which includes scoring 20 or more points on two occasions, with his season-high of 21 points coming in a lopsided win over Virginia University Lynchburg. Of his 60 made field goals this season, only 18 are not three-pointers. He posted nine points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 1-for-5 from three-point range in the Spartans' win at Wofford last time out. 

Roland Polite III rounds out the UNCG starters in the backcourt and he has started nine out of the 10 games he's seen action in this season. It was Polite that knocked down what proved to be the game-winning three-pointer in UNCG's last outing against Wofford, as his three swished through with just under 10 seconds remaining to give the Spartans a huge 68-66 road win. 

Polite III's three was part of a day which would see the see him tie for the team lead in scoring, posting 16 points. Polite hasn't connected on many threes this season, however, when he has shot them he has been especially effective, having knocked down 41.4% (12-for-29) from long range this season. From the field this season, Polite III is connecting on 47.7% (41-of-86) from the field so far in 2024-25. 

Set to start in the paint for the Spartans in Saturday's league showdown are Demetrius Davis (4.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG) and Jalen Breath (7.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG). Breath has been an efficient and consistent scorer in most games this season for UNCG, and he comes into Saturday's contest connecting on 41.0% (32-of-78) from the field through the first 14 games this season for the Spartans. 

The 6-8 redshirt junior forward has three games in which he has finished in double figures this season, all of which resulted in double-doubles. His best effort to date in scoring and on the boards came in the home win over High Point, which saw him provide the Spartans with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win. That helped push the Spartans to their biggest win of the season, and it was probably the SoCon's top win of the season.

Davis is a former player at Chattanooga, and he showed his ability to be a streaky scorer with the Mocs, which included a 19-point effort in his first game with the Mocs against the College of Charleston back in November of 2022. Davis' performances have been spotty since, however, he does have that potential to have one of those games.

He's an outstanding athlete and has scored in double figures twice in his time with the Spartans, including the last time out against the Terriers, matching for team-high honors with a season-high 16 points. So far this season, he's shooting 40.3% (25-of-62) from the field and just 29.0% (9-of-31) from three-point land. 

The top players coming off the bench for the Spartans include forward Malik Henry (6.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG), and guard Joryam Saizonou (4.5 PPG, 2.2 RPG). Henry gives the Spartans another physical body underneath the basket, and he leads the team with 11 blocks so far this season. 

Henry, a transfer from George Mason, has seen action in all 14 games this season, including having made two starts. Henry also boasts the team's best field goal percentage this season, connecting on 60.4% (32-of-53) shooting from the field. He leads the team with 12 dunks.

Saizonou is normally a three-point specialist off the bench for the Spartans but has struggled this season having connected on just 25.0% (7-of-28) from long-range. He torched Furman off the bench for a season-high 13 points in UNCG's win in Greensboro last season. 

Noting The Paladins:

-- Shooting guard Nick Anderson (12.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG) led the Paladins in scoring for the third time this season last time out against Western Carolina, notching his second 20-point game of the season, as he connected on 7-of-11 shots from the field and 4-for-5 from three-point range. He has shot an impressive 39.6% (36-of-91) from three-point land this season. 

--Point guard PJay Smith Jr. (16.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.7 APG) has scored in double figures in nine of the 12 games he's seen action in this season and currently ranks ninth nationally in three-point field goal percentage, having connected on 47.7% (42-of-88) from downtown this season, as well as ranking 11th in three-pointers made per game (3.50). He has scored 20 or more points on five out of his 12 games so far this season for the Paladins, including scoring 29 points on two occasions. 

--Forward Ben VanderWal (6.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG) has been Furman's "glue guy" and high energy guy all season. That has translated big-time during Furman's six-game winning streak, as the Elmhurst, Ill., product has averaged 9.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG over that span, while shooting 51.4% from the field. 

--Forward Cooper Bowser (8.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG) has had several notable performances this season, with the best of those coming in a 17-point, 12-rebound performance in Furman's 61-56 win over Seattle in Las Vegas. Bowser leads the Paladins in field goal percentage this season, connecting on 64.3% (45-of-70) so far this season. Bowser's 26 blocks lead the SoCon. 

--Forward Garrett Hien (8.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG) has found his way into double figures in seven out of Furman's 14 games this season, including each of the last two. Hien posted 12 points on a 5-of-9 shooting performance from the field, which included a 1-of-3 effort from three-point range last time out against the Catamounts. In helping the Paladins to the 90-61 win, Hien notched his 90th win as a Paladin player.