Is Chattanooga the Team to Beat in the Southern Conference?
UNCG (17-9, 10-3 SoCon) at Furman (19-7, 7-6 SoCon), 12 p.m. EST
***It will mark the 48th meeting between Furman and UNCG, with the Spartans holding a 26-21 edge, including an 84-67 win in Greensboro back on Jan. 4
Samford (19-7, 9-4 SoCon) at Wofford (14-12, 8-5 SoCon), 2 p.m. EST
***It will mark the 33rd all-time meeting in the series, with the Terriers holding a 23-9 series edge and hasn't lost in Spartanburg to Samford since 2017 (L, 89-91). Samford won the first meeting between the two this season, 77-61, in Birmingham back on Jan. 25
The Citadel (5-19, 0-13 SoCon) at Western Carolina (7-17, 3-10 SoCon), 3:30 p.m. EST
***It will mark the 90th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and Catamounts with WCU holding a narrow 48-41 series edge; the Catamounts claimed an 80-78 overtime thriller in Charleston back on Jan. 25
VMI (12-14, 6-7 SoCon) at Mercer (11-15, 4-9 SoCon), 4:30 p.m. EST
***Mercer holds a commanding 20-4 all-time series edge against the Keydets in what will be the 25th meeting in series history Saturday at Hawkins Arena; The Bears claimed a 70-67 win over the Keydets at Cameron Hall back on Jan.4
East Tennessee State (15-11, 8-5 SoCon) at Chattanooga (17-9, 10-3 SoCon), 7 p.m. EST
***--ETSU and Chattanooga have met 102 times, with the Mocs holding the 55-47 all-time series edge, which includes having claimed a 71-63 win over the Bucs in a battle that was heated throughout in Johnson City.
When the 2024-25 season got underway, the Chattanooga Mocs were on everyone’s radar. The program usually is after all, as it has established itself as the gold standard in Southern Conference Basketball ever since joining SoCon in 1977 under then head coach Ron Shumate.
While the Mocs’ 13-point, 85-72, win over Furman last weekend gave UTC
the season sweep of the Paladins impressive in impressive fashion, it was UTC’s
win 82-68 win at league co-leader Samford Wednesday night that has most folks
abuzz about the Mocs as we head down the stretch of the season in the Southern
Conference. Fresh off the win over the Bulldogs, the Mocs now are tied with UNC
Greensboro at 10-3 in the Southern Conference race. The Spartans held serve at
home, equaling the Mocs in the standings with an 80-54 win over VMI.
The Mocs have a monumental stretch of games ahead, which includes
three-straight at home against East Tennessee State (Feb. 15), Western Carolina
(Feb. 19) and The Citadel (Feb. 22) before closing out SoCon play on the road
at league co-leader UNC Greensboro (Feb. 27) and at VMI (Mar. 1). If the Mocs
can close strong down the stretch, it could be looking at claiming its 21st
SoCon regular-season or Divisional title, as well as heading to Asheville with
the all-important No. 1 overall seed, which has seen the past seven No. 1 seeds
lift the Southern Conference title trophy in Asheville.
Breaking Down UTC’s win at Samford
One of the critiques coming into the season or knocks on Dan Earl’s teams
since taking over as Chattanooga’s head coach in 2022-23 was its lack of
intensity on the defensive end of the floor, however, during the Mocs win over
the Bulldogs Wednesday night. In the first meeting with the league favorite and
defending champion this season, Chattanooga blew what had been an 11-point
halftime to eventually drop what was a 73-69 contest to the Bulldogs in a
nationally-televised league tilt on CBS Sports Network last month.
This time around, however, the Mocs posted their best defensive performance
of the season, and it never let the Bulldogs find a run to overtake them at any
point in the game, leading wire-to-wire in easily the most impressive game of
the season. The Bulldogs never led at
any point during the contest, which showed just how much the Mocs had learned
from their previous meeting against the Bulldogs. Any let-up at any point on
the road
Back-to-back losses by in SoCon play by Samford to both Chattanooga and
East Tennessee State marks the first time the Bulldogs have dropped consecutive
regular-season SoCon games since the 2022-23 season when both Furman (L, 84-91 OT/Jan. 25, 2023) and Wofford (L, 77-85/Jan. 28, 2023) handed the Bulldogs back-to-back losses in.
Much like Mercer did in a game Samford won during the early portion of
Southern Conference play earlier this season, the Mocs put the clamps down
defensively against the Bulldogs, holding them without a field goal over almost
the final nine minutes of the game, as Samford didn’t score from the field from
the 9:19 mark of the second half until the 35 seconds remaining in the game on
a layup by Trey Fort, which got the Bulldogs to within 16, as Samford would score the final four points of
the game to lose by 14.
The Mocs were able to limit the Bulldogs to just 38.3% (23-of-60)
shooting from the field for the game, which included just a 20.0% (5-for-25)
effort from three-point range.
Meanwhile, offensively the Mocs placed four in double figures in the road
win, with Trey Bonham pacing the Mocs with 18 points in 27 minutes of floor
time, as he connected on 6-of-12 shots from the field and went 2-for-4 from
three-point range. Bonham dished out three assists and added three steals, while
also snatching four boards in a game that was arguably the Mocs most-complete
performance of the season.
The real x-factor this season for Dan Earl’s squad has been Frank Champion—a
standout transfer from NCAA Division II North Georgia College, where he was an
All-American—and most folks wondered whether or not Champion could give the
Mocs a consistent low-post scoring threat similar to what Jake Stephens was
able to give the Mocs in his first season with the Mocs.
Not only has Champion been able to do that, but he’s been able to show a wide range of skills under the basket, with his ability as a passer. He’s
actually given Earl and staff a more polished inside product than even predecessor
Sam Alexis. His ability to affect a game in so many different areas makes him one
of the most versatile players in the SoCon this season, and though he’s only
played 18 games, a candidate to capture SoCon Newcomer of the Year accolades
this season.
In the win over the Bulldogs Wednesday night, Champion nearly posted a triple-double for the Mocs, as he finished the demonstrative road win over the Bulldogs with 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He also added three steals and three blocks in 34 minutes of action. It would have been the first triple-double for the Mocs program in over 13 years.
East Tennessee State and Chattanooga are set to battle at least one more
time in the rivalry clash that always seemingly produces a good game, and it’s
been one that’s been a heated ever since the first time the two teams ever met
on the hardwood back in 1961, with the two now having met 102 times, with the Mocs
holding the 55-47 all-time series edge, which includes having claimed a 71-63 win
over the Bucs in a battle that was heated throughout in Johnson City.
The Mocs could have a season-high crowd on hand when it returns to the
Roundhouse Saturday for the second meeting of the season between the two. In the first meeting this season between the two,
Chattanooga would face an early 12-point deficit (22-10), but found a way to
battle back into the game, and used a strong run at the end of the first half
to take a 28-27 lead into the half.
In the second half, it was a case of Trey Bonham (13.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.8 APG) putting
the Mocs on his back and not letting them lose. Bonham scored 22 points on 8-for-16
shooting from the field and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, and
the Mocs were able to lock down the Bucs for the final four minutes of the half
to take the one-point lead into the break.
The second half took an early five-point lead in the
second half when Bash Wieland gave the Mocs a 34-29 lead on a driving layup,
and UTC would eventually grow its lead to as much as eight points, at 45-37, before
ETSU reeled off seven-straight to get within one, highlighted by a Quimari
Peterson (18.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG) three-pointer during a stretch that saw UTC get within 45-44.
However, the Mocs used a key 15-5 run to take control of
the game, assuming a 60-49 lead with just over five minutes remaining following
a made free throw from Latif Diouf. ETSU could never get closer than six points
the remainder of the game.
The key for me to the game will be whether or not Jaden Seymour is back from injury. I know that's not quite so in-depth of an analysis, but it is accurate. Whether or not the Bucs can stay close and give themselves a chance to win this game will depend a lot on Seymour's status. If he can't go, it will require out of this world shooting performances from both John Buggs III (11.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 67 three-pointers, 41.1% 3pt FG%) and Maki Johnson (5.5 PPG, 2.2 RPG) to keep ETSU in it with a chance to win it late.
The Bucs have become so reliable on one player--Seymour--because they don't have any other reliable scoring threats in the paint, which is similar to the problem ETSU encountered last season until getting hot from the outside in Asheville. The main difference this season is the Bucs have a much better perimeter shooting team than a year ago.
Is Bucky Ball In Trouble?
It’s been a noticable trend. Teams are starting to slow
down Bucky Ball, and have made the press more manageable. The Bulldogs have now
lost four games in a SoCon season for the first time since the 2021-22 season,
and are on the ropes. The Bulldogs are in the mix for a third-straight Southern
Conference regular-season title, however, it’s not been a familiar feeling it
seems that the Bulldogs have slipped to second place in the Southern Conference
standings. After all, that really has only happened once over the past couple
of seasons, and that was only because the 2022-23 season saw Furman garner the
season sweep of Samford, handing the Bulldogs two of their three losses.
To me, Samford’s situation is not all that unlike what
we see when teams start to figure out an option offense. It’s hard to say which
team provided the best tutorial for being able to manage Bucky Ball this
season, but if I had to guess, it’s probably Brooks Savage at East Tennessee
State, but the interesting thing is that there have been several approaches to
attack the issues that Samford presents with so many types of presses.
For ETSU, it was to slow down the game entirely, taking
possessions away from the Bulldogs. In the 72-70 loss to Furman, the Paladins
used the hit-or-miss homerun approach, making the Bulldogs pay when they did
get the ball out of danger on the other end, with namely a dunk provided by
Cooper Bowser or a three by Nick Anderson.
Chattanooga used good old fashioned defense, especially
on the perimeter, to keep the Bulldogs from being able to set up their press
all together. While there is no patent to stopping the Bulldogs from doing what
they do entirely, teams have shown the ability to keep Bucky Ball from finding
that rhythm they are able to get into when they have been able to just
completely force other teams teams to get out of kilter and away from what they
do best.
The Bulldogs averaged 89.0 PPG through non-conference
play, ranking in the Top 10 nationally in scoring offense. Since the start of
league play, however, Samford has seen its scoring average trimmed by 13
points, as Samford is down to 76.6 PPG. When teams don’t turn the ball over in
live-ball situations, it limits Samford’s offense. Samford’s offense is also
prevented not only by the fact that the Bulldogs aren’t getting points as much
off live-ball turnovers, but also by the fact that the Bulldogs themselves aren’t
doing a great job of taking care of the basketball, as Samford ranks second in
the league in turnovers-per-game, ranking just behind Western Carolina in that category
this season, as the Bulldogs are averaging 13.3 turnovers-per-game this season.
A Look at Samford-Wofford
Samford (19-7, 9-4 SoCon)
needs a win in the worst way and Wofford (14-12, 8-5 SoCon) might be the
remedy, as the Terriers have struggled as of late. The Terriers come in off a
narrow 74-71 overtime win at The Citadel last time out, which was a game that
the Terriers were out-played in throughout. Samford was able to come up with a
77-61 win over the Terriers in the earlier meeting between these two and the
two teams will be meeting for the 32nd time on Saturday afternoon in
a tip-off time slated for 2 p.m. EST. The game will be televised live on ESPNU
and will be Wofford’s “Hall-of-Fame Game” with former standouts, in guard
Fletcher Magee (2015-19), forward Cameron Jackson (2015-19) and former legendary
head coach Mike Young (2002-19) to be honored in conjunction with Saturday’s Southern
Conference showdown.
The real story this month of February is the continued strong play of Terriers guard Corey Tripp, as he has posted at least 18 points in every game this month and is averaging 19.3 PPG in four games this month so far. Tripp’s 13.8 PPG continues to pace the Terriers this season, while teaming with Dillion Bailey in the backcourt, who chips in with 11.9 PPG and 2.6 RPG.
Kyler Filewich continues to be one of the top big men
in the Southern Conference this season, posting 11.4 PPG and a league-leading 9.3
rebounds-per-game. The Bulldogs counter with their own version of a solid inside-outside
combo, with Rylan Jones (11.5 PPG, 5.3 APG, 3.1 RPG) running the show at the point guard sport and
Trey Fort (13.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG) being one of the best true scoring threats in the
league. The Bulldogs need to get Jaden Brownell (13.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG) following a game
against UTC when he totaled just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting from the
field last time out.
After connecting on 42.5% from three on 48-of-80
shooting from three-point range in wins over Mercer and The Citadel, the
Bulldogs are shooting just 31.2% (15-of-48) from long range in the past two
games, attempting 32 less threes. That’s a testament to the perimeter defense
played by both the Mocs and Bucs and the limit of turnovers in their own
backcourt, which usually lead to immediate threes for the Bulldogs. I think
Samford gets back on track, but keep in mind that the Bulldogs have lost their
last two games at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. In the first meeting between
these two at the Pete Hanna Center back on Jan. 25, the Bulldogs were 50%
(11-of-22) from downtown in the win, while holding the Terriers to just 30%
(6-of-20) shooting from three.
In terms of the three-point shot, it’s a big part of
both Wofford and Samford’s DNA offensively. The Bulldogs rank first in the
league in three-pointers made (286), while the Terriers are fourth in the
league in that same category (247). In terms of shooting accuracy from deep
this season, the Bulldogs rank second in the SoCon (37.1%) from long range,
while Terriers rank sixth in the league in three-point accuracy (33.6%). In league games however, the Terriers rank
third in that same category (36.7%), while Samford is just behind at fourth in
three-point accuracy (36.2%).
It looks like the Terriers have a firm grip on the No. 5
spot in the standings, with a one game lead in the win-loss column over Furman
and sit a game back of fourth-place East Tennessee State. The Terriers have
games against both the Paladins and Bucs remaining this season, with both
having to pay a visit to Spartanburg. The Bucs visit Wofford on Feb. 22, while
the Paladins will be in Spartanburg on the final day of the regular-season, facing
the Terriers on March 1.
UNCG Making a Strong Statement
Mike Jones’ UNCG Spartans have been steadily playing some of their best basketball at the right time, entering a huge weekend tilt at Furman off an 80-54 win over VMI to stay tied atop the SoCon standings with Chattanooga after Wednesday night’s league results. The Spartans have strung together three-straight wins, including having won five of their last six games.
UNCG continues to steadily do what they do. A strong backcourt that has been lethal from three-point range this season, in Kenyon Giles (15.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG), Donovan Atwell (14.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG), and Ronald Polite III (13.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG) having connected on 179 of the team’s 251 three-point field goals this season, as the Spartans lead the league in three-point field goal percentage, shooting the ball at a 37.8% clip from long range this season. The 251 made threes this season are third in the league behind Samford (286) and Furman (276)
UNCG continues to be the league’s top defensive team, ranking tops in the SoCon in scoring defense (64.5 PPG), three-point field goal percentage defense (29.9%/29th in the nation) and total team field goal percentage defense (39.8%/41st nationally). The Spartans will need that defense to travel in the immediate future, as they will be at Furman on Saturday in a noon matchup at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, while the Spartans will be at ETSU next Tuesday.
In its 26-point win over VMI last time out, the Spartans were able to hold the Keydets to just 37.7% (20-for-53) shooting from the field, which included limiting the Keydets to just 22.2% (6-for-27) from three-point range. UNCG's win gave it a sweep of the Keydets for the regular-season, and a win at Furman on Saturday would give the Spartans a second-straight seasonal sweep of the Furman Paladins, having already defeated the Paladins, 84-67, early in league play at the First Horizon Coliseum.
The Paladins also boast the most overall wins since the start of the 2015-16 season, having posted 217 total wins over that span, while the Spartans have produced 215 total victories to rank just behind the Paladins.
Furman holds a 17-11 record all-time in games played at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, with UNCG having posted a 2-1 record all-time at the facility, posting wins over the Paladins in both 2020 (W, 86-73/Jan. 11, 2020) and 2022 (58-56, Feb. 6, 2022).
Furman Finds Third Scoring Option in Tom House
In Furman's 96-72 win over Mercer last time out, the Paladins found some offense from a place it hadn't had it from in a while, as Tom House (6.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG) posted a career-high 26 points and showed why he was such a highly sought out recruit when he ended up at Florida State.
House was part of a three-point barrage for the Paladins against Mercer on Wednesday night, as the junior guard knocked down six triples and finished the night connecting on 8-of-13 shots overall from the field. The Paladins also got solid outings from both Nick Anderson (13.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG) and PJay Smith Jr. (16.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.8 APG), who finished with 18 and 12 points, respectively in the Paladin win.
Cooper Bowser (9.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 46 Blks) was especially impressive on the defensive end of the floor, as he put up James Dickey-like totals--former standout center for UNCG--as he posted nine points, six rebounds, a career-high five blocks and dished out five assists in Furman's impressive win.
If the Paladins can be more consistent in getting a third scorer on a nightly basis, the Paladins could be a team to be reckoned with down the stretch and as we get closer to the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville at the Harrah's Cherokee Center (Mar. 6-10).
Keydets and Bears in a Must-Win Situation to Stay Alive for Sixth Seed
When Mercer (11-15, 4-9 SoCon) hosts VMI (12-14, 6-7 SoCon) on Saturday, it will be a must-win situation to stay alive for a potential No. 6 seed come the Southern Conference Tournament next month. With its 96-72 loss at Furman this past Wednesday night, the Bears dropped their fourth-straight game, falling to 11-15 overall and 4-9 in league action, which is now just a game ahead of Western Carolina in the league's standings.
It will mark the 25th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Mercer holding the commanding 20-4 all-time edge in the series.
The Bears currently sit in eighth place, which is a spot below where they were picked to finish in the preseason by the league's 11 head coaches. The Bears are four games back of Furman in sixth spot, as a result of Furman's season sweeping win of Mercer on Wednesday night. With only five games remaining in league play, finishing in seventh spot might be the best that first-year head coach Ryan Ridder and the Bears can hope for.
To do that, they'll need to get a win over the Keydets on Saturday afternoon in Macon, which would give the Bears the season sweep of the Keydets. Mercer won its very first Southern Conference Road game of the season and of the Ryan Ridder era when they knocked off the Keydets, 70-67, in Lexington to improve to 2-0 in the league.
Since those two wins to open league play, it's been a struggle for the Bears to find their footing in the league once again ever since, as Mercer has gone just 2-9 since. The Bears do have a lot of pieces, however, and offensively, they're as good as any team in the SoCon. Ahmad Robinson (17.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.1 APG) for a Mercer team that currently second only behind Samford in scoring offense this season.
One of my favorite players in the league and one of the best pure athletes in the SoCon resides in Macon, in the form of Cam Bryant (6.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG). It was Bryant that kind of put the rest of the SoCon on notice earlier this season with his acrobatic dunk in a loss at Winthrop. His athleticism and ability to step out and shoot the three make him a versatile scoring threat, yet I think the 6-7 graduate transfer out of Georgia Southern has the potential to do even more to help the Bears' cause.
Bryant went scoreless in his previous two outings before posting 10 points in the loss at Furman. It was just his third game in league play finding his way into double figures, as he finished with 10 points in the setback at Furman.
VMI struggled to find its shooting touch on the road in its loss at UNCG, and the Keydets have lost two of their last three to fall into seventh behind Furman a game back in the standings.
To get back to where they want to be in a good situation to capture the No. 6 seed and the final bye for the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, the Keydets are going to have to find a way to be road warriors in their final two road contests, which includes trips to Macon on Saturday and a trip to Bon Secours Wellness Arena to battle the team just ahead of them a week from Saturday, in the Furman Paladins.
While the Keydets dropped a 70-67 contest to Mercer on their home floor earlier this season, they managed a 91-82 win over Furman at Cameron Hall back in mid-January.
The Keydets have been able to be in the thick of the race for a top six finish this season because of the outstanding job that head coach Andrew Wilson has done to bring in talent to this Keydets program, including forwards Augustinas Kiudulas (15.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG) and TJ Johnson (13.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG), who came to VMI from Indiana State and Lipscomb, respectively.
Should VMI find its way to victory on Saturday, it would mark its first-ever win as a Southern Conference member in Macon and first since New Year's Day 2008, when the Keydets posted what was a 102-99 over the Bears on that particular occasion.
Craft's Catamounts Hungry for Second-Straight League Win at The Citadel
If you haven't noticed lately, Western Carolina has been among those teams playing its best basketball at the right time in the Southern Conference, and on Saturday, Catamounts could move up a spot in the standings should they be able to find a way past The Citadel and if VMI can knock off Mercer on the road Saturday, the Catamounts would sit seventh in the league standings heading into the final couple of weeks of league play.
The Catamounts have come as far as any team in the Southern Conference, considering WCU lost its SoCon opener by 29 points (L, 61-90) on their home floor to open league play against Furman. Since that game, the Catamounts have steadily improved, posting home wins over Mercer (W, 85-82) and East Tennessee State (W, 76-67), while the lone road win was an overtime win at Saturday's Senior Day opponent, The Citadel.
Following a string of single-digit losses to VMI (L, 76-80 OT), at Furman (L, 75-84), and at UNCG (L, 70-74), which were a trio teams that posted a combined margin of victory margin of 73 points in the previous meetings with each of the three teams, as the Catamounts lost their second clashes of conference clashes with each, trimming that combined margin of defeat by 56 points all the way down to a combined 17.
On Wednesday night, the Catamounts were justly rewarded for such improvements, knocking off Blue Ridge Border rival East Tennessee State, 76-67, in one of the bigger upsets of the league's regular season so far. The continued strong play of Bernard Pelote (14.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG) and the improvement of a player like Marcus Kell (10.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG) under Catamounts first-year head coach Tim Craft has been something to see. Pelote is the lone senior on WCU's roster, and will look to close out his career strong at the Ramsey Center against both The Citadel before heading to Asheville in WCU's home way from home--Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville--
WCU will be celebrating its Senior Day on Saturday even though one more home game remains on the slate, which will take place on Feb. 26 against Wofford.
Meanwhile, The Citadel must be wondering if they can ever find a way to win a game in overtime, as the Bulldogs remain winless in Southern Conference play (0-13), which includes overtime setbacks to Furman (L, 63-67), Western Carolina (L, 78-80 ) and Wofford (L, 71-74). The Bulldogs have lost 16-straight, including 18-straight on the road dating back to a win at Notre Dame (W, 65-45) last season. The Bulldogs are looking to avoid becoming just the third team to finish league play winless since the 1958-59 season. The only other two to finish league play without a win over that span were the The Citadel in 2019-20 (0-18) and Davidson in 1959-60 (0-10).
Final opportunities to pick up a league win include Saturday's game at Western Carolina, along with these remaining games: vs. Mercer (Feb. 19), at Chattanooga (Feb. 22) and at Furman (Feb. 26).
My Game Picks:
Furman 71, UNCG 66
Samford 78, Wofford 72
Western Carolina 81, The Citadel 60
Mercer 88, VMI 86
Chattanooga 74, East Tennessee State 70 (If Seymour plays)
Chattanooga 85, ETSU 74(If Seymour does not play)
No comments:
Post a Comment