2025
Southern Conference Tournament Preview
The Open:
If the 2024-25 Southern Conference League has been any indicator of what
we will get in Asheville when the 10 teams descend upon the Altitude City for
the 2025 edition, which will be the 105th of the nation’s oldest
conference tournament, then we’re in for a serious treat.
For each of the past seven seasons, if you’ve been the No. 1 seed, you’ve
been the team going to the Big Dance, however, the SoCon hasn’t had a defending
make it to the postseason in a decade, which was the last time Wofford won
back-to-back Southern Conference Tournament titles. So when did the last
non-No. 1 seed win the Southern Conference Tournament. That would be 2017, when
East Tennessee State, which entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed on
tiebreakers, despite ending in a three-way tie for the Southern Conference
regular-season title, cut down the nets at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center
Asheville by knocking off No. 1 seed UNC Greensboro, 79-74, in the championship
game.
Just like last season, the preseason regular-season favorite has also
failed to reach Asheville with the No. 1 seed. Last season, Furman was fifth in
the league’s standings by the time it reached the Altitude City for the
season-ending tournament to determine what one team moves on to the NCAA Field
of 68, and the other nine fall short.
Furman would defend its title last season at least for the opening game,
taking down Western Carolina 76-73 in overtime before crashing out against
eventual champion Samford, with an 84-77 loss.
This season, the SoCon has spent most of the season as the
most-competitive conference in the nation and currently ranks fourth in that
same category, meaning that should you decide to purchase a tournament booklet
and head to Asheville for the tournament, you’ll not only be helping the local
economy get back on its collective feet after the devastation wrought by
Hurricane Helene, but also be getting the best bang for your buck when it comes
to postseason March Madness Basketball.
Last season’s reigning champion Samford (22-9, 12-6 SoCon) will
enter the 2025 tournament with the No. 4 seed, as Bucky McMillan’s Bulldogs
finished the regular-season with a 22-9 record, which included a 12-6 mark in
Southern Conference play. When the Bulldogs are at optimum level and Bucky Ball
is rolling, they are as tough to beat as anyone in the SoCon. Rylan Jones
was the lone starter to return from last season’s school-record 29-win team,
while a talented haul from the transfer portal were able to see the Bulldogs to
a top three finish in the SoCon for a fourth-straight season under the
direction of head coach Bucky McMillan.
Along with Jones, other players to keep an eye on this weekend in
Asheville will be Trey Fort, who is a microwave scorer, meaning that
he can get points in a hurry, as evidenced by a season and career-high 36-point
effort in a come-from-behind win over Wofford in a game, which saw the Bulldogs
complete the season sweep of the Terriers. Jaden Brownell has
been the Bulldogs’ main go-to-player in the paint this season, and he’s been as
efficient as any big in the league this season.
The Bulldogs have been challenged this season, getting swept by both East
Tennessee State and Furman, while also losing by double-digits on its home
floor against Chattanooga. Still, the Bulldogs have to be considered one of the
teams to beat when the teams arrive in Asheville to commence the latest edition
of the tournament, and though the Bulldogs may have faltered a time or two,
their style of play and talent up and down their roster will keep them in most
any game no matter how wide the margin in which they trail.
Looking to knock the crown off the head of Buxley the Bulldog—the name of
Samford’s mascot-- and claim an eighth-straight crown for a No. 1 overall seed
entering the nation’s oldest conference tournament is Chattanooga (23-8, 15-3
SoCon), which also happens to be the most-decorated Southern Conference
hoops program, having won the league tournament title on 12 occasions, with the
last of those being the most memorable in tournament history, as just three
years ago David-Jean Baptiste’s 36-foot hurl at the buzzer over the
outstretched arms of former Furman Paladin Marcus Foster has become one of the
running advertisements ESPN uses to get fans excited about Championship Week in
the ensuing seasons since.
However, three years for a program that has won it 12 times since joining the league in 1977-78 almost seems too long of a time. Dan Earl, who is in his third season leading Chattanooga, is looking for his first tournament title in what will be his 10th trip to the tournament during his time at both VMI (7 tourneys) and now at UTC, which will mark his third tourney trip at the helm of the Chattanooga Mocs program.
The Mocs enter the tournament riding one of the longest winning streaks in the nation, having won 11-straight games. For his efforts this season, Earl was named as the SoCon's 2025 Coach of the Year by his colleagues, which is the second time in his career, as he also claimed the award following the 2020-21 season during his time leading the Keydets. He would lead the Keydets to a tournament semifinal berth that very same season in what would be his penultimate season in Lexington.
Like Samford, the Mocs successfully mined the portal for plenty of talent
up-and-down its roster, and Earl and staff have done a nice job of helping
supplement UTC’s duo of dynamic guards—Honor Huff and Trey Bonham with more than adequate pieces for the Mocs to once again the team to
beat heading into the tournament. One of those pieces that is malleable and
able to adapt on the go, while possessing maturity and skill is 6-7 big man Frank
Champion, with Chattanooga fans hoping Champion can do what Jake
Stephens almost did in Earl’s first season at UTC and second-to last at VMI,
which is win a league title and get to the promised land of the NCAA
Tournament. For Earl, he has reached at least the semifinals of three of the
past four of the four SoCon Tournaments, which included reaching the
championship game for the first time as a coach two years ago, as Stephens and
the Mocs were looking to become the first team since Clemson in 1939 to win
four games in four days to win the conference tournament title, only to falter
in the title game against a veteran Furman squad, losing 88-79.
There are plenty of what-ifs that remain in the minds of Mocs fans when
looking back to that season, like what if Stephens hadn’t gotten injured in
just the fifth regular-season Southern Conference game before returning just in
time for the tournament from a broken hand. Despite being less than 100% on
that occasion, he nearly helped Earl and the Mocs turn the trick in what was
his only season at UTC.
Last season, Chattanooga was surprised in the semifinals by upstart East
Tennessee State, as the Bucs used physical play and bothered Bonham and Huff
the entire second half to turn a 19-point deficit early in the frame into a
one-point, 85-84, overtime win. As far as this season has been concerned, every
calculated decision and addition to the roster has been made based on that
one-point defeat of a year ago.
With Champion, the Mocs don’t have the size they had with Stephens, but
better athleticism, an equally skilled distributor of the basketball, as well
as a solid defensive presence, with the ability to connect from the perimeter,
although not quite as efficiently as a player of Stephens’ ilk. Others like Garrison Keeslar, Jack
Kostel and Bash Wieland—all portal editions—have been equally
as important to the puzzle as Champion has.
While Chattanooga has sights set on the title, No. 2 seed UNC
Greensboro (20-11, 13-5 SoCon) will be trying to avoid going home early like they
have done each of the past three seasons under head coach Mike Jones. The
Spartans, which came to Asheville as the No. 2 seed last season, were upset in
the first game against No. 7 East Tennessee State last season, as the Bucs,
despite having already played a game, looked like the fresher team and took
down UNCG with a 73-62 win last season in the first and last game of the
tournament for the Spartans. It was the third-straight season that the Spartans
went home after only one day in Asheville.
Like much of the league was asked to do other than maybe ETSU and
Chattanooga, the Spartans had to replace top players from a year ago, losing the
Langley legacy—Keyshawn and Kobe—to graduation, while Mikeal
Brown-Jones decided to hop into the transfer portal and continue his career
at Ole Miss for his final season of eligibility.
Though coach Jones isn’t a huge fan of the transfer portal, he made the
most of it by supplementing the talent he had returning to the fold—players like
Donovan Atwell, Joryiam Saizonou, Miles Jones and Jalen
Breath were still around, and that gave a Jones a good talent base to
work with. He would procure talents Kenyon Giles and Ronald Polite
III from both Radford and George Mason, respectively. Polite alone has
contributed to at least two of UNCG’s conference wins with buzzer-beating shots
against both Wofford and Chattanooga in early league road wins. Giles and
Atwell have simply been two of the league’s top shooters from the perimeter and
scorers in general.
The No. 2 seed has been bad juju in recent Southern Conference
Tournaments. Each of the past two SoCon Tournaments the No. 2 seed has been
bounced out of the competition all together in the opening round. The No. The
No. 2 seed is 0-4 in its last four title games, including a buzzer-beater loss
on a 36-footer from David Jean-Baptiste. 2, which was Furman in 2022,
made an appearance in Monday night’s title game. The last time a No. 2 seed was
able to lift the SoCon Championship trophy on a Monday night in Asheville was
way back in 2011, as Wofford, which was the No. 2 seed in the then SoCon South
Division downed No. 1 seed out of the South Division, College of Charleston,
77-67.
If the Spartans do one thing extremely well, it’s defending and that’s
been a calling card for not only Jones’ current teams but also hearkens to the
recent past and those championship winning teams of 2018 and ’21. Since 2014,
the champion of the SoCon Tournament has also led the league in scoring defense
on five occasions, which is exactly where the Spartans sit entering the 2025
tournament.
When the Spartans take the floor for their first tournament game in
Asheville on Saturday evening, it will mark their 50th all-time
SoCon Tournament game since joining the league as an official member prior to
the 1997-98 season. The Spartans sport a 25-24 overall record all-time in the
competition.
East Tennessee State (19-12, 12-6 SoCon), who was the
tournament runner-up last season as the No. 7 seed after making a run to the
title game before falling, 76-69, to Samford in Monday night’s title tilt,
comes into the 2025 tournament not having to worry an extra game, as Brook
Savage’s Bucs have already matched last season’s win total and a quarterfinal
win would ultimately see the Bucs reach 20 wins in a season for the first time
since winning 30 in Steve Forbes’
final season at the helm back in the 2019-20 season. ETSU will be the No. 3 seed and will face off
against Wofford in Saturday night’s first quarterfinal
matchup.
The Bucs come to Asheville not long on depth, but do have arguably the two best players in the SoCon, in point guard Quimari Peterson, and veteran forward Jaden Seymour, as both were part of that magical run last March in Asheville. The orchestrator of that success then was the same one that has led an improvement of four wins in league play this season—Brooks Savage—and the second-year head coach has had some adversity to deal with towards the end of conference play, as both sharp-shooting three-point specialist guard John Buggs III () and Seymour were sidelined late in the season with a concussion and minor knee injuries, respectively, and that forced Peterson to have to play extended minutes in back-to-back losses to both Chattanooga (L, 71-78) and Western Carolina (L, 67-76).
Peterson went the entire 40 minutes in those two outings and his minutes total has to wearing on him physically, however, he’s not shown any of the effects of fatigue yet this season, but it’s something to keep an eye on during tournament weekend.
Earlier this week, personal achievement awards rolled in for the Bucs, as Peterson was named the 2025 Southern Conference Player of the Year, while teammate Seymour joined him on the First-Team All-SoCon scroll. Karon Boyd was also named the SoCon's top defender, and he's a player that has been the key ingredient in 38 wins for ETSU over the past two seasons.
The Bucs are top two in the league in pretty much every defensive statistic, and a lot of that is thanks to Boyd. Boyd’s effect on the game on both ends is impactful, whether it’s grabbing offensive rebounds on one end, or locking down the opposing team’s top offensive player on the other.
The Bucs arrive in Asheville will look to compensate for their lack of low-post scoring at the rim with an improved outside shooting team as opposed to the one that arrived in Asheville last season before getting hot in the tournament. A lot of that is due to the shooting accuracy of John Buggs III and Maki Johnson, who have combined to connect on () three-pointers this season. Peterson, Johnson and Buggs III are three of the best perimeter threats in the SoCon.
Finally, the player that could be the ultimate x-factor for ETSU in
Asheville is Allen Strothers for what he provides in leadership, as
well as what he can do defensively, as one of the team’s quickest on-ball
defenders. He was an absolute difference-maker in ETSU’s 85-84 win
over Chattanooga in the SoCon semifinals last season in Asheville.
The Bucs have the makings of a team that could return to the Big Dance
for the first time since 2017, as ETSU was robbed by COVID-19 of being able to
go dancing in 2019 after statistically the best team in program history (30
wins) was not given a chance to even try on Cinderella’s slipper. The Bucs
enter the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament with one of the best traditions
of any of the 10 members, having won eight SoCon Tournament Titles in two
different stints as a member and have made 13 title game appearances (8-5 in
championship games).
The eight tournament titles and 13 title game appearances are second to
only bitter rival Chattanooga. If the Bucs reach Monday night, something to
keep in mind is that ETSU in its history of title game appearances has never
lost two in a row in the title game tilt, whether it be in consecutive seasons
or in returning to the title game for the first time after a drought. So, if
ETSU makes it to Monday night, there’s a good chance they’re cutting nets at
the end of the night. The Bucs enter the tournament with an all-time record of
45-26.
The No. 5 seed heading into the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament is Bob Richey’s Furman Paladins (23-8, 11-7 SoCon) and the Paladins were the 2023 SoCon Tournament champions and enter the league’s final hurdle having won their final four games in conference play, which is their longest run of success in league play. In fact, through much of the conference season, the reputation that Richey’s team has inherited this season is a lack of consistency at times on the offensive end, which has led to scoring droughts and that led to the Paladins struggle to string together wins once they entered league play, however, Furman appears to have found their rhythm at just the right time and could be a team to watch as one of the lower seeded teams that has a real chance to win the whole thing. Furman is taking part in its 72nd SoCon Tournament, having posted a 58-64 all-time mark with seven tournament crowns.
The Paladins come to Asheville with their lowest seed overall since 2015,
when the Paladins made a run all the way to the tournament title game as the
No. 10 seed before eventually running out of gas in the championship game
against top-seeded Wofford.
Furman has seen a six-win
improvement over the team that tried to defend their championship win in
Asheville last March and fell short at the penultimate stage of the tournament,
with an 84-77 setback to eventual champion Samford last March.
The Paladins opened last season’s Southern Conference Tournament with a 79-76
overtime win over Western Carolina, as the Paladins produced the minor upset in
terms of seeding, with Furman entering the tournament as the No. 5 overall
seed.
With that, the Paladins had to completely go back to the drawing board
after the departures of four of its top players from a year ago, as four of its
key players and 72% of its scoring entered the transfer portal, with point
guard JP Pegues, guard Marcus Foster, forward Alex Williams, and guard Carter
Whitt all opting to transfer out of a Furman program that was very mediocre
during the 2023-24 season, as the Paladins finished out the season with just a 17-16
overall record and a meager 10-8 mark in Southern Conference play.
Despite all that, Furman head coach Bob Richey would replace all
that was lost, and would lead the Paladins to a 13-1 start this season and
heading into the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament, the Paladins have already
notched their seventh 20-win season in the past nine seasons and just the 14th
in the program’s history. Six of those have come under head coach Bob Richey,
and the Paladins have a total of seven of their 14 since the start of the
2015-16 season.
It’s been a mixed bag though, as the season has featured the highs that
come with wins over Princeton (W, 69-63) and Belmont (W, 76-73) in
the non-conference, as well as a season-sweep of defending champion Samford
(W, 72-70/W, 80-72) and a win over another top three team, in East
Tennessee State (W, 73-70) in conference, while dropping one of its most
embarrassing home league losses in recent memory to Wofford (L, 62-81) before
ending the season with four-straight wins, with the cherry on top being the
most recent game—a 78-75 win over Wofford on a three-pointer by PJay Smith
Jr. with 1.1 seconds remaining, and that proved to be the deciding factor.
Given the Paladins have been displaced out of their normal home fortress—Timmons
Arena—which is undergoing a 40-million dollar upgrade during the 2024-25
season, the Paladins have played their home games at three different venues,
with a vast majority of those coming at 2017 and ’22 NCAA Tournament first and
second rounds venue Bon Secours Wellness Arena this season.
The Paladins have produced a combined mark of 13-3 at their three different home venues, while having been pretty good on the road having posted a 10-5 mark, but then again, all of Furman’s games this season have essentially felt like road games, playing off-campus without a real student body presence on many of those 16 home games.
The Paladins, who have won seven tournament crowns in the program’s history, head into the tournament playing some of its best basketball at the right time, having won their final four games of the season and eight of their last 10 entering the postseason.
Furman has elite shooters within its backcourt, including the only
double-figure scoring threat to return from last season, in senior point guard PJay
Smith Jr., while the Paladins went out and brought in one of the top
shooters in the SoCon from the transfer portal, in Barry University graduate
transfer Nick Anderson. The two sharp-shooters have recorded both of
Furman’s individual scoring highs this season, with Anderson leading the
Paladins with 30 points in an overtime win over Western Carolina (W, 84-75) in
early February, while Smith scored a Furman season-high 32 points in the
Paladins’ season-sweeping, 80-72, road win at Samford.
The Paladins rank second in the SoCon in three-pointers made (328 made threes) behind
only Samford (336 made threes), and Smith and Anderson have been among the top 50 three-point
shooters in the nation in makes and percentage for most of the season, as the two have
combined to knock down over half of the Paladins’ total number of made triples (177 made threes from Smith and Anderson) this season. The Paladins are a much better shooting team from long-range this
season, connecting on 35.8% from downtown this season, as opposed to finishing the 2023-24
campaign by shooting just 32.4% from long-range.
The Paladins also have some good supplemental pieces within the backcourt
as well, with players like Tom House, who transferred in from Florida
State and redshirt freshman guard Eddrin Bronson has struggled a
little offensively, but has the ability to score in double figures, and is one
of the team’s best on-ball defenders. Bronson’s 14-point effort in a loss at
then No. 1 Kansas, which was also Furman’s first loss of the season, lends
credence to his overall talent as a shooter and as an offensive threat. House has also shown flashes of big-time
shooting ability off the bench this season, scoring a career-high 26 points,
which included a 6-for-9 effort from three-point range in a 96-72 win over Mercer
in mid-February.
The frontcourt has been up-and-down this season for the Paladins, having been light’s out in some games, while in others has seemingly disappeared entirely.
However, over the long haul of the season, the frontcourt has provided more positive moments than negative ones, and the unit is headed up by a pair of veterans, in junior forward Ben VanderWal and graduate senior Garrett Hien, who comes into the 2025 SoCon Tournament with a total of 104-career wins, which ranks fourth in program history behind Mike Bothwell (116), Jalen Slawson (116), and Alex Hunter (111), is very much a player that Furman has to have contribute positively in some way if the Paladins are going to have a chance to cut down the nets in the tournament, and that doesn’t necessarily mean as an offensive scoring threat.
Hien is currently third on the team in total assists (76) and is one of the top passing big men in the SoCon, and his knowledge of Furman’s offense is a valuable asset Richey can rely on, especially when the Paladins need a bucket in late-game situations. Even a veteran like Tyrese Hughey, who has been a part of over 80 wins himself, is another veteran that head coach Bob Richey has leaned on for energy plays off the bench at times this season.
While Hien has been important in providing a positive winning standard,
it’s been VanderWal that has been Furman’s unquestioned “glue guy”, with his
rebounding on both ends, as well as his ability to finish at the rim and his
cutting ability have been an identity he’s played exceptionally well to this
season. VanderWal’s winning DNA is a must if the Paladins are to have success this
time around in Asheville.
Rounding out the key contributors in the frontcourt for the Paladins are both 6-11 forwards Cooper Bowser and Charles Johnston, and 6-7 forward Davis Molnar. After scoring 25 points on an 8-of-9 shooting performance in a huge win over Jacksonville early in the season, Johnston, a native of Sydney, Australia, has struggled to find his shooting touch and offensive confidence over the last month of the season. Bowser leads the SoCon in blocks (), but he’s been at his best against Samford this season, which includes a career-high 21 points in the Paladins’ 72-70 win over the Bulldogs back on Jan. 29.
The Paladins have won a total of seven Southern Conference titles
all-time as a league charter member, and have produced a 58-64 all-time record
in the nation’s oldest conference tournament.
In Hughey, Hien, and VanderWal, the Paladins have three players that have
real ring experience, as the trio was part of that team that won 28 games two
years ago and went on to one of the SoCon’s two NCAA Tournament triumphs since 2009,
with Hien playing a major role on the game-winning play in Furman’s 68-67
victory over Virginia, making a pair of free throws and recording a steal and
assist that led to the biggest win in Furman’s basketball history to date. If
Furman’s defense can show well as it has done in the final five games of the
regular-season, the Paladins have a legitimate shot to be the ultimate dark
horse title contender in Asheville.
Just as it was a year ago, Wofford (16-15, 10-8 SoCon) as the No. 6 seed and have underwhelmed a little after getting off to a strong 3-1 start to the conference season. The Terriers appeared to be well on their way to a 4-1 start, however, blew a 20-point lead on the road at eventual Southern Conference champion Chattanooga, and things were seemingly never the same afterwards.
The good news for the Terriers is that they have arguably played their best basketball on the road this season, and since the Harrah's Cherokee Center is a neutral court, that qualifies as being away from Spartanburg. The Terriers are under the direction of third-year head coach Dwight Perry, who will be looking to lead the Terriers on a Cinderella-like run in Asheville.
The Terriers reached the SoCon semifinals in Perry's first season at the helm, utilizing a buzzer-beating layup by BJ Mack to get past No. 3 UNCG back in 2023. The Terriers were an 81-69 loser last season in the quarterfinals against Chattanooga. In fact, it will mark the third-straight Southern Conference Tournament that the Terriers are the No. 6 seed in the tournament. The last time Wofford reached the title game came in 2020 as the No. 7 seed, as the Terriers fell at the final hurdle, dropping what was a 72-58 contest to 30-win East Tennessee State.
Heading into the tournament, the Terriers are a team that favors rock fights and with a player like Kyler Filewich--the league's leading rebounder and the SoCon's own version of Bill Laimbeer without the foul shooting ability--it's easy to see why. Filewich leads the SoCon with 12 double-doubles this season.
While Filewich has solidified the paint and applies the bark and bite for the Terriers in the frontcourt, Corey Tripp, Justin Bailey and Dillon Bailey help fuel a solid backcourt and one that shoots the ball decently from the perimeter, as Wofford has connected on double-digit threes 15 times this season, having gone 11-4 in those games.
Locked in as the No. 7 seed heading into the Southern Conference Tournament
will be the VMI Keydets (13-18, 7-11 SoCon), who are under the direction of third-year
head coach Andrew Wilson, and for many, the Keydets have been one of the
stories of the Southern Conference hardwood this season. Wilson dedicated
himself to changing the culture of VMI, bringing in both international and domestic-based
players from the transfer portal, and it was the first time as a SoCon member
that VMI has ever gone that route.
Overall, the Terriers have claimed a total of five Southern Conference Tournament titles since joining the league back in 1998, while reaching six championship tilts, going 5-1 in those games. The last time the Terriers reached the summit of the SoCon mountaintop was back in 2019, as the Terriers knocked off No. 2 UNCG, 70-58, in the championship game en route to a 30-win season, which included Wofford's first and only NCAA Tournament win over Seton Hall a couple of weeks later. The Terriers have posted a 27-21 record all-time in nation's oldest conference tourney.
The two major pieces to the puzzle this season for VMI have been forward Augustinas
Kiudulas and Rickey Bradley Jr., who returned to VMI
after spending a season in at Georgia State. The Keydets have seen a six-win improvement
this season and have been competitive more nights than they haven’t.
The Keydets play to perhaps their identity as good or better than any
team in the Southern Conference on both ends of the floor. VMI is
fundamentally-sound on the offensive end of the floor and don’t play outside of
themselves, and on the defensive end of the floor, the Keydets play a
hard-to-solve matchup zone, which is not too unsimilar to that of Wilson’s
predecessor Dan Earl.
While Kiudulas and Bradley Jr. are the two go-to-players for VMI, the
real x-factor might be Tan Yildizoglu, who transferred in to the
Keydets program from Pepperdine. The Istanbul, Turkey native hearkens
back to some of those former international players that made a name for
themselves at his floor general spot in past years in the Southern Conference,
in particular, at a place like Davidson, where former Turkish-born guard Ali
Ton was one of the top point guards in the Southern Conference during
his time with the Wildcats.
Yildizoglu isn’t a great three-point shooter, but his ability to drive
and make plays in the paint and at the rim show a maturity well beyond his
sophomore class rank. The 6-4 point guard is also built as a strong, physical
guard that rebounds the ball well, as well as a player that has shown
decision-making skills beyond his sophomore class rank. His ability to break
down a defense off the dribble and decisions of when to take it to the cup or
when to distribute have been elite this season. He currently ranks third in the
SoCon in assists average () and his () total assists rank fourth overall in the
SoCon.
Another player to keep an eye on in Asheville in the SoCon’s 2025
Southern Conference Tournament is forward TJ Johnson (), who came to VMI
from Lipscomb during the off-season, which again is another player
ready-made to play in the Southern Conference playing under the direction of Lennie
Acuff for two seasons in Nashville. Johnson’s ability as a perimeter threat
isn’t the only asset he brings to the Keydets on the offensive end, as he can
also go and get points in the paint, as well as possessing a solid mid-range
game.
If VMI is going to make some noise in Asheville, they’ll need those four
players to produce, as the bench is not deep for coach Wilson. VMI plays only
seven or eight players, and in a tournament setting, that could be something
that limits just how VMI can go. However, make no mistake about it, the Keydets
can compete with and beat anyone in this tournament, but staying past Saturday
will take something of a herculean effort. With that said, this league has been
crazy, and they could be a problem for UNC Greensboro in the second
quarterfinal on Saturday.
VMI sports a 25-60 record all-time in the Southern Conference Tournament
and have won three tournament titles in its history, claiming crowns in 1964,
’76 and ’77. Four of the past five seven
seeds have advanced all the way through to Monday night and the championship
game before crashing out, with the only time that hasn’t happened in the past
five editions being the 2022 SoCon Tournament, when No. 1 Chattanooga and No. 2
Furman met in the championship game on Monday night.
Occupying the No. 8 seed for the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament is
another dangerous team, in Mercer (13-18, 6-12 SoCon), who is under the
leadership of first-year head coach Ryan Ridder. Mercer, which joined
the SoCon following its magical NCAA Tournament win over Duke in 2014 in its
final season as an Atlantic Sun member, has had trouble getting out of the
play-in round of the SoCon Tournament in recent seasons.
The 2025 tournament will mark the 11th appearance in the
nation’s oldest college basketball conference tournament and sport an 8-10
record all-time in those appearances. It will mark the fourth-straight edition
of the tournament in which the Bears will be opening the tournament in the
play-in round, and in 2021 the Bears made a Cinderella-like run in the
tournament, before losing 69-61 in the championship game to the top overall
seed UNCG Spartans. The Bears have one of the league’s most-dynamic scorers, in
Ahmad Robinson, and he’s surrounded by solid talent both at guard,
with Tyler “Chip” Johnson and forward, in Alex Holt, which
are the primary go-to-scorers for the Bears.
The Bears have posted an 8-10 record all-time in the Southern Conference Tournament, having posted a championship appearance back in 2021, as the then seventh-seeded Bears ran out of gas in the championship game against top seeded UNC Greensboro, losing a 69-61 contest to the Spartans.
Heading to Asheville as the No. 9 overall seed will be Western Carolina (8-21, 4-14 SoCon), who like the Bears, are under the direction of a first-year head coach, in Tim Craft. For Catamount fans, it's a far cry from its past couple of teams in Asheville, which at least entered the tournament as serious threats to win the tournament, however, on both occasions, lost in overtime against Furman.
Fortunately for the Catamounts this season, they would have to get past both Mercer and Chattanooga and then Furman would have to knock off No. 4 Samford for the two to meet up again in the postseason. That seems like a far reach for all of those dominoes to fall for that to happen again, however, this is the Southern Conference and nothing is really off the table.
The good news for Craft is that he's seen a steady improvement as the SoCon season has progressed, and it's been a pair of holdovers from the Justin Gray era that have helped carve out a new path forward that entered the season as relative unknowns to folks around Cullowhee.
By far this season, the two best players, especially during league play, have been wing forwards Bernard Pelote and Marcus Kell, with each giving WCU a nice one-two scoring punch. The Catamounts usually need to win a game for some reason for fans to come from Cullowhee, which is a little less than an hour up the road, to support the Purple and Gold, but should the Catamounts find a way past Mercer in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game, you can rest assured that the fans will pack the Harrah's Cherokee Center in droves for a potential high noon battle with Chattanooga in the first of four quarterfinals.
For the Catamounts to make some realistic noise in Asheville, which is possible, as the Catamounts have been in nearly every game over the second half of SoCon play, including arguably its most impressive result of the season, which was a 76-67 win over No. 3 seed East Tennessee State back on Feb. 12, Pelote and Kell will need scoring help. That help must come from sharp-shooters Cord Stansbury and Chevallier Ice Emery.
Historically, the Catamounts have struggled in the SoCon Tournament since joining the league in 1976, winning its only SoCon Tournament title in 1996, producing one of the greatest upsets in tournament history, with a 69-60 win over top seed and SoCon unbeaten Davidson.
That put the Catamounts as a No. 16 seed heading into the NCAA Tournament. Led by star guard Anquell McCollum and forwards Kevin Kullum, Jarvis Graham and Scott Scholtz, the Catamounts nearly made history by becoming the first No. 16 seed to take down a No. 1 sees only to drop what was a heartbreaking, 73-71, contest to the Boilermakers. The Catamounts have posted a 26-45 record in the postseason tournament, which includes a 1-3 mark all-time in championship tilts.
1. The Citadel (5-24, 0-18)—Although the Bulldogs are just the third team to go winless in the SoCon since 1959, there’s reason to believe the Bulldogs can compete after throwing a late-season scare into the Chattanooga Mocs, before dropping a 76-75 contest in the Scenic City. Brody Fox has been the Bulldogs’ best player this season, but he’s had little help. The Bulldogs have never made the NCAA Tournament, but are a charter member of the SoCon.
R\Notes:
--The No. 2 or the No. 7 seed have reached the SoCon title game each of
the past seven years, with the No. 1 seed going 7-0 in those games, including a
4-0 record against No. 7 seeds and a 3-0 mark against the No. 2 seed.
--The last non-No. 1 seed to win the Southern Conference Tournament was
in 2017, when No. 3 seed East Tennessee State knocked off top-seed UNC
Greensboro, 79-74, in the Monday night title game.
--No team has won through from the play-in round (4 games in four days)
and claimed the title since Clemson in 1939.
--The past nine SoCon Tournaments have seen the previous tournament
winners not repeat. The last team to repeat as tournament champion in
consecutive seasons was Wofford in 2014 and ’15.
--The last team to have a leading scorer to go on to win the SoCon
Tournament title was Furman in 2023, which was led by league-leading scorer and
guard Mike Bothwell. That ended a streak of a decade without having the
league’s scoring leader go home without a championship trophy, as prior to that
it was 2013 when center Jake Cohen () led the Wildcats to a title game win over
Western Carolina, while teammate and fellow frontcourt mate De’Mon Brooks ()
led the league in scoring and helped lead Davidson to the title, with a () win
over the College of Charleston. The last time a guard was the league’s scoring
leader and also ended as SoCon Tournament Champion was Stephen Curry in 2008,
as he and the Wildcats capped off perfection with a 65-49 win in the title game
against Elon.
--In seven of the past nine SoCon Tournaments, either Chattanooga or ETSU has represented the Volunteer State in the championship game. Last season, No. 7 ETSU dropped a 76-69 contest to top overall seed ETSU. The only two which have seen or ETSU or UTC fail to make the title game in the past nine seasons are 2021 and 2019. UTC has won two titles since 2015, claiming both the 2016 and ’22 tournament titles. ETSU has claimed tournament titles in 2017 and 2020.
--It's been a good omen to be the No. 1 overall seed in the SoCon Tournament in recent history, as not only has that resulted in the
--If Samford hopes to become the first back-to-back SoCon Tournament champion since Wofford in 2014 and '15, it will have to do it as the first No. 4 seed to win the postseason tournament since East Tennessee State did so in 1989, knocking off the No. 6 seed Marshall Thundering Herd, 96-73, in what was a wild tournament.
--If Furman hopes to cut down the nets in Asheville for a second time in three seasons, not only will it have to go through the defending champs, it will likely have to knock off the 2025 regular-season champs to get to the championship game. If the Paladins did win all three games, which isn't out of the realm of possibilities, the Paladins would be the first No. 5 seed to win the SoCon Tournament since 1988, as Chattanooga knocked off No. 7 seed VMI, 75-61, in the championship game.
--No. 4 Samford (22 wins) and No. 5 Furman (23 wins) have combined to win 45 games this season, which will mark the most wins for two teams ever to have had meeting in a quarterfinal game in the Southern Conference Tournament.
--Between the 2020 and '21 SoCon Tournaments, there were nine lower seeded upsets over the course of 18 games.
--The last time the team leading the league in scoring defense won the title was ETSU in 2020, while the last time the team that finished as the league's scoring offense champion won the title was just last season when Samford claimed the title. The last two SoCon champions have also ended the season as the team scoring champion. The scoring defense leader at the end of the regular season has won the title five times since 2014.
The Matchups, Previews and Predicted Outcomes
Friday March 7, 2025
--All games played at Harrah's Cherokee Center (6,700) in Asheville, N.C.
Game 1: No. 8 Mercer (13-18, 5-13 SoCon) vs. No. 9 Western Carolina (8-21, 4-14 SoCon), 5 p.m. EST
Part of the intrigue of the matchup to kick off the festivities of the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament is that the opening clash sees a pair of first-year head coaches face off against one another in the opening game of the tournament, with Mercer's Ryan Ridder in his first season at the helm of the Bears, while Tim Craft is also in his first season leading the Catamounts in Cullowhee.
The Bears and Catamounts will be facing off against one another in the tournament for just the third time, with the two having split the other two meetings in the postseason tournament, with the most recent clash having been in 2022, with the Bears having posted an 81-53 win over the Catamounts in an opening round contest. The two also faced each other during the 2020 edition of the Southern Conference Tournament in the quarterfinals, with the Catamounts posting a 70-56 win on that occasion.
As far as the meetings between the two go this season, the first season would see the Catamounts garner their first Southern Conference win under first-year head coach Tim Craft, as WCU held off Mercer for an 85-82 win at the Ramsey Center in a game that was delayed one day due to snowstorm Cora.
Cord Stansbury led four Catamounts in double figures in the milestone win for Craft, as he posted 17 points, while Chevalier "Ice" Emery added 16 off the bench for WCU. Brandon Morgan and CJ Hyland rounded out the Catamounts in double figures, adding 13 and 10 points, respectively, as WCU connected on 11 three-pointers (11-of-34) in the win, connecting on 32.4% from long range. Mercer forward Alex Holt led all scorers in the loss, posting a double-double for the Bears with 21 points and 11 rebounds and was one of two Bears to post double-doubles in the setback, as talented guard Ahmad Robinson finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
In the most-recent clash between the two last Saturday, the Bears were able to avenge that earlier season loss with an 81-69 win in Macon, as Ahmad Robinson posted 28 points to reach 1,000 points for his career in the most-recent 12-point win at Hawkins Arena. Mercer shot just 40% (28-of-65) from the field, however, blistered the nets to the tune of 48.1% on 13-of-27 shooting from long range, while holding the Catamounts to just 37.5% (24-of-64) for the game and just 35.5% (11-of-31) from three-point range.
Catamount wings Bernard Pelote combined for 32 of those 69 Catamount points in the setback, as Pelote led the way with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field and 3-for-8 from long-range, while Kell chipped in with 15 points on 5-of-16 from the field and 1-for-8 from three-point land.
Players to Watch:
(Mercer)--G Ahmad Robinson (16.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 153 assists), G Tyler "Chip" Johnson (16.1 PPG, 91 3pt FGs), F Alex Holt (10.8 PPG, 6.9 RPG)
(Western Carolina)--F Bernard Pelote (14.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG), F Marcus Kell (11.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 60 3pt FGs), G Chevalier "Ice" Emery (8.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG)
My Thoughts and Prediction: I expect this game to be one of the higher scoring games of the weekend, with the two teams going all out to get the one in the tournament opener. I also expect this to be the best game of the opening night of the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament, and one of the things that has plagued the Catamounts when CJ Hyland has been healthy this season is turnovers, and without their point guard, taking care of the basketball has been an even riskier proposition. However, the Catamounts only turned it over eight times in the regular-season finale against the Bears in the final game of the regular-season. Neither team takes great care of the basketball, with the Catamounts currently leading the SoCon with 14.2 turnovers-per-game, while the Bears rank fourth in the league in turnovers per game, averaging 12.1 miscues per game. In the most-recent matchup, the Bears used 12 offensive rebounds to produce 20 points and claimed a 20-14 edge in second-chance points. Depending on how this game is called, the Catamounts are one of the better free throw shooting teams in the SoCon, ranking third in the league in free throw percentage (75.1%), while the Bears rank as one of the worst, ranking ninth in the 10-team SoCon. I think Mercer holds off WCU for an 88-81 win and moves on to Saturday to face Chattanooga in what could be a very intriguing SoCon Quarterfinal clash at noon.
Game 2: No. 7 VMI (13-18, 7-11 SoCon) vs. No. 10 The Citadel (5-24, 0-18 SoCon), 7:30 p.m. EST
The second matchup of the opening evening offers a third helping of the SoCon's military rivalry, as VMI looks to make it three for three against the Bulldogs this season.The Keydets claimed a 75-70 win over the Bulldogs in Charleston on Jan. 18, while the Keydets were able to post what was an 82-70 win over the Bulldogs in an early-February clash at Cameron Hall.
Friday night's clash between the Keydets and Bulldogs will mark the 125th all-time clash between the two historic programs, with the series dead even, at 62-62, all-time. The Keydets have won seven of the past 11 meetings between the two over the past five years.
In past SoCon Tournaments, the running joke was the opening day of the Southern Conference Tournament was also "Military Appreciation Day" at the tournament because VMI and The Citadel often showed up in the play-in round, with the two facing off against each other more often than not.
While a funny quip, the reality is that the Keydets and Bulldogs will be facing off for just the fourth time in the Southern Conference Tournament, with the Bulldogs having won all three previous meetings, with the latest of those being a 78-70 win over in the 2018 SoCon Tournament.
However, there's been a different vibe around head coach Andrew Wilson's Keydets this season, and there was a real chance the Keydets could have finished in the top four, however, losses in their final four games of the season against the upper echelon of the league pushed the Keydets to the seventh position for the 2025 SoCon Tournament.
Despite those four losses coming into the tournament, most regard the Keydets as a team to be taken very seriously in Asheville and some would go even as far as to say the Keydets might be the fifth seventh seed in the past six seasons to be playing in Monday night's championship game. That remains to be seen, however, VMI plays to its identity as well as any team in the SoCon this season.
There is a completely different vibe with The Citadel coming into the tournament. The Bulldogs are just the third team since 1959 to complete the SoCon regular-season winless, and will be looking to put an end to a 21-game losing streak coming into the tournament.
Players To Watch:
(VMI)---G Rickey Bradley Jr. (16.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG), F Augustinas Kiudulas (15.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG), F, TJ Johnson (12.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG)
(The Citadel)--G/F Brody Fox (16.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG), G Christian Moore (8.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG), F Sola Adebisi (8.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG)
Prediction: More often than not this season, games have gotten away from The Citadel, with 12 double-digit losses in 18 SoCon games, including losses of 42, 34 and 30 points, respectively. The Bulldogs have also proven to be competitive in some games, losing three overtime games in league play, as well as losing by just a point on the road in a late-season battle with Chattanooga (L, 75-76). I think one thing that will cause The Citadel issues in this game is the Keydets' matchup zone defense, as it will force The Citadel to make shots, particular from the perimeter. The other issue is the only way to break down the matchup zone is with athleticism to penetrate and get to the basket, which as a byproduct, can also allow you to score points from the charity stripe. Without a true athletic presence outside of Brody Fox, the Bulldogs could find life tough scoring the ball against the Bulldogs once again. That, and the fact the Bulldogs have been one of the worst free throw shooting teams in college basketball all season don't offer me with too much optimism for Ed Conroy's team in this one. The Bulldogs won't get blown out, however, will lose nonetheless, as the Keydets pick up the 77-69 win and move on to play No. 2 UNC Greensboro in Saturday's second quarterfinal.
Saturday, March 8, 2025
Quarterfinal 1: No. 1 Chattanooga (23-8, 15-3 SoCon) vs. No. 8 Mercer/No. 9 Western Carolina, 12 p.m. EST
Chattanooga is the top overall seed for a reason, and with one of the most efficient offenses in college basketball since Feb. 1, head coach Dan Earl has his Mocs in the right groove entering the SoCon Tournament.
The Mocs aren't a big basketball team, but they embody the term "scrappy" when it comes to getting to loose balls and causing deflections on the defensive end. If Trey Bonham and Honor Huff weren't enough to worry about coming into the season for opposing teams, Earl and staff went out and signed a banger class from the transfer portal, with the crown jewel of those being Frank Champion.
A lot of folks compare Champion to Jake Stephens, but he's different than Stephens. It is true he's skilled as a passer and a facilitator of Earl's motion offense, however, the truth is Champion is a far better athlete than Stephens and not nearly the perimeter threat the former Mocs and Keydets big man was.
While Garrison Keeslar, Jack Kostel and Bash Wieland have all been important additions to the fold, in my opinion, the key to whether or not the Mocs cut down the nets in Asheville Monday night is Frank Champion. If he is at his best, the Mocs will be tough to beat. Figure out a way to slow him down, and you stand a chance.
Players To Watch:
(Chattanooga): G Honor Huff (14.7 PPG, 101 3pt FGs leads the SoCon, 1.9 RPG), G Trey Bonham (13.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 85 assists), F Frank Champion (11.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 87 assists), F Garrison Keeslar (6.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG), G Jack Kostel (5.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG), F Latif Diouf (3.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG)
vs. Mercer this season--Chattanooga split the regular-season series with Mercer, with the Bears actually handing the Mocs a 99-94 overtime setback in the first conference game back on New Year's Day in Macon. In the second clash a month later, the Mocs again struggled with finding a way to stop Ahmad Robinson before a fourth foul early in the second half would ultimately do it for UTC, allowing the Mocs to eventually overcome the feisty Bears in the second half, picking up a 93-84 win to garner the season split. In two matchups with UTC this season, Robinson has scored 19 and 25 points in those two games. In the first game with UTC, Robinson and backcourt mate Tyler "Chip" Johnson combined for 51 points, with Johnson leading the way with 26 points in the win. In Mercer's win over the Mocs on New Year's Day, they were able to knock down 15 threes, connecting on 50% (15-of-30) from downtown in the win. Honestly, a Mercer win over Western Carolina and it could be a dangerous game for Chattanooga. The Mocs haven't faced Mercer haven't faced in the postseason since 1923, which was a 24-19 Mocs verdict. The only other meeting was a year earlier, as the Bears claimed a 35-22 win. Chattanooga's struggles on the defensive end this season, coupled with Mercer's offensive potency, could be recipes for an upset in Asheville. It will be intriguing if this matchup happens for sure, however, the Bears must find a way past Western Carolina first.
vs. Western Carolina this season--The easier of the two matchups for the Mocs would obviously be Western Carolina, however, as we have learned time and time again this season, there are no easy wins in March, especially in the Southern Conference Tournament. Western Carolina has a strange kind of magic working in Asheville, which unless the Catamounts play Furman, seems vex opponents and media alike. With that said, the Mocs won both regular-season meetings between the two, as the Mocs ran out 84-60 winners from the Ramsey Center in late January, as the Mocs put together a strong defensive performance in the 24-point road win, holding the Catamounts to just 32.1% (18-of-56) shooting from the field, and a frigid 21.7% (5-of-23) from beyond the arc. In the second clash, the verdict was the same, however, the degree in which it came was far more difficult, as the Mocs held off the Catamounts for a 91-86 win at McKenzie, proving too much down the stretch, and it was Frank Champion leading the way, with a near triple-double in that mid-February win. Champion finished with 21 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and had a pair of steals, showing the kind of total effect and influence he can have on a basketball game. Marcus Kell was on fire for the Catamounts for much of the night, posting a game-high 31 points on 11-of-23 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Cord Stansberry and Bernard Pelote also added 17 and 14 points, respectively, in defeat. Chattanooga and WCU have faced each other eight times in the Southern Conference Tournament, with the Mocs holding a 7-1 record against WCU. UTC's only loss to the Catamounts came in a 1987 clash in Asheville, as the Catamounts claimed a 73-72 win at the then Asheville Civic Center. The Mocs and Catamounts also met in the 1995 Southern Conference championship game, with the Mocs holding off WCU's talented guard tandem of Frankie King and Anquell McCollum to get what was a 63-61 win, overcoming a double-digit deficit in the final six-and-a-half minutes to get the win. The two haven't met in the tournament since 2016, as the Mocs claimed a 73-69 semifinal win over the Catamounts en route to a Southern Conference Tournament title.
Prediction: If Chattanooga faces off against Mercer, the game will be tight and it won't be an easy first game for the Mocs, however, I think the Mocs hold on for an 81-78 win in a game that comes right down to the wire. If Western Carolina defeats Mercer, I think it's a tough game for a while, with the Mocs pulling away for a 78-65 win over Craft's Catamounts. Either way, I have the top-seeded Mocs moving on to Semifinal Sunday.
Quarterfinal 2: No. 2 UNC Greensboro vs. No. 7 VMI/No. 10, 2:30 p.m. EST
What Mike Jones has done with acquiring talent that could come in and not only contribute to the Spartans in a meaningful way, but also keep the Spartans relevant in the Southern Conference title race until the final week of the season is nothing short of remarkable.
The 20-win Spartans have thrived in the regular-season, and with Kenyon Giles and Ronald Polite III plugged into a backcourt that already featured the ultra-talented Donovan Atwell, the Spartans haven't missed much of a beat, winning 20 games for a second-straight season, as well as the eighth time in the last nine campaigns.
The regular-season, however, has never been the problem for Jones' Spartans, as UNCG has lost its opening game in its three tournament appearances under Jones, and this season, the third-year UNCG coach brings a team to Asheville that plays lockdown defense and one that shoots the ball at the best clip from beyond the arc than any in the league (37.6%), and in those two ways, the Spartans are very similar to the team that arrived in Asheville as the No. 2 seed in the tournament last March.
Spartans fans hope that is where the comparison and identical trends end, however, as UNCG has come to the Altitude City as the No. 6, No. 3 and No. 2 seed before, losing all three. In Jones' first season, the Spartans had a shot to win it at the buzzer, however, Kobe Langley's three was off the mark and the Spartans dropped what was a heartbreaking, 66-64, contest to No. 3 Samford.
A year later, fate was issued to the Spartans in an even harsher fashion, as BJ Mack's buzzer-beating layup allowed Wofford to escape with a 67-66 verdict. The most recent edition of UNCG's March melancholy was issued by No. 7 seed East Tennessee State, which locked down the Spartans all afternoon en route to getting what was 73-62 win.
The Spartans have been pretty solid much of the season on both ends of the floor and posted a 12-6 record in league action and were able to issue Chattanooga one of its three league setbacks this season, posting a thrilling 78-75 win in the Roundhouse earlier this season on a Ronald Polite III three as time expired.
Players to Watch:
(UNCG): G Kenyon Giles (15.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 33 STLs), G Ronald Polite III (13.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG), G Donovan Atwell (13.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 96 3PT FGs), F/G Demetrius Davis (7.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG)
vs. VMI this season--The Spartans claimed both games against the Keydets this season in distinctly different fashion, trailing most of the way in the first matchup before coming from behind to get what would be a 60-57 win in Lexington. The first win over the Keydets by the Spartans would snap what had been a three-game winning streak for head coach Andrew Wilson's Keydets, who had caught fire with consecutive wins over Western Carolina, Furman and The Citadel before suffering the home setback to the Spartans. The Keydets held a 10-point lead with just over seven minutes remaining, following a Tan Yildizoglu layup that gave the Keydets a 51-41 lead, and it seemed VMI might be able to hold on for the upset. However, a 15-6 run by the Spartans, which was capped by a Kenyon Giles triple, which gave the Spartans a 58-57 lead with 1:23 remaining proved to be too much to overcome for VMI, and the Spartans went on to hit a pair of free throws to close out the 60-57 win on the road. Three Spartans finished that contest in double figures, as Giles led the way with 14 points, while Donovan Atwell and Jalen Breath contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively. In the second matchup between the two at the First Horizon Coliseum on Feb. 12, the Spartans would win the game going away, posting an 80-54 win over their visitors from Lexington. It was UNCG's defense, which held the Keydets to just 35.4% (17-of-48) from the field and just 30.4% (7-of-23) from beyond the three-point arc, which proved to be the difference in the 26-point win. The Spartans were held to less than 60 points just three times in 18 Southern Conference games, with UNCG being responsible for two of those. The Spartans and Keydets have never met in the Southern Conference Tournament.
vs. The Citadel this season--The Spartans of course claimed the season sweep of The Citadel as well, however, the wins didn't come as easily against the Bulldogs as they did for some teams in the league. It's likely because both teams are comfortable, ebbing at a slower pace, and to win games, Ed Conroy's Bulldogs often need to make the game a rock fight, and that's something UNCG has made something of an artform even dating back to the Wes Miller era. The Spartans were able to grind out a 70-57 win over the Bulldogs in mid-January win over the Bulldogs at the First Horizon Coliseum, as four UNCG players ended the game in double figures, led by 19 points from Donovan Atwell, which saw him finish the game going 6-for-12 from the field, which included a 5-of-9 effort from three-point range. Brody Fox led all scorers with 21 points in the game. In the meeting in Charleston at McAlister Field House on Feb. 5, the Spartans ended up getting a 76-61, but the win didn't come as easy as the score might indicate, with the Bulldogs making the Spartans earn the road win. A 7-0 run to start the second half for UNCG helped the Spartans establish a little bit of a cushion, as it would grind out the win down the stretch. The Spartans were paced by 21 points from Ronald Polite III, while Donovan Atwell chipped in with 17, as UNCG shot an impressive 51.8% (29-of-56) from the field en route to the road win. The Spartans have faced off against The Citadel four times in the Southern Conference Tournament, with the Spartans holding a 3-1 series advantage in tournament series history. UNCG's only loss to The Citadel came in the first-ever meeting between the two in the postseason, which came in the 2014 SoCon Tournament, as the Bulldogs posted an 86-76 win in Asheville. The Spartans have won three-straight since, including an 80-72 triumph in the latest of those meetings, which came in the 2021 SoCon Tournament, which the Spartans would go on to win.
Prediction: UNCG has favorable athletic advantages in both matchups, particularly at guard, however VMI is more than capable should they get past The Citadel on Friday night. I think this is the season Mike Jones and UNCG break its three-game losing streak in Asheville.
Quarterfinal No. 3: No. 3 East Tennessee State (19-12, 12-6 SoCon) vs. No. 6 Wofford (16-15, 10-8 SoCon), 6 p.m. EST
The night session games certainly seems to be where the SoCon Tournament gets an injection of real potential drama, starting with the contest between East Tennessee State and Wofford, as the two teams split the regular-season meetings between the two.
It will mark the 66th all-time clash between the Bucs and Terriers, including the third time the two have squared off in the SoCon's version of March Madness. The Bucs hold a 46-19 all-time series edge and are 7-5 against Wofford in the past 12 meetings. The Bucs are also 2-1 against the Terriers in the Southern Conference Tournament, with the latest meeting between the two coming in the 2020 SoCon Championship tilt, with the Bucs winning their 30th and final game in a season cut short by COVID-19, with a 72-58 win over the defending champion Terriers.
The Bucs come in with plenty of momentum and arguably the two biggest stars in the league, in SoCon Player of the Year Quimari Peterson and forward Jaden Seymour, who was a SoCon First-Team all-conference selection. Karon Boyd rounded out the award winners, as the league's defensive player of the year. The Bucs have won four-straight coming to Asheville, which is similar to how the Bucs arrived in Asheville last season, posting back-to-back wins entering the postseason before going on a run as the No. 7 seed.
This time the Bucs have the luxury of not having to play in the first-round after having to open their tournament account on Friday night's opening round last season. That's the good news. The slightly bad news is that, despite garnering the No. 3 seed, the Bucs were given no easy opponent, as the Bucs will face off against No. 6 Wofford in the third quarterfinal matchup of the day.
The two teams split the regular-season meetings, with Wofford taking home an 81-78 win from Johnson City in early January, while the Bucs came to Spartanburg in mid-February and battled and bruised their way to what was a 73-68 verdict for ETSU.
The game figures to be physical and if there is at least one game that you could almost predict might descend into a rock fight, it would be this one. That's how Wofford has been effective winning games this season, and the uglier they can make it, the better chance they stand of springing the upset of the more talented Bucs. An interesting tidbit about this matchup is that, should it descend into a foul-fest, it is important to note that neither shoots foul shots well at all.
The Bucs rank seventh in the SoCon and 326th in the nation in free throw percentage (66.4%), while Wofford ranks eighth in the league and 336th nationally in free throw shooting percentage (65.7 %).
Keying Woford's 81-78 win earlier this season in Johnson City was a strong start to the second half, and then the Terriers held on for dear life, dodging misses from the foul line, however, making just enough of the freebies, while weathering ETSU's furious full-court pressure down the stretch to take home a key early SoCon win.
A key 20-4 run to open the second half was what helped fuel the Terriers win on the road in one of the league’s toughest road venues, as the Terriers were able to overcome what was a five-point, 39-34, halftime deficit to come away with the win.
The key run to open the second half saw Wofford connect on its first nine shots from the field to take what was a double-digit lead, as the Terriers overturned what was a five-point deficit at the break to assume a 54-43 lead following a Jackson Sivills three-pointer with 15:39 remaining in the game. Wofford was able to do something few teams do against ETSU, and that is win the battle of the boards, as Wofford came to Freedom Hall and claimed a 26-23 edge on the backboards, which included eight offensive rebounds, which led to a 12-4 edge in second-chance points.
In the second clash between the two in Spartanburg, the key to the win for ETSU was 43 points from both Quimari Peterson (27 pts) and Jaden Seymour (16 pts), while drawing 25 fouls to get to the line 38 times, and while the Bucs didn't shoot well from the stripe, shooting just 58% (22-of-38), it was still enough to produce a vital scoring advantage of nine points (22-13) in terms of points scored on free throws, as the Terriers drew 14 ETSU fouls, and that led to a 13-of-18 effort at the charity stripe for the game.
Corey Tripp posted a career-high 31 points for the Terriers in the losing effort, while Jackson Sivills chipped in 14. Tripp finished 10-of-21 shooting from the field, which included a 6-for-12 effort from long range and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. The 31 points by Tripp were a full 20 points more than he scored in the first meeting between the two this season in Johnson City.
While Tripp has been good for Wofford over the past two seasons, establishing himself as one of the top players in the Southern Conference, while senior Kyler Filewich is the player that has provided the Terriers with their grit in 2024-25. Filewich has 14 double-digit rebounds this season and 11 double-doubles.
Players to Watch:
(East Tennessee State): F Jaden Seymour (15.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG), G Quimari Peterson (19.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG), G John Buggs III (11.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG), G Al Strothers (4.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG)
(Wofford): G Corey Tripp (14.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG), G Dillon Bailey (11.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG), G Justin Bailey (9.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG), Kyler Filewich (11.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG), Jackson Sivills (8.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG)
Prediction: The game between the Bucs and Terriers quite honestly has the potential to go either way even though the Bucs are slightly more talented in terms of individual talent. The thing that has made ETSU such a tough out in the Southern Conference this season has been their ability to be versatile in how they can win games, with the ability to run up-and-down in an open-floor, more up-tempo game, however, the Bucs would much rather get you into a grinder, which is exactly the type of game the Bucs would prefer. ETSU is also slightly better on the defensive end of the floor than Wofford is as well. In fact, the 81 points surrendered by the Bucs on their home floor in an early league loss to the Terriers mark the most points given up in SoCon game this season by ETSU. Wofford might try and force the pace, however, the Bucs are capable of playing either and that's why I say ETSU wins a close one and Peterson once again has a big night. The question as the tournament progresses and as ETSU progresses is will he have the legs to lead the Bucs to the finish line in Asheville. With Buggs III expected back, as well as Al Strothers fully healthy, it might be interesting to see if Brooks Savage changes his substitutions patterns at all this weekend, and if he does, how long will allow Peterson to rest. After all, Peterson has played no fewer than 39 of the 40 minutes in the final five games of the season, including playing the entire 40 in three-straight games while Seymour was injured. I'll take ETSU in something like a 66-62 game in what should be one of the best games of the weekend.
Quarterfinal No. 4: No. 4 Samford (22-9, 12-6 SoCon) vs. No. 5 Furman (23-8, 11-7 SoCon), 8:30 p.m. EST
The final quarterfinal of the four in the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament will be between two most recent Southern Conference Tournament Champions, as defending champion Samford faces off against 2023 title winner Furman in what is a fitting way to end the first couple of days of tournament action.
It was Samford's 84-77 win over the Paladins last season that put an end to Furman's title defense last season at the penultimate stage of the tournament. It was the end of what was a disappointing season for Furman basketball, which despite returning three starters and entering the season as the odds-on favorite to make it back to the Big Dance, ended up stumbling to the finish line, and posted a fifth place finish in the league standings, which was its lowest finish in the SoCon since the 2014-15 season. When the Paladins entered the tournament as the fifth seed last season, it marked the first time the Paladins entered the Southern Conference Tournament as a true No. 5 seed for the first time since 1971.
Though the Paladins enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed this season, there is a much different feeling for eighth-year head coach Bob Richey, who might be doing some of his best coaching this season, having led a good collection of talent and led them to a 23-win season, despite losing 72% of his scoring to the transfer portal from a year ago.
The 20-win season for the Paladins is their 14th in program history, including Furman's seventh since the start of the 2016-17 season. Six of those 14 twenty-win campaigns have come under the watchful eye of Richey. He's helped the Paladins to a league standard 221 overall wins as an assistant and head coach since the start of the 2015-16 season.
On paper, the Paladins don't jump out at you and they aren't a team that has overwhelmed with talent, but what the Paladins do as well as any team in the league is embrace their roles and play as a collective and cohesive unit, and that makes Furman a dangerous basketball team once again in Asheville.
As for Bucky McMillan's Samford Bulldogs, they've had some adversity and bumps along the road this season, but the Bulldogs still have won 22 games, which includes an impressive 12-6 mark in league play. That's almost rather remarkable as well, considering the Bulldogs lost four starters to graduation and the transfer portal.
What both Samford and Furman have within their ranks that no other team going to Asheville for the tournament this year is championship winning experience. For Furman, it might have lost the likes of Marcus Foster (Xavier), JP Pegues (Auburn), Carter Whitt (Belmont) and Alex Williams (Duquesne), but it returned eight key players from last season, including guys like forwards Garrett Hien, Tyrese Hughey, Ben VanderWal, and Davis Molnar, who spilled some blood, sweat and tears in leading the Paladins to their first Southern Conference title in 43 years and first tourney win in 49.
With that said, Furman has, at times this season, been all over the place offensively, however, while the offense hasn't been a guarantee outside of PJay Smith Jr., Nick Anderson, and lately Tom House, the Paladins have gone as their team defense has gone this season.
Right now, the Paladins enter the tournament riding an impressive four-game winning streak, which includes a win at Samford to begin the current trend, and over the last month, the Paladins have posted a top 30 defense nationally, as well as they have been getting production out of House.
If House can be consistent scoring the ball over a three-day span and the Paladins continue to trend upwards defensively, playing stout in the 1-3-1 matchup zone, which Richey has wisely utilized Furman's length out front with Garrett Hien, Cooper Bowser or even Charles Johnston playing at the head of that zone and as a byproduct of that length, it has made life tough for opponents as of late.
Samford, meanwhile, has been good but inconsistent, however, make no mistake, the Bulldogs are one of the most, if not, the most talented team in the SoCon even with the losses it endured from a year ago. Point guard Rylan Jones is the player that makes it all happen, however, it's been portal additions like Mississippi State transfer guard Trey Fort and transfer forward Jaden Brownell from UIC have been great options and reliable ones for the most part this season for the Bulldogs this season. While Fort and Brownell have been excellent, to pull off the repeat this season, the Bulldogs will need Rylan Jones, Collin Holloway, Julian Brown or even Isaiah West to add to what Fort and Brownell can give the Bulldogs offensively.
The Bulldogs have found ways to win even when teams have, at times, been able to figure out the press some this season. The Bulldogs, though, have struggled at times against some of the bigger and more physical teams in the league, and in particular, ETSU and Furman, who have the size advantage in the paint over Samford. Both the Bucs and Paladins swept the regular-season meetings; however, the tournament is a completely different animal.
Bucky McMillan, who is three-time reigning coach of the year in the SoCon, has done his share of making adjustments and teaching his team how to win this season, and while Samford started league play 5-0 and looked like a Wagon, the Bulldogs have plagued by some of the same issues as the Paladins have this season, which is long scoring droughts and over-reliance on the three. With that said, no two teams in the league have made more than the Paladins and Bulldogs, with Samford entering the tournament with 336 made triples and Furman 328 made treys.
Furman claimed a pair of close wins over the Bulldogs during the regular-season, posting a 72-70 win on a career-high 21 points from Cooper Bowser, while Nick Anderson chipped in a game-high 24, as the Paladins held off a feisty effort from the Bulldogs, which saw Samford pull even, at 62-62, but never lead. In the second meeting, the Paladins led the contest by as much as 22 in Birmingham, however, had to hold on for an 80-72 win on the strength of a career-high tying 32 points.
Furman and Samford are no strangers to facing off against each other in the Southern Conference Tournament, having faced off against one another on seven occasions, with the Paladins holding the 4-3 lead in those games, however, the latest meeting was a seven-point loss last season, which ended Furman's season.
Samford also won the first-ever meeting between the two in the SoCon Tournament back in 2009, as Bryan Friday and Michael Friday helped the Bulldogs to a 57-52 win over the Paladins in the Scenic City of Chattanooga, TN.
Overall, Furman and Samford have faced each other on 40 occasions, with the Paladins holding the 28-12 advantage.
Players to Watch:
(Samford): G Trey Fort (15.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG), F Jaden Brownell (13.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG), G Rylan Jones (11.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 156 assists), F Collin Holloway (9.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG)
(Furman): G PJay Smith Jr. (17.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.6 APG), G Nick Anderson (14.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.5 APG), C Cooper Bowser (8.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 50 BLKs, 24 STLs), G Tom House (6.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 39.5 3PT FG%)
Prediction: One of the most favored and misused cliches when it comes to conference tournament basketball is "it's hard to beat a good team three times", and that's exactly what Furman will be attempting to do in Asheville. All the metrics seem to favor Samford, and efficiency-wise, this Furman team has been all over the place offensively at times, but they still have been good for the most part this season, although this team has had to find different ways to find points this season, thus garnering the tag "Find-a-way-Furman." The Paladins will have their hands full trying to win a third game against Samford this season, however, there's reason to believe that the way Furman is playing defensively at since it loss to UNCG back on Feb. 15, has been different, locking teams down. It's that kind of trend that could not only take Furman past Samford, but could make them the talk of the tournament come Monday night. With that said, I have no idea how this game will transpire, as both teams are talented and worthy and capable of winning the entire tournament, but I'll take Furman if they continue to play strong on the defensive end. Furman wins a close one, 71-69.
Day 1 Recaps:
March 7, 2025
No. 8 Mercer 67, No. 9 Western Carolina 66
No. 7 VMI 73, The Citadel 62
No. 8 Mercer and No. 9 Western Carolina opened the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament with a thrilling start to the 105th edition, and it was the Bears, courtesy of a combined 47 points from Alex Holt and Ahmad Robinson that provided the Orange and Black just enough leverage to help hold off a feisty Western Carolina squad for a 67-66 win before a decent opening night crowd of 2,692 fans on-hand at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center.
It was also the first Southern Conference Tournament win for Mercer first-year head coach Ryan Ridder, and the opponent tomorrow has a full-circle effect to it, as the Bears will face off against regular-season champion Chattanooga, which is a program that marks another milestone achievement for the Bears, and that is the the Mocs represent Ridder’s first Southern Conference win as Mercer head coach, with the Bears claiming what was a thrilling 99-94 overtime win against the Mocs back on New Year’s Day.
The Mocs enter Saturday’s clash riding an 11-game winning streak and won the only other meeting between the two at McKenzie Arena, 93-84, in early February. The Mocs and Bears will be meeting for the third time in series history in the postseason, but the first as SoCon members. The two haven't squared off in the postseason since 1923, with the Mocs getting a 24-19 win.
Western Carolina, which was also under the leadership of a first-year head coach, Tim Craft, completed the 2024-25 season with an 8-22 overall record.
It was Mercer’s diminutive point guard Ahmad Robinson that ended up stealing the show and nearly put himself in elite company, as he flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to highlight a stat-stuffing night for the Bears, which delayed hibernation for at least one more day.
While it was Robinson’s scoring that might have been the most impressive attribute in the win, it was his winning plays at the end, which included a feed to Holt for the game-winning layup with 3.9 seconds remaining after coming, which came on easily the most important offensive rebound of the night from Tyler “Chip” Johnson, and then the ball found its way to Robinson, who drove and forced the Catamount defender to fully commit himself, and then used a sly under-handed feed to Holt for the easy lay-in and a one-point lead with 3.9 seconds left.
Western Carolina flirted with producing the first upset of the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament, as Bernard Pelote’s two charity shots gave the Catamounts what was a 66-65 lead with 49 seconds left, setting the stage for the dramatic end to a great basketball game to begin the festivities in Asheville.
Robinson missed his three on the other end and Cord Stansberry grabbed the rebound for the Catamounts, and on the other end Marcus Kell drew a foul for a 1-and-1 opportunity, which had the potential to increase the WCU lead to three, however, Kell missed the front end and Brady Shoulders cleared the rebound for Mercer, and after a Robinson layup attempt was missed, Tyler “Chip” Johnson came up with the rebound with 11 seconds remaining and the Bears burned their final timeout. Off the timeout, Robinson would suck in the Catamount defense before delivering the perfect dime for the layup at the opportune time, and Holt converted with 3.9 seconds left to help the Bears regain the lead.
WCU would have one last shot at the buzzer, however, Emery’s floater in the lane at the buzzer fell a couple of feet short and Mercer was able to hold on for the win.
For the game, the Bears finished connecting on 37.9% (22-of-58) and just 10.0% (2-for-20) from three-point land. The Catamounts finished the night connecting on 40% (24-of-60) from the field and posted a 27.6% (8-for-29) from long range. The Catamounts were just 10-of-17 (58.8%) from the charity stripe.
Holt led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field, and came up huge down the stretch for the Bears, scoring the final six buckets of the game for Mercer.
Robinson finished 6-of-19 shooting from the field, however, finished 10-of-11 from the line to help even out his shooting effort. The Bears, who came in ranking ninth in the SoCon in foul shooting, used a 21-of-25 shooting performance from the charity stripe to help offset what was a 2-for-20 effort performance from the line. Robinson and Holt were a personification of Mercer’s offensive aggression, particularly in the second half, as the duo went a combined 16-for-18 from the line in the contest.
Western Carolina was led by Chevalier “Ice” Emery, who finished with a game-high 20 points in the losing effort. Emery was supplemented by strong efforts from Bernard Pelote and Marcus Kell. Pelote, who played his final game in a Catamount uniform, finished his career in strong fashion with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, while teammate Marcus Kell finished with 10 to round out the Catamount players in double figures.
In the second matchup of the night, both No. 7 seed VMI and No. 10 seed The Citadel had a tough act to follow, and the two teams started slow, but the Keydets started to find their groove offensively in the final six minutes of the half and never really looked back, as the Keydets claimed their first ever SoCon Tournament win over The Citadel and posted their first win in the tournament since a 91-90 overtime win over No. 3 seed Furman in the 2021 tournament, as VMI overcame a 12-point deficit to claim the one-point win on that particular occasion.
The win was third-year head coach Andrew Wilson's first as the head coach of the Keydets, as VMI moves to 14-18 on the season ahead of Saturday's 2:30 p.m. EST clash with No. 2 UNC Greensboro (20-11, 12-6 SoCon). The Keydets are looking to become the fifth team in the past six SoCon Tournaments to reach the championship game as the No. 7 seed.
The Spartans won both regular-season clashes against VMI, including a 60-57 contest in Lexington. The Citadel, which finished the season with 22-straight losses, completed the 2024-25 season with a 5-25 record. The Bulldogs became just the third team since 1959 to finish a season winless in the SoCon. The 22-straight losses to close the season marks a school record for consecutive losses.
The Keydets would heat up as the game carried on, swapping a slow, sloppy start with a consistent shooting effort, as VMI would connect on a blistering 59.2% (29-of-49) for the game, which included shooting 57.7% (15-of-26) in the opening half, and then followed that up by connecting on an even better clip in the second half of play, finishing right at 61% (14-of-23) in the second.
The Keydets finished 7-of-19 from long-range, which equated to a 36.8% clip from long range. VMI did what it has done so well all season on the offensive end, which is get to the foul line because of their aggressive intent on the offensive end of the floor and finished with a 73.3% clip from the line, converting 22-of-30 attempts.
VMI carried a 36-27 lead into the locker, utilizing a near flawless effort on two-point field goal attempts, connecting on a 12-of-15 from inside the arc for an 80% clip in the opening 20 minutes to take the nine-point advantage into the halftime locker room.
The Keydets would lead by as many as 22 points in the second half with five-and-a-half minutes remaining (70-48) before settling for an 11-point triumph. As important as a consistent offensive onslaught was to Wilson's complete team dominance, it was the defensive end of the floor that probably will get overlooked, as the matchup zone proved to give the Bulldogs problems and caused consternation and confusion for the Bulldogs for much of the evening.
That defensive effort was once again highlighted by 6-4 wing AJ Clark, who ended the night with a +20 on the final stats sheet, as he posted three steals, a block and seven boards to go along with 10 points, as he was instrumental in a complete defensive shut down of the Bulldogs, as VMI held El Cid to just 37.3% (22-of-59) from the field, including a 21.7% (5-of-23) effort from long-range. The Bulldogs were also a paltry 46.4% (13-of-28) from the free throw line.
Clark was recognized last week as one of the best defensive players in the SoCon when he was named to the SoCon's All-Defensive Team this past Wednesday.Clark came into the night ranking third in the league in total steals and with his three in the Keydets' 11-point win, he increased his overall total to 58 thefts on the season.
He was one of four Keydet players in double figures in the win, as point guard Tan Yildizoglu 17 points, nine rebounds, and dished out six assists on a night that looked much like Robinson's for Mercer. While the Turk has delighted with his skill and offensive floor leadership over the latter half of the season, it's been his offensive support and production that has made his distribution and overall level of play rise as the season has progressed.
Joining Yildizoglu in double figures this evening were TJ Johnson, who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Rickey Bradley Jr added 13 points, four assists and three rebounds. Johnson finished with another better than 50% shooting effort from the field, knocking down 6-of-11 shots from the field, including going 4-for-8 from long-range. He also added a steal and a block to what was another solid effort for the Keydets.
The Bulldogs were led in the setback by Brody Fox, who posted 15 points and seven boards, three steals and two assists, while Christian Moore and Eze Wale both chipped in with 12 points for The Citadel to round out the Bulldogs in double figures.
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