On Saturday, all five SoCon games were decided by a margin of 10 points or less, however, Wednesday night would see the complete opposite trend emerge, as only one of the games--Western Carolina at Samford--would be decided by less than a margin of 10 points.
Sometimes that's just exactly what you get with conference basketball, and that happens more often in the first bout of games in the SoCon's round robin games. By the time most teams meet each other a second time, the two teams know each other, and it more often than not makes for a closer game the second time around.
East Tennessee State and Wofford remain as the two lone unbeatens in SoCon play following the most recent round of SoCon roundball action.
The Bucs were back in Freedom Hall on Wednesday evening, welcoming the VMI Keydets into Freedom Hall and the Bucs would end up posting what was an 81-67 over VMI to remain perfect in league play, improving to 11-5 overall and remaining 3-0 in league play. The loss saw the Keydets fall to 6-10 overall and 1-2 in league play.
The Terriers, meanwhile, continued to shoot the cover off the basketball, having shot 51.2% (41-of-80) from three-point range in its first three SoCon games. Their latest victim was UNC Greensboro, as the Terriers handed the Spartans their first league loss, posting what was a 97-85 win over the Spartans to improve to 11-5 overall and 3-0 in league action. UNCG fell to 6-10 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Chattanooga's struggles continued, as the Mocs fell to 0-3 to start league play for just the fourth time in program history, including for the first time since the 2017-18 season, as the Mocs fell, 78-67, in their league home opener against Furman. Furman head coach Bob Richey decided to remove the redshirt from freshman wing Cole Bowser, and he would deliver by leading the Paladins with 10 rebounds to go with six points, two assists, a block and a steal in his first-ever game in a Paladin uniform.
The win saw the Paladins improve to 11-5 overall and 2-1 in league games, while Chattanooga's swoon continued with the Mocs' third-straight loss, including their fifth setback in their last six outings, as UTC fell to 6-10 overall and 0-3 in league action.
Unfortunately for The Citadel, the major struggles on the hardwood continue, as the Bulldogs dropped their 37th-straight game to an NCAA Division I foe, as well as their 25th-straight to a SoCon foe, which includes a pair of SoCon Tournament losses in 2024 and '25, as the Bulldogs were blown out for a second time in three SoCon games to start the 2025-26 league slate.
On the other side, Mercer notched its first league win to snap a two-game skid with tough road setbacks at Furman (L, 72-74) and ETSU (L, 71-77) to open league play, with a 38-point, 101-63, win over the Bulldogs on Wednesday night. The 38-point margin is four more than the 34-point victory the Bears posted over the Bulldogs in their visit to Hawkins Arena back on Jan. 29, 2025, as Mercer took an 80-46 win on that occasion. The Bears improved to 9-7 overall and 1-2 in league play, while the Bulldogs fell to 3-13 overall and 0-3 in league action.
The game of the night was without question at the Pete Hanna Center in Homewood, where Samford found a way to come up with a gritty, 82-77, win over a tough, battle-tested Western Carolina team.
Led by a 33-point effort by talented guard and prolific three-point threat and pure scorer Jadin Booth, the Bulldogs were able to overcome as much as an 18-point deficit and only led for a total of about four minutes in the entire game in coming up with the key league home win. Making the win even more impressive from head coach Lennie Acuff's team was the fact that they were also without starting center
The Bulldogs improved to 9-7 overall and 2-1 in league play, while the Catamounts fell to 5-9 overall and 1-2 in league action.
Takeaways from and other notes following Wednesday Night's League Games:
Another Bowser
--Bob Richey deciding to remove the redshirt from Cole Bowser is a pretty major development for the 'Dins, and it's one of the added luxuries of having the best freshman recruiting class of any team in the SoCon. Bowser's introduction into the fold takes pressure off of Charles Johnston underneath, while also giving the Paladins another athletic, active player underneath and on the wing. Add to that that Bowser is another perimeter threat as a pick-and-pop guy, and removing the redshirt from Cooper Bowser's younger brother now completely changes the dynamic for Furman and it also means they don't have to rush Cooper Bowser or Collin O'Neal back too soon from injury.
Wofford's Prolific Shooting To Start League Play
--Wofford has picked up the offensive pace lately, and through the first three league games are shooting the cover off the basketball, connecting on 51.2% (41-of-80) from three-point range to start SoCon play. The Terriers have also been versatile when it comes to have offensive scoring threats. Following Nils Machowski's 37-point outburst in the league win over The Citadel, Kahmare Holmes added 27 points and was one of five Terriers in double figures in the win over the Spartans. Wofford's 97 points marks the third time the Terriers have scored 90 or more points this season, including the second-straight time to open league play.
Chattanooga's Struggles
--With its 78-67 home loss to Furman Wednesday night, the Mocs slipped to 6-10 overall and 0-3 in league play. Chattanooga is the first reigning regular-season league champion (divisional or non divisional) to start league play with an 0-3 mark as a reigning regular-season champion since they did it in 2008-09 after winning the SoCon's North Division in 2007-08. In terms of the team with the best record starting out the following season 0-3 in league play (divisional or non-divisional) and beginning the next season with an 0-3 mark, the Mocs are the first team to start league play to start league play 0-3 since ETSU began league play 0-3 in 2004-05. The Bucs would finish of that 2004-05 season historically bad, as the Bucs, which finished the 2003-04 season with a 27-6 overall record and a 15-1 league mark finished off the 2004-05 campaign with a 10-19 overall record, which included a 4-12 league mark.
Team of the Night: Samford
--The Bulldogs' win over Western Carolina was the most impressive of the night, and it was how they did it that was the most impressive of all. The most impressive thing about Samford's 82-77 win over Western Carolina on Wednesday evening was the fact that the Bulldogs not only responded from an 18-point deficit in the contest, but they also were able to overcome not having Dylan Faulkner in the paint for the entire night, making the win maybe the most impressive of the season so far for Samford in the Lennie Acuff era. The Bulldogs would get dominated on the glass early on in the game, however, as the Catamounts took full advantage of the Bulldogs not having Faulkner in the game, out-rebounding the 25-14 in the opening half, however, the Bulldogs rallied in the second half, trimming that margin to +8 (38-30) by the end of the game, as the Bulldogs flipped the script in the second half by out-rebounding the Catamounts 16-13 in the second half. Samford used a 21-7 run over the final portion of the second half to grab the lead with about four minutes left, at 72-71, on a three-pointer by Booth. That would prove to be a lead that the Bulldogs wouldn't relinquish the remainder of the contest.
--The Catamounts came into the clash with the Bulldogs leading the SoCon in both offensive rebounding percentage (35.0%) and defensive rebounding percentage (75.3%), as well as ranking second behind only Furman in rebounding margin (+5.92). A big reason the Catamounts were able to build that big early lead was as a direct result of not having Faulkner, and the Bulldogs would finish the contest with a huge 22-9 advantage in second-chance points. Booth was simply almost unstoppable in the second half of play for Samford, as he finished the night posting his 33 points on 11-for-19 shooting effort from the field, which included a 5-for-9 effort from three-point range, while connecting on 6-of-7 free throw opportunities. Booth was joined in double figures by three other players that added 11 points, as point guard Keaton Norris, sophomore wing guard Kam Martin, and 6-10 redshirt sophomore big man Will Shaver did an outstanding job of filling the void left as a result of Faulkner's absence.
--For the second-straight game, Western Carolina featured a balanced scoring attack, led by Samuel Dada's 19 points and 14 rebounds off the bench for the Catamounts. Dada posted both career highs in scoring, as well as rebounds, while also being an enforcer on the defensive end of the floor, as the Sierra Leone product swatted away four Bulldogs shots in the game. Joining Dada in double figures in the game for the Catamounts would be Cord Stansberry (12 pts), Julien Soumaoro (11 pts), Justin Johnson (11 pts), Marcus Kell (10 pts), and Tidjiane Dioumassi (10 pts). Following a game which saw the Catamounts connect on 10 threes, while shooting 50% (10-for-20) in the win over Furman last Saturday, the Catamounts struggled to find their touch from long-range in the road loss at Samford, finishing just 5-of-15 from long range (33.3%). The Bulldogs, meanwhile, knocked down 11 threes, shooting 44.0% (11-of-25) from long-range in the game to finish the game outscoring the Bulldogs by 18 from long-range (18-15). The Bulldogs shot a blistering 54.5% (6-of-11) from long-range in the second half. The Catamounts held a slight, 34-28 edge in the paint.
Bucs Bigs Bully Keydets
--ETSU used a couple of strong performances from wing forward Cam Morris III (25 points) and power forward Blake Barkley (20 pts), as the duo combined to 17-of-21 from the field, connecting a blistering 81% clip, as ETSU held off a gritty VMI team, 81-67, at Freedom Hall Wednesday night. The duo went a combined 15-of-18 inside the painted area, which led the Bucs holding a 36-30 edge in the paint. Morris III and Barkley also combined to pull down 14 of the team's 34 total rebounds in the contest. Morris III finished his night by connecting on 10-of-12 shots from the field, while finishing the contest 1-of-1 from three-point range and 4-for-6 from the charity stripe. Barkley finished his night 7-for-9 from the field and went 1-for-2 from downtown. The performaces by Morris III and Barkley helped off-set just a so-so night from Brian Taylor II, as he failed to reach double figures in a game for just the second time this season. While the Bucs were never able to get enough of a comfortable lead to completely pull away and blow the game wide open, their offensive efficiency, which was powered by Morris III and Barkley, proved more than adequate to help the Bucs maintain the lead and a comfortable cushion on the scoreboard for most of the night.
--A 13-2 lead late in the second half, which was capped by a dunk from Morris with 5:49 remaining helped ETSU assume an 18-point lead, at 73-55. Jaylen Smith ended up being the only other Bucs player in double figures in the game, posting 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, including going 3-for-6 from three-point range off the bench.
--ETSU's defense was once again stellar against the Keydets, as the Bucs held the visitors from Lexington, VA, to just 37.3% (22-of-59) shooting from the field for the night, including limiting a Keydets team that came in leading the SoCon in three-pointers made (167) and also threes-made-per-game (11.1 PG), as well as a team that ranked a respectable sixth in the league in three-point field goal percentage (32.7%) to well below those totals, as the Keydets hit five less threes and shot 10 percentage points lower from long-range, finishing the night shooting at a 23.1% (6-of-26) clip from long-range. The six threes in the game by VMI were the second-lowest total from long-range of the season, with only the 3-for-28 performance against Bowling Green ranking as a lower output from long-range. VMI, which came into the contest ranking third overall in the SoCon in free throw shooting at 72.9%, finished the night against the Bucs connecting on an uncharacteristic 63.0% 17-of-27) from the stripe.
--VMI's TJ Johnson was outstanding once again in the losing effort for VMI, as he connected on 9-of-17 shots from the field, including connecting on all six of the team's three-point field goals, as he finished the night 6-of-10 from long-range. While Johnson was 6-for-10 from long-range, the rest of the team finished the night 0-for-16 from three-point land. Johnson just missed notching his fourth double-double of the season, as he finished with nine boards.
--Johnson's 30-point effort were just two away from his career-high 32-point effort established earlier this season at Southern Indiana.
--ETSU, meanwhile, connected at a high efficiency on the offensive end of the floor the entire night, connecting on 55.8% (29-of-52) from the field and were a solid 40% (8-of-20) from long-range. The Bucs also closed out the game with another strong effort from the charity stripe, knocking down 78.9% (15-of-19) from the line.
--ETSU's 3-0 start to Southern Conference play marks its best start to a league season since starting 3-0 in 2018-19, which saw the Bucs begin league play that season with a six-game winning streak.
Furman Regains Its Momentum
--In Furman's 78-67 road win at Chattanooga, the Paladins regained some of that energy it had seemingly lost in the setback against Western Carolina, as the Paladins were able to use a 24-3 run over bridging both halves, turning a 30-24 deficit into as much as a 48-33 lead in the early stages of the second half before settling in on a 78-67 win at McKenzie Arena.
--The Paladins were led by 21 points and eight rebounds from senior center Charles Johnston, while Tom House and Asa Thomas added 17 and 16 points, respectively, to round out the scoring efforts for the Paladins. Johnston's performance marked his 10th double-figure scoring effort of the season, and his 21 points against the Mocs marked a season-high for the senior from Sydney, Australia.
--Furman's double-digit margin of victory was just its fourth double-digit win over Chattanooga at the Roundhouse, while also marking just its 11th all-time win inside the Roundhouse, and just the Paladins' 13th in the city of Chattanooga. The Paladins improved to 13-33 all-time in the Scenic City against the Mocs.
--Despite Chattanooga's struggles this season, one thing that has remained a constant for them this season is the play of Jordan Frison. Against Furman on Wednesday night, Frison posted a game-high 25 points, as he connected on 10-of-20 shots from the field, including an impressive 5-for-8 performance from three-point range in the loss. It marked Frison's fifth 20-point performance of the season, as well as contributing four rebounds and two assists for Chattanooga in the loss. Frison would be joined in double figures in the contest by Teddy Washington Jr. and Jikari Johnson, who added 15 and 10 points, respectively, in the loss.
--The Mocs continued to play shorthanded in Wednesday night's loss and didn't have Collin Mulholland available in the middle, and with Sean Cusano already out for the season, as well as being without others like Sebastian Hartmann, the Mocs continued to be thin in the paint and struggle to rebound the basketball against NCAA Division I competition this season, and the Paladins owned a 39-32 edge on the glass. In all 10 of UTC's losses so far this season, they have lost the rebounding battle. UTC fell to 3-10 against NCAA Division I teams this season, as Chattanooga returned to McKenzie Arena for its first home game in a month.
--One of the keys to the win was something that Furman has struggled with for a large majority of the season, as the Paladins, which came into the contest ranking No. 351 out of 361 teams in the country in free throw shooting, however, the Paladins rebounded after missing nine free throws against Western Carolina last time out (8-of-17) to post an impressive 15-of-20 (75.0%) from the stripe in the win over the Mocs.
--Furman ended the night by posting one of its best defensive efforts of the season against NCAA Division I competition, as the Paladins held the Mocs to just 37.5% (24-of-64) shooting for the game en route to their second SoCon win of the season. The Mocs actually ended up shooting the ball better from long range, finishing the contest shooting a solid 38.2% (13-of-34) clip. Furman also posted advantages in second-chance points (14-7) and points in the paint (30-20), while finishing the evening shooting 45.6% (26-of-57) from the field for the game, including a strong 42.6% (11-of-26) from three-point range.
--Furman claimed its 77th road win in the past 11 seasons, which ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division I over that span. It was also Furman's 234th win since the start of the 2015-16 season, which tops the SoCon. Furman is followed closely in that category by UNCG (224 wins), ETSU (219 wins), and Chattanooga (209 wins) over that same span. It was also Furman's 126th SoCon win over the past 11 seasons, which ranks second in the league in that category, as UNCG has 130 league wins over that same span.
Mercer Mauls The Citadel
--How do you recover from a road trip that saw you face likely the other two best teams in the league on their home floor after losing a pair of close road games? For Mercer, it was coming home to Hawkins Arena and posting a 38-point, 101-63, win over The Citadel. The 38-point win was Mercer's largest SoCon margin of victory over the past six seasons, eclipsing last season's 34-point (80-46) home win over the same Bulldogs team. The last time the Bears had a larger margin of victory came when they secured a 40-point win over Samford during the 2019-20 season.
--The Citadel now has loss margins of 26 and 38 points against ETSU and Mercer, respectively, to open Southern Conference play.
--The Citadel dropped its 37th-straight game to NCAA Division I competition in the road loss to the Bears, as well as dropping its 24th (regular-season and tournament) straight league game.
--The win saw the Bears remain perfect on the home hardwood this season, as the Bears improved to 7-0 on the Hawkins Arena hardwood this season.
--The game saw the Bears enjoy one of their best shooting nights of the season, scorching the nets at a 58.6% (34-of-58) clip, including a sizzling 53.6% (15-of-28) from three-point land and impressive 90% (18-of-20) from the charity stripe.
--Teams are shooting a combined 51% (39-of-76) from three-point range against The Citadel in its first three SoCon games of the season.
--Mercer got a big night from big man Armani Mighty, as he finished the night with with a double-double, posting 18 points and 11 rebounds, as he wrapped up his seventh double-double of the season, while Quinton Perkins II matched his teammate with 18 points of his own, as he did most of his damage from three-point land, connecting on 4-of-7 shots from downtown.
SoCon Game of the Week (Jan. 10)
**Wofford at Mercer, 2 p.m. EST/Hawkins Arena
--The game between Wofford and Mercer is easily the Southern Conference Game of the Week, as it will feature a matchup between two of the league's top teams through the early portion of the season. A win for Wofford would secure the Terriers best start to a SoCon season since that memorable 2018-19 season, which saw Wofford finish off one of the best campaigns for any team in league history by finishing 18-0 in the regular-season en route to garnering the league's regular-season title and then going on to win the SoCon Tournament in Asheville. Mercer will be looking to improve to 8-0 at Hawkins Arena this season, and with a win, would rebound from an 0-2 start on the road in league play to even its league mark at 2-2.
--The Terriers and Bears will be meeting for the 52nd time in series history, with the Terriers holding a commanding 36-25 lead in the all-time series, including having won seven-straight in the series against the Bears. Mercer hasn't been victorious against Wofford since Jan. 31, 2022, as the Bears claimed a 67-62 win over the Terriers at Hawkins Arena.
--One of the things to watch for in this game will be how Wofford responds to a physical Mercer team, and this is a game that I think will test the Terriers in some ways they have yet to be tested so far in SoCon play, and will offer a challenge similar to that of Wofford's non-conference games against teams like Northern Kentucky and Wichita State, in that the Bears will have to match Mercer's physicality.
--The game offers a fantastic guard matchup between two of the best in the league, in Mercer's Baraka Okojie, who in the minds of many, is one of the favorites to claim the SoCon Player of the Year honor if the season were to end today, as well as another prime contender for that award, in Wofford's Kahmare Holmes, who is coming off a 27-point effort against UNC Greensboro last Wednesday night.
--One of the keys to the game will be how Mercer is able to defend Wofford's outstanding perimeter shooting so far in league play, as the Terriers are shooting a blistering 51.2% (41-of-80) from three-point land through the first three league games this season. The Bears counter the Terriers with the league's top perimeter defense, having held teams to 31.0% (124-of-399) from three-point range so far this season, however, in league play this season, teams are shooting a bit higher of a clip from three-point range, connecting at a 36.8% (25-of-68). Wofford's 41 made threes in three league games are the most in the SoCon since the start of league play.
Other Games:
Western Carolina (5-9, 1-2 SoCon) at The Citadel (3-13, 0-3 SoCon), 1 p.m. EST
VMI (6-10, 1-2 SoCon) at Furman (11-5, 2-1 SoCon), 2 p.m. EST
UNC Greensboro (6-10, 2-1 SoCon) at East Tennessee State (11-5, 3-0 SoCon), 4 p.m. EST
Samford (9-7, 2-1 SoCon) at Chattanooga (6-10, 0-3 SoCon), 4:30 p.m. EST/televised on local SoCon affiliates as the Nexstar SoCon Game of the Week.
Miscellaneous Notes:
--The SoCon finished 62-66 against non-conference competition, with home teams posting a 45-13 overall record, while road teams were 14-43. The league was 0-18 against power conference foes, including 0-7 against Top 25 opposition. The SoCon was also 3-10 on neutral floors in the non-conference.
-- According to KenPom, the SoCon ranks 14th of 31 leagues nationally in home winning percentage, as nine of the 15 SoCon teams have held serve inside the friendly confines. Below are listed the six games that have resulted in home losses so far.
1. Chattanooga vs. Furman (L, 78-67 at McKenzie Arena/Jan. 7, 2026)
2. The Citadel vs. Wofford (L, 86-95 at McAlister Fieldhouse/Jan. 3, 2026)
3. Furman vs. Western Carolina (L, 77-80 at Timmons Arena/Jan. 3, 2026)
4. Western Carolina vs. Wofford (L, 74-79 at the Liston B. Ramsey Center/Jan. 1, 2026
5. VMI vs. Samford (L, 58-78 at Cameron Hall/Jan. 1, 2026)
6. The Citadel vs. ETSU (L, 49-74 at McAlister Field House/Dec. 30, 2025)
--The SoCon has only had two of its 15 games (13.3%) decided in overtime or by four points or less so far, which ranks 25th among 31 conferences nationally, according to KenPom. Both of those games involved Furman.
1. Western Carolina def. Furman 80-77 at Timmons Arena in OT (Jan. 3, 2026)
2. Furman def. Mercer, 74-72 at Timmons Arena (Dec. 31, 2025)
According to KenPom, the SoCon ranks fourth among 31 leagues in blowout percentage, or games decided by 19 or more points, as only three games would qualify in that category, with the league's military representation accounting for all three.
1. Mercer def. The Citadel 101-63 (38-pt margin) at Hawkins Arena (Jan. 7, 2026)
2. ETSU def. The Citadel 74-59 (25-pt margin) at McAlister Fieldhouse (Dec. 30, 2025)
3. Samford def. VMI 78-58 (20-pt margin) at Cameron Hall (Jan. 1, 2026)
--Furman freshman guard Alex Wilkins has seven 20-point scoring performances in 16 games this season. Steph Curry finished his freshman campaign with 20 games in which he scored 20 or more points, including four 30+point scoring efforts. Curry finished his freshman campaign averaging 21.5 PPG, which was second nationally among freshmen in 2006-07, with only Texas freshman Kevin Durant averaging more.
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