How About Those Bucs!!!
For the first time since the 2019-20 season, East Tennessee State is on top of the SoCon Basketball mountain, claiming the 2025-26 regular-season crown, as the Bucs ended up taking down UNC Greensboro (12-17, 8-8 SoCon), 87-75, at Bodford Arena Saturday evening, claiming a share of the league crown.
When Furman (18-11, 9-7 SoCon) picked up what would be a 76-67 win over Wofford (18-11, 10-6 SoCon) later Saturday night in the I-85 rivalry clash, it meant that the Bucs secured the outright SoCon title.
It's been quite the week for ETSU basketball, as the Bucs started it with a historic win at Furman, garnering a season sweep of the Paladins for the first time in 32 years. The Bucs got another strong performance from Brian Taylor II, who has strung together three really strong performances dating back to his 28-point effort in an overtime loss at Samford last weekend.
In ETSU's win at Furman during the mid-week, Taylor posted 17 points in a huge 78-69 road win at Timmons Arena before capping the week off in style, as he finished with 25 points in helping lead the Bucs past the Spartans in a title-clinching effort.
In that win over UNCG, Taylor II sizzled shooting the basketball, and while it was Milton Matthews III that went off against the Paladins, it was Taylor that did so against the Spartans, as he finished the contest with 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field, including going 3-for-5 from three-point range.
The SIU-Edwardsville graduate transfer added two rebounds and a pair of assists and only turned it over once in the win. Three other Bucs joined Taylor in double figures in the road win, with Cam Morris III adding 15 points, while Jaylen Smith and Isaiah Sutherland added 12 and 10 points, respectively off the bench.
The other major piece of news to come out of the game was Blake Barkley's return to the lineup for ETSU after missing the game at Furman on Wednesday night with a minor lower body injury. He just missed the double figures scoring mark, as he finished the night with nine points, five rebounds and a steal in 31 minutes of action.
UNCG was able to also place four in double figures, with KJ Younger leading the way with 20 points. The freshman guard from Matthews, N.C., connected on 7-of-13 from the field and was 5-for-9 from three-point range.
Three other Spartans joined Younger in double figures, as Justin Neely added 18 points and five rebounds, while Valentino Pinedo just missed a double-double by adding 14 points and nine rebounds. Freshman guard Noah Norgaard rounded out the UNCG players in double figures with 13 points and three assists.
After having a winning streak of four games coming into the week, the Spartans have now lost back-to-back games at Western Carolina and at home vs. ETSU on Senior Day.
As far as the game was concerned, ETSU was clinging to a 68-65 lead with just under six minutes remaining when the Bucs put together a 10-0 run to increase the margin to 13 points with 2:24 remaining and were never really threatened the rest of the way, as the Bucs held on for the win.
Also not to be overlooked in the win was the Bucs' overall offensive efficiency, which saw them shoot 60% (33-of-55) from the field, which was the best shooting effort of the season and best since equaling that total back on Feb. 1, 2023, in a win over Wofford.
With the No. 1 seed now secure, the Bucs have a pair of tough games remaining to close out league play, hosting Mercer on Senior Night at Freedom Hall on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before traveling to Mercer to face off against the Bears in a key regular season in a 4:30 p.m. EST contest at Hawkins Arena.
While the Bucs have already clinched the league, the remaining two games against two other teams battling for the No. 2 seed will have a big impact on just how the seeding shakes out.
East Tennessee State's week started in Greenville, where the Bucs would make a little history with a trip to Greenville to face off against SoCon road nemesis, Furman.
Two teams battled hard, but during one stretch in the middle of the second half, ETSU caught fire, knocking down seven-straight shots in a 20-4 run, including going 5-for-5 from three-point range over a roughly a five-minute stretch, as the Bucs picked up their first regular-season sweep of Furman in 32 years, with a 78-69 Southern Conference road win Wednesday night before a crowd of 2,500 at Timmons Arena.
Milton Matthews III, who had a total of 67 points scored in the 16 games he's seen action in this season, finished the night with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range and 6-of-11 shooting from the field, leading three Bucs in double figures off the bench, as ETSU's bench out-scored Furman's 34-10 in the game.
Matthews' 18 points eclipsed his previous season high of 14 points in the season-opener against Converse. The graduate senior and former NAIA All-American saw 24 minutes of action in the win over Furman, eclipsing his previous season-high of 16:14 of court time in a 42-point win over Louisiana-Monroe.
The 6-3 graduate transfer from Florida A&M averaged 14.7 PPG and shot 37.3% from three in his time with the Rattlers last season, however, fell behind on the depth chart early in the season. With Blake Barkley missing the game due to injury, Matthews got his opportunity to shine and he didn't disappoint. In addition to his 18 points, Matthews added a pair of steals and two rebounds.
It also shows that ETSU is malleable in the ways it can beat an opponent, which is the sign of many championship-ready teams. For a lot of the night with Matthews out there, it allowed ETSU to properly space the floor and spread-out Furman with essentially four guards on the floor, and as a result, the Bucs were able to get a lot of good looks for Matthews, especially in scramble situations off of winning 50/50 duels for loose balls.
An excellent coaching job by Brooks Savage, as the Bucs looked more like Furman, both spatially and statistically, than Furman did.
The Paladins finished the night just 6-of-33 (18.2%) from three-point range, while the Bucs finished 12-of-24 (50%) from three-point range. In two games against Furman this season, the Bucs have knocked down 19-of-41 (46.3%) shots from three-point range, while the Paladins shot 13-of-59 (22%) from three-point range in two games against the Bucs this season.
Furman's shooting struggles are trending in the second half, and that's not trending in a good way. The Paladins were just 2-of-15 from three-point range in the second half of the game against ETSU and are a now a combined 11-of-55 (20%) from three-point range in the second halves and overtime of those four losses combined, which includes 3-for-24 (12.5%) from three-point land in the past two home losses at Timmons Arena to ETSU and UNCG.
In addition to Matthews, ETSU got 17 points from Brian Taylor II, who went 5-of-15 from the field, including going 2-for-4 from three-point range, as he finished off his 22nd double-figure scoring effort of the season and 43rd of his career.
Rounding out the double figure scorers for the Bucs in the game was Cam Morris III, who finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and an assist.
Furman, meanwhile, was led by Alex Wilkins, who posted his 12th game of 20 or more points this season, as the freshman phenom finished the night with 21 points and three assists, with only three turnovers, as he did an excellent job taking care of the basketball against ETSU's pressure and physicality.
In the first game against the Bucs, Wilkins had 19 points but coughed it up 11 times as part of a 21-turnover performance that saw the Bucs outscore the Paladins 23-8 in points from turnovers in ETSU's 75-71 overtime win at Freedom Hall a couple of weeks ago.
The 21-point effort puts Wilkins at 499 points for his freshman season, which is 63 points from setting a new freshman scoring mark at Furman with three regular-season games remaining and at least one tournament game to play.
Jonathan Moore scored a Furman freshman record 561 points back in the 1976-77 season, as the two-time SoCon Player of the Year/2,000-pt scorer would finish his career as one of the most celebrated basketball players in program history.
In addition to taking pretty good care of the basketball against ETSU's ball-pressure, Wilkins finished his night with an efficient shooting performance with 6-of-13 from the field and 1-of-4 from long-range, while finishing a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.
Charles Johnston was solid for Furman in 24 minutes of action, posting his 10th double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Asa Thomas rounded out the Paladins in double figures, posting 13 points but struggled shooting it off his 25-point effort against VMI last time out, as the Clemson transfer finished just 4-of-16 shooting from the field and 3-for-12 from three-point range.
All told, the Paladins finished the night connecting on just 35.0% (21-of-60) from the field, while knocking down just 18.2% (6-of-33) from three-point range. The Paladins had one of their better performances from the free throw line of the season, finishing 75% (21-of-28) from the stripe.
The Bucs were surgical in the second half, connecting on 51.9% (14-of-27) from the field, including a blistering 63.6% (7-of-11) from three-point range, which was part of a 44.8% (26-of-58) effort from the field and a 50% (12-of-24) from three-point range. The Bucs were also efficient from the free throw line, connecting on 73.7% (14-of-19) from the free throw line.
ETSU came out and two of its first three shots from the field, which included a second-chance opportunity off an offensive rebound and putback to take an early 4-0 lead, but the Paladins quickly tied the game on a dunk from Cooper Bowser off a nice feed from Asa Thomas and a pair of free throws from Alex Wilkins to tie the game at 4-4, however, Brian Taylor II’s driving layup gave ETSU the lead back at 6-4 lead heading into the first media timeout.
With just over 15 minutes remaining, Tom House’s corner three gave the Paladins the lead back, 7-6, but the Bucs hit back with four-straight from Jaylen Smith and Brian Taylor II. The lead changed a couple of times before the second media timeout, as an Allen Strothers three-pointer just before the media timeout with 11:51 remaining in the half and to make it 15-14 Bucs lead.
ETSU took its largest lead of the night at six in the opening half, at 25-19, following a three-pointer by Milton Matthews III with 6:54 remaining in the half, prompting a Bob Richey timeout. Out of the timeout, Alex Wilkins converted a floater off the left side and then after Furman came up with a stop off a rare Matthews missed three, Wilkins found Asa Thomas for an open corner three to cut the deficit to one. Then after another Paladin stop, Charles Johnston drove to the basket but was fouled by Jordan McCullum. His two foul shots would give the Paladins a 26-25 lead with just over five minutes to play in the opening half.
With just over 15 minutes remaining, Tom House’s corner three gave the Paladins the lead back, 7-6, but the Bucs hit back with four-straight from Jaylen Smith and Brian Taylor II. The lead changed a couple of times before the second media timeout, as an Allen Strothers three-pointer just before the media timeout with 11:51 remaining in the half and to make it 15-14 Bucs lead.
ETSU took its largest lead of the night at six in the opening half, at 25-19, following a three-pointer by Milton Matthews III with 6:54 remaining in the half, prompting a Bob Richey timeout. Out of the timeout, Alex Wilkins converted a floater off the left side and then after Furman came up with a stop off a rare Matthews missed three, Wilkins found Asa Thomas for an open corner three to cut the deficit to one. Then after another Paladin stop, Charles Johnston drove to the basket but was fouled by Jordan McCullum. His two foul shots would give the Paladins a 26-25 lead with just over five minutes to play in the opening half.
Following a won challenge by the Bucs, which overturned a call, the Bucs got back-to-back threes to retake the lead by five, Asa Thomas answered with a three, and then Wilkins found Ben Vander Wal in transition and his dunk attempt was blocked by Taylor, however, there was contact on what initially looked like a clean in real time on the block by Taylor, and no foul was initially called.
Vander Wal remained down and the game was eventually blown dead after Furman rebounded an ETSU missed shot and the final media timeout gave an opportunity to review the play involving Taylor and Vander Wal. After a review, a flagrant foul was issued to ETSU's Taylor and Vander Wal connected on 1-of-2 free throws. Following two more free throws from Wilkins, Furman re-took the lead, 32-31.
After Strothers completed a three-point play the old-fashioned way to give ETSU the 34-32 lead, he picked up his third foul on the other end holding Wilkins, who tied it 34-34 with two more free throws with 58 seconds remaining in the opening half.
Furman had a chance to take the lead, but Eddrin Bronson missed an open corner three and ETSU got the rebound and called timeout to set up a play with 32.7 remaining. The Bucs would have a couple of cracks at it, but missed shots and Wilkins came up with the ball, however, his three at the buzzer was no good and the game stayed knotted, 34-34, at the break.
Furman had a chance to take the lead, but Eddrin Bronson missed an open corner three and ETSU got the rebound and called timeout to set up a play with 32.7 remaining. The Bucs would have a couple of cracks at it, but missed shots and Wilkins came up with the ball, however, his three at the buzzer was no good and the game stayed knotted, 34-34, at the break.
To open the second half, Vander Wal took a feed from Wilkins to convert a wide-open dunk, briefly giving the Paladins the lead, at 36-35. That followed a 1-of-2 effort from ETSU's Al Strothers at the line to start the half.
ETSU took a 48-45 lead after a another three from Matthews to cap a 7-0 spurt by the Bucs, as ETSU regained the three-point advantage 12:34 remaining in the game. That remained the score heading into the second media timeout of the second half. Brian Taylor II had a chance to extend ETSU’s lead to five out of the media timeout with a pair of timeouts.
ETSU took a 48-45 lead after a another three from Matthews to cap a 7-0 spurt by the Bucs, as ETSU regained the three-point advantage 12:34 remaining in the game. That remained the score heading into the second media timeout of the second half. Brian Taylor II had a chance to extend ETSU’s lead to five out of the media timeout with a pair of timeouts.
Taylor converted 1-of-2 foul shots to make it a 49-47 game before back-to-back threes by Matthews and Cam Morris III to make it an eight-point, 55-47 game. Johnston answered with another pair of free throws, but two more threes by the Bucs--Matthews and Isaiah Sutherland-- put the Bucs lead to double digits, at 61-49, with 9:26 left. The Bucs would eventually lead by as many as 13 in the final two minutes of the game.
All told, ETSU's perfect stretch of seven-straight made shots equaled a 20-4 run to turn a 45-41 deficit into a 61-49 lead. The Paladins got a half-hook in the paint from Cooper Bowser to trim the deficit to 10. The run spanned from the 14:28 mark until the 9:26 mark of the second half.
During that same 20-4 run, which saw ETSU go perfect mode to turn the tables on Furman, the Paladins went 0-of-6 from three-point range.
Furman briefly cut it to eight (61-53) on a bucket by Asa Thomas with 8:18 left, however, Strothers answered with a layup with 7:51 remaining to push the margin back to 10.
The third media timeout of the half saw the Paladins trailing by 10, at 63-53, with 7:04 remaining. Layups by McCullum and Taylor pushed the margin back to 12 before Wilkins drove the lane and slammed it home to trim it back to 67-57.
The Paladins would trim the margin to single digits, getting the margin (76-69) to seven with 34 seconds remaining, however, could get no closer, as the Bucs went 6-for-6 down the stretch to close out the nine-point win.
I-85 Rivalry: Furman Earns Regular-Season Split with Wofford
While ETSU dispatched UNCG in what was considered one of the SoCon's emerging rivalry just a few years ago, one rivalry that continued to be alive and well was the I-85 rivalry clash between Furman and Wofford, as over 3,100 fans packed inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium to take in the clash between the Terriers and Paladins.
For the fourth time in five trips to the facility, however, the Paladins seemed more fueled by the surrounding hatred than having been affected negatively by, as Furman avenged an earlier four-point loss in Greenville (L, 74-70/Jan. 17, 2026) with a 76-67 win over Wofford Saturday evening.
The win by Furman was fueled mostly by an 8-of-12 shooting performance from three-point range, including one by Asa Thomas, which defied logic at times, as he started the game 6-of-6 from three-point land and finished it 6-of-7 from long-range, scoring all 18 of his points in the opening half of play to lead Furman to one of its biggest SoCon wins of the season.
Thomas led the way for the Paladins with 18 points, while Alex Wilkins chipped in with 15 points and five assists, while both Cooper Bowser and Chuck Johnston helped control the paint for most of the night, as the duo finished with 13 points apiece.
With his 15-point effort, the freshman guard from Mattapan, MA., got him over the 500-point plateau for the season, becoming just the Paladin to ever score 500 points as a freshman, joining two-time SoCon Player of the Year Jonathan Moore, who holds the school record for points scored by a Paladin rookie with 561 points during the 1976-77 season.
Wilkins now has 514 points with two games remaining in the regular-season. He needs just 48 more points in the two regular-season and tournament game(s) to set a new Furman freshman standard. It marked the 24th time in 29 games that Wilkins has posted a double figures scoring performance.
Wofford got a game-high 20 points from Kahmare Holmes, who was back in his second game since returning from injury after almost a month hiatus, as he posted his 14th performance of 20 or more points this season.
He scored 13 of his 20 points in the opening 20 minutes of basketball. Holmes was efficient in his performance, finishing the contest 6-for-12 from the field, which included a 2-for-5 effort from three-point range. About the only area of struggle in the contest for Holmes was at the charity stripe, where he finished 6-of-13 for the game.
Holmes, a sophomore from Charlotte, led three Terriers that finished the contest in double figures and added five rebounds, three rebounds and a steal to Wofford's cause.
Cayden Vasko finished the contest with 13 points and 10 rebounds to finish the contest with a double-double. Vasko ended the game connecting on 5-of-13 from the field and was 3-for-10 from three-point land. Big man Rex Stirling finished the 10 points and four rebounds, as two players from a land down under finished in double figures from each team.
Both teams were amped from the tip and the atmosphere was electric, and with the adrenaline flowing, Furman coughed up the ball on a couple of occasions but would settle into the game as the nerves settled following the first media timeout.
Cayden Vasko gave the Terriers an early 5-2 lead with a layup in transition, however, Furman’s Cooper Bowser, who went 2-of-3 prior to the first media timeout, made it 5-4 game at the first media timeout.
The story of the opening half was Furman’s shooting from long range, however, as the Paladins went 8-for-12 from downtown in the opening half of play, powered mostly by Asa Thomas, who connected on his first six and went 6-of-7 from long-range in the opening half.
The story of the opening half was Furman’s shooting from long range, however, as the Paladins went 8-for-12 from downtown in the opening half of play, powered mostly by Asa Thomas, who connected on his first six and went 6-of-7 from long-range in the opening half.
A barrage of threes from both Thomas and former Wren High School standout Abijah "Baba" Franklin, as the former Mr. Basketball in the Palmetto State's consecutive treys helped extend Furman's lead to double digits for the first time in the game (33-23), which the Paladins would build to as much as 16 using a 20-4 run over a five-minute span.
The Paladins assumed a 43-27 lead following Thomas' sixth-straight make from long-range with 2:53 remaining in the half. It would be the final points of the opening half for the Paladins.
The Terriers, however, ended the half on a 9-0 run and carried the momentum into the second half, trimming Furman's lead to 43-34 at the intermission. Following Thomas' three, the Terriers got consecutive layups from Nils Machowski and Rex Stirling, which was followed by a long three from Vasko, bringing the crowd back into the game as the two teams headed for their respective locker rooms.
Wofford eventually extended the run to 21-1 in the early portions of the second half, and following a Kahmare Holmes three, the Terriers took a 48-44 lead, and Furman called timeout with 16:26 remaining.
Following the first media timeout of the second half, Alex Wilkins connected on a three from the left side to get the Paladins back to within a point just prior to the first media timeout, as the Terriers held a 48-47 lead. It was perhaps the biggest shot of the game, as Furman finally was able to gain a little of the momentum back that they had for so much of the opening half of basketball.
The lead would change hands three more times before the second media timeout before took the lead for good. Cayden Vasko connected on a three with 11:53 remaining to give the Terriers a 54-53 lead. Holmes connected on a jumper to push the lead back to three before Wilkins sliced down the lane for a layup and after coming up with a steal on Wofford's ensuing possession, found Cooper Bowser on a lob from the top of the key and his slam and a 57-56 lead with 9:48 remaining and it would be one the Paladins would not relinquish this time around.
The lead would change hands three more times before the second media timeout before took the lead for good. Cayden Vasko connected on a three with 11:53 remaining to give the Terriers a 54-53 lead. Holmes connected on a jumper to push the lead back to three before Wilkins sliced down the lane for a layup and after coming up with a steal on Wofford's ensuing possession, found Cooper Bowser on a lob from the top of the key and his slam and a 57-56 lead with 9:48 remaining and it would be one the Paladins would not relinquish this time around.
That lob from Wilkins came in almost identical fashion was nearly Deja vu to the one that Wilkins had lobbed to Cole Bowser for a 11-point lead (57-46) with 10:37 left last month at Timmons Arena only to see the Terriers eventually whittle away and come from behind for a four-point win in Greenville. In that game, the Paladins extended their lead to as much as 13 points before Wofford finally mounted a late-game charge to overcome the Paladins.
This time around, however, the Paladins used a combination of good defense and timely offense, which ultimately helped Furman hold off Wofford over the final nine minutes.
With 7:42 remaining, Wofford's talented freshman guard Chace Watley converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way to get the Terriers to within a point, at 60-59. However, the Paladins would hold the Terriers scoreless from the field the next 6:32, taking a 69-61 lead following a Wilkins fade-a-way jumper in the paint to give the Paladins a 69-61 lead with 2:58 remaining. It wasn't until a Rex Stirling layup in the paint with 1:10 remaining made it a 69-64 game.
With Wofford being forced to foul, the Paladins would make 7-of-8 free throws over the final 70 seconds of the game to close out the nine-point road win.
Catamounts and Mocs Are Heating Up; Mercer Ends Samford's Streak
Chattanooga (12-17, 6-10 SoCon) and Western Carolina (12-15, 8-8 SoCon) continued to heat up with both finishing the week 2-0, while Mercer's (18-11, 10-6 SoCon) 89-86 win over Samford (16-13, 9-7 SoCon) snapped the Bulldogs' six-game winning streak.
The Mocs are suddenly beginning to look like one of those potential Friday night winning teams that one of the top two seeds would want to avoid in the opening round. It's been a topsy turvy campaign for Dan Earl's Chattanooga team. The reigning SoCon regular-season champs were picked to win the league by the league's head coaches, and there was no shortage of media outlets and college basketball publications that followed that same line of thinking.
But the Mocs have been snakebitten by injuries, particularly in the front court, and that has made life difficult for them when the three-ball doesn't fall consistently. Fortunately for Earl and the Mocs, the threes are starting to fall at the right time, but is it too late for the Mocs to ultimately snatch one of the top six seeds and avoid Friday's opening round?
In wins over The Citadel and Mercer this week--both of which came on the road--the Mocs shot a combined 47% (24-of-51) from three-point range. That will win you a lot of basketball games. In the 93-72 win over The Citadel this past Saturday, the Mocs blistered the nets to the tune of 61.1% (33-of-54) for the game.
Overall, the Mocs have shot 60% or better in each of the past two games, marking the first time that has happened since 1993 when the Mocs hit their shooting stride in back-to-back games against The Citadel and Georgia Southern on consecutive days (Feb. 27 and 28th) during that season.
The good news for the UTC front court is the continuing improved health of big man Collin Mulholland, who posted his first-career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the 21-point road win, and looked like he was pain free for the first time this season.
Brennan Watkins and Jordan Frison led a balanced attack for the Mocs, scoring 16 points apiece to lead six Mocs in double figures. Teddy Washington Jr. added 15 points, while Billy Smith and the aforementioned Mulholland added 14 and 13 points, respectively, off the bench.
Against the Bulldogs, the Mocs raced out to a 29-4 lead and though The Citadel would cut the Mocs lead to as little as 13 points in the second half, at 69-56, following a Braxton Williams layup with 8:17 remaining, it would prove to be as close as The Citadel could get the rest of the way, as the Mocs won relatively easily.
That wouldn't be the case earlier in the week, however, as the Mocs had to gut out a 94-90 win on the road at Mercer, handing the Bears their first home setback of the season in the process. The win would give the Mocs the regular season sweep of the Bears, and like the game against the Bulldogs, the Mocs got off to a fast start, scoring the first seven points of the game.
The first half against the Bears saw the Mocs take the upper hand only to see, more often than not, the Bears make a charge back when Chattanooga established a little bit of a cushion. Late in the half, the Mocs took a 30-24 lead following buckets in the paint by Billy Smith and Josh Bowman.
Later, Watkins and Smith connected on back-to-back threes by Watkins and Smith extended the Mocs lead back out to 10, at 42-32, but Mercer closed to within five following a jumper and free throw by Baraka Okojie and a dunk by Armani Mighty, as the Mocs held a 44-39 lead at the break.
In the second half, Mercer would get hot, knocking down five-straight shots from the field, which equaled a 9-0 run and turned a 59-56 deficit into a 65-59 lead following an Okojie three with 11:10 remaining. A Quinton Perkins II three extended Mercer's lead to seven, at 70-63, with nine minutes remaining, and a Connor Serven tip-in would give the Bears a 74-70 lead with 7:38 left.
Chattanooga, however, wasn't going anywhere and down the stretch, it was the Mocs that looked the fresher of the two teams. The Mocs stepped up their defense and would hold the Bears scoreless for nearly five minutes, while using a 14-2 run of their own to take an 84-70 lead following a Brennan Watkins jumper with 2:41 remaining.
A quick 6-0 spurt would trim Chattanooga's lead to six, as a pair of Serven foul shots got the Bears to within two, at 86-84, with 1:14 remaining.
However, the Mocs would hit back six-straight of its own to essentially clinch the road win, as Jordan Frison's jumper was followed up by four-straight free throws made by Smith to stretch the Mocs lead to eight (92-84) with just 24 seconds remaining.
Mercer would turn around and host Samford in a huge league tilt on Saturday afternoon, with a Bears win keeping it very much in the running for a shot at the No. 2 seed for the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament.
The Bears would garner their 13th home win of the season, while ending red-hot Samford's winning streak, with an 89-86 win over the Bulldogs in what was maybe the best game of the week. It helped the Bears avenge a 69-49 loss at Samford last month, and helped Mercer remain in the running to perhaps garner the No. 2 seed for the upcoming SoCon Tournament.
Baraka Okojie firmly put his name in the conversation for league player of the year with his performance against the Bulldogs, as he posted 25 points to lead the Bears, connecting on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, while also adding six rebounds and five assists to his overall totals.
As efficient as Okojie was offensively, he was flawless from the free throw line, as 10-of-10 performance at the line was part of an 18-for-25 shooting effort (72%) from the free throw line for the game.
Okojie was joined in double figures by three other Bears, as Quinton Perkins II posted 21 points, as he moved back into the starting lineup for the first time since the Furman game. Like Okojie, Perkins' performance was highly-efficient, as he connected on 7-of-9 shots from the field, including a near-perfect 4-of-5 from three-point range. Also like Okojie, he was a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe.
Rounding out the Bears in double figures in the game were both Zaire Williams and Armani Mighty added 15 and 14 points, respectively. Mighty added 13 rebounds to finish off what was his 14th double-double of the season, which is second to only UNCG's Justin Neely.
The Bulldogs' Batman-Robin duo of Jadin Booth and Dylan Faulkner scored 53 of the Bulldogs' 86 points in the road loss, as Faulkner led the way with 27 points, while Booth added 26. The only other Bulldogs player in double figures in the contest was Keaton Norris, who added 11, while Cade Norris just missed joining the double figures scoring column, finishing up with nine.
Faulkner, who was the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, posted a strong 12-of-16 shooting performance, as well as going 3-of-5 from the charity stripe. In addition to his scoring, Faulkner also added eight rebounds and dished out three assists. Booth finished his day by connecting on 8-of-15 shots from the field, which included 4-of-8 from three-point land, while having a perfect afternoon from the charity stripe, finishing 6-for-6.
The game featured 11 ties and 17 lead changes before the Bears came away with one of their biggest wins of the season. Neither team led by more than seven points the entire game.
Mercer joined Chattanooga and ETSU as the third team to shoot better than 60% on this particular Saturday of SoCon hoops, finishing the contest by connecting on a blistering 64.0% (32-of-50) from the field, while connecting at a 41.2% rate from three-point range (7-of-17) and 72.0% (18-of-25) from the free throw line.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, connected on 46.9% (30-of-64) from the field and 37.5 (6-of-16) from three-point range. Samford had a near-perfect afternoon from the line, finishing 87.0% (20-of-23) from the stripe.
The opening half saw both teams come out and establish aggression on the offensive end, with each team performing at a high level offensively. The half, though, would be highlighted by Connor Serven's poster dunk over a Samford's Dylan Faulkner for one of the best of the season. That slam brought the Hawkins Arena crowd to its feet and also gave Mercer a 32-31 lead.
With the game tied, 41-41, Zaire Williams' contested three at the buzzer gave the Bears a 44-41 lead and all the momentum heading into the halftime locker room. Mercer took its largest lead of the day at seven points when Perkins converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way to give the Bears a 57-50 lead with 14:23 remaining.
Samford wouldn't go easily, however, as the Bulldogs were in it for the long haul, and a 12-4 spurt over the next three minutes would see the Bulldogs regain the lead, at 62-61 on a four-point play by Booth with 11:29 remaining. Three-and-a-half minutes later, Williams' top of the key three made it a 68-67 Mercer lead, however, Keaton Norris was connect on a pair of free throws to give the Bulldogs the lead back. It was this kind of game.
With a minute remaining, Mighty converted a layup to give the Bears an 85-82 lead. Another Booth bucket got the Bulldogs back to within a point, but the Bulldogs elected to foul instead of play defense with just a four second differential on the shot-clock and game clock. Okojie stepped to the line and cool, calm and collectively knocked down both free throws to push the lead to 87-84.
While Samford committed only six turnovers in the game, it was the final one that was the most painful. After taking a timeout to set up what appeared to be a well-devised play to free Booth in the left corner for a wide open three-pointer, Keaton Norris' bounce pass intended for Booth was slightly behind the sharpshooter and went out of play with nine seconds remaining. The Bulldogs had no choice but to foul Okojie, who essentially iced the game with two more free throws, as the Bears held on for a much-needed 89-86 win.
Finally, it was a strong week for Western Carolina, as the Catamounts went 2-0 on the week and have now won four-straight. The week started with a mid-week test against UNCG.
Western Carolina would begin its final stretch of the season by stretching its winning streak to three games, while ending UNC Greensboro's winning streak at four games, capturing a 91-77 win over the Spartans at the Liston B. Ramsey Center on Wednesday night.
Cord Stansberry led the way for the hometown Catamounts, pouring in a team-high 25 points, while freshman guard and Worecester, Mass., product Tahlan Pettway added 24 points to pace four Catamounts in double figures, as WCU moved to 5-1 in league games when it scores 80 or more points. Only a 90-82 loss to Chattanooga at the Ramsey Center early on in conference play keeps the Catamounts from being 6-0 in league play when they have scored 80 or more points in a game this season.
Stansberry's night saw him knock down 7-of-15 shots from the field, which included 4-for-11 from three-point range and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe, while he also added seven rebounds, four steals and an assist in the Catamount win.
Pettway's performance was the best of his young career in a Catamount uniform, as the rookie guard connected on 9-of-13 shots from the field, including going 6-for-9 from three-point land and dished out three assists in 39 minutes of work. Pettway made his fifth start of the season for the Catamounts, as he garnered the start in place of veteran Julien Soumaoro, who is injured.
Rounding out the Catamount players in double figures in the contest were Tijdianne Dioumassi, who added 16 points, while Marcus Kell finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
UNCG's Justin Neely led all scorers, posting 35 points, eight rebounds and four assists. He finished 13-of-18 shots from the field, including 1-of-2 from three-point land and was 8-for-10 from the charity stripe.
He was one of four Spartans that finished the contest in double figures, with Noah Norgaard adding 13 points, while Clifton Efinda had 11 off the bench. Freshman guard KJ Younger rounded out the Spartans in double figures with 10.
Both teams shot the ball well, with the Catamounts finishing the night at 52.5% (31-of-59) from the field and 46.2% (12-of-26) from three-point range. The Spartans, meanwhile, finished the game connecting on 51.9% (28-of-54) from the field 36.8% from three-point range (7-of-19).
The key to the win came late, as the Catamounts, despite playing with only eight players available, used an 11-1 run with the game still in the balance, with the Catamounts clinging to a four-point (80-76) lead with 2:34 remaining.
One of the biggest keys to the win for the Catamounts was the ability to get to the free throw line, and that's an area that the Spartans are normally in control of, with Neely's ability to draw fouls in the low post.
However, it was the Catamounts that had advantages in both attempts (22-20) and free throw line scoring (17-14), as the Catamounts finished the contest shooting an impressive 77.3% (17-of-22) from the charity stripe.
The Catamounts turned around and went on the road and extended its winning streak to four games, as WCU claimed what was an 81-62 game at Cameron Hall in Lexington.
Redshirt junior Cord Stansberry was the story of the game, as he posted a double-double with 17 points and a career-best 11 rebounds in leading the Catamounts to the 19-point win. The Catamounts were again without starting point guard Julien Soumaoro, but the Catamounts didn't miss a beat with Tahlan Pettway once again in the lineup.
Though the Catamounts won the game by 19 points, that number is probably a little bit deceiving as the score for much of the evening was more competitive than the game might have indicated, or at least it was the way in the opening half any way.
In the opening half of play, the Catamounts were clinging to a 36-30 lead when all of the sudden the Purple and Gold put together what was a 17-7 run just before the halftime break, as the road team scooted out to a 53-37 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Catamounts put it on cruise control in the second half and not only was it WCU's fourth-straight win, but also it marked the fourth-straight game in which the Catamounts scored 80 or more points. The only time in the second half in which the Catamounts were seriously threatened came at the start of the frame, as the Keydets went on a 16-8 run to open the frame and cut the deficit under 10, at 61-53.
However, a quick response by the Catamounts, as back-to-back threes by Stansberry and Pettway connected from long-distance, as the Catamounts scored nine-straight to go back up by 17, at 70-53, with 4:53 left. The Keydets could never get the deficit below 18 the rest of the game.
With the 19-point win over the Keydets, it saw the Purple and Gold improve to 10-2 when scoring 80 or more points on the season. WCU is also 12-5 when out-rebounding its opponent this season.
With the win, the Catamounts improved to 8-8 overall in league play and remained in the mix for a top six overall finish should Western Carolina be able to win out over the course of its final two basketball games, which will be both at home against both Mercer and Furman on Saturday.
In addition to Stansberry's double-double, Tijdiane Dioumassi added 15 points, four boards and four assists, while Samuel Dada just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Pettway made his second-straight start and sixth overall of the season, as he produced 11 points, four assists and two boards, while Marcus Kell rounded out the Catamounts in double figures with 10.
The Catamounts finished shooting 45.2% (28-of-62) for the game, including knocking down 10-of-30 from three-point range, as WCU finished the evening shooting at a 33.3% from long range.
VMI, which shot 39.3% (22-of-56) from the field and 37.9% (11-of-29) from three-point land were led by Walker Andrews, who came off the bench to score 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and was 4-for-7 from the field. TJ Johnson and Cal Liston rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 points apiece, as the duo contributed six of the team's 11 three-pointers in the game.
Military Melancholy
Finally, we had entertained some high hopes for both VMI (6-23, 1-15 SoCon) and The Citadel (9-20, 6-10 SoCon) on the college basketball hardwood this season, with many, including myself, picking the Keydets to be the surprise package of the SoCon hoops scene this season, and we waited with giddy expectation for preseason Player of the Year selection Rickey Bradley Jr. to return to the fold, however, it was never to be, as his injury ended up lasting the duration of the regular-season and with one game left, VMI has now stumbled to 1-15 in league action and 6-23 overall.
It had been such a promising end to the 2024-25 season--one which saw the Keydets finish off a campaign with 15 wins, including making a memorable run to the SoCon semifinals, upsetting the No. 2 seeded UNCG Spartans along the way before eventually running out of gas against the eventual champion Wofford Terriers in the semifinals with an 85-65 loss.
VMI had all the pieces back around Bradley, however, as the Keydets returned more production than any team in the league. Later injuries to guy like Alexander Dashvili and the SoCon's top on-ball defender AJ Clark left the ranks severely diminished. Many nights during the cruel and unforgiving conference slate saw TJ Johnson give heroic effort after heroic effort in leading this team. Johnson should be given a tip of the cap by anyone who calls themselves a fan of this league. He's been outstanding for head coach Andrew Wilson's team all season.
It appeared that The Citadel's Ed Conroy was going to have The Citadel Bulldogs in contention to avoid the play-in round of the SoCon Tournament for the first time since the 2009 season. However, with four-straight losses, the Bulldogs now have a steep hill to climb to even entertain the remote possibility of that being a reality now.
Unlike VMI though, the Bulldogs are very much a program that can take more positives than negatives out of this season. It has everything to do with the coaching job done by head coach Ed Conroy and his staff. They've gone out and brought in talents from the portal like Braxton Williams from Valdosta State and Carter Kingsbury, as that duo has fit The Citadel's system perfectly. It's been an undeniable fact that Sola Adebisi has been one of the most exciting players and dunkers in the league for the Bulldogs this season.
The Bulldogs have more often than not been competitive in league play and still have a chance to finish the season strong this week, as the Bulldogs go in search of a season sweep of Furman on Wednesday night in Greenville. The Bulldogs then will go in search of a seasonal split at Wofford in the regular-season finale.
The Bulldogs snapped a 37-game losing streak to NCAA Division I foes early in SoCon play with a home win over Western Carolina, and their six league wins so far this season mark the most league wins by the Bulldogs since the 2021-22 campaign and most since Ed Conroy returned to Charleston.
There are certainly some better days ahead for The Citadel's basketball program, and if Conroy and staff can take anything away from how the regular-season has gone, it's that confidence should be lifted after what was a demoralizing 2024-25 season. Winning can be done at a military school in NIL era and even for a program like The Citadel, which has never made an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Brooks Savage is the SoCon Coach of the Year
First off, I'd be remiss if I didn't get a tip of the cap at least to both Wofford head coach Kevin Giltner, Samford's Lennie Acuff and The Citadel's Conroy for the coaching jobs turned in by all three this season, however, as the SoCon season has transpired, it's become apparent that Brooks Savage has done the best job of any in the league this season.
Savage took over an ETSU program that Desmond Oliver had left in disarray four years ago. Now three years into his first of what figures to be several high-profile coaching stops over the course of his career, Savage has made an appearance in the SoCon title game in his first year, coached his team to a third-place finish and Quimari Peterson to the league's Player of the Year honor last season, and in year three, has brought the first regular-season conference title back to Johnson City for the first time since the Steve Forbes era and the 2019-20 season.
Making his coaching job even more impressive was the fact that the Bucs had to replace. I looked back at what I wrote in the preseason as a part of ETSU's preview and I have pasted it below. It's been neat to see all of it start to come together for Savage this season. He's been a lot more calmer this season, and it's very much what I noticed about Steve Forbes' Bucs back in 2019-20 when he was at the helm of ETSU. In italics below is what I wrote in the preseason.
From the 2025-26 ETSU Preview I wrote back in October:
For Brooks Savage, now it's on to the tremendous haul brought in from the transfer portal for the Bucs. A total off 11 newcomers will be a part of ETSU's roster for the upcoming season, with 10 of the 11 being transfers, while also adding one exceptionally talented high school signee.
Savage's third major haul from the transfer portal appears to be one that, at least on paper, looks like not only the most talented, but one that most fits the identity of what Savage is truly trying to establish, which is all about building a team that dictates the rules of engagement on both ends, picking points in the game to run but not playing fast as an identity, without compromising its "elite-ness" defensively.
Savage's first two teams as the head coach have lived up on the defensive end of the floor, however, on the offensive end, the Bucs have shown flashes but nothing like the consistency and versatility that Savage wants, which was something he was able to get out of his teams under Forbes as the offensive coordinator at Wake Forest. This mix of players brought in by Savage and staff looks more on par with the type of team identity he wants in Johnson City and the type of identity he had in Winston-Salem as the Demon Deacons' offensive coordinator.
In adding even another element that we really couldn't know from a media perspective until the season got underway and the Bucs started to string together wins, was what I have noticed off the floor as a media member this season is a good culture. That's not to say that the culture in the previous two seasons was bad by any stretch under Savage and staff, but it's more that this one has the special ingredients usually associated with teams that have gone on to win championships in this league. I have been watching this stuff awhile, and more often than not, you can tell what teams are going to be by watching their body language.
This season, I've noticed Savage have a calmer demeanor with his team, as well as the other interactions between players and staff give off good vibes. This is the right mix, and when you have the right mix, it makes it a joy to coach that team.
I don't people a lot of people realize that the toughest part of the job for a coach is not actually coaching the team, but seeing it in their respective minds as a finished product and the pieces, personalities and willingness to role acceptance all as a finished product from the outset, and long before it becomes an actual reality.
It didn't really dawn on me until I had a conversation to talk to Steve Forbes about, I remember speaking to him about this very thing in his last season at ETSU. It was one of those rare moments that Forbes gave you that made him so unique as a coach, and for me as a media member, a joy to cover. He didn't dance around words or dress up cliche's, he just gave you the raw unfiltered truth. It's one of the reasons I developed a really good bond with him because of his genuineness.
I paraphrase a conversation that Forbes and I had in February 2020 following ETSU's home win over Furman. The ETSU Hall-of-Fame head coach told me how much he liked coaching that 2019-20 team because they were so easy to coach and they show up wanting to learn and have a great desire to learn and be better each day.
Forbes went on to say that sometimes there have been teams he coached in his career at all levels (JUCO included) that he said were harder to get up every day and go coach because their overall priorities and values weren't focused on the right things, which made for a longer and more grueling season. Forbes finished up by saying that he never lost his joy to coach, but that some teams definitely made the job more fun in certain seasons than others and said that it's a real treat to get a team like the one I have this year (2019-20) and you cherish those teams and never forget them.
I haven't had this similar type of conversation with Brooks Savage, but it would appear from his countenance that he's enjoying this season. They say coaches as well as people in general often wear their emotions the sleeve, and some are more emotionally plugged in than others. If you've watched Savage coach, you've noticed he is fiercely passionate. Just ask any official in the SoCon haha....My point is, coach Savage smiles more and even without him saying he's having fun, although I'm sure he has, he really looks like he's having a good time.
Savage, at least in my eyes, is your SoCon Coach of the Year. To turn over a roster and find 11 unique personalities mesh with the four players that form the core of the roster of four returnees, and with personalities coming from different programs and different individual backgrounds and getting all those players in this NIL era to buy into a common goal is remarkable.
I'll close by saying this. I think Savage's job this season can really be summed up in two different players; Allen Strothers and Blake Barkley. Strothers is the one player that has seen ETSU's program when the days offered an ominous picture of the future back in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Strothers isn't a player that's going to wow you with his scoring ability or his anything that he does specifically, but one character trait that stands out most for me and speaks to what Savage has developed in terms of culture is Strothers' loyalty to stay and then not only stay, but see the return of trust and loyalty given him by Savage to not only trust him on the floor in key moments, but let him be the voice above all voices as the leader of this Bucs team.
As for Barkley, he wasn't trusted or given a fair chance at Northwestern. Maybe some of that was due to injuries or just that Northwestern simply over-recruited and weren't maybe as fair as they should have been up front about the reality of playing time as they should have been from the outset, but whatever the case is, the point is Savage saw something in Barkley that Chris Collins couldn't.
I don't know much about coaching I'll admit, but I can tell you which coach was right and which one was wrong. It wasn't whether or not Barkley could flourish, it was whether or not a coach was willing to devote the time and energy to develop him to reach his potential as a player. That has shown through this season with Barkley having an all-conference season in his first season in Johnson City.
Power Rankings after the week of Feb.15-22
1. ETSU (21-8, 13-3 SoCon)
2. Samford (16-13, 9-7 SoCon)
3. Furman (18-11, 9-7 SoCon)
4. Mercer (18-11, 10-6 SoCon)
5. Wofford (18-11, 10-6 SoCon)
6. Western Carolina (12-15, 8-8 SoCon)
7. Chattanooga (12-17, 6-10 SoCon)
8. UNCG (12-17, 8-8 SoCon)
9. The Citadel (9-20, 6-10 SoCon)
10. VMI (6-23, 1-15 SoCon)
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