Southern Conference Hoops

A quick overview each week (hopefully) of each team in the NCAA basketball SoCon

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  • Weekly Recap (11/17 – 11/23)

    Hey all! Thanks again for reading. Just a quick recap of your favorite SoCon teams in action through the past week. I tried to also do some mid-week shoutouts and highlights but I don’t still quite know what my consistent format will be. Suggestions always welcome!

    1. East Tennessee State (5-1). Two more wins this week for the Buccs this week as they continue to look like the strongest team in the SoCon. A 15 point home win against Morehead State on Friday, and then wrapping up the weekend with a blowout win against UL Monroe. In the win against Morehead, four starters scored in double figures, with Taylor and Morris both getting over 20 and McCullum adding 13 and 14 rebounds. ETSU was able to empty the bench in their game Sunday against ULM, with 13 players seeing minutes. Smith off the bench added 15 points on 6-8 shooting and dished out 5 assists. 
    2. Wofford (4-2). Two more wins for Wofford this week continues the good momentum, including a home win against North Florida in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge, and a dominant win against division II Erskine at home on Friday. Holmes continues to lead the Terriers in scoring, putting up 21 and adding 9 rebounds and 3 assists, not to mention 3 steals and 2 blocks in a fantastic overall game. Freshman Chace Watley had a season high 16 points off the bench, hitting 7-8 field goals. 
    3. Mercer (3-2). Winning their only game this week, the Bears improved to 3-2 with a solid road win against Eastern Kentucky 95-83 in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge. All five starters put up double figures and senior transfer from Syracuse Kyle Cuffe Jr added 12 off the bench, shooting a perfect 3-3 from three. Mighty had his second double-double of the season, with 18 and 12. Sophomore Quinton Perkins II led the scoring with 20 points which was his season high. Mercer shot a very impressive 57% from three in the win. 
    4. Chattanooga (3-3). Two more wins added to the resume this week for UT-Chattanooga. First a mid-week win on the road at SC State, followed by a home win on Saturday in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge 71-57 against Northern Alabama. The Mocs had a balanced attack in the win against SC State, with Frison leading the way with 17 points, and Washington Jr putting in 16. Frison always added 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Senior Makai Richards came off the bench and snagged six boards. In Saturday’s win, senior guard Billy Smith, a transfer from Bellarmine, led the way with 18 points, all from 3, and grabbing 5 rebounds. While Washington Jr didn’t have his normal scoring numbers, he still contributed, leading the team with 10 rebounds. Freshman Tate Darner scored 10 off the bench.
    5. Furman (3-3). Furman started the week with a demolishing of Ohio Christian, winning at home by 55, and followed up that positive momentum with an 11 point home win 90-79 against Queens in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge. Against Ohio Christian, sophomore Clemson transfer guard Asa Thomas led the way with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Johnston always added 15 points and 11 rebounds. In the win against Queens, five players scored in double figures in a very balanced effort. Wilkins continues his impressive start to his college career, leading the Paladins in scoring, and putting up 23/5/7 in the win. With 14 points and 13 rebounds, Johnston has double doubles in five of his first six games. Bowser also added an impressive 17 points, his season high. 
    6. Western Carolina (3-3). The Catamounts got a mid-week win over UNC Asheville, but dropped a tough one Saturday on the road, 83-62 to Lipscomb in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge. The 29 from Stansberry led the way, and freshman Tahlan Pettiway helped in the win, adding 12 points off the bench. WCU won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding UNCA 43-28. The weekend game was lopsided from the jump, with Lipscomb taking the lead and never looking back. Soumaoro, Stansberry, and freshman guard Tahlan Pettway all scored in double figures, and 7’ sophomore transfer from Denver Abdulai Fanta Kabba did his part, pulling down 9 rebounds.
    7. Samford (3-4). A tough week for Samford, dropping both their games including a home loss 77-62 to FGCU in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge, then two days later on the road by 9 to New Mexico State in the Cancun Challenge. Earlier in the week at home, Booth put up an outstanding 27 points, with Faulkner adding 14 points and 7 rebounds. The Bulldogs played a tough NMSU team on Friday and stayed with them most of the game. Sophomore transfer guard Kam Martin from Long Beach State came off the bench and played 22 minutes, scoring 17 and grabbing 5 boards in by far his best game of the year so far. Another solid contributor was sophomore guard Zion Wilburn who added 15 points and 3 rebounds. 
    8. VMI (3-4). Playing on the road in both games this week, VMI got beat up by Richmond early in the week, losing by 33, and then over the weekend lost in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge to Stetson, 99-80. Against the undefeated Spiders, the team had a tough shooting night, only shooting 37% from the field. Off the bench though, sophomore guard Jaylen Pazon came in and put up 14 in 19 minutes. In the Keydets loss to Stetson, TJ Johnson scored 20 as he continues to lead the team in scoring. Clark recorded his first double double of the season with a 12 and 11. 
    9. The Citadel (2-3). Only one game this week, The Citadel got an easy win 70-57 against North Greenville, jumping out to a 14-0 lead to start the game. 13 players saw time in the game, with contributions across the board. Gonzales continues to shine off the bench, scoring 20 points and adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Keynan Davis and sophomore guard Eze Wali also scored in double figures. 
    10. UNCG (1-5). A close loss on Thursday on the road in the AUN/SoCon Challenge, UNC Greensboro lost 101-94 to Queens. UNCG was within 10 the entire game, but just couldn’t cut it any closer. Six players scored in double figures though, including all five starters, and junior forward Domas Kauzonas off the bench. Freshman guard KJ Younger led the Spartans with 22, his season high, on 7-9 shooting. Ending the week with a reason to celebrate, UNCG came from behind, down 18 at halftime, to get their first win, 68-62 against Youngstown State in the Jacksonville Classic. Continuing to lead the team this year in scoring, Neely put up 16 points to go with an impressive 16 rebounds and added 3 assists and 3 steals. Freshman guard Noah Norgaard from Denmark scored a season high 9 points off the bench, playing 24 minutes.

  • Quick Player Spotlight – TJ Johnson

    Quick Player Spotlight – TJ Johnson (VMI). A player to keep your eye on this season in the SoCon, junior forward TJ Johnson. After starting all 33 games he played in last year for the Keydets in his first year after transferring from Lipscomb, he averaged 12.3 ppg on 40.5% from the field, and added 4.7 rpg last season. So far in five games for VMI this year he has put up big numbers, averaging 20.8 ppg with 8.4 rpg and even 1.8 spg. Notably he’s also 26-30 so far from the free throw line, hitting near 90%. His 32 points in the second game of the year was a career high, and followed that up the next game with 31. Shout-out to TJ Johnson. 

  • Wednesday Shout-Outs

    In action Wednesday, Kahmare Holmes put up 21 points and a season high 9 rebounds for Wofford. Playing in an impressive 34 minutes, Teddy Washington Jr put up 16 points on 9-12 from the stripe for Chattanooga. For the Samford Bulldogs, Jadin Booth scored a season-high 27 points with 6 3s! Finally, for Western Carolina, Cord Stansberry crushed his season-high with 29 points and going 9-10 from the free throw line and knocking down 4 3s. Just a few standouts from the games last night. 

  • Introduction and Weeks 1 and 2

    Welcome! Like a roadtrip to any small town USA I’m not quite sure where this is headed but we’re gonna have a modicum of fun along the way. The goal of this is for me to just practice writing, and follow the Southern Conference through the year (Wait, but didn’t the season start a few weeks ago?? Shh!!). Here’s a brief overview of each team a few games into the season. Once RPI and NET rankings start to have more meaning, maybe I’ll integrate those into the order of how the teams are broken down. Ultimately we’re not kidding ourselves, the league will only get the conference tournament winner into the Big Dance, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to follow the stories of the little guys through the journey. Finally, the goal will to do these weekly but much like many soccer games, goals sometimes just don’t happen. 

    1. East Tennessee State (3-1). A warm-up win against Converse college, followed by a close loss to Presbyterian after blowing a 6 point lead in the last 5 minutes was the story of their first week. In week 2, the Buccaneers bounced back with a home win over NKU and on Saturday went on the road and inched out a 4 point win at Northern Alabama in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge. They are led in scoring this year by seniors guard Brian Taylor II and Cam Morris III, both averaging 14 ppg. In the win over Northern Alabama, the Buccs had a very balanced scoring attack with Taylor, Morris, and sophomore Jordan McCullum scoring 11, and junior guard Jaylen Smith scoring 14 off the bench. 
    2. Samford (3-2). In a tough first game the Bulldogs travelled to Tulane and lost, keeping it close in the first half but ultimately Tulane pulled ahead and led by 5-10 most of the second half. Samford went home and got a win a few days later against SC State. A busy week 2 had three games. First, they went on the road and won a tough game against Texas Southern in overtime, and then went back east to play at ranked Arkansas, showing fight and only losing 79-75. Another overtime game on Sunday on the road as the Bulldogs finished the weekend strong beating Central Arkansas 84-77 in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge. Senior Jadin Booth leads their scoring with 23.6 ppg to go along with 5.0 rpg. Senior Keaton Norris and junior Dylan Faukner are also contributing nicely with 14 ppg. Five players scored in double digits in their win at CArk. 
    3. VMI (3-2). A warm-up started the season against J&W and they continued the momentum the first week with a great road win at Southern Indiana. Tough times to finish the week though, traveling to play at Missouri, and losing 106-68. Another non-division one win to build some more momentum started week 2, and finally they lost a close one at home on a game winning three, 69-67 to Jacksonville in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge. Junior TJ Johnson leads the Keydets in scoring at 25 ppg, with both sophomore Walker Andrews and freshman Mario Tatum Jr. helping out with 14 ppg. Junior AJ Clark was a big reason VMI stayed so close in the game against Jacksonville, putting in 15 and grabbing 5 rebounds. 
    4. Mercer (2-2). Tough road start for the Mercer Bears, travelling to ranked Tennessee to play the Vols, but held their own, only losing 76-61 to start the season. An easy win a couple days later against LaGrange in a 39 point blow out win, and then finished the first week on a high note beating Lipscomb at home, 92-77 in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge. A break in week 2, with only one game on Saturday, where they took one on the chin in a road loss at Winthrop, getting mauled 105-69. Mercer has four players averaging double figures, and two more right behind at 8 ppg. Leading the way is junior guard Baraka Okojie at 15.3 ppg, along with 3.8 rpg and 5.0 apg. He is a transfer from Memphis after playing his first year with George Mason. In the Bears big win against Lipscomb, all five starters scored 14 or more points, and junior Armani Mighty, sophomore Brady Shoulders, and Okojie had double-doubles. 
    5. Western Carolina (2-2). WCU started the season on a brutal roadtrip, traveling north to Cincinnati where they lost by 31, and then back down to Duke, losing 95-54. Fortunately they put up 95 of their on to start week 2 against Voorhees, and closing the second week with a solid 76-65 win against Stetson in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge. Senior Julien Soumaoro leads the way with 16.3 ppg for the Catamounts. Soumaoro is a transfer, playing minimally for ECU last year and spending his first three years at Gardner-Webb. Two players also are averaging ppg for Western Carolina, juniors guard Cord Stansberry, and forward Marcus Kell. In the Stetson win, they held Stetson to 35% shooting, and Sumaoro led the way with 23/8/6, including four 3s. 
    6. Wofford (2-2). A tough loss to start the season for the Terriers, falling by 24 at George Mason, but then returning home to bounce back with an 86-76 win against Milwaukee. A similar second week for Wofford, they went down to ranked Auburn and it was unfortunately not close from the jump, ultimately losing by 31. Finishing the week with the ASUN/SoCon Challenge, they found their groove in a 94-86 win at Bellarmine on Saturday. They are led in scoring by their guards, sophomore Charlotte native Kahmare Holmes averaging 15 ppg and junior transfer from UCF Nils Machowski, who is averaging 14 ppg. On the road at Bellarmine, Holmes put in 24 and Machowski a season-high 28.
    7. UT-Chattanooga (1-3). A blow-out win against Union (KY) to begin the season and build momentum, they traveled west during the week and lost a tough fight in their second game to Saint Mary’s, 87-66. Chattanooga stayed within ten most of the game until around the 12 minute mark of the second half. The very next night they flew down to Las Vegas and lost in a blowout to UNLV, 101-69. After coming home for rest and practice during week 2, the Mocs lost at FGCU by 18 in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge. It has been a tough road test to start the year for UT-Chattanooga. Their two leading scorers to start the year are senior transfer Teddy Washington Jr., from SE Missouri State, and junior Jordan Frison, both averaging 12 ppg. Highlighting the good from the FGCU game, Frison had 15 and senior Jikari Johnson had 10 off the bench. 
    8. Furman (1-3). Furman started the season against High Point, losing by 26 in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon, and followed it up later that week with a close home loss to Troy, 64-61. Furman had the game tied with 3 minutes to go, but ultimately couldn’t finish the comeback. A win started the second week against Columbia International at home, and then battled in a tough loss on the road to Northern Iowa, 70-54. To start the year for the Paladins, freshman guard Alex Wilkins leads the way with 15.8 ppg, and notably senior forward Charles Johnston is averaging an impressive double-double so far at 10.8 ppg and 10.5 rpg. In their tough road loss to undefeated UNI, Johnston had a double double and junior Cooper Bowser put in 16 points on 7-10 shooting. 
    9. The Citadel (1-3). Getting off on the right foot, the Bulldogs beat Erskine 105-61 to start the season, before losing on the road by 29 to Boston College. The Citadel kept it close in their first game of Week 2 at home against Charleston Southern, ultimately losing 96-86. Ending the week in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge, The Citadel went on the road against West Georgia and again kept it within ten most of the game, but ultimately losing 100-92. The Bulldogs have very balanced scoring across the board so far, but sophomore forward Christian Moore leads the way with 13.8 ppg. Senior Sola Adebisi, is second with 10.8 ppg and also leads with 7 rpg. In putting up 92 at UWG, five players scored in double figures, with junior Keynan Davis scoring 17 on 6-9 shooting and freshman Marcos Gonzales adding 14 off the bench, to go along with 5 rebounds and 7 assists. 
    10. UNC-Greensboro (0-4). Tough sledding so far for the Spartans. They started the year with a 29 point loss against Kansas State (who is currently 4-0), and then lost a heartbreaker in overtime 92-90 at home against Elon. The game was close the whole stretch and came down to the last minute of OT. Another tough road game started week 2 at NC State, falling 110-64, and then returning home against Austin Peay on Saturday, unfortunately dropping that one as well, 69-63. Two players lead the Spartans so far this year in scoring, senior Donald Whitehead Jr and transfer from Albany, senior Justin Neely, both averaging 13 ppg. Neely is also adding in 11.8 rpg and 2.0 apg to start the year. In the close one against Austin Peay in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge, Neely had a 15/14 double-double and senior Valentino Pindeo helped with 12 points off the bench.
    , , , ncaab, Socon, Wofford, ETSU, WCU, Samford, VMI, Mercer, Chattanooga, Furman, Citadel, UNCGreensboro, collegebasketball

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