The Mocs are the reigning North Division champs, while the Davidson Wildcats are the reigning South Division champs. The Mocs beat College of Charleston in the title game last year.
But, things have changed drastically. All five Mocs starters are gone, Steph Curry is gone from Davidson, and Wiggins is gone (due to injury) from College of Charleston.
Without Wiggins and Curry, who is going to SAVE US NOW??????
It's the eternal question. Who will save the SoCon now? Probably no one. Now it will just drift into oblivion. It will fall to about the 20th rated conference.
Wait a minute....
Needless to say, this year is going to be much different than last year. The players are different. The stars will be different. And the league is up for grabs.
The league is wide open. There are eight teams that should hold serious title hopes heading into the year. Of the remaining four teams, three should be better than they were last year. So, top to bottom the SoCon should actually be better than it was a year ago.
On with the Tradition Rich First Annual MocsMania Blog Southern Conference Preseason Predictions That Come With A 100% Money Back Guarantee predictions.
North Division
1. Western Carolina- Harouna Mutombo is a potential star in this league. The nephew of Dikembe Mutombo is a redshirt sophomore and won Freshman of the Year last year. He averaged 14.4 points per game last year, while Brandon Giles averaged 13.2 points per game. Those two guards will lead the team to big heights. The team is very experienced, with nine juniors and seniors on the roster. Mutombo has a decent shot at being the conference player of the year. The Catamounts tied the Mocs for first last year in the division, and with nearly everyone back, it is hard to not pick them to win the division this time around.
2. Appalachian State- The Buzz is back in town. Buzz Peterson is back coaching the Mountaineers for his second stint. Donald Sims and Kellen Brand are both excellent guards, averaging 13.8 points and 14.8 points per game. I've always feared Sims as much as any player in the SoCon for whatever reason. Buzz is not a bad coach. But there are high expectations for this team. They finished third last year in the division, just behind the Mocs and Catamounts. If the Mountaineers don't make a run this year, then the season will not be a success.
3. Chattanooga- We've talked a lot about the Mocs on this blog already, for whatever reason. I mean, you would think this was a Mocs blog or something...With all the talent that Shulman accumulated in the offseason, the Mocs have a real shot to contend in the division again. The problem is that with injuries and academic issues, the Mocs will not really get to gelling until December, and by January they could start forming, and by March, they could be extremely dangerous.
4. Samford- The Bulldogs biggest problem is that they are not overly big. They play that "Princeton" style of offense that just drives teams crazy. They will play low scoring, big time defensive games. That keeps them in nearly every game. Bryan Friday averaged 12.5 points per game a year ago, and he is the team leader. The Bulldogs are primed to contend in the SoCon in this, their second season in the conference.
5. UNC-Greensboro- The Spartans should be better this year. They were inexperienced last year, but with Mikko Koivisto, Kendall Toney, and Ben Stywall all back in the fray this year, they are going to be better. This is going to be a tough team to beat, but they are probably not quite ready to contend with the other four teams in this division.
6. Elon- The Phoenix seem to ALWAYS be a tough out. No one should want to play Elon on a yearly basis at all. Matt Matheny is in his first year as head coach, and without Ola Atoyebi and Brett James this season could be tough. Still, with a new coaching staff, and the tough-nosed nature the Phoenix always seem to have, then this team has potential to be better this year than last year. Chris Long, who shot over 40 percent from three point range a year ago, is probably the top returning player.
SAVIOR DIVISION
1. College of Charleston- Andrew Goudelock is the preseason SoCon Player of the Year, and probably deservedly so. He is a great pure shooter, and scored 16.7 points per game a year ago. Tony White is one of the top point guards in the league, and he may be the key to the Cougars team. With Antwain Wiggins out for the year, the Cougars have real problems in the frontcourt. They need to find someone to replace him up front. If they do, they will become the clear cut favorite to win the division. Without Wiggins, they are a "just barely" favorite.
2. The Citadel- Cameron Wells and his 15.6 points per game may win the SoCon Player of the Year. With Demetrius Nelson and Josh Brown gone from the team, there could be problems for this team. But most people thought they were a year away last year, and now that year is here. They head into the year knowing they can win, having done it last year. Seven foot freshman Joe Wolfinger will play an important role on the Bulldogs.
3. Davidson- How will the Wildacts survive with Andrew Lovedale and Max Paulhus Gosselin? That's all that they lost from last year's team. Wait. They must have lost something else. Yes, that's right. Lottery pick Steph Curry is gone. But with Steve Rossiter, Will Archambault, and Bryant Barr all back, they have plenty of winning tradition back on the team. Frank Ben-Eze, Dan Nelms, and Jake Cohen are all 6-10. They have as much size as any team in the conference. That could give them a huge advantage if those guys play up to their capability.
4. Wofford- The Terriers have never quite seemed to be able to get over the hump, but they do have all five starters back. They are right there with the other three teams in this division. Junior Salters and Noah Dalhman are among the best players in the conference. Both averaged over 15 points per game. Dahlman averaged 17.8 points per game. This is a very good team. It is really just a compliment to the rest of the division that I am picking them to finish fourth. Plus, they have not had the success of any of the other teams in this division yet.
5. Furman- Last year, Furman was very young. They are hoping they can be this year's The Citadel. A year more experienced, and suddenly surging onto the scene in the Southern Conference. Amu Saaka is a transfer from South Florida that should provide immediate results. Jordan Miller averaged 13.8 points a year ago, and he should be even better this time around. The Paladins are going to pull some upsets and make some noise along the way.
6. Georgia Southern- Welcome to the only team that is clearly going to be worse than they were a year ago. Charlton Young, a former Mocs assistant, is the new head coach for the Eagles. Willie Powers, Antonio Hanson, and Ben Drayton do provide some talent in the backcourt, but they need to get some help up front if they are going to contend. The Eagles have been underachieving for years under Jeff Price. If this year they don't underachieve, they could be better, but things don't look good for the Eagles.
TOURNAMENT
First Round
4N Samford
5S Furman
Winner: Samford
3S Davidson
6N Elon
Winner: Davidson
4S Wofford
5N UNC-Greensboro
Winner: Wofford
3N Chattanooga
6S Georgia Southern
Winner: Chattanooga
Second Round
1S College of Charleston
4N Samford
Winner: College of Charleston
2N Appalachian State
3S Davidson
Winner: Appalachian State
2S The Citadel
3N Chattanooga
Winner: The Citadel
1N Western Carolina
4S Wofford
Winner: Wofford
SEMIFINALS
1S College of Charleston
2N Appalachian State
Winner: College of Charleston
2S The Citadel
4S Wofford
Winner: The Citadel
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
1S College of Charleston
2S The Citadel
Winner: The Citadel
A FINAL LOOK AT EVERY THING
So, in conclusion, The Citadel is going to win the automatic bid. Chattanooga and Davidson could easily make a run at the title though by the time March rolls around. Wofford also has a strong chance to make a run. Samford, Appalachian State, and Western Carolina are all dangerous too. That makes eight very dangerous teams. With Furman and UNC-Greensboro being much improved, the conference is going to be as tough and as wide open as ever.
SoCon action ought to be a load of fun this year.
We all want the Mocs to have success, and they easily could. They have the bullseye on their back after last year. They will be better by March. Hopefully, by then they will have earned the bullseye.
But don't forget, no SoCon team has ever won four games in four days. So getting the bye is huge.
GO MOCS!
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