Scanning the SoCon- Week Three

Each week, twelve bloggers/message boarders (one representing each team) all will vote on a Game of the Week and Power Rankings. At least four will answer a series of questions on their team and around the SoCon. Don't forget to check back Monday through Friday to read Daily Dribbles from around the SoCon here on MocsMania.

CONTRIBUTORS

Appalachian State- Yosef's Cabin T-Dog
Chattanooga- Mocs Mania- JohnMoc
College of Charleston- King Kresse CougarSurf11
Davidson- Davidson Cats Message Board David Sink
Elon- Elon Pendulum Student Newspaper- Zachary Horner
Furman- The UFFP Message Board- Hawg
Georgia Southern- GSU Fans Message Board half-n-half
Samford- Samford Bulldogs Message Board AP
The Citadel- The Sports Arsenal- Sandlapper Spike
UNC-Greensboro- UNCG Basketball Fan DashSpartan
Western Carolina- Purple & Gold Jerry Love
Wofford- Terrier Fans Message Board Cody Cooper

 

SCHEDULE
Sunday, November 18
Boston College at College of Charleston (Charleston Classic)
Southeast Missouri State at Chattanooga (CBE Classic)
Florida Atlantic at Elon (Maui Invitational)
Wofford at Ohio (Nation of Coaches Classic)

Monday, November 19
Troy at Chattanooga (CBE Classic)
Virginia Tech at UNCG
Brevard at Furman

Tuesday, November 20
Austin Peay vs. Western Carolina (Cancun Challenge)
Louisiana Tech at Chattanooga (CBE Classic)
Wofford at Richmond (Nations of Coaches Classic)
Appalachian State at East Carolina

Wednesday, November 21

TBA vs. Western Carolina (Cancun Challenge)
Georgia Southern at Kennesaw State
Toledo vs Samford (Battle 4 Atlantis)
Elon at South Carolina

Thursday, November 22
TBA vs. Samford (Battle 4 Atlantis)
Vanderbilt vs. Davidson (Old Spice Classic)

Friday, November 23
TBA vs. Davidson (Old Spice Classic)
Hampton vs. Wofford (Nations of Coaches Classic)
Appalachian State at Virginia Tech

Saturday, November 24
College of Charleston at Baylor (Charleston Classic)
Radford at The Citadel
Wofford at UNC-Wilmington (Nations of Coaches Classic)
Chattanooga at Kennesaw State
Elon at VMI
Georgia Southern at Maryland
UT-Arlington at Samford

POWER RANKINGS

1) Davidson 144 (12)

2) College of Charleston 120

3) Elon 117
4) Wofford 95
5) UNCG 90
6) Chattanooga 88
7t) Georgia Southern 59

7t) The Citadel 59

7t) Western Carolina 59

10) Samford 48
11) Furman 37
12) Appalachian State 20

GAME OF THE WEEK

Davidson vs. Vanderbilt in Orlando (6)

Others receiving votes: Elon-South Carolina (3), Virginia Tech-UNCG (2), Toledo-Samford (1)

QUESTIONS

1) Sum up your team since the last time you wrote.

Davidson- I thought Davidson would lose a close game at New Mexico and then thrash UWM. Wrong. 0-2. Coach McKillop said on the radio last night that Davidson's weaknesses are rebounding and stopping penetration. Davidson raced to a nice halftime lead at New Mexico. In the second half, New Mexico got every rebound. Coach was also right about stopping penetration. Davidson's guards have had trouble keeping opponents from driving. Then the forwards are giving up baskets or fouls, sometimes both. Got to get better quickly. The Wildcats are headed to Orlando this week to play Vanderbilt. That tournament is filled with other solid opponents, headlined by Gonzaga. Some analysts picked Davidson to win that tournament. I imagine that erasers have been applied to those predictions.

Elon- The Phoenix lost a hard-fought game to Butler Nov. 10. Elon was within four points at one point in the second half, but got badly out-rebounded by a significantly stronger opponent. A big win over Div. III Bridgewater College was followed by a win in the first game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational Regional Games over Colgate University. The depth of this team has been shown in that six different players have scored in double figures in those three games. A big matchup with South Carolina is Wednesday and will be a good indicator, I think, of where this team is right now.

Furman- The starting point guard and number three point guard are out with injuries. One of (if not THE) top wing reserve out with injuries. No word on their return.

Samford- We haven’t learned much yet about Samford, except that Tim Williams is the player I hoped he would be. In his debut, he went for a double-double (23 & 10) and the best opening game for a Samford newcomer in a generation and he hasn’t slacked off a bit (led SU with 21 & 6 against Memphis). Still, the Bulldogs lost on the road at Austin Peay—not a bad loss, but a loss. Samford has never had much success at Peay, which truly is an underrated program. Samford did not play especially well and was in the game in the second half. Samford then beat Martin Methodist handily (the final score was closer than the game flow was), before going on the road to #2 Louisville and getting beaten badly. Samford bounced back a little against #17 Memphis. The Dogs were within a bucket late in the second half, but lost by double figures. No surprises there. This week provides the first real opportunity to see whether the Bulldogs will be able to scratch out some non-conference wins over quality D1 opponents (all of whom are ranked better than 200 by KenPom). Samford plays Toledo, then probably Florida Gulf Coast (who beat “The U” in early November), in Atlantis on the Mainland; SU then returns home to play a strong UT-Arlington team. If Samford goes 2-1 against those three, it could be a better than anticipated season. If Samford goes 0-3, it will be a long December.

The Citadel- The Citadel played two non-D1 teams this week, beating both of them easily, as expected. The Bulldogs played a much cleaner game in the second contest than in the first, so at least they showed some progress. From here on out, it’s D-1 only, starting with Radford on Saturday.

Wofford- After an expected sound beating of NAIA Webber International, we suffered a very tough 66-61 loss at Ball State. We should have won that game, but poor shooting derailed us. Our young guys continue to show great promise. I really like what I've seen from freshmen Spencer Collins and C.J. Neumann, and sophomore Lee Skinner is developing into a very good inside player. We still have a ways to go, but I am positive about the direction we are headed.

2) According to RPIForecast.com, the SoCon is ranked #27 at the moment, and the expected conference RPI is #28. The SoCon was supposed to be slightly better this year, but it doesn’t appear to be to this point. The conference only won one game against D1 competition this past week. Why is the conference underperforming so far this year?

Chattanooga- The schedules have been brutal, but the way that the SoCon has lost these games has been depressing. I think the tough schedules are the biggest problem. We’ll have to see if things turn around in the next couple of weeks. If they don’t, this will be one of the worst seasons in SoCon history.

Davidson- Pomeroy has the Southern at #25. I think that's about right and that we might finish slightly higher. Why so weak? Low-major conferences get bad schedules. Most of our games have been on the road and none of us are winning (CofC, Citadel, and Elon have our three D1 wins, all at home over sorry opponents). The fans don't care much. We are a low-attendance league. Very weak leadership from the conference office. So, I guess those are my three biggest reasons: difficult schedules, few fans, and weak leadership.

Elon- Davidson lost to New Mexico and Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is 1-2. College of Charleston has significantly underperformed and The Citadel is 3-1 and the “best” team in the conference by record. The defending division champs (Davidson and UNCG) are a combined 2-4. There are only two teams (Elon and The Citadel) above .500 right now.

Samford- It’s still early, but the main reason the SoCon is underperforming is that member teams haven’t handled their business against teams from leagues that should be inferior. Appalachian State has no business getting drilled by High Point at home and Furman has no business losing to Columbia at home by any margin, let alone 20+ points. Period. Road losses are defensible (especially close road losses, like Davidson at New Mexico, G at ECU, and Wofford at Ball State), but a loss is still a loss—and the losses are mounting from the SoCon. I was especially surprised that CofC could not handle Auburn at home. Samford may be a good test case. As we enter the mid-on-mid portion of the non-conference schedule, one would expect to see a respectable SoCon school pick off some games against schools from comparable leagues. If Samford, who should be in the bottom third of the league, can pick up some wins against the MAC, WAC, or A-Sun, then the SoCon should tick up slightly. But after having so many near misses, I wonder how much that will improve the league’s standing.

The Citadel- I’m not sure why the league is not faring well, although it is still early (but 3-23 against D-1 opposition is really bad). Some of the defensive efficiency numbers are not good. Maybe this is a question to revisit in two or three weeks. I don't think 26 games is enough of a sample size.

Wofford- Two reasons. First, many SoCon teams have played tough schedules thus far, leading to slow starts. Second, several teams in the conference are young and will improve as the season goes on.

3) If you could pick one holiday tournament for your team to participate in, which one would it be? Base this on the location as well at the competition level.

Davidson- I'd like a tournament to be in a fun city, in driving range, and with a nice field. The tournament in Charleston is excellent on all counts. Great arena, great restaurants, close enough, and a great field. Davidson was in that tournament a few years ago and the fans enjoyed the city and the arena. Losing to South Florida, LaSalle, and Penn State wasn't much fun, though. This year the Wildcats play in the Orlando tournament over Thanksgiving weekend. Great city, nice arena, strong field. Just have to win some games.

Elon- Maybe it’s the one I’m most familiar with right now, but the EA Sports Maui Invitational. I’ve been covering the Regional Games here in Elon right now and it’s been fun to see how the Maui Invitational people have made this special. It’s been great basketball, and I’m sure it’s even better on the island. Just a brief look at the teams competing - UNC, USC, Butler, Texas, Illinois and others - and the atmosphere of Maui would make it a beautiful tournament to be a part of over Thanksgiving.

Samford- Battle 4 Atlantis. The competition is great, the payout is big, and you’d get to go to the Bahamas. I realize it doesn’t have the name ID of the Maui Invitational or the Great Alaska Shootout (tournaments that made ESPN worth having as a kid), but times have changed. It’s a great tournament.

The Citadel- I would like The Citadel to participate in the hometown Charleston Classic, which would enable the Bulldogs to play in front of a lot of their fans, and get more games on TV.

Wofford- I know most people would want warm weather and tough competition, but I'll take the other path. I'd like Wofford to play in the Great Alaska Shootout one year. I'd love to see beautiful Alaska and experience a nice cold climate with lots of snow during the holiday season. And we'd have some competitive games in this tournament, not several games in which I felt we were outmanned.

4) With Thanksgiving approaching, name a basketball related thing that you are thankful for.

Chattanooga- I’d like to say that I am thankful for SoCon fans. The people who help with Scanning the SoCon have been incredible and provide a lot of excellent insight. I really appreciate the work everyone puts into it to make it such a great write up on a weekly basis, something that I think is a must read for any SoCon fan. Thanks for all you guys have done.

Davidson- There is so much to be thankful for. Where would Davidson be without De'Mon Brooks? We wouldn't have him if Howard University hadn't changed coaches after Brooks committed to play at Howard.

Elon- As a reporter for the student newspaper at Elon, I have the opportunity to talk to players and coaches and get to know them. Elon head coach Matt Matheny is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, and the players are well-mannered and polite, not at all big-headed or arrogant. It’s the best part of my job and a true blessing and privilege to do what I do. I’m thankful for that.

Samford- I’m thankful for the lessons that I learned playing basketball that I could not have learned as well in other ways. Basketball, and sport more generally, is a lab—it’s a safe place to experiment over the course of 30+ games and many practices with ideas and processes that will inform the way you approach the rest of your life. Wins and losses teach you that winning and losing are important; but how you respond—whether you win or lose—is more important. I learned to value hustle, self-discipline, and teamwork. Now, as I’ve aged, I am thankful that the game gives me an outlet to be entertained, to see beauty in a struggle, and to share the lessons of this game with my children in the same way my father, uncles, and cousins shared the lessons of the game with me.

The Citadel- College basketball has a postseason tournament to decide its champion. College football is still stuck with the BCS for a while longer (and what will eventually replace the BCS isn’t all that, either).

UNCG- I'm thankful for hope. It's been quite a few years where we hit Thanksgiving and I thought my Spartans could still have a successful year. Yes, there have been some issues through 3 games. I still think in the end that G has the chance to win 17 or more games. The past few seasons I have just wanted to see G get into double digits in wins. So, based on all I've seen, I still have hope ... and I'm thankful for it.

Wofford- I am thankful for the fun and the escape from everyday life's challenges that college basketball provides. It is truly a great game. And for Mike Young- he gets the maximum from our teams at Wofford.