Scanning the SoCon- Week Eight, Midseason

Each week, twelve bloggers/message boarders (one representing each team) all will vote on a Game of the Week and Power Rankings. This week we have a special edition. All the bloggers are back with their midseason review. We look back at the best of the season so far, and look ahead to what teams we think we will get the byes and the division finishes. The next time we’ll all contribute to the same Scanning the SoCon will be just before the SoCon Tournament. 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
North Florida vs. Georgia Southern in Las Vegas (Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational)

Friday
High Point at Chattanooga (Dr Pepper Classic)

Saturday
TBA at Chattanooga (Dr Pepper Classic)
Samford at Wisconsin
College of Charleston at Vermont
Georgia State at Georgia Southern
Davidson at Richmond

GAME OF THE WEEK

Davidson at Richmond, Saturday- 6 votes

Others Receiving Votes- Georgia State at Georgia Southern (2), High Point at Chattanooga (2), Samford at Wisconsin (1)

PREDICTED FINISH

North

1) Elon 65 (10)
2) Western Carolina 52
3) UNCG 48 (1)
4t) Appalachian State 24
4t) Chattanooga 24
6) Samford 18

South
1) Davidson 65 (10)
2) College of Charleston 54 (1)
3) Wofford 46
4) Georgia Southern 33
5) The Citadel 18
6) Furman 15

QUESTIONS

Who do you think will receive the byes?

Appalachian State- Davidson and Elon as divisional champs and then CofC and Wofford. No one else is really close right now. It's those four and then everyone else.

Chattanooga- Davidson and Elon are my picks to win the division. I think that Wofford will finish second in the South and earn the third bye. College of Charleston and Western Carolina will battle for the fourth spot, with the Cougars edging out the Catamounts.

College of Charleston- Elon, Davidson, CofC and Wofford look like the four best teams in the conference. Wofford was shaky at first but they've gained a lot of momentum the last few weeks and may have put it together enough to compete for 1st place in the South division. Even these four teams have had their inconsistencies, like the rest of the SoCon, but they look to be the favorites right now

Davidson- Byes to Davidson, CofC, Wofford, and Elon. Davidson and Elon get the Division wins. I think that CofC and Wofford will both finish with better records than the second team in the North. Pomeroy says Davidson finishes 15-3, Wofford 13-5, CofC 13-5, and Elon 12-6.

Elon- I think Davidson, Charleston, Elon and Wofford will get the byes. I think those teams have been the best four teams so far this year and will continue to play that way. UNCG and Georgia Southern just may sneak in with strong second halves of the season, but I’m betting on the Wildcats, Cougars, Phoenix and Terriers to get an extra day to rest come tournament time.

Furman- Davidson--Clearly the best team when the Wildcats are on their game, and already have wins over some big name schools, with the most notable win being the one the Wildcats got over West Virginia. College of Charleston--Clearly Doug Wojcik has seen the best and worst of his team in the early going, with the potential to beat teams like Baylor, Old Dominion and Boston College, but also to suffer hiccups like the one against lower-division Anderson last week...It's still a team that is talented enough to challenge Davidson for the top spot in the South Division. UNCG--The Spartans are off to just a 2-7 start this season, but their fun-and-gun style of basketball under Wes Miller finally gives the team an identity, which they never had under Mike Dement, save maybe the Kyle Hines-Ricky Hickman era in the mid-2000's. The Spartans have the league's most dynamic backcourt scorers, in Trevis Simpson and Derrell Armstrong. These two are enough to keep the Spartans in the top two at least in the SoCon North. Elon--It was just three years ago when Matt Matheny took over the Elon basketball program, and now in his fourth season at the helm, he has built the Phoenix into a regular contender in the SoCon North, with one of the top perimeter shooting clubs in the league, led by Jack Isenbarger. Austin Hamilton is one of the more underrated point guards in the SoCon, and with Ryley Beaumont continuing to improve in the paint, I would think the Phoenix will be a dark horse to take out Matheny's former team, the Davidson Wildcats, when the Southern Conference Tournament rolls around in March.

Georgia Southern- I think Davidson, Elon, UNCG, and Charleston will get the byes. WCU drew the short stick and gets Davidson twice while UNCG only has to play them once. It might be so close that this is the deciding factor between who gets the bye between those two. I think Charleston is going to get better as the season goes on and their frontcourt is going to bee too much for most teams to handle.

The Citadel- Elon and the three top south teams (Davidson, College of Charleson, Wofford)  get byes.

Samford- I think that Davidson, as expected, is the class of the league. They’re more talented and playing better than anyone else. Elon has shown the ability to compete with good opponents and, if they stay healthy, they’re going to run away with the North Division. The other two byes likely go to Charleston (plenty of talent if they stay healthy and put it together) and either Wofford or WCU. You’d assume that WCU would have the easier path of those two, but they have some tough travel in February and they have to play Davidson twice. Wofford’s path isn’t overwhelmingly challenging, but they do have to play both Davidson and Charleston two times.

UNCG- I think there is a clearly a huge divide between the haves and the have-nots in the SoCon this year. I honestly think there are only 5 teams that will compete for the 2 bye spots (the top 3 in the south- Davidson, College of Charleston and Wofford- and top 2 in the north- Elon and Western Carolina).

Western Carolina- At this point in the season, (to me) it looks like Elon and Charleston will win their respective divisions, that will be the two top byes (1 & 2).  As for number 3 & 4, unless Davidson implodes in the SoCon regular season like they did against Drexel, Davidson should get bye number 3.  I think that number 4 is up for grabs at this point, with Western in the north, and Wofford / Georgia Southern in the south, the three most likely to take that final bye.  I’ll give WCU a slight edge at this point.

 Who do you think is the Player of the Year to date?

Appalachian State- Right now De'Mon Brooks with Groselle in second. Difference is that
Brooks can win games and Groselle gets his stats.

Chattanooga- It’s tough to decide at this point. There are several players that deserve consideration, even beyond my five All SoCon players. But De’Mon Brooks of Davidson has to be the choice at this point. Karl Cochran of Wofford is probably my second choice right now, despite his terrible field goal percentage. He’s the best player on the team that I think is right there with Davidson as the best team right now. But Brooks gets the edge because of his overall play.

College of Charleston- Based on performance so far I give it to Mike Groselle. He's amongst the league leaders in points, rebounds and field goal percentage and all that despite being the main focus of opponent's defense. Do I think he will go on to win POY? No. I think Brooks, Cohen or maybe even Simpson will all make their case during conference play. The race is wide open.

Davidson- De'Mon Brooks. He's the best player on the league's best team.

Elon- If De’Mon Brooks keeps playing the way he’s playing and Davidson keeps playing the way their playing, he’s got it in the bag. Davidson has had some big wins, and the junior forward has had a hand in them. I’d give the award to the Wildcats big man so far.

Furman- Trevis Simpson-UNCG. I would select Trevis Simpson as Player of the Year for UNCG because if you take him away from UNCG, they aren't a contender for a seed I don't think. Taking away a player like J.P. Kuhlman from Davidson due to injury in the tourney earlier this season, and Davidson still managed to defeat Vandy and West Virginia. In other words, if the Wildcats lost either Cohen or Brooks, I still think they are good enough to win the South Division.

Georgia Southern- It's a tough call who to give player of the year to at this point. There are several players worthy in my opinion, but right now I'd have to give it to De'mon Brooks. His stats are going to always be less that what they could be because he plays for a good, balanced team but he's the best player in the league to me. Mike Groselle has himself in a position to be seriously considered right now though.

The Citadel- De'Mon Brooks, Davidson.

Samford- De’Mon Brooks (Davidson). He’s done everything well so far, he’s been really efficient, and his team is the best in the league.

UNCG- De'Mon Brooks - He's the best player on the best team by a long stretch.

Western Carolina- At this point in the season, I’ll pick Trey Sumler of Western Carolina.   Sumler currently leads Western Carolina in four major offensive categories including scoring with a career-best 18.5 point per game average (fourth in the SoCon), assists (45), steals (18) and free throw percentage (78.3%). He is one of just a few SoCon players to rank nationally in the five offensive categories including 3-point field goals made per game In addition to the aforementioned four, Sumler eclipsed the 1,000 point plateau earlier this season, and has been named to the 2013 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award watch list.

Who do you think should be on the All SoCon team at this point?

Appalachian State- Mike Groselle (The Citadel), De’Mon Brooks (Davidson), Trevis Simpson (UNCG), Jay Canty (Appalachian State) and JP Kuhlman (Davidson).

Chattanooga- De’Mon Brooks (Davidson), Trevis Simpson (UNCG), Karl Cochran (Wofford), Lucas Troutman (Elon), Jack Isenbarger (Elon).

College of Charleston- G Andrew Lawrence (College of Charleston), G Karl Cochran (Wofford), G Trevis Simpson (UNCG), F Mike Groselle (The Citadel), F Adjehi Baru (College of Charleston)

Davidson- To Brooks, I would add Karl Cochran, Andrew Lawrence, Trevis Simpson, and Trey Sumler.

Elon- UNCG guard Trevis Simpson, C of C guard Andrew Lawrence, Davidson’s Brooks, App State forward Jay Canty, Samford forward Tim Williams.

Furman- G-Trevis Simpson- UNCG. G-Trey Sumler-Western Carolina. G/F-Jay Canty-Appalachian State. F-Jake Cohen-Davidson. F-De'Mon Brooks-Davidson. C--Mike Grosselle-The Citadel.

Georgia Southern- My All-Socon team would be De'mon Brooks (Davidson), Trevis Simpson (UNCG), Mike Groselle (The Citadel), Karl Cochran (Wofford), and Lucas Troutman (Elon).

The Citadel- This is a cop-out, but based on the games played and how the players have done so far, I don't think there is enough information to come up with an all-league team as of right now -- at least, not one I don't have serious misgivings about. I will give Brooks the nod as the best player so far, based on his offensive numbers (and usage rate) and the fact his team actually has a winning record.

Samford- Brooks, Jake Cohen (Davidson), Mike Grosselle (Citadel), Jack Isenbarger (Elon), and Andrew Lawrence (CofC).

UNCG- De'Mon Brooks, Davidson. Trevis Simpson, UNCG. Andrew Lawrence , College of Charleston.  Jack Isenbarger, Elon. Jay Canty, Appalachian State.

Western Carolina- Trey Sumler – WCU, Trevis Simpson – UNCG, Andrew Lawrence-Charleston,  De’Mon Brooks – Davidson, Karl Cochran – Wofford

Who do you think should be the Freshman of the Year at this point?

Appalachian State- Tim Williams from Samford. 14.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.5 BPG and he makes
more than half his shots.

Chattanooga- Tim Williams from Samford has been the best freshman in the SoCon so far. He’s a borderline all SoCon player at this point. It has been a very impressive start to the career for Williams. If he can keep it up in SoCon play, he will be on many people’s All SoCon team at the end of the year. Imagine if Drew Windler had stayed there how good that tandem could be.

College of Charleston- Tim Williams out of Samford has to be the guy here. Even without many impact freshman in the SoCon this year, William's numbers are very impressive. He might be Samford's best player: averaging 14.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg and .533 FG%. That's noteworthy for any SoCon player, let alone a first year guy.

Davidson- Tim Williams of Samford. He's averaging 14.7 ppg and 7.8 rpg. That's 9th and 3rd in the conference.

Elon- Tim Williams from Samford. I put him on my all-SoCon team so far, and just looking through the stats, he’s 9th in scoring, 3rd in rebounding, 3rd in field goal percentage, 2nd in blocks and, perhaps most impressively, as a freshman, 3rd in minutes played (35.1 per game). The Bulldogs are trying to stick in the hunt; if that’s to continue, Williams must be a big part of it.

Furman- Cleon Roberts--Georgia Southern. I would vote Cleon Roberts Freshman of the Year because he is doing such an outstanding job of running the team at the point and picking up the scoring slack for the Eagles in the absence of Jelani Hewitt, who was a doubles-figures scorer last season and has been suspended indefinitely by GSU head coach Charleton Young.

Georgia Southern- Freshman of the year right now is Tim Williams of Samford hands down to me. He is ninth in scoring, third in rebounding, and second in blocks in the conference. That's pretty impressive as a freshman. Keep it up and he will be in the discussion for first team all conference.

The Citadel- I guess I will cast a vote for Samford's Clide Geffrard.

Samford- Tim Williams (Samford). He’s the only big on the team, plays more than 35 mpg, and is the only player who has post skills other than Tyler Hood, who won’t be back from his injury until after the first of the year. Despite that, Williams is averaging 15 and 8. He had three double-doubles in his first 13 collegiate games and missed four others by only one rebound. Williams is tied for #6 in the SoCon in possession-based efficiency among players who play more than 10 mpg. He’s played through illnesses and being banged up and hasn’t come up empty yet. Certainly, he gets a lot of opportunities to get his numbers, but I’ve been impressed with the way he’s handled his business against top-tier competition (he had 15 & 6 against Louisville, 21 & 6 against Memphis, 11 & 7 against Kentucky). I think he’s the best freshman in the SoCon.

UNCG- Farad Cobb, Chattanooga.  He's the most dynamic freshman scorer in the SoCon this season. I think he has the chance to be very good in conference play.

Western Carolina- Tim Williams, forward - Samford.   Williams not only is the leading scorer for the Bulldogs at 14.7 point per game, he is the leading scorer among all SoCon freshmen up to this point in the season. Williams also leads Samford with 7.8 rebounds per game and leads all SoCon freshmen in this statistic as well. Williams ranks 3d in the conference in blocked shots with 20 to date, and again this ranks him #1 among freshmen. 

Who do you think should win Coach of the Year at this point?

Appalachian State- Matheny from Elon because he's underachieving the least.

Chattanooga- I had Wofford expecting to contend for a bye this year in the preseason unlike most people. But Mike Young has this team looking like the best team in the SoCon at this point in the year. They are more than just a darkhorse for the SoCon title- they may be the top contender to Davidson at this point. Young deserves a lot of credit for that.

College of Charleston- Really tempted to give it to Mike Young for fielding solid teams year after year...but I'm going with Matt Matheny at Elon. His team is balanced, playing close in every game and looks like they're going to roll through the North division.

Davidson- Mike Young. I didn't think Wofford would contend for a bye. Right now it looks like Davidson, CofC, and Wofford will have a tight race for the top spot in the South. Wofford is young. They are small. And they are tough and smart. Mike Young does a great job with the Terriers.

Elon- We all know that Doug Wojcik inherited a great situation at Charleston. But the SoCon-best 7-4 record speaks for itself. Big wins include the victory over then-ranked Baylor and a huge conference win over Elon. The transition from a well-established and successful coach there (Bobby Cremins) to Wojcik could have been deadly, but it worked. I’d give it to Wojcik right now.

Furman- Bob McKillop-Davidson. It's hard to ever pick against Bob McKillop, but if Western Carolina pans out like I think they might, I might switch that to Larry Hunter later in the season, considering the Catamounts lost scoring threats Harouna Mutombo and Keaton Cole (116 triples last

season) to graduation.

Georgia Southern- The coach of the year right now is Matt Matheny of Elon. He has that team playing very well. I got to watch them play in Statesboro and they dominated the Eagles for all but the last 3 minutes, in which GSU was able to make the score look a lot more respectable than it was. They play hard and smart and it's showing up in the win-loss column.

The Citadel- Matheny (Elon).

Samford- Matt Matheny (Elon). I like the way his team has competed. I think they’re definitely improved over last year. He’s done a good job.

UNCG- Mike Young , Wofford. He just keeps cranking out consistent teams, regardless of who graduates. I was honestly expecting a huge jump back out of the Terriers, but that doesn't appear to be happening. If they do slip, I think you can never go wrong picking Bob McKillop. All his teams at Davidson do is meet and exceed expectations every single year.

Western Carolina- Doug Wojcik- Charleston.  The first year coach at Charleston that, at this point, I project to be the number one seed going into the Southern Conference Tournament.