Scanning the SoCon- Week Nine

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. Also, don’t forget to make picks in the SoCon Pick ‘Em.

 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- SoConJohn
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

SCHEDULE

Sunday
Wofford at Virginia
Milligan at Appalachian State
Furman at SMU

Monday

Manchester College at Elon
Liberty at Western Carolina
College of Charleston at Marist
UNCG at North Carolina State

Tuesday
The Citadel at Clemson

Wednesday

Chattanooga at Georgia Tech
Duke vs. Davidson
Georgia Southern at UAB

Friday
Wofford at Tulane

Saturday

Princeton at Elon
Furman at College of Charleston
Western Carolina at The Citadel
North Carolina A&T at Georgia Southern
UNCG at Davidson
Chattanooga at Samford

POWER RANKINGS

1) Davidson 131 (10)

2) College of Charleston 118 (1)
3) Elon 109
4) Wofford 102
5) Western Carolina 87
6) UNCG 69
7) Georgia Southern 64
8) Chattanooga 58
9) Appalachian State 51
10) Samford 31
11) The Citadel 22
12) Furman 16

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Duke vs. Davidson in Charlotte (3)

Others Receiving Votes: UNCG at Davidson (2), North Carolina A&T at Georgia Southern (1), Liberty at Western Carolina (1), Princeton at Elon (1), Chattanooga at Georgia Tech (1), Wofford at Tulane (1), Chattanooga at Samford (1)

QUESTIONS

Sum up your team since the last time you wrote.

Appalachian State- It's getting better. It started out bad by blowing a double-digit lead and losing to Western to extend the losing streak to seven and there was some hoopla about a free throw. Then Mike Neal was able to return for the road trip to UMKC and ASU was able to pull out a 81-71 win. This was followed up by a close 74-69 loss at South Carolina. The team returned to the Holmes Center with a 78-70 win over Presbyterian to make it two wins in three games, lights years ahead of where the team was a month previous. Having Neal in the offense has relaxed the team. By the time you read this, ASU will have played NAIA Milligan on Sunday and barring a King College (or Anderson) debacle, the team will go into conference play having won three of four. Freshman Michael Obacha has worked his way into the starting lineup, which has remained steady for the first time in a long time. Another freshman Chris Burgess has turned into a good sixth man, scoring double figures in the last three games. Overall stats have gotten better as the Apps have won the rebounding battle in the last three games and assists are on the rise. One piece of good news for Capel is that the AD Cobb said on the radio that he more-than-likely will be the coach in 2013-14 for the final year of his contract.

College of Charleston- The last time I reported on CofC for Scanning the SoCon, the Cougars were riding high and about to take on Louisville in Charleston. We all know how that turned out. The Cougars then followed that up by losing to Division II Anderson University. Since that low point Doug Wojcik’s squad seems to have jumped back on the horse. They’ve picked up three straight victories over really solid competition in Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina and Vermont and will most likely enter conference play on another hot streak. Slowly but surely this team has cut down on the unforced turnovers and it’s paying dividends. The Cougars are not an offensive juggernaut by any means (60.9 ppg) but their ability to rebound, defend and now take care of the ball gives them enough opportunities to win games. Despite the lack of points, the team scores very efficiently from the field and that should serve them well come SoCon play.

Furman- Well, I didn't write on Furman last time I don't believe, but things are not looking up for the Paladins thus far, as Furman appears to be on pace to have a season much similar to the 2007-08 campaign when the Paladins won seven games. Furman's 65-53 loss on the road to Jacksonville--a team picked to finish towards the bottom of the Atlantic Sun--provided no reason for optimism...One of the few bright spots for the Paladins this season has been point guard Stephen Croone, who is one of the better freshmen in the league so far...He ranks second on the team in scoring average (8.7 PPG) and leads the club with 46 assists heading into this evening's contest against Larry Brown's SMU Mustangs.

UNCG- UNCG has really regressed since the start of the year. The Spartans took a 15 day break for exams and really haven't looked like the same team as before yet. Last Saturday UNCG played decent against a not so good Wake Forest team, but just couldn't get enough defensive stops to really make it interesting. Two main problems jump out for the Spartans ... the defense is just very poor and there seems to be some team chemistry issues. The chemistry problem seems to be underlined by second leading scorer Derrell Armstrong being suspended for a game a few weeks ago. In order for UNCG to start stringing together wins, the coaching staff is going to have to get this group on the same page and playing some sort of defense.

Of the teams that have not been very good so far this year in the SoCon (Appalachian State, Chattanooga, Samford, UNCG, Furmna, Georgia Southern, and The Citadel) which team do you think is most likely to finish with the best SoCon record?

Appalachian State- UNCG. First off, they're in the North Division. They got the athletes and looking at their schedule, it's not as brutal as recent years but still tough. Plus they get to play Furman twice so they could easily finish 12-6.

College of Charleston- I would say UNC Greensboro. They’re still underachieving this year but one thing they can do is score. That alone should get them some victories over other SoCon teams.

Furman- Appalachian State--The Mountaineers have athleticism and quite simply, they have Jay Canty. Canty is a player that reminds me of former Mountaineer star Marshall Phillips, who was at ASU in the late 1990's after transferring in from a small juco. He went on to become a star and be the missing piece that team needed to give Buzz Peterson some success in his first stint as the head coach...ASU was the Cinderella story of that 1997 SoCon Tournament before losing in the SoCon semifinals to Marshall...Canty is the type player that I think will be ASU's X-factor come conference play.

Georgia Southern- I think it has to be between Georgia Southern and UNCG. They are arguably the two most athletic teams in the conference and the fact that either team is mentioned with the others on this list right now has to be disappointing for those two fan bases. But right now UNCG is bad on defense and Georgia Southern is bad on offense and as a result both teams are struggling. If either team can just get to mediocre on those respective sides they could end the season with a solid conference record. But GSU's next three conference games are against Wofford, Davidson, and Charleston and with the Eagles already 0-2 in conference play an 0-5 start is very possible. So I think UNCG is the team on that list that should finish with the best record.

The Citadel- UNCG and Samford have a better shot at finishing with a better league record than the other teams by virtue of playing in what appears to be the easier division.

UNCG-  I think UTC could play the role as last year's UNCG team. They have a very good front court and an emerging back court that really could be a second half surprise. I look at their 2 wins this past weekend as proof that they really are starting to put things together.

In honor of making New Years Resolutions, what one thing do you wish your team would resolve to do better in 2013?

Appalachian State- The same wish I've been wishing for two years. To play like a team, even in the rough times and not get frustrated easily thus giving up some gaudy runs.

College of Charleston- I wish the Charleston Cougars would take the same looseness they play with on the road into TD Arena. They’ve played uptight at home a lot this season. Undefeated on the road the Cougars are averaging 47% shooting from the floor and 48.3% from three. You have to protect your home court.

Davidson- Finish games.

Elon- I wish Elon would resolve to be a better shooting team. Against Columbia Dec. 22, the Phoenix shot better than 45% for the first time in seven games. The maroon and gold have some sharpshooters - Jack Isenbarger and Sebastian Koch notably, Tanner Samson on occasion - but they've seemed to fallen off a bit as of late. If Elon's shooting picks back up, the Phoenix will have the North Division crown sewn up nice and tight.

Furman- Furman needs to make its resolution to shoot the ball from the perimeter a bit better in the New Year, hitting just 31.3% from long range this season.

Georgia Southern- I wish Georgia Southern would get rid of the terrible high ball screen that Coach Young has been running for 3 years now and get some player and ball movement on offense. Our offense is downright terrible right now and a lot of it has to do with the players standing around and playing timid. I'd like to see the Eagles cut it loose and just play basketball instead of being so worried about running set plays every time down the floor.

UNCG- PLAY DEFENSE !!!!!!

Which player do you enjoy watching the most in the conference?

Appalachian State- Chris Czerapowicz of Davidson. It's interesting to see a European player who can play inside and out.

College of Charleston- Trevis Simpson. For some reason I have a soft spot in my heart for high-usage volume shooters. I’ve never seen Simpson hold back on a shot he doesn’t like; but when he’s on, the results are awesome.

Davidson- Nathan Healy or Eric Ferguson. I like how hard Healy plays. He never quits, never gives up. Ferguson is always good for some spectacular highlights, and he allows some good chances to the guy that he's supposed to guard. He giveth and he taketh away, but he's never boring to watch.

Elon- I always enjoy watching Mike Neal, a guard at Appalachian State. I've seen him three times now and have always been impressed with the way he plays. I can't exactly pinpoint why, I just remember walking away from each game impressed by his play. Eric Ferguson at Georgia Southern also sticks out for me.

Furman- Trevis Simpson of UNCG--How can you not like watching this guy? He's a human highlight reel waiting to happen each time he takes to floor...Wow, what a leaper!

Georgia Southern- Probably my favorite player to watch in the conference is Elon's Jack Isenbarger. I think it's because he plays the game the way that I was taught to play it. Earlier this year when Elon came to Statesboro I paid close attention to how hard Isenbarger plays on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor and that night his hustle was off the charts. The way he plays reminds me a lot of the way Steph Curry played at Davidson or how Richard Hamilton played in his prime for the Pistons. When you are given the task of guarding Isenbarger you better be ready to bust it chasing him around all night and don't think you are getting any breaks when it's his turn to play defense because he's got just as much energy for that side of the ball as well.

Samford- Trevis Simpson (UNCG). Such a high-flyer and maybe the most athletic player in the SoCon. Entertaining every time he steps on the floor. I always enjoy watching him play.

UNCG- This may come off as a bit biased, but I love to watch Trevis Simpson play. When he's hot he can just take a game completely over. He doesn't always take good shots and some are way too forced, but when he feels it look out.