SoCon Championship Review

Wofford 67, Furman 64

Player of the Game:  Eric Garcia knocked down four huge threes from an unexpected source, scoring 15 points. It was that kind of performance from Garcia that helped to set the Terriers apart from the Paladins on this night.

Stat of the Game: Furman had just three offensive rebounds. The Paladins had been dominated the offensive boards in this tournament. That is directly tied to the Kris Acox injury that kept him out for so much of this game. It is completely fair to ask if Acox had played a full game if Furman would have been able to come up with the win.

Where Furman goes from here: The Paladins are young, playing four freshman big minutes, and Stephen Croone is only a junior, while Acox is only a sophomore. This team should be much better next year, regardless of the outcome of this tournament. This weekend really should give them a shot in the arm of confidence heading into next year. The Paladins could be contenders in the Southern Conference regular season next year. Niko Medved needed something positive to happen to show he had the program heading in the right direction. I'd say he got it.

Where Wofford goes from here: The Terriers now head to the NCAA Tournament, likely as a twelve seed, though an eleven or a thirteen are also possibilities. Truthfully, the Terriers are hurt by Furman pulling the upsets and getting here. If Wofford had been able to beat Chattanooga in the title game, their RPI would have been better and they may have two more Top 100 wins than they have right now (since the Mocs are no longer a Top 100 team because of their loss, but likely would have been if they had advanced to the SoCon Final). That hurts their profile a little bit. Still, you can only beat the teams ahead of you, and the Terriers have certainly done that for the second consecutive year. They have a chance to win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament with the right draw.