SoCon Reviews- February 14 & 15

Wofford 75, Western Carolina 55

Player of the Game: Karl Cochran scored 26 points with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Cochran made 9 of 16 from the floor and 7 of 13 from three point range. He was really red hot in this one. When Cochran shoots the ball that well, the Terriers are really tough to beat.

Stat of the Game: Wofford had a 62.1 eFG% while Western Carolina just had a 34.8 eFG%. In other words, the Terriers couldn't miss and the Catamounts couldn't make anything. The Catamounts are a good shooting team, but did not show it in this one and that was the biggest reason for the twenty point home loss.

What It All Means: For Western Carolina, this game hurts their chances to get into the two or three seed dramatically, but given their remaining schedule, it does not particularly hurt their chances for a bye. Their magic number to lock down a bye is one and with VMI at home and trips to Furman and The Citadel remaining, the Catamounts really should be able to win at least one of those. The Catamounts did not show us anything too surprising. When they shoot the ball that poorly, they are going to lose. They rebounded the ball very well against Wofford, but just couldn't finish. Rhett Harrelson, Mike Brown and James Sinclair finished with a combined 27 points. That isn't going to get it done for Western Carolina. On the other hand, this game meant a lot to Wofford. Almost for sure, the Terriers need to lose twice more to have any chance of not winning the regular season championship. They host UNCG and The Citadel before going to Mercer and Furman.  It's not impossible to lose two of those games, but they are back in pretty good control of the SoCon race at this point. The Terriers offense was excellent in this one. It seems like it takes a loss every now and then to get this team to play at their full capability. That is not really a good quality. But they were clearly motivated to come out and focus tonight. They were outrebounded  by a bushel, which is troubling, but they protected the ball and shot the ball well. It was another productive, efficient offensive night. They have not had many of those against the top teams in the conference. This was one. It couldn't have come at a better time.

ETSU 66, Furman 59

Player of the Game: Lester Wilson had 20 points and seven rebounds. With Jalen Riley out, someone needed to pick up the slack. Wilson has played well, but he played even better in this one. He made 6 of 10 from the floor and 7 of 9 from the free throw line.

Stat of the Game: Stephen Croone went 1 for 11 from the floor. The ETSU defense locked down on him. I am not trying to blame Croone for this one, but when he does not score the ball at least pretty well, Furman is going to struggle.

What It All Means: For the Paladins, things are starting to unravel a bit. Now, the losing streak has reached five games, and despite the difficulty of the schedule during that stretch, it is becoming tougher and tougher for them to get into position to get a bye. They fought hard to come back from down fourteen to cut it to one, but to no avail. Devin Sibley stepped up and had a huge night, and I'll say it again- if this team ever gets everyone going on the same day, look out. They could be a major thorn in someone's side. As we close in on Asheville, they are team that could be dangerous because they have one of the conference's best players in Croone and a host of others that, if they put it together, are extraordinarily dangerous. For the Bucs, this was a nice gut check win without Jalen Riley. This was a huge win for the team. They needed to get this one after winning at UNCG on Thursday night. Now they go out of conference to host Tennessee Tech before wrapping up conference play with three straight road games. They are in solid position for the bye, needing to win just one of those games to lock it down regardless of any other outcomes. But playing at Chattanooga, The Citadel and Mercer is not an easy way to wrap it up. This team is a dangerous team offensively, but undersized. They are probably not a good bet to win the SoCon Tournament, but can certainly throw a scare into anyone.

Mercer 55, UNCG 50

Player of the Game: Jibri Bryan had eleven points, with six rebounds. He made 4 of 8 from the floor. Bryan has been another solid contributor that has not gone noticed too often for the Bears. Today is his turn.

Stat of the Game: Tevon Saddler, Diante Baldwin, Kayel  Locke and Marvin Smith, four of the Spartans starters, combined for 14 points on 6 of 32 shooting from the floor. That is 18.8% shooting from four starters. That won't win you many games.

What It All Means: For the Spartans, in some ways, this game gives them even more hope. After all, after falling behind by 15 to the Bears, they fought back and Nicholas Paulos missed a three in the last ten seconds that would have tied it. They go to Wofford on Thursday night before having their last three games at home. Furman, Samford and Chattanooga are the final three games. Win two or three of those four and they still have a shot at the bye. RJ White was almost unstoppable and Paulos had a solid game, but they can't afford to let their other four starters completely fall apart. This win for Mercer, when combined with the loss of Western Carolina, helps to really put them in decent shape for a top three seed. They have four really tough games to close, so nothing is locked up yet. They go to Chattanooga and Samford next week before hosting Wofford and ETSU to close things out. To have any shot at winning the conference, they have to win out. To have any shot at finishing second, they really need to beat Chattanooga and probably get at least one or two other wins. Things are tough for them. But if they can win at least two, they will finish third. That's a real positive, because fourth would have been a major disappointment. This Bears club played decent offense today, but really played great defense. This club is heading for home, and has a shot at a second consecutive NCAA bid. Huge closing stretch coming up.

Chattanooga 79, Samford 72

Player of the Game: Eric Robertson gets the slight nod over Casey Jones and Justin Tuoyo. Robertson finished with 21 points, two rebounds, two assists and three blocks. He made 7 of 11 from the floor including 5 of 8 from three point range. It was his shooting that really helped the Mocs put this one away.

Stat of the Game: The Mocs committed ten first half turnovers and were tied at the half. The Mocs committed just four second half turnovers and pulled away for the win. They shot the ball well and rebounded well, so cutting out the turnovers was the biggest difference in this one.

What It All Means: For Samford, their five game winning streak ended Thursday and now they find themselves on a two game losing streak. Evan Taylor stepped up and had a big game, which was very nice. But the Bulldogs need to get wins. They are in a very tight battle for the final bye. They have a home game against Mercer before going on the road to UNCG and VMI to wrap up their season. They probably need two wins to really feel good about their chances of getting a bye. This is an improving team that no one wants to go up against in Asheville, but they are still learning what it takes to win. The Mocs played a very good game overall. They rebounded very well, protected the ball in the second half, shot the ball well, and even made 16 of 22 free throws in the second half (72.7%) after making just 30% in the first half. Casey Jones continued to show off his skills, while Justin Tuoyo played his game in a while. This team is still growing and maturing, but they are a solid team. With home dates against Mercer and ETSU next week, the Mocs better continue to show improvement. It doesn't get any easier.

VMI 84, The Citadel 69

Player of the Game: Tim Marshall drained 8 of 19 from three and scored 26 points. He also had four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Marshall played lights out for the second straight game, guiding the Keydets to an important win.

Stat of the Game: The Citadel committed fifteen turnovers. The Bulldogs felt the pressure from VMI's defense and committed nearly double the turnovers the Keydets did. That was a huge difference in this game.

What It All Means: For The Citadel, they could not follow up the good fortune of the win against Samford with another home win. They have now lost three games to VMI this season. They are just a game and a half out of the final bye, but they have games at Furman and Wofford next week. With the position they are in, they have to win at least one if not both of them. They shot the ball well enough and rebounded well enough but did not protect the ball well enough. Four players scored in double figures and the Bulldogs are showing some signs of life overall. They are dangerous in Asheville to win a game or two. VMI has now won two in a row to put themselves back into contention for the final bye. However, their schedule is not good. They go to Western Carolina, and then host Chattanooga and Samford. It is going to be a battle just to get to seven wins, much less eight. However, they have started making shots suddenly. Phillip Anglade is playing well, as is Marshall. Brian Brown has been red hot as well. If they keep on shooting this well, they can beat anyone in the league on the right now. Nobody wants to meet up with them in Asheville because they are so dangerous in a one game scenario.

SoCon Action- February 14 & 15

Game of the Day- Wofford at Western Carolina (Saturday, 5:00)

What's the Story: Thursday night's results totally changed the shape of how both teams are viewed. The Terriers are no longer viewed as a lock to win the regular season title after losing at home to Chattanooga and seeing their lead cut to one game over the Mocs. The Catamounts stunned Mercer in Macon, and that put them in position to get all the way to the two or three seed in the SoCon Tournament. That means that Saturday's game will go a long way to determining where both of these teams wind up. If Wofford survives this one, they will feel much more comfortable about winning the regular season title. If Western Carolina can win in Cullowhee, they will have gone 3-0 against the current top three in three straight games and announced themselves as a real threat to win the SoCon Tournament. Mike Young has never lead Wofford to a win in Cullowhee. Now would be a good time to start.

Match-up: Lee Skinner is so important to the Terriers. When he is not performing at the top of his game, the Terriers are not as good. He will be battling with Torrion Brummitt in this one. Brummitt has been one of the pleasant surprises in the conference this year. Those two battling in the paint will be critical. Of course, Spencer Collins and Karl Cochran are the high volume shooters for the Terriers and James Sinclair and Mike Brown are the same for the Catamounts. The duo that shoots the best will have the best chance to win the game. Western Carolina is the second best three point shooting team in the conference, while the Terriers play the best three point defense in the conference. The Catamounts are 5-2 at home this year, with a surprising loss to Samford and a tough one to ETSU. Still, they have beaten both Mercer and Chattanooga at home this year. Cullowhee is a tough place to play. The Terriers are 5-1 on the road, but this is one of their toughest road tests of the young season.

Prediction: The Terriers and Catamounts both need a win. This game is one of the most interesting of the whole conference season after Thursday night. The Catamounts are such a good three point shooting team, but the Terriers defense will be tough to shoot against. They held the Catamounts to just 43 points the first time they played. They shot just 31% from three point range. Does Wofford respond to their loss like they did their first conference loss, when they came out and dominated the next several gams? Or do they continue to struggle? It is so hard to win in Cullowhee. The Catamounts  pull off the mild upset. Catamounts 58, Terriers 55.

Furman at ETSU (Saturday, 4:00)

What's the Story: This is another game that Thursday's results changed the feel of both teams. Furman was destroyed by VMI by 34 as the Keydets could not miss from three. The Paladins had just lost two nailbiters at home against Mercer and Chattanooga and many thought they could get the bye still. ETSU was heading the other direction rapidly. When they were down 12 in the second half at UNCG, it looked like they were done. Then they came back and boom...Saturday's game becomes critical and this team looks like a lock for a bye again. Furman upset ETSU in Greenville earlier this year, and would love to come up with the sweep. This game could help establish if the Paladins come out of their recent slide, or if they continue on their path downward in the conference race.

Match-up: ETSU is the third best three point shooting team in the conference while the Paladins just allowed VMI to make 24 of 45 from three point range on Thursday. That could make things difficult for Furman. Rashawn Rembert and Jalen Riley both can shoot the three. Will the Paladins be able to slow them down? The Paladins have the huge advantage in the paint. Kris Acox and Kendrec Ferrara need to have big games in the paint. Stephen Croone will be relied on to have a big game as well. Where is Furman mentally after the beat down they experienced on Thursday night? ETSU is living off a thrilling win and should carry the mental edge coming into the game.

Prediction: There is absolutely no way THAT happens again to Furman in this one. Right? Well, maybe. It is hard to imagine that the Paladins can turn around from that loss and win in Johnson City, but stranger things have certainly happened. However, the Bucs will not shoot anywhere near as well as VMI did on Thursday night, meaning this one will come down to the wire. The Bucs have not been blowing teams out even at home this year. They will come up with the win, but it will be a battle for most of the night. Bucs 73, Paladins 65.

UNCG at Mercer (Saturday, 4:00)

What's the Story: The Spartans and Bears both lost on Thursday night in disappointing fashion. UNCG needs to get back to winning in order to earn a bye, but it is going to be very difficult in Macon. UNCG is playing much better than they were just a few weeks ago, and they have developed a little bit of confidence. This is a tough place to keep that.  The Bears can ill afford another home upset if they are going to hold off Western Carolina for the number three seed or catch Chattanooga for the number two seed, or possibly even catch Wofford for the number one seed. This is not the time to lose a game they shouldn't.

Match-up: The Spartans and the Bears are two of the biggest teams in the SoCon. Kayel Locke, RJ  White and Marvin Smith going up against TJ Hallice and Darious Moten will be an interesting inside match-up. UNCG needs Nicholas Paulos and Clay Byrd to be knocking down threes as well. They are the Spartans best shooters, and were cold against ETSU. The Spartans, believe it or not, rank second in the conference in defensive eFG%. That means teams shoot the second worst in the conference against them, trailing only Wofford. Mercer is the second best shooting team in the conference. The Bears get a lot of credit for great defense, but per Pomeroy only rank fifth in the conference in defensive efficiency, while ranking first in offensive efficiency. The Bears are a fun team to watch offensively when they are playing well.

Prediction: An angry Bear is a dangerous Bear. After the loss to Western Carolina at home, Mercer should be angry and hungry. They also play very efficient offense that is very patient. That is the sort of offense that the Spartans struggle against. The Spartans will need to play great offense in this one, because, despite their defensive eFG%, they will struggle on that side of the ball in this one. The Spartans hang around for a little while, but Mercer pulls away for a relatively easy win. Bears 73, Spartans 59.

Samford at Chattanooga (Saturday, 6:00)

What's the Story: Samford's upset loss on Thursday came as the hunted. Now they can go back to being the hunter, where they have been successful and won a bunch of games recently. They head up to Chattanooga with a chance to pull off another upset and get themselves back into control of the bye race. The Mocs have a chance to win the regular season title after upsetting Wofford at Wofford on Thursday night. A win over the Bulldogs would keep them right in that position. The Mocs won a relatively close game at Samford earlier this year. This game really matters to both team in their quest to move up in the standings.

Match-up: The Bulldogs Michael Bradley is returning to his hometown and will be looking to have a big game against Justin Tuoyo. Tuoyo has not been playing well recently, and he needs to step up and have a big game for the Mocs to be as good as they can be. Casey Jones will be the best overall player on the floor for either side. But the key, as it often is for the Bulldogs, is what happens with turnovers. The Mocs turned the ball over eighteen times in their win over Wofford on Thursday and Samford forces a lot of turnovers. If the Mocs do not protect the ball, the Bulldogs will have every opportunity to walk into Chattanooga and come up with the win. That makes Greg Pryor and Rico White critical as they bring the ball up the floor against the pressure. Darius Jones-Gibson is the Bulldogs best player and will need to get to the basket and make shots for the Bulldogs.

Prediction: This is a definite trap game for the Mocs, much like The Citadel was a trap game for Samford on Thursday. The Mocs will need to protect the ball against the pressure and come out with the same defensive intensity they played with against Wofford. This game smells like big trouble for the Mocs. Still, the Mocs are the better team and are at home, where they rarely lose. This one will be a very close from start to finish, but Jones makes a big play in the final minute to come up with the win. Mocs 70, Bulldogs 67.

VMI at The Citadel (Sunday, 5:30)

What's the Story: After both teams won on Thursday, now things get much more interesting. The Keydets are currently 5-9 in SoCon play while the Bulldogs are 4-9. The winner really puts themselves in good position in the bye race, as the other three teams in the bye race are all on the road and underdogs on Saturday. The winner here will feel much better. How will these two teams handle prosperity? Neither team has handled it particularly well recently. The Keydets have won each of the two match-ups with the Bulldogs this year. If The Citadel can win one, they go a long way to getting the final bye. Really intriguing game for a Sunday early evening.

Match-up: Can the Keydets shoot like that again? Possibly. They have been so cold for so long. Even after Thursday's display, they still rank last in the league in two point shooting and three point shooting. After that showdown, maybe they get hot and keep it going for a few games. The Citadel is the worst defensive team in the conference, while being fairly efficient offensively. The game really comes down to a battle of the tempo. The Citadel likes to slow it down, while VMI likes to get up and down. If the Bulldogs get into a game at the Keydets  tempo, they will not be able to win. Phillip Anglade is the Keydets best inside threat, but Tim Marshall and Brian Brown were red hot on Thursday night. The Bulldogs need Ashton Moore to play well, but Brian White and Jake Wright stepped up in a big way on Thursday night and provided the Bulldogs with much needed offense.

Prediction: This is truly a mysterious game, even though these teams have matched up two times already. This one seems to be impossible to figure out still. The Keydets got the Bulldogs to speed up in their second meeting and that was crucial to their victory. I think they will be able to do it again in this one. VMI comes up with the road win by being good enough on offense and the Bulldogs being bad enough on defense. Keydets 75, Bulldogs 71.

SoCon Reviews- February 12

Chattanooga 56, Wofford 46

Player of the Game: Casey Jones had 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. Jones made 10 of 14 from the floor and he continues to make a case that he belongs in the Player of the Year discussion in the league.

Stat of the Game: Wofford shot 30.4% from the floor. Some of that was cold shooting and some was Chattanooga's defense, but the Terriers were not shooting the ball well. It's hard to win a game where you shoot the ball that poorly. Should Wofford be concerned? After all, against Chattanooga and Mercer at home, they have scored an average of 47.5 points per game. If you take out the second half at Chattanooga when Wofford scored 48 points, they have been scoring against the other top four teams (Western Carolina, Mercer and Chattanooga) just 50.6 points per 40 minutes. That would be a weakness in Asheville.

What It All Means: Hello, SoCon Championship race! The Terriers suddenly find themselves right in the thick of a real race for the championship. After all, their three road games are all semi-difficult. They go to Western Carolina and Mercer (not easy for any team) and they also go to Furman, a team that beat ETSU and played Mercer and Chattanooga very close in Greenville. The Terriers did not make shots and are an inefficient enough offense that they can lose a game. Their defense will keep them in every game, but this team needs dominant Lee Skinner and hot shooting Karl Cochran and lower volume shooter Spencer Collins to show up. Those guys did not show up for the Terriers. Saturday's game is a make or break game for the Terriers. The Mocs have re-inserted themselves into the title discussion with the win. Their defense was very good, the offense was good, when they protected the ball. Duke Ethridge continued his hot play. Justin Tuoyo continued to not play well. He was in foul trouble all night and played just sixteen minutes. For the Mocs to be the best they can be, they need Tuoyo to play better. The Mocs will be favored in each of their final five games, but probably need Wofford to lose twice to win the conference title. They play an important home game against Samford on Saturday evening.

Western Carolina 58, Mercer 54

Player of the Game: Mike Brown scored 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the floor to go along with four rebounds. Brown continues his surge and he is gaining on James Sinclair as the Catamounts best player. Still, Sinclair is the best player, but Brown has been very good as the Catamounts have surged up the standings.

Stat of the Game: Mercer made 18 of 47 from the floor in this one, just 38.3% from the field and knocked down just 3 of 18 from three. That's just 41.5 eFG%, which is not very good. The Bears have to do a better job knocking down shots to win in Asheville.

What It All Means: Oh those crazy Bears! Just when I was ready to give them full credit for their play this year, they have gone just 3-3 in their last six games. They shot poorly on Thursday night, particularly from three point range and the free throw line. They only made 15 of 26 from the free throw line. TJ Hallice was the only Bear that really played well, though Jibri Bryan may have a case that he played OK. No one else did. This was not a good performance. They have lost both games to Western Carolina and now might need to hold on to try to get the number three seed and not fall to the number four seed. They host UNCG on Saturday, which they will be heavily favored in, but have a huge game next Thursday at Chattanooga that could determine if they have any shot at the two seed. The Catamounts, who had been struggling on the road, now have won three straight road games. They did this one while shooting terribly from the free throw line (9 of 17) and with James Sinclair making just 3 of 13 from the field. That's impressive. It's hard to know if they could have done that a few weeks ago. Now, the Catamounts three games stretch against the top three teams reaches it's final game- a home date with Wofford. I said at the beginning if they won all three they would have a shot at the two or three seed. At 2-0, they can go 3-0 and really put themselves in good position for a top three seed. After Wofford and an out of conference game against Cleveland State, they host VMI and go to Furman and The Citadel. Honestly, that's a decent remaining schedule for a team looking for a big run to end the year and get the three seed. It is out there for them for sure at this point.

ETSU 65, UNCG 62

Player of the Game: Devin Harris, because he was such an unexpected source of solid play. He came up with 13 points on 5 of 9 shooting from the floor and also came up with ten rebounds. That's a double-double from a player that is averaging 6 and 5.6 on the year. He also lead the team in assists with two and had one steal as well. While Riley was a bigger scorer overall, it was Harris that made the subtle difference in this one.

Stat of the Game: ETSU had 37 rebounds, UNCG just 29. The Bucs are a much smaller team than everyone they play, and UNCG is one of the biggest in the SoCon. There is no excuse for the Spartans not to win the battle of the boards against the Bucs.

What It All Means: The Spartans are clearly playing better basketball at this point. The loss was disappointing, make no mistake. But you simply can not get outrebounded by ETSU if you are as big as UNCG is. Kayel Locke was excellent and Tevon Saddler played OK. This team fought all the way to the finish and they did not look bad despite the loss. However, the loss was very disappointing. In tiebreakers and such, this loss dropped the Spartans all the way down to last in the SoCon. Still, they are just one  half game out of the final bye spot, so everything is still on the table for this club. Unfortunately, their closing kick includes trips to Mercer and Wofford and a home date with Chattanooga. This is not going to be easy to get to a bye. ETSU won in dramatic fashion and possibly saved their season. This win saves them for now. They are now up two games in the bye race, so appear to be in good shape. Still, they have just one home conference game left- Saturday against Furman. They then go to Chattanooga, The Citadel and Mercer. That's tough, but a 2-2 finish should be more than enough to get a bye. Only 1-3 could be any cause for concern. They won without Rashawn Rembert or Lester Wilson playing well- they combined for just 13 points on 4 of 18 shooting. While Jalen Riley did play well, he was hardly dominant- he scored 21 points. It really was Harris' performance that made the difference in this one.

VMI 93, Furman 59

Player of the Game: Brian Brown scored 29 points and had five rebounds. He made 9 of 14 from three point range and 10 of 16 from the floor. That was an incredible showing from Brown. He was red hot.

Stat of the Game: The Keydets made an other worldly 24 of 45 from three. It has been commonplace for them to shoot 40 or more threes and not make double digits. Thursday- 24 of them went down. Wow. How do you beat a team shooting that well? You don't- you lose by 34.

What It All Means: The Paladins did fine on the offensive end in a lot of ways. They were reasonably efficient, but things did not go well on the defensive end. Like I've said, the Keydets shooting is not necessarily dependent on the opponent's defense, but if the shots are falling. Let's just say they were falling on Thursday. Kris Acox stepped up and had a nice game and Devin Sibley was  OK. Stephen Croone was OK too. The Paladins need to forget this one. It is just one game. They go to ETSU on Saturday night in a game that they may just need to be competitive in. The Keydets knocked down every shot. They could not miss. It was impossible. After struggling for months  shooting, the Keydets finally knocked down some shots. Tim Marshall was also brilliant to go along with Brown. If those two continue playing like they did Thursday, the Keydets may beat all kinds of teams over the coming month. VMI goes to The Citadel on Sunday looking to beat them for the third time this year. If the Keydets come up with the win there, they will start to put themselves in decent position to get the final bye.

The Citadel 66, Samford 65

Player of the Game: Ashton Moore knocked down the game winner at the buzzer. He scored 17 points and had six assists. He also turned the ball over eight times, which was very disappointing, but he made up for all of it with his shot at the buzzer to win the game.

Stat of the Game: The Citadel knocked down 10 of 15 from three point range. That was the biggest reason they were able to hang around and let Moore knock down the jumper. The Bulldogs continue to be a deceptively efficient offense that can be difficult to stop.

What It All Means: And with one magical ending by their opponent, the Samford win streak is over. They forced turnovers and Darius Jones-Gibson played well. The missed free throw by Michael Bradley obviously really cost them. Bradley rebounded well and is a good free throw shooter, but made just one of two in the final five seconds, giving The Citadel a chance to win. The Bulldogs are still in OK position to wind up in the final bye, and still a team no one wants to play in Asheville. They go to Chattanooga on Saturday, which is going to be tough and then hosts Mercer next week, which is very difficult as well. Things are tough for Samford to get there, but they can. The Citadel desperately needed a win and they got it in the most dramatic fashion. Moore's shot was absolutely huge. The Bulldogs played just seven and five played more than 30 minutes. Jake Wright and Brian White stepped up in a big way to help the Bulldogs. That is the type of complete team performance they need to win in the SoCon Tournament. They can still get a bye. They are right in the thick of that race, despite the six game losing streak. They host VMI and go to Furman in their next two games. Those two are critical, because the Bulldogs have a brutal stretch to finish.

SoCon Previews- February 12

Game of the Night- Chattanooga at Wofford (7:00 PM)

What's The Story: These two teams played a very memorable game in early January that Wofford came from behind led by Karl Cochran for a dramatic win. The Terriers are in first place in the conference and up two games on Chattanooga and Mercer. If the Mocs don't win, their slim chances of winning the conference regular season title are over. The loss to Western Carolina hurt them in that regard. More importantly, they are trying to get themselves back into the two seed position. The Terriers can inch one game closer to putting the conference regular season title away at home. They have gone back to not playing full games recently, especially against VMI on Saturday. They need to bounce back from that and reassert themselves.

Match-up: Will Karl Cochran go off again like he did in his career night the first time against the Mocs? He has been up and down since then a bit. The Terriers Lee Skinner against the Mocs Justin Tuoyo is really a nice match-up. It should be interesting to see which one of them does better. The Mocs are hoping that the production from Chuck Ester and Duke Ethridge keeps up. They have not put it together on the same night yet, but if they do, this team becomes much more dynamic. Casey Jones was Player of the Month for the month of January. Can the Terriers contain him? The Mocs have been struggling out of the gate early in games lately, and Wofford has been struggling late in games lately. Interestingly, if the Terriers jump out to a big early lead, the Mocs may be able to make a comeback similar to what Wofford did to them in Chattanooga.

Prediction: This is two of the three best teams in the league and played probably the most memorable game of the conference season in early January. But Chattanooga is not playing well right now, and Wofford can virtually put the Mocs out of the conference race with a win so they will be motivated. The Mocs are good enough to hang around despite that, but in the end, the Terriers pull away for a win. Terriers 69, Mocs 62.

Western Carolina at Mercer (7:00 PM)

What's The Story: The Catamounts are hoping to make one final push to move up in the seedings, and that has to get going in earnest here. They are down just one and a half games on Chattanooga and Mercer for second. A win here could really propel the Catamounts up the standings and get them right back into the race for second. Mercer, who is tied with Chattanooga for second, needs to win to stay in the race for the SoCon title. The Bears lost at Western Carolina earlier this year, but Mercer has been one of the most consistent teams in the conference. They have been so good, particularly at home. Will Western Carolina be able to win another road game, or will their road winning streak end at two?

Match-up: Mercer plays the best team basketball in the conference. You never know what player is going to lead the way. Darious Moten has been the star lately along with TJ Hallice. Ike Nwamu was the leader earlier in the year. Phillip Leonard is the driving force at point guard. Western Carolina is a little bit different. Mike Brown and James Sinclair have been the scoring leaders for the Catamounts, with Rhett Harrelson having hit a cold spell. Torrion Brummitt has come on rapidly during conference play. He will need to stay out of foul trouble against Hallice. Brummitt and Hallice may be the best match-up in the league. These two teams may be the two best home teams in the league. The Bears are hungry to get into second place in the league, and a win on Thursday puts them in great position for that.

Prediction: Look out for Nwamu to have a big game. Something about this game smells like a game where he goes off. He is the most athletic player on either team. Sinclair, coming off his Player of the Week  award, will also have a good game and keep Western Carolina close, but winning in Macon is too tough for a team that is not a great road team to begin with. Mercer wins behind another very efficient offensive performance. Bears 70, Catamounts 64.

ETSU at UNCG (7:00 PM)

What's The Story: Now things get interesting. UNCG trails ETSU by just one and a half games for the fifth seed, but the Bucs have been in a bit of a free fall. They have not done well lately. On the other hand, UNCG has won back to back games to get back into it. Could UNCG catch ETSU and earn a bye? If they want to do it, this game will play a major role in it. The Spartans upset the Bucs in Johnson City in December. A win here could signal a permanent change in this season- for the good for the Spartans and for the bad for the Bucs. It is now or never for both teams.

Match-up: Now, this is a match-up that UNCG should like better. ETSU does not work the ball as much on offense and that plays into UNCG's defensive weaknesses. Also, the Bucs do not have size inside. The Spartans do. The Spartans have RJ White and Kayel Locke and should be able to control the game in the paint. However, the Bucs have Rashawn Rembert and Jalen Riley are going to be the two best shooters on the floor. They can both make shots from anywhere on the floor. In Johnson City, the Bucs made a comeback by using a pressure defense against the Spartans, which they could not handle. Will ETSU use the press more in this game and try to take control? Possibly. But UNCG handled VMI's press well last Tuesday, so maybe they have figured out how to beat the press now.

Prediction: This game could almost make a case for Game of the Day status. This game really matters in the bye race. If ETSU is going to right the ship, this is the game to do it in. If UNCG is going to make a push at the bye, this is the game they will do it in. We find out just how serious things are right now for these two teams. The Spartans dominate in the paint and slow down the Rembert, Riley and Lester Wilson train enough to come up with a solid win. Spartans 79, Bucs 76.

Furman at VMI (7:00 PM)

What's The Story: As the two teams that were the leaders in the bye race heading into last week, now the Paladins are a half game out and VMI is a full game out. This game is critical to both teams chances of getting back into the bye race. The loser here will be in a lot of trouble, while the winner could find themselves in decent shape to still get the bye. This is the fifth and final home game of the homestand for the Keydets that has seen them go 1-3. However, the Paladins lost at home to VMI by ten earlier this year. Only one team will be left in the bye race more than likely after this one.

Match-up: Say what you want about Furman, they are a much improved team from a year ago. Stephen Croone is the only elite player they have, but there are a ton of complementary parts on this club. Kris Acox, Kendrec Ferrara, Devin Sibley, Daniel Fowler, Geoff Beans and Larry Wideman have all had their moments. Their problem? No one can consistently count on any of them. The Paladins need to find at least one or two guys to consistently count on to be Robin to Croone's Batman. VMI is in a bit of a free fall without QJ Peterson. Phillip Anglade has been playing well. He rebounds well and has been making shots from the paint. But on the whole, the Keydets are struggling offensively. They simply can not make shots. It's very difficult to win when you aren't making shots. They played so well in the second half against Wofford. Does any of that carry over to Thursday night? We'll find out.

Prediction: If VMI plays like they did against Wofford in the second half, the Keydets should win this game. However, they have not played like that often recently. Croone and the Paladins are primed for a break out performance. Last week, the Paladins played well and did not win. This time, they play well and come up with a huge road win. Paladins 74, Keydets 73.

The Citadel at Samford (8:00)

What's The Story: The two Bulldogs battle in a key match-up. The Citadel has lost six straight games and finds themselves in last place at this point. However, they are still just a game and a half out of the final bye. If they can somehow pull the upset at Samford, they can get back into the bye race. Samford has won five straight since starting 0-8. They are now in solid position for the final bye and maybe even more. They did lose by ten in Charleston earlier this year. Samford needs to not lose momentum now, as they will play three road games in their final four after this, with their lone home game coming against Mercer. How will Samford do as the hunted instead of the hunter?

Match-up: Two teams heading in opposite directions. Still, both sets of Bulldogs have some inside presence. Michael Bradley has been playing well lately, while The Citadel has PJ Horgan and CJ Bray. The inside match-up is intriguing. Of course, Ashton Moore is the real scorer for The Citadel that has to be slowed down. Christen Cunningham and Darius Jones-Gibson will be trying to do that for Samford. Tyler Hood made a couple of huge shots last Thursday at Western Carolina and continues to provide leadership on the court. Samford likes to try to speed teams up while The Citadel  likes to try to slow them down. When The Citadel was winning earlier this year, they were doing it by getting teams into slow down games. During this losing streak, they have not been able to get things slowed down as much and have often played at the other teams tempo, having the style dictated to them. The Citadel will need to slow this game down and not commit turnovers to stay in it.

Prediction: Samford is absolutely rolling right now. The biggest threat to them is that they will overlook The Citadel, as they just won at Western Carolina and ETSU and have a trip to Chattanooga coming up on Saturday. Truthfully, the coaching job done by Scott Padgett borders on magnificent, and it seems unlikely that he lets them slip up now. They are just playing too well and The Citadel is too bad at defense to slow down the train. Samford Bulldogs 76, The Citadel Bulldogs 63.

Scanning the SoCon- Week Five

This is the fourth season of Scanning the SoCon, and hopefully we are getting bigger and better every year. People from around the conference answer questions regarding their team and other issues around the SoConThis should help you to know everything you need to know about SoCon basketball.

SCHEDULE

Thursday

Chattanooga at Wofford (7:00)

Western Carolina at Mercer (7:00)

ETSU at UNCG (7:00)

Furman at VMI (7:00)
The Citadel at Samford (8:00)
 
Saturday
 
Furman at ETSU (4:00)
UNCG at Mercer (4:00)
Wofford at Western Carolina (5:00)
Samford at Chattanooga (6:00)

Sunday

VMI at The Citadel (5:30)

POWER RANKINGS

1)      Wofford 80 (8)

2)      Mercer 69

3)      Chattanooga 67

4)      Western Carolina 52

5)      Samford 46

6)      ETSU 45

7)      UNCG 27

8)      Furman 26

9)      VMI 18

10)  The Citadel 8

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

TJ Hallice, Mercer- 2 votes

Nicholas Paulos- 2 votes

Others Receiving Votes-  James Sinclair, Western Carolina (1.5 votes), Karl Cochran, Wofford (1), Ashton Moore, The Citadel (1), Justin Tuoyo, Chattanooga (.5)

GAME OF THE WEEK

Chattanooga at Wofford- 6 votes

Others Receiving Votes- Wofford at Western Carolina (2 votes)

QUESTIONS

Sum up your team.

Samford- In a little over two weeks the Bulldogs have gone from 0-8 and last in the league to 5-8 and in sole possession of sixth place.  We have won five games in a row for the first time since the 05-06 season.  We went into WCU this week and found ourselves down 21 with 10:37 to play against a team we had never beaten at their place.  It would have to go down as one of the most improbable comebacks in Bulldog basketball history as we came back and got the W.  We then finished the road trip with a win against a slumping ETSU team.  The Bulldogs have limited the easy buckets teams were getting earlier in the year after breaking our press.  If we can hold onto one of the bye places, watch out, a deep conference tourney run is not out of the question.

The Citadel- The Citadel has lost six straight games and has looked terrible in its last two contests, particularly in the second half. Things do not look promising for the Bulldogs as the season heads into the home stretch. The Citadel is arguably the worst defensive team in the country. Without at least some improvement in that area, Chuck Driesell faces the distinct possibility of coaching a program that will have had losing streaks of 10 games or more in four consecutive seasons

UNCG- After a miserable January that saw UNCG go 1-8, the first two games in February have been a nice change. The Spartans defeated the two SoCon military institutions by a combined 45 points this week. Nicholas Paulos had a very nice week averaging 17 points on 12-17 shooting from the field (7-9 from behind the arc). The main catalyst to this nice play is the ball movement on offense. UNCG has been known for its selfish play on offense this season. In the last two games, UNCG has racked up 21 assists (on 31 made FG's) and 16 assists (on 30 made FG's). Not surprisingly, the team has shot north of 47% as well. Notice the pattern? On a bad note, sophomore big man Jordy Kuiper has been showing some flashes and was having a career night at VMI. Unfortunately, that night was cut short when he landed awkwardly on his wrist. It appears it's broken and he is finished for the season. That leaves an already thin bench even thinner. UNCG will have to get better about staying out of foul trouble if they want to compete for future wins.

In the Dean's List, Dean Keener talks about role players and non-starters. What is the most important role player on your team? Why? What does he do that makes him so critical?

Samford- Marcus Johnson.  Marcus is our best on ball defender off the bench and can play point or off the ball.  He also is our second best shooter percentage wise from 3, and can really get hot as he did against ETSU going 4-4 in the second half from 3. 

The Citadel-Jake Wright, a fine outside shooter, probably would be considered The Citadel's best role player, simply for the freshman's ability to score. However, Wright has started the last two games and may no longer fit the definition.

UNCG- This might be an odd choice for UNCG, but I'm going to go with walk-on transfer Asad Lamont. Lamont doesn't average a ton of points or minutes played. What he does bring to the table is a calming presence to the offense, and he gives a very small guard rotation a few minutes of rest every game. With as many injuries as the Spartans have dealt with this season, having someone like Lamont on the bench has been a big deal.

If you could have any coach in the league coaching your team, which one would it be?

Chattanooga- This question is more to talk about other coaches than the one that is coaching your team. So I won’t name Will Wade. But I will name Scott Padgett. I love what he has done with his team. Padgett has taken a team that lost a ton of talent and has turned them into a winner this year. It could be a flash in the pan, but it doesn’t look like it. This looks like a program changer of a coach if they can keep him. He’s that good. If he sticks for the next two or three years, Samford will probably win at least one SoCon title.

Samford- Mike Young.  His team is fundamentally sound and play the best half court defense in the league.  His team just seems to never get flustered, regardless of the circumstances.

UNCG- Mike Young, for the most obvious reasons. But I do think Scott Pagett has got a lot of upside and plays a fun style of basketball. I think he's destined for a high major job.

The picture is really muddled for the sixth and final bye spot, as the sixth seed to the tenth seed are all separated by one and a half games. If you assume that the top five are set (which we all know they are not necessarily), which one of the bottom five would you pick to get the final bye?

Chattanooga- Actually, I think the byes are pretty well set. I really think with the way Samford is playing right now, there is no way anybody catches them for one of the byes. Now, ETSU is a different story. I do think someone might be able to catch them. But the question is, who? UNCG and Furman both have not been consistent enough to really think they will, but they are the best bets at this point.

Samford- At the risk of sounding like a homer, I'll say Samford.  We have sole possession of 6th place right now and are playing the best of the 6-10 teams, by far.  VMI has lost their best player.  Furman has lost three in a row and their next two are on the road.  Citadel has lost 7 of their last 8.  The one team who I feel may have a chance is UNC-G.  They have won two in a row and their last three conference games are at home.  Our game up there 2/26 looms large.

The Citadel- Samford is playing the best basketball right now of the "contenders" for the 6th spot and also has a reasonable schedule going forward, though SU does have to play at UNCG.

UNCG- I'm going to go with Samford as they have shown the most consistency over the past three weeks. I think any of the 4 other teams could get that last spot, but none have shown anything over a longer stretch than the Bulldogs.

SoCon Reviews- February 7

Western Carolina 73, Chattanooga 70

Player of the Game: James Sinclair knocked down the game winner and scored 21 points on 8 of 20 shooting. He also came up with nine rebounds. The game winner by Sinclair on a turn around fade away was almost unstoppable. He has proven to consistently be a great performer for the Catamounts.

Stat of the Game: Mocs 63% from the free throw line. They made 17 of 27 from the free throw line. While it wasn't awful, the Mocs needed to not miss ten free throws to complete the comeback in this one.

What It All Means: For the Mocs, things are not going well, but it was easy to identify this as the toughest part of the schedule. They had to go to Mercer, Furman, Western Carolina and Wofford in a five game stretch. It was easy to see them losing three during this stretch. They are 2-2 so far, with Wofford left. But the Mocs have not really looked that good recently. They are playing hard, but they are just a step behind where they were in early January at this point. Still, they seem well on their way to a top three seed. Can they get the two seed? They will need Mercer to lose some games to get there. What about the one seed? Going to be really tough, but if they beat Wofford at Wofford, they'll still have a chance. The Mocs have been starting games slow, but the improved play of Duke Ethridge and Chuck Ester should be making them feel better. Ethridge really had a good game tonight. For the Catamounts, bouncing back from the disappointing loss to Samford on Thursday and winning this one was huge. Now, Western Carolina is alone in fourth place. If the Catamounts can win their two games next week at Mercer and at home against Wofford, they will be back in the race for the two or three seed. James Sinclair made the big shot, and Mike Brown and Torrion Brummitt were huge too. Still, there were too many turnovers late in the game. Rhett Harrelson is struggling badly right now. But that is countered by the performance of Brown. The Catamounts have to be feeling good about themselves now. They are going to be a threat to any of the top teams in Asheville for sure, even though it remains unlikely that they do any better than the four seed.

Wofford 65, VMI 62

Player of the Game: Karl Cochran scored 18 points and collected 12 rebounds and came up with four steals. He made 8 of 14 from the floor. There was talk of his shooting slump. He came out today and said, "What shooting slump?" Cochran was a dominant force.

Stat of the Game: The Terriers shot 20 free throws and VMI shot just eight. That was a significant stat. The Terriers made eight more free throws than VMI and won the game by three, and that was one of the major reasons why they were able to survive this massive scare.

What It All Means: For VMI, this game showed a lot of heart and courage. After getting beaten down by 29 on Tuesday night and falling behind by 20 to the best team in the league, VMI could have packed it up and quit. Instead, they came all the way back and tied up the game and had a chance to take the lead very late in the game. Phillip Anglade may have only scored nine points, but his nine rebounds and four blocks clearly controlled the game in a lot of ways. Brian Brown, Tim Marshall and Jordan Weethee combined to make 10 of 20 from three, while the rest of the team shot 0 for 4. The Keydets are down just one game for the final bye spot still, and host Furman on Thursday night. That game may determine where this season goes from here for VMI. The Terriers have to be left with a few questions. This is the second time this season they have jumped out to a big lead on a military academy on the road only to give the whole lead back. The Terriers have struggled to consistently put complete games together. That means that anyone can beat them in Asheville. They are the team that has done the best job of surviving the scares, but they have had plenty of scares along the way. At 20-5, they have a big week ahead of them, as they host Chattanooga and go to Western Carolina. They are still very much in the discussion for an at large to the NCAA Tournament, but can afford no more slip ups until Championship Monday. That's eight more games. Do the Terriers have that in them? Cochran was great when he needed to be again tonight. Wofford did clinch a bye in the SoCon Tournament tonight.

UNCG 79, The Citadel 63

Player of the Game: Tevon Saddler scored 15 points, had five rebounds and four assists. Diante Baldwin and RJ White also were huge, but Saddler was the best player on the floor today. He made 6 of 10 from the floor.

Stat of the Game: The Citadel shot 32.7% from the floor. The Bulldogs have been shooting close to 50% from the floor for most of the season. They did not come close to that tonight, and that is why they were unable to pull this one out. Is the Spartans defense improving? This is back-to-back games of great defense and their opponents have shot a combined 26.6% from the floor.

What It All Means: The Citadel has a fatal flaw that has been exposed recently. Early in the year, they were  controlling tempo, and they jumped out to 3-3 start in the SoCon. They have not done as good of a job controlling tempo since then, and have dropped six straight. That happened again tonight against the Spartans. The Citadel offense was less effective, though Ashton Moore had a great night, scoring 32 points. But on the whole, the Bulldogs did not do a good enough job offensively, and are never good enough defensively to win when their offense isn't up to par. They go to Samford next week. That may well be their last stand. They are on their way towards a last place finish in the conference if something doesn't change soon. UNCG has now proven me wrong. They have proven that they can against teams with any offensive philosophy. The Spartans played very well this week, winning two road games by an average of 22.5 points per game. They had just six turnovers tonight and ran good clean offense, shooting well over 50%, while holding The Citadel well below their season average for shooting. Hosting ETSU and going to Mercer won't be easy next week, but the Spartans are just a half game out of the final bye and just one and a half games behind ETSU at this point. Don't count them out from a bye just yet.

Samford 71, ETSU 68

Player of the Game: Marcus Johnson. He nailed the game winning three pointer to give the Bulldogs the win over the Bucs. He scored 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting from three point range. He also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Stat of the Game: Samford collected just 29% of their offensive rebounding opportunities, which is not great, but ETSU collected just 10.7% of theirs. That was the major difference in this game. Samford controlled the glass and beat the Bucs because of it. The Bucs lack of size really seems to be wearing them down in general.

What It All Means:  The Bucs are in real trouble. Ignore that they are currently the fifth seed. They are the team in the most danger of falling out of a first round bye. They are up a game and a half on the rest of the teams, but have now lost five out of six SoCon games. That is simply unacceptable for a team with as much talent as ETSU has. They lost on the glass, which is not surprised, because they are so much smaller than the Bulldogs. Jalen Riley and Rashawn Rembert did combine for 36 points, so that is a major step up, but blowing this twelve point lead is devastating. They go to UNCG and host Furman next week. They need to win those games if they are going to get a bye after all. For Samford, the Bulldogs were still a longshot to get a bye heading into the week because they had five of their last seven on the road, and were playing Western Carolina and ETSU on the road this week. Now at 5-8, with just three of their last five on the road, the Bulldogs can talk about earning that final bye after all, and maybe even talk about  winding up the fifth seed. The Bulldogs can get that high now, as they are down just one game on ETSU. They are favored to get a bye now. This team showed so much heart coming back from big deficits in both road games. Samford hosts The Citadel and then goes to Chattanooga next week. They really just need a split next week to feel really good about their position. I think 8-10 or 9-9 gets the five seed while 7-11 or 8-10 should be enough for the six seed. At 5-8, that means 4-1 or 3-2 gives them a shot at the five seed. That really makes the home game against The Citadel critical. Christen Cunningham had an excellent game and continues to show off why he is going to be so good in the future.

Mercer 74, Furman 68

Player of the Game: TJ Hallice scored 16 points and had ten rebounds. He also had four assists and two steals. He made 6 of 9 from the floor. Hallice is really a player that holds this team together. His continued good play can not be ignored any more.

Stat of the Game: Look people. Mercer's defense gets a ton of credit, but it is really Mercer's offense that is doing the trick. The Bears committed just six turnovers tonight. They don't commit many turnovers and they play good efficient offense. With the Bears just committing six turnovers, their efficient offense was able to do their thing.

What It All Means: The Paladins were so close to two huge wins this week against Chattanooga and Mercer, but came up empty. Furman now sits a half game out of the final bye spot, but it seems much wider because of how hot Samford is. They are just a game and a half down on ETSU, though. Stephen Croone did not play particularly well, and no one really picked up the slack for him. This is the Paladins problem. They have some really good pieces, but none of them have really gelled yet. If this team puts it all together, no one will want to play them in Asheville. It may not be until then that they put it all together, but the day is probably coming. They go to VMI and ETSU next week. If they somehow won both of those, they could be back into position to earn a bye by the end of the week. Mercer continues to impress. They did not look great in the first half, but had a very good second  half. Ike Nwamu and Darious Moten also had excellent games. Again, this team showed that it is a team. Their defense was OK, but not great, but their offense continued to impress. They host Western Carolina and UNCG next week. With the finishing kick of four games (at Chattanooga, at Samford, Wofford and ETSU), they really need to win both of those to get the one or the two seed. This week is critical for the Bears to keep on winning games they should be favored in.

SoCon Previews- February 7

Game of the Day- Chattanooga at Western Carolina (4:30)

What's The Story: After Western Carolina's shocking collapse on Thursday night at home against Samford, the Catamounts look to rebound at home against Chattanooga. They are 6-6 in conference play and are up by two games for the final bye and still in good shape. If they lose to Chattanooga too, there could be trouble though. They go to Mercer and host Wofford next week, so this is a very challenging time in their schedule. Western Carolina needs to get a win or two during this stretch. If they somehow manage to win all three, they can get into the race for the second and third seed even,  possibly. For Chattanooga, the Mocs need a win to try to maintain position for the two seed in the SoCon Tournament. They are also still in the race for the regular season title. This game is a near must-win for Chattanooga in both of those regards. They go to league leader Wofford on Thursday night. Cullowhee is a tough place to play. Chattanooga beat the Catamounts by six back in January in Chattanooga. This game is important to both sides.

Match-up: The most intriguing match-up is watching the Mocs Justin Tuoyo go up against Torrion Brummitt. Those two are solid players in the paint. It should be a very interesting match-up to watch. The first time Brummitt scored 12 and Tuoyo scored 15. The Catamounts rely heavily on James Sinclair, Mike Brown and Rhett Harrelson to be shooting the ball well. The key, though, may be if the Catamounts can protect the ball. The Mocs used a little bit more pressure against Furman. The Mocs have not utilized full court pressure too often, despite their reputation. But with the Catamounts struggling to protect the ball, particularly in their collapse against Samford on Thursday night, the Mocs may use some extra pressure.

Prediction: The Catamounts may be devastated after their collapse on Thursday. The key to this game may be the first ten minutes. If the Mocs come out and get up by double digits early, they will win this game in a route. The Mocs have not been starting off hot recently, though. This bodes well for Western Carolina. If Western Carolina can jump out to a big early lead, it will show that they have recovered from the devastation of that loss. This will be hard fought all the way, but in Cullowhee, got to give the very slight edge to the Catamounts. Catamounts 70, Mocs 68.

Wofford at VMI (1:00)

What's The Story: The Terriers are up by one game on Chattanooga and two on Mercer in the SoCon race. They host Chattanooga next Thursday night, and can be set up to be in a nice position with a win in this one. The Terriers quietly still have an excellent RPI and actually were listed just behind the Last Four In in Lunardi's bracket on Friday. That means that if Wofford can keep on winning, maybe, just maybe, they can work their way into the at large discussion again. No slip ups to a team like VMI allowed at this point. The Keydets got hammered at home against UNCG on Tuesday night. The 29 point beatdown showed just how far this team has to go. But they can change the whole trajectory of their season with an upset of Wofford on Saturday. Still sitting just a half game back of Furman for the final bye, the Keydets can make some real noise with a win here. They host Furman on Thursday  night, meaning that there is a huge game on the horizon for them.

Match-up: VMI shot over 40% against Wofford the first time around. That would be a huge step up from the 20% they shot against UNCG on Tuesday night. Phillip Anglade made 11 of 13 the first time around. The problem for the Keydets is that they don't have a go to guy now that QJ Peterson is off the team. If Anglade plays like he did the first time around (he also had eight rebound and seven blocks), the Keydets will have a chance. CJ Neumann had a great game on Thursday, and also played great against the Keydets the first time. The Keydets defense is not good against disciplined offenses. They will have a tough time controlling the Terriers, who rely on Karl Cochran, Lee Skinner and Spencer Collins, all who play very controlled offense. Eric Garcia is the key to the offense for the Terriers. He has to be controlled and not make turnovers.

Prediction: I'll say what I say in every game involving VMI. If the Keydets shoot the ball well, they will win. If they keep on struggling to shoot the ball, they probably won't. Their defense is not equipped to slow down Wofford consistently. But if they shoot the ball well, they could pull off the upset despite that. Are they due to make shots or are they going to keep on missing them? Hard to imagine they start making shots now against the Terriers. Terriers 77, Keydets 66.

UNCG at The Citadel (1:00)

What's The Story: The loser will be in last place in the SoCon. The two are tied for ninth right now. However, both teams sit just one game out of the final bye in the SoCon race, meaning that almost anything can happen from here. If either team gets on a roll, they can find their way straight into the bye race. Ironically, a win here might be enough to constitute a roll. The Spartans are fresh off a 29 point thumping of VMI and will be searching to put together back-to-back wins over D1 teams for just the second time this year. They host ETSU next Thursday, who they stunned in Johnson City. A win here and maybe the Spartans can get on a nice roll. The Citadel has lost five straight since upsetting Wofford. However, there are five teams fighting for the final bye and the Bulldogs are playing the other four in their next four games. The Citadel will make or break their bye chances with how they play in the next four.

Match-up: The intriguing thing about the blowout win for UNCG on Tuesday is that it may have helped us understand the Spartans. They can play well against offenses that move quickly and are undisciplined (that's why they beat VMI twice and ETSU once in conference play) but not so much against teams that play disciplined offense (thus blowout losses to Wofford and Mercer and a disappointing home loss to The Citadel). How will the Spartans defense hold up against the Bulldogs offense? Ashton Moore went off against the Spartans the first time. PJ Horgan and CJ Bray will have their hands full with RJ White and Kayel Locke in the paint. Marvin Smith has been playing better lately as well. He only played one minute against the Bulldogs the first time around.

Prediction: The Citadel's offense will cut right through the Spartans defense and score consistently. There is a chance that the Spartans will be effective enough offensively to still win the game, though. The Bulldogs are not a great defensive team and the Spartans with Locke, White and even Tevon Saddler. Can the Spartans outscore the Bulldogs? My bet is on the Bulldogs, but neither team will shine defensively. Bulldogs 68, Spartans 63.

Samford at ETSU (4:00)

What's The Story: And suddenly Samford is on a very big roll. The Bulldogs have now won four in a row after coming back from 21 down against Western Carolina on Thursday night. At 4-8 in conference play, they are now just one half game back of Furman for the final bye. Can they go 3-3 in their last six games? Possibly. That's what they need to do now to get to 7-11 and have a real chance at the bye. A win here would certainly be a warning shot to the rest of the SoCon that the Bulldogs can compete in Asheville. ETSU is going the other direction. The Bucs have lost three straight SoCon games and 4 out of 5 since starting conference play at 5-2. Now at 6-6, they are fighting for the bye lives. Up by two games on the final bye spot, a loss here would suddenly throw even that into doubt. This is a virtual must win for ETSU just to get the positive momentum going back in the right direction.

Match-up: Something strange has happened since that evening in January when ETSU won at Samford by two points. ETSU has gone just 3-5 in SoCon games since that win, while Samford has gone 4-4. Samford shot better from the floor, had more rebounds than the Bucs and even made more free throws than ETSU that night. However, they committed sixteen turnovers to the Bucs eleven and lost by two. Times have changed. The Bulldogs defense has gotten better at forcing turnovers and they have gotten even better at getting to the free throw line and knocking them down since that night. Tyler Hood and Darius Jones-Gibson are the scoring leaders. Hood's huge three very late in Cullowhee led to the stirring win for the Bulldogs there, but the continued development of Christen Cunningham really propels this team. For the Bucs, they are simply a smaller team and seem to be getting worn down by playing small night after night. Still, it seems to be only a matter of time before Jalen Riley, Lester Wilson and Rashawn Rembert get it going again. In these three consecutive SoCon losses, Riley has scored 15 points per game. In the six SoCon losses, he is averaging 17.3 points per game. In the six SoCon wins, he's averaging 26.7 points. Rembert is a similar story. In the six SoCon losses, he's averaging 11.8 points per game. In the six SoCon wins, he's scoring 18.0 points. This year, Rembert scored in single digits in the opener at Valparaiso, but then did not score in single digits again until the loss at Wofford, when he scored just two. He then scored single digits in their next two games. Rembert and Riley have to get things turned around.

Prediction: This feels for all the world like a game Samford should win. They have all the momentum. ETSU has none. They are playing better overall than the Bucs right now, as evidenced by their SoCon records since the last time they played. Still, how does a young team bounce back from such an emotional road win on Thursday night? That will present a major challenge to this squad. ETSU is at home and seems like this is when you get what you least expect- a really good performance. Vegas won't call it an upset, but maybe they should. The Bucs squeak one out at home. Bucs 79, Bulldogs 76.

Mercer at Furman (4:00)

What's The Story: The Bears remain in third in the SoCon, but are keeping their hopes alive for the number one seed in the SoCon Tournament. They have to keep winning though. The Bears were very impressive at The Citadel on Thursday night, winning by 23. They have two winnable home games next week. As the Bears try to chase down Chattanooga for the two seed, this game is very important. The Paladins are part of the logjam for the final bye in the SoCon race. Currently sitting in sixth, the Paladins lost in overtime to Chattanooga last time out and lost by just three at Mercer in January. With three of their next four after this one on the road and their final game being a home game against Wofford, the Paladins need to get some home wins along the way. Protecting their home court is a pretty important thing down the stretch for Furman.

Match-up: It's not going to be easy for Mercer, despite what the records indicate. The Paladins biggest weakness is their lack of a true second scorer for Furman. Stephen Croone is pretty consistent, but Devin Sibley, Geoff Beans, Kris Acox, Kendrec Ferrara and even Larry Wideman have taken turns doing it. Sibley was the one who did the best against the Terriers in their first go round. The Paladins also shot 50% from the floor. However, they were completely dominated on the glass. Plus, Mercer shot even better, a scorching 58.5% from the floor. Will the Paladins be able to slow them down? TJ Hallice is a handful, but Ferrara was excellent against the Mocs on Thursday night, with seven blocks. Will Croone be carrying the load again? Will he have another brilliant game? He will need to. Phillip Leonard will be guarding him a lot. Leonard is one of the SoCon's more underrated players. He really is an excellent point guard.

Prediction: This is definitely not going to be easy for Mercer, no matter what the records say. Furman is much improved and playing well at home, nearly beating Chattanooga on Thursday night. This team, along with Samford, is young and hungry and look to be much more dangerous next year. But it is still this year. Can they pull off the home upset they need? Look for Darious Moten and Ike Nwamu to do just enough and for the Bears brilliantly efficient offense to lead the way over the Paladins in Greenville in another nailbiter. Bears 69, Paladins 67.

SoCon Reviews- February 3 and 5

Wofford 74, ETSU 64

Player of the Game: Lee Skinner scored 16 points and collected ten rebounds. He has been brilliant recently for the Terriers. He made 5 of 9 from the floor and had three offensive rebounds. He did foul out. Still, Skinner's double-double was the biggest difference in this one.

Stat of the Game: Talk about a free throw fest. Wofford knocked down 29 of 43 on the night. ETSU made 18 of 25. That means Wofford took more free throws than ETSU attempted and that is significant.

What It All Means: For ETSU, they continue to be up and down, and find themselves at 6-6 in SoCon play. They did not play that well tonight. Rashawn Rembert and Jalen Riley combined for 27. Lester Wilson scored just five points. The Bucs are up just two games for the final bye spot. They may not be in trouble yet, but they have just two  home SoCon games this year and four SoCon road games left. This team could fall into real trouble if they lose on Saturday at home against Samford. The Terriers are in first in the SoCon by one game over Chattanooga. They go to VMI on Saturday, and you never know if the Keydets could upset Wofford, but this team is really playing well. CJ Neumann played very well along with Skinner. Karl Cochran scored just nine points and Spencer Collins twelve. It was not a good performance by the top Terriers. But Neumann and Skinner dominated the Bucs in the paint and won the game. ETSU beat Mercer by one point and lost to Chattanooga in overtime at home. Wofford is the best team in the SoCon right now and their performance at Johnson City proves that.

UNCG 85, VMI 56

Player of the Game: Jordy Kuiper scored 12 points on 5 of 5 shooting from the floor and collected four rebounds. Kuiper played very well prior to a wrist injury that sidelined him. It could prevent Kuiper from being able to play much more this year, which is too bad because he was really coming along and developing into one of the most pleasant surprises in the SoCon.

Stat of the Game: VMI's eFG% was 27.8. That is putrid. You do not get any colder than that. The Keydets have been shooting terribly for much of the year, but when you only make 16 of 72 shots from the floor and 8 of 38 from three, you just don't win too many games. The Keydets are a team that relies on making a bunch of shots and it just hasn't been happening this year.

What It All Means: For VMI, this game represents the continued problem for this squad. They are now just 4-8 in the SoCon and almost all of that can be pinned on poor shooting. I do not care what anyone thinks about their offense- it is not good this year. They can't shoot the ball. They got 43 rebounds compared to UNCG's 56. If you can't shoot or rebound, uh-oh.The Keydets are now 1-2 on this five game homestand and have Wofford and Furman left. Furman is an absolute must win at this point. An upset of Wofford would work wonders for this squad. The Spartans have now discovered part of their identity, and strangely, they may not like it. If they play teams that are disciplined on offense (like Mercer, Wofford and The Citadel), they struggle. If they play teams that like to shoot quickly (like VMI, ETSU and even Samford), they have more success. Now, that does not necessarily guarantee wins and losses in those games, but it certainly shines a light on the teams they want to play in the SoCon Tournament. Unfortunately for them, they play at The Citadel on Saturday. They may not be able to build on this game because of the way the Bulldogs play. Of course, the Spartans are now 3-8 in the SoCon, and not completely out of the bye race. Would 7-11 be enough? Possibly. That means 4-3 the rest of the way. It's not over yet. This team is less than the sum of their parts generally, but if they put it together, who knows?

Mercer 76, The Citadel 53

Player of the Game: TJ Hallice had another very good game. He scored 16 points to lead all scorers and had two blocks. He also came up with five rebounds. Hallice made 7 of 10 shots from the floor. Hallice has been the quite leader on this team all season long, doing all the little things that help this team win and going mostly unnoticed. But Hallice is a very good player and deserves credit.

Stat of the Game: There are a ton to choose from,  but how about the OR%? The Citadel came up with 10.5% OR. Mercer was at 48%. That's remarkably low for the Bulldogs and very high for Mercer. That will get you beat consistently if you are The Citadel. The Bulldogs play low possession games, and when they don't get any offensive rebounds and let their opponent get a lot, it becomes incredibly difficult for the Bulldogs to offensively efficient.

What It All Means: The Bulldogs were led by Ashton Moore, who scored 19. That is yet another conference game where Moore doesn't score 20 and the Bulldogs lose. Their offense relies so much on Moore scoring big points that it is tough for them to win. The defense is really not particularly good either, allowing Mercer to shoot 58.2% from the floor. The Citadel fell to 3-8 in SoCon play, which ties them with UNCG for ninth. The Citadel has lost five straight but host UNCG and go to Samford and then host VMI in their next three games. This is a good opportunity to end the losing streak and get back to winning. They actually can get back into the bye race if they can put a little run together here. For Mercer, they played a brilliant game at the place where Wofford lost earlier this year. Mercer did not show it on Saturday against the Terriers, but the Bears are a very efficient offensive team, and actually are not as good defensively as people think. They were back to those ways tonight. You know how UNCG is not as good as the sum of their parts? Mercer is the opposite. They are  better than the sum of the parts. They are a team that is better than what they should be based on their individual players. They are actually a fun team to watch play. Mercer goes to Furman on Saturday.

Chattanooga 74, Furman 71 (OT)

Player of the Game: Justin Tuoyo remains the game changer for the Mocs. He scored 20 on 7 of 10 shooting and 6 of 6 shooting from free throw line. He came up with seven rebounds and two blocks as well. It was obvious the Mocs goal in the second half was to pound the ball inside to Tuoyo, who came up with several dunks. He changed the game on the defensive end too.

Stat of the Game: Mocs 8 turnovers. The Paladins committed thirteen in an overtime game, which is OK, but the Mocs only committed eight. That helped them to maintain possessions a little bit more frequently than the Paladins. It was those few extra shots that allowed the Mocs to be able to get to overtime.

What It All Means: The Paladins should not feel too bad about this. They beat ETSU last week at home and then lost to Chattanooga in overtime. That's two solid performances. The question really is what the Paladins do on Saturday against another top level team in Mercer. The Paladins are still in sixth, but just a half game up on Samford and VMI and one game up on UNCG and The Citadel. They are just a game and a half out of fourth place with ETSU and Western Carolina. That fourth through tenth spot is tight. The Paladins rebounded very well tonight, and Stephen Croone was dynamic, showing why he is  a Player of the Year candidate. His 31 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals were amazing. But the Mocs got the ball out of his hands or forced bad shots several times, and no one else stepped up on the offensive end for the Paladins. Kendrec Ferrara came up with seven blocked shots and was a one man wrecking crew on that end. If Ferrara can be that kind of player on the defensive end, the Paladins will be much more successful. The Mocs played their third road overtime game in five conference road games. They are now 2-1 in those games. Casey Jones made a couple of key plays at key moments. His nine rebounds and four offensive rebounds were key to the Mocs coming up with the win. Still, it was Tuoyo getting back to being Tuoyo that was the key to this one. The Mocs go to Western Carolina on Saturday in another tough road contest. The Mocs are in second in the conference, clinging to a slim lead over Mercer, and trail Wofford by just one game. The Mocs are now 9-0 against all teams in fourth through tenth place. They are 0-2 against teams in the top three.

Samford 76, Western Carolina 72

Player of the Game: Tyler Hood scored eighteen points, but forget about that. He knocked down a three with under three seconds left that took the Bulldogs from down 72-71 to up 74-72. It was a remarkably clutch shot from the corner. Hood really stepped up and delivered like one of the elder statesman on this young team should.

Stat of the Game: Samford made 23 of 29 free throws. That's 79.3%. Since Samford has been on this four game winning streak, they have knocked down a high percentage from the free throw line in every game except for against Furman, when they still hit 20 of them. The Bulldogs continue to impress.

What It All Means: The Catamounts lost a chance to go into fourth by themselves by blowing a huge lead in this one. They had the game won, it appeared, until Samford went on a run and came back. Then, the Catamounts had it won when Justin Browning made a shot and a free throw with ten seconds left to give them the 72-71 lead. But they couldn't hold onto that either. Western Carolina has the pieces to make a SoCon Tournament run, as Mike Brown and James Sinclair are becoming consistent, Torrion Brummitt is very good, Rhett Harrelson can knock down shots, and Justin Browning does a lot of the little things. But they just have not put it all together yet for some reason. They have a brutal three game stretch coming up. They host Chattanooga on Saturday, then go to Mercer next Thursday, then host Wofford on Saturday. They could be in the race for the second or third seed by the end of that, or in a position where they need to start winning again just to get a bye depending on how it goes. This is a huge stretch for them. The Bulldogs have now officially gotten back into the bye race with their fourth straight win. Still a half game out of the bye, I thought that five road games in their last seven was too much to overcome. But if you can go to Cullowhee and win, you can win anywhere in the league. They go to ETSU on Saturday and to Chattanooga next Saturday. Those are tough ones, but they may be favored in the rest of their games. This win puts them square in contention for the final bye, and with the way VMI looked against UNCG, maybe makes it a race between them and Furman. They forced 16 turnovers tonight and looked like the better team for most of night. This is not the sort of game a young team like Samford is supposed to win. When you are down that much in the second half in a place like Cullowhee, not many teams can come up with a win. Samford did it. This group may not win the SoCon this year, but they are coming and are a real threat to win the league in the coming years. What a huge win for the Bulldogs.