SoCon Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by Jonathan Gonzalez

So what did we learn about the Southern Conference this week? For starters, we learned that Davidson doesn’t seem too fond of losing games. We also learned that Appalachian State is pretty good, while UNC-Greensboro is slipping. East Tennessee State’s Tim Smith can really score, and Elon cannot win forever, as three in a row proved to be its limit. Let’s not forget that the Citadel’s McLendon brothers are good, and that Furman needs to get to the line more than three times in a game to win. Last but not least, Wofford needs a lot of work. Write that down.

But the most important thing we learned this week about the conference is that it is really wide open. Even though Davidson is 14-0, they are beatable. College of Charleston pushed Davidson to the limit, barley losing 76-74. Davidson’s vulnerability combined with Chattanooga, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, College of Charleston and Furman all playing well, Davidson will not be a mortal lock to win the SoCon tourney.

All a team needs to do is get hot, and more times than not, the play of one individual can act as the catalyst for a teams overall success. Here are five players who can put their team on his back come SoCon Tourney time:

• Brendan Winters, Davidson: The Wildcat guard may be the league’s MVP and is the third-leading scoring in the conference.
• Elton Nesbitt, Georgia Southern: The man can fill it up from anywhere on the court. Nesbitt is second in the SoCon is scoring, and is shooting 36 percent from three-point land, not to mention 86 percent from the charity stripe.
• Tim Smith, East Tennessee State: Although his team has struggled, the lightening quick point man, who is averaging a league best 20 points per game, can score in bunches.
• Dontaye Draper, College of Charleston: Off of the bench and into your hearts, this sub has been super. The sophomore is averaging 11 points per game off of the bench.
• Jean Francois, Georgia Southern: The senior forward is averaging 13.8 points a game and can explode if he gets into a groove. Scored 28 against Davidson last Saturday.

Player of the Week

Tim Smith, East Tennessee State
Smith scored 30 points and 23 points in wins against UNC-G and Western Carolina, respectively.

Rookie of the Week

Trey Hopkins, Western Carolina
The freshman scored a late three-pointer that broke a 49 all tie to lead WCU over Elon and scored 25 points in a loss against East Tennessee State.

The Week That Was (February 10-15)

North Division

Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs (15-8, 8-5)

The Mocs find themselves tied atop the North Division with an unlikely foe, Appalachian State. For much of the season, Chattanooga and UNC-Greensboro were neck and neck for the lead in the North. But a faltering UNC-G, combined with a surging ASU, have changed the landscape in the SoCon North. UTC found out first-hand how well ASU is playing when the Mocs matched up with the Mountaineers last Saturday. The result was an 83-61 ASU romp. The Mocs fell victim to 16 ASU three-pointers and never really had a chance. Chris Brown was UTC’s lone bright spot, scoring 18 points. Chattanooga would find its rhythm on Valentine’s Day against UNC-G. In that game, UTC outrebounded UNC-G 39-27 and shot 49 percent as a team from the field. Charles Anderson scored a team-high 15 points as, five Mocs scored in double-figures.

Up Next: Thursday at Western Carolina, Saturday at Creighton, Monday at East Tennessee State.

Appalachian State Mountaineers (15-9, 8-5)

Look yonder, over there, behind that mountain! It’s the Mountaineers, and they are on fire. Seriously, folks, is there anything scarier than a red-hot mountaineer? I think not.

ASU made a statement last Saturday, rolling up Chattanooga 83-61. Nathan Cranford scored 23 points and hit six of ASU’s 16 three-pointers. The 16 Appalachian trifectas broke the previous school record of 15 in one contest. ASU’s bench did the trick Monday, outscoring Furman’s bench 40-12 in a 60-47 victory. ASU extended its winning streak to six with a 79-65 win over Longwood Wednesday night.

Up Next: Saturday at UNC-Greensboro.

UNC-Greensboro Spartans (13-11, 6-7)

The Spartans are reeling. Last Saturday against East Tennessee State, UNC-G was smacked by the Bucs, 105-78. UNC-G trailed 64-29 at halftime and was never really in the game. Sloppy play was UNC-G’s undoing, as the Spartans turned the ball over 24 times. At least Ronnie Burrell had a big game, scoring 33 points for UNC-G. The Spartans’ losing ways continued Monday, as Chattanooga showed no love on Valentine’s Day, beating UNC-G 83-61. Ray Bristow led UNC-G with a game-high 19 points.

Up Next: Saturday vs. Appalachian State.

East Tennessee State Buccaneers (8-16, 4-10)

For much of the year, the Bucs might as well have been called the Yucs, but on Saturday, ETSU was again swashbuckling. The Bucs snapped a seven-game losing streak by blasting UNC-Greensboro 105-78. ETSU shot 53.8 percent, forced 17 steals and hit 15 of 25 three-point attempts. As far as individual Buc performances go, Tim Smith scored 30 points, and James Anthony came off the bench to score 30 points. Against Western Carolina Saturday, Tim Smith and Ben Rhoda each scored 23 points as the Bucs aired out the Catamounts 92-83. ETSU led the whole game and at one point was up by 23 points.

Up Next: Saturday vs. Austin Peay, Monday vs. East Tennessee State.

Western Carolina Catamounts (8-18, 3-10)

Deadlocked with 1:15 left, Trey Hopkins knew what had to be done. The Catamount freshman hit one of the biggest shots of his young career, breaking a 49-49 tie with a three-pointer, lifting Western Carolina over Elon 54-49 Saturday. Antonio Russell and Corey Muirhead each added 11 points for the victorious Catamounts. Following their win Saturday, the Catamounts laid an egg Monday against East Tennessee State. WCU trailed the entire game in a 92-83 loss. A positive for Western Carolina was again Trey Hopkins, who scored 25 points.

Up Next: Thursday vs. Chattanooga.

Elon Phoenix (5-21, 3-10)

Two days before Valentine’s Day, Elon had its heart broken. Looking for its fourth straight conference victory after eight straight losses, the Phoenix lost 54-49 to Western Carolina thanks to a late game three-pointer by Catamount freshman Trey Hopkins. Part of the loss can be blamed on Elon’s 30 percent field goal percentage. Elon’s losing ways continued against Wofford Monday, as the Phoenix fell to the Terriers 75-63. Brian Waters and Montell Wilson each scored 13 for Elon in a losing effort.

Up Next: Saturday at the Citadel.

South Division

Davidson Wildcats (17-7, 14-0)

The Wildcats extended their conference wining streak to 14 with wins against Georgia Southern and College of Charleston during the past week. Against GSU, 19s were wild for Davidson, as Logan Kosmalski, Brendan Winters and Ian Johnson each hit for the magic number. The result: a 92-87 Wildcat win. With the win, Davidson clinched the SoCon South title. Davidson would have a harder time against College of Charleston, barley edging the Cougars 76-74. Despite 17 turnovers, Davidson, powered by Kenny Grant’s 22 points, used a 49 percent field goal percentage to edge C of C.

Up Next: Tuesday at the Citadel.

Georgia Southern Eagles (16-9, 9-4)

The Eagles had a chance to snap Davidson’s winning streak, but in the end, the task was more than Georgia Southern could handle. GSU could not impede Davidson’s hot shooting (49 percent) and fell to the Wildcats 92-87. GSU regained its stride Monday with a 115-81 win against the Citadel. The Eagles dominated in all facets, forcing 26 turnovers, hitting 16 three-pointers and shooting 54.5 percent from the field. As if that wasn’t enough, five Eagles scored in double figures, led by Elton Nesbitt, who scored 38 points, including 10 three-pointers. Terry Williams also chipped in with 25 points.

Up Next: Thursday at Furman, Saturday at Illinois-Chicago, Monday at Wofford.

College of Charleston Cougars (15-8, 8-5)

The Cougars did not shoot well (38.5 percent from the field) against Citadel last Thursday but did make enough shots to upend the Bulldogs 66-63. Super sub Dontaye Draper came off the bench to score 24, leading C of C to the win. Against Davidson Monday, the Cougars nearly snapped Davidson’s 13-game conference winning streak but fell short 76-74. Five Cougars scored in double figures, led by Stanley Jackson’s 16 points.

Up Next: Thursday at Wofford, Saturday vs. VCU.

Furman Paladins (14-10, 7-5)

The Paladins are on the rise. Despite a Valentine’s Day loss to Appalachian State, Furman still won earlier in the week against Wofford and is two games over .500 in the SoCon. During their 75-58 win against Wofford, Paladins Ben Earle and Eric Webb each scored 14 points, while Moussa Diagne scored 13 points and grabbed nine boards. Now to the aforementioned game against Appalachian State Monday, which the Paladins lost 60-47. Note to Furman: You will not win many games getting to the foul line only three times, making none of the shots. 0-of-3: that was the line on the Paladins’ foul shooting — not good. Aside from a lack of points from the line, the Paladin bench was also outscored 40-12.

Up Next: Thursday vs. Georgia Southern, Saturday at Wofford.

Wofford Terriers (11-12, 4-8)

The Terriers lost one and won one during the past week. Saturday against Furman, the Terriers lost 75-58. Sam Daniels scored 11 and Tyler Berg scored 10 for Wofford in a losing effort. Against Elon Monday, Wofford finally broke through, breaking Elon’s three-game winning streak with a 75-63 win. Adrien Borders led the Terriers with a game-high 20 points, and Greg Taylor chipped in with 13 for Wofford.

Up Next: Saturday vs. Furman, Monday vs. Georgia Southern.

The Citadel Bulldogs (12-11, 4-9)

The McLendon brothers took center stage for the Bulldogs last week, stuffing the stat column and keeping the ‘Dogs in games. Last Thursday against College of Charleston, Warren and Donny McLendon each scored 16 points, as the Bulldogs fell to C of C 66-63. Against Georgia Southern Monday, Donny scored 31 points for the Bulldogs in a game that was never close. The ‘Dogs lost 115-81 to GSU.

Up Next: Saturday vs. Elon.