By Matt Hill
March Madness is here and for the Southern Conference, it is win or go home time in Asheville, NC this week at the SoCon Tournament.
Despite having some great basketball teams over the last 40 years, the Southern Conference has always been a one-bid league and unfortunately, that is the way it is this year.
Samford is the favorite based on winning the regular season, but many experts feel there will be a surprise champion in this tournament.
We are not going to predict a winner, but we have phased it into three categories: Contenders, Bracket Busters and Longshots. We did not necessarily go by the conference standings on this.
CONTENDERS
Samford
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS:
* Samford rolled after losing by 43 points to Purdue and to VCU to start the season.
* Scored 134 points against VMI.
* Had its struggles against Furman, losing 78-68 to the Paladins and won in overtime 74-72 in Birmingham last week.
KEY PLAYERS
Achor Achor 15.0 ppg, 39 FG Percentage
AJ Staton McCray 12.6 ppg
Jaden Campbell 11.5 ppg
Jermaine Marshall 11.3 ppg
OUTLOOK:
There is a lot of talk around the conference among SoCon fans that Samford is going to get beat in this tournament and that was magnified after a blowout loss Wednesday night at Wofford without three starters. While there are doubts about whether Bucky McMillian's style of play works in a three-day tournament, you can't deny that this is most talented team in the SoCon and that until they are beaten in Asheville, they are team to beat,
FURMAN
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
* Rough non-conference season filled with injuries.
* Beat Samford at Furman and lost in overtime in Birmingham.
* Defeated Chattanooga 82-65 on national television.
KEY PLAYERS
Marcus Foster 18ppg
J.P. Pegues 17.2ppg
Alex Williams 14.6ppg 7.5 rpg
Carter Whitt 3.9 apg
OUTLOOK
Furman has had a couple of tough losses to Samford, Mercer and Western Carolina recently. Like many of the teams, they can get hot in the tournament and win it. Pegues is on a roll right now and has the potential to lead Furman to the title, there just hasn't been a lot of consistency this year with Furman but the Paladins are definitely a contender,
Chattanooga
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
*Beat Louisville 81-71.
*Lost to Auburn 101-66.
*Won seven in a row early in conference play but has faded some in recent weeks.
KEY PLAYERS
Honor Huff 17,6 points per game
Trey Bonham 16.6 ppg
Sam Alexis 8.9 rpg
OUTLOOK
Chattanooga won seven in a row early in the conference season but has struggled some down the stretch, The Mocs were able to get back on track last Wednesday night against Mercer, a team that has been very hot coming in, Honor Huff has been on fire the last few games for Chattanooga and Bonham has been solid all year for the Mocs.
Western Carolina
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
*Beat MTSU and Vanderbilt.
*Struggled some in conference play after the great non-conference.
*Vonterius Woolbright Player-of-the-Year.
KEY PLAYERS
Vonterius Woolbright 21.9 ppg, (First in the conference) 12.1 rpg (First in conference) 5, 1 assists (2nd in the conference)
Tre Jackson 13.4 ppg
Russell Jones 12.9 ppg
Donovan Atwell 11.1 ppg
OUTLOOK
Woolbright has been the rock for Western Carolina this year, the problem at times has been finding help. WIth a player like Woolbright it would not be surprising if Western won this whole tournament. The Catamounts defeated Chattanooga 82-63 on Saturday and are on a roll.
UNCG
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
*Upset Arkansas on the road 74-70.
*Swept by Mercer.
*One of the best defensive teams in the SoCon.
KEY PLAYERS
Mikeal Brown Jones 19.5 ppg
Keyshaun Langley 15.0 ppg
Donovan Atwell 11.1 ppg
OUTLOOK
UNCG prides itself on defense and the big knock on this team is it basically relies on three or four guys and then everybody else are role players. UNCG hasn't had a lot of success in the tournament under head coach Mike Jones and there is a good chance that could continue this year, The Spartans lost to ETSU Saturday but may have caught a break in the bracket as they avoid the two hottest teams in the league, Mercer and Western Carolina.
BRACKET BUSTERS
Wofford
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Wofford started 4-1 in the league. Faded down the stretch.
Blew out Samford Wednesday in a game they led by 40.
KEY PLAYERS
Corey Tripp 15.7ppg 3.4 assists
Dillon Bailey: 11.7 ppg
Kyle Filewich 9.0 apg
OUTLOOK
Because Wofford defeated Samford even if it was a short-handed Bulldog squad, I am moving Samford to the Bracket Buster category out of longshots. This squad is known more for defense than offense, but the Terriers really had it rolling against the Bulldogs. I don't think Wofford is going to win the title, but I do think the Terriers are a dangerous quarterfinal opponent.
Mercer
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
*After a slow start. won seven of its last 10 to close the season.
*Has defeated several of the league's upper division teams including Samford and Furman.
*Has some head scratching losses like a season sweep by ETSU of the Bears.
KEY PLAYERS
Jalyn McCreary 15.8 ppg
David Thomas (Just under 10ppg)
Alex Holt 4.7rpg
OUTLOOK
The reason I have them as bracket busters and really could have put them as contenders is how the Bears have fared recently and against some of the league's top teams including a win over Samford two weeks ago. Yes, they have struggled against some of the bottom teams like ETSU and The Citadel, but this is March, and you have to look at the metrics. This team is very dangerous. Not sure Mercer can win four-games in four days but this is a team that has proven it is very dangerous and could make some major noise.
LONGSHOTS
ETSU
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
*Beat Davidson and East Carolina.
*6-0 against the bottom part of the SoCon.
*Only one SoCon win against the top 6 teams.
KEY PLAYERS
Ebby Asamoah 15.1ppg
Jaden Seymour 15.0ppg 6.3rpg
Quimari Peterson 13.0ppg 3.7apg
Jaayn Parker 2.3 blocks per game (Leads Conference)
OUTLOOK
The Bucs have done a great job on beating the teams they should beat in the Southern Conference. However, I have them as a longshot because of their lack of ability to defeat the top teams in the league. The biggest problem with ETSU this year has been the lack of perimeter shooting. ETSU defeated UNCG Saturday to give the Bucs that elusive victory over a top-tier team. The question is can they do it consistently in Asheville?
The Citadel
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
*Defeated Chattanooga in the last two weeks of the regular season.
*Defeated Notre Name in the Non-Conference.
KEY PLAYERS
AJ Smith 16.4ppg
Elijah Morgan 14.8ppg
Madison Durr 11.3ppg 3.2 assists
Quentin Milora-Brown 10.8ppg 9.3rpg
OUTLOOK
Almost put them in the bracket buster category because they are kind of a mystery having four starters in double figures. Have a few head scratching wins and a lot of head scratching losses. They are locked into the nine seed, meaning they will have to play in the Play-in-game on Friday.
VMI
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
*Has not won a game in a month heading into Saturday's season finale.
*Only lost to South Carolina by 10 points.
KEY PLAYERS
Tyran Cook 12.6 ppg 2.3 apg
Teshaud Jackson 10ppg
Stephen Olowoniyl 5.4rpg
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
This might be one of the toughest places to win in college basketball and going .500 usually means other colleges poach the coach like Chattanooga did taking Dan Earl away from VMI. The team just doesn't have the weapons to compete in the SoCon. It would be a shock if the Keydets pulled off a couple of wins in this tournament.
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SOCON SUPERLATIVES
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Vonterius Woolbright, Western Carolina
There is no debate about this one and not even people that believe the POY should go to the champion would disagree with this pick. Woolbright finished first in scoring at 21.9ppg, first in rebounding at 12.1 per game and second in assists at 5.1. As far as one of the most all-around players he is one of the best this league has had.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Bucky McMillian, Samford
Four years ago, the administration at Samford took a chance on a Birmingham high school coach and what a decision it was. McMillian has Samford at heights it hasn't see in two decades. Samford won its first SoCon title this season. Samford did it as a team regularly having multiple players in double figures.
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