SoCon Tournament Preview
The Southern Conference Tournament will begin Friday in Chattanooga, Tenn. Here’s how the field stacks up:
THE FAVORITES
College of Charleston (22-9) – The Cougars were on the way to solidifying itself as the clear favorite before stumbling in back-to-back road losses, by 15 and eight points, to Appalachian State and Western Carolina. Those losses should give the rest of the field increased hope.
Wofford (18-12) – The defending SoCon champs have heated up down the stretch. The Terriers have won five straight games – including a 39-point road win over Chattanooga and a closing road win over Furman to tie Charleston for first place in the South. The Terriers were swept by the Cougars in the regular season, but were 8-1 in SoCon road games.
THE HOME TEAM
Chattanooga (16-15) – The Mocs won the SoCon Tournament both times it was played at McKenzie Arena, in 2005 and 2009. They haven’t been impressive down the stretch this season, however, losing five of six before squeaking out a win over Samford in the regular-season finale. But they are 8-1 at home against SoCon opponents this season. The lone home loss came last Wednesday, 97-58 to Wofford.
THE OTHER FIRST-ROUND BYE
Western Carolina (17-14) – The Catamounts reeled off seven straight wins before blowing a 21-point lead and falling to The Citadel at home last Thursday. Still, the Catamounts rebounded nicely with a 70-62 victory over Charleston on Saturday. The Catamounts have a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed in the North. After going 0-3 against the other three top seeds, they won the most recent meetings – beating Chattanooga and Charleston.
THE OTHER CONTENDERS
Appalachian State, Davidson and Furman will have to do it the hard way – without a first-round bye and the challenge of having to win four games in four days. That’s something that has yet to be done since the league went to a four-day format in 1993, although three teams without a bye – Furman, Elon and Charleston – have made it to a final.
Furman (20-9) – The Paladins have had a nice turnaround, improving from 13 wins in 2009-10 to 20 this season. But they have lost their last two games – 75-59 at Chattanooga, and 79-65 to Wofford at home.
Davidson (17-13) – The Wildcats have been on a tear, winning five straight and nine of their last 10 games. Their only loss since Jan. 26 came at Furman, 88-79.
Appalachian (15-14) – Things are looking up for the Mountaineers and first-year coach Jason Capel, who is a victory over 5-26 Georgia Southern away from clinching a winning season. The Mountaineers were 7-1 in February, which could bode well for March.
THE OTHERS
Elon (13-16), The Citadel (10-21), UNC Greensboro (6-23), Samford (12-18) and Georgia Southern (5-26). The only program among this group to win a SoCon title is UNC Greensboro, in 2001.
Final SoCon ranking
Teams get two points for a road win, one point for a home win, minus-one for a road loss and minus-two for a home loss (conference games only).
1. College of Charleston (15 points)
Wofford (15)
3. Furman (9)
Western Carolina (9)
Chattanooga (9)
6. Appalachian State (3)
Davidson (3)
8. Elon (-6)
9. The Citadel (-9)
UNC Greensboro (-9)
11. Samford (-15)
12. Georgia Southern (-24)