SoCon Previews for Saturday's Early League Tilts

GREENVILLE, S.C.—It will be a quick turnaround for SoCon teams this weekend, as all 12 teams will be in action in league play, with 10 of those teams having playing league contests on Thursday night. 

Davidson (13-4, 7-0) continues to ride the crest of momentum of its strong play of late, as the Wildcats claimed their sixth straight win and remained unbeaten in SoCon play on Thursday night by claiming an impressive 87-69 win over South Division rival College of Charleston at Belk Arena.

The Wildcats' strong performance has plenty to do with reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week Jake Cohen's play in the middle for the Wildcats, and it was Cohen that tied a career high with 29 points in the win over the Cougars on Thursday night. The Wildcats will welcome in The Citadel Bulldogs for a Saturday afternoon South Division tilt, with tip-off for that contest slated for 7 p.m.

It will be a Palmetto State rivalry renewed on Saturday afternoon in what should be another exciting South Division tilt, as Wofford (11-8, 4-3) heads just down I-85 to face arch-rival Furman (9-9, 3-4) in a key league tilt. The Paladins seem to be finding their game and have now won two straight with their 64-54 win over Georgia Southern at Timmons Arena on Thursday night. The Paladins were powered by the first-career double-double effort from Charlie Reddick, who posted 16 points and added a career-high 14 boards in helping Furman to their third win in the last six meetings against the Eagles.

Wofford, meanwhile, was also in action on Thursday night, picking up a huge home win over SoCon North Division power Appalachian State (7-10, 3-4). Wofford comes into the contest with the Paladins having won three of its last four, and like the Paladins, have won two straight. The Terriers picked up a 73-61 win over the visiting Mountaineers, as they shot 50 percent from the floor for the second straight game, and also for the second game in a row, got a career-high point total from forward Drew Crowell, who powered the Wofford offensive efforts with 19 points. Tip-off for the Paladins and Terriers at Timmons Arena is slated for 4 p.m.

Appalachian State will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, hosting North Division arch-rival Western Carolina (9-10, 3-3) at the Holmes Center. ASU will be looking to rebound from back-to-back losses to Davidson last Saturday and a Thursday night road setback at Wofford. In the 12-point setback to the Terriers, the Mountaineers got a huge night from center Andre Williamson, who posted 20 points and just missed a double-double with nine boards.

The Catamounts won both meetings between the two teams last season, including winning on a buzzer beater in the 79-78 win in Cullowhee last January. The Catamounts, of course, were not in league action Thursday night and are coming off a 102-point (141-39) win over Toccoa Falls on Wednesday night, in which nine players posted double-figure scoring efforts. Tip-off between the Mountaineers and Catamounts is slated for 3 p.m. and will be the SoCon's "Game of the Week" and will be broadcast on the SoCon Sports Network, as well as at ESPN3.com.

Elon (8-9, 3-3) and Chattanooga (9-11, 3-4) will both look to rebound from losses on Thursday night, as the Phoenix were 86-80 losers to Samford on Thursday night, while the Mocs dropped an 81-72 game at UNC Greensboro. In the Elon loss, it had to weather quite a shooting showcase from Jimmy Tillette's Samford Bulldogs, as they canned 16 treys en route to the six-point win. The Phoenix had four players finish in double figures, led by 19 points from sharp-shooting combo guard Drew Spradlin. It was the second straight loss for the Phoenix, and Elon has now lost five of its last six games, including having lost back-to-back games.

Chattanooga got 19 points from sharp-shooting small forward Omar Wattad in the nine-point setback to the UNCG Spartans on Thursday evening. Frontcourt mate Drazen Zloravic had a strong performance with a double-double of 14 points and 13 boards, while senior guard Ricky Taylor had 18 points in the Mocs loss. Tip-off between the Mocs and Phoenix is slated for 7 p.m. on Saturday night.

Rounding out the Saturday afternoon league clashes will be College of Charleston (12-6, 4-3) at Georgia Southern (6-11, 4-3). It is a huge game for both the Cougars and Eagles in the South Division race, as both teams are reeling a bit. The Cougars, of course, dropped an 18-point (87-69) game at Davidson on Thursday night and have now lost four of their last six games.

Meanwhile, the Eagles dropped a 65-54 game at Furman on Thursday night Timmons Arena, marking the third loss in its last four games, including the Eagles' second straight setback. Both the Eagles and Cougars are part of a three-way tie for second place in the South Division standings, as they join Wofford with 4-3 records in the SoCon South. Tip-off for Saturday's game is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Hanner Fieldhouse. 

The lone Sunday conference game is slated to take place between Samford (5-12, 2-4) and UNC Greensboro (5-14, 3-4), as the Bulldogs travel to take on the Spartans fresh off their three-point barrage they displayed against Elon on Thursday night. The Spartans were impressive in their 81-72 win over Chattanooga, as the Spartans claimed their third straight triumph on the strength of 29 points from reserve guard Derrell Armstrong, as the Spartans' bench scored 54 of the team's 81 points in the win.

Samford's impressive three-point display just up the road at Elon was led by center Drew Windler, who finished with 21 points, with 18 of those points on six triples. Windler was part of a quartet of Samford players that finished in double figures, led by Tyler Hood, who posted 25 points in the road win. Tip-off for Sunday's contest is slated for 2 p.m.

Saturday's games will begin to give us an idea of the contenders, especially in the South Division, where three teams are in the race for the second bye in that division, as Davidson appears to be well on its way to locking up the top seed. With three teams tied for second place, it will be an exciting Saturday, with two of those teams facing each other on Saturday afternoon.

Western Carolina (9-10, 3-3) at Appalachian State (7-10, 3-4), 3 p.m.

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It's one of the biggest rivalries on the Southern Conference hardwood, and Saturday afternoon's clash at the Holmes Center is crucial for both clubs in the North Division race. Appalachian State has dropped three of its last four games, while Western Carolina has fallen in its last two league outings. Western Carolina, meanwhile, enters the SoCon hardwood battle of the Old Mountain Jug coming off a 102-point win over Toccoa Falls on Tuesday night (141-39).

Saturday's meeting between the Apps and Catamounts marks the 176th all-time meeting, with ASU holding the commanding 110-65 all-time series edge. Western Carolina claimed both meetings last season, including dropping an 80-75 contest at the Holmes Center. Coming into Saturday's matinee matchup, ASU has won 12 of the last 15 matchups between the two mountain rivals.

In the 73-61 loss to Wofford the last time out, the Mountaineers got a stellar performance from center Andre Williamson (10.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG) to lead the way in the road setback, as he tied a career high with 20 points and grabbed nine boards, as he just missed a double-double, with nine boards. Williamson is one of three Mountaineers averaging in double figures entering the contest, joined in that respect by preseason league player of the year Omar Carter (12.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG) and junior front court mate Jamaal Trice (10.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG).

Western Carolina enters Saturday afternoon's contest coming off a 102-point thrashing of Toccoa Falls, which saw nine players score in double figures on Wednesday night. The Catamounts are being led this season by senior guard Harouna Mutombo (13.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG), who's one of four Catamounts averaging in double figures for Larry Hunter's guard-oriented basketball team. Mutombo is joined in the double-figure scoring average by Trey Sumler (11.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG) and Keaton Cole (11.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG) in the backcourt, while the lone player averaging in double digits in the frontcourt for WCU is Brandon Boggs (10.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG). Cole is the league's most prolific perimeter shooter, with a league-high 57 triples on the campaign entering the contest.

Saturday's game should be just like the one played against Davidson last Saturday in the Holmes Dome, as it should be played in front of a boisterous crowd. Look for Appalachian State to snap its two-game skid, with a potential to end the day tied for first place in the SoCon North, depending on the result of the Chattanooga-Elon clash.

PREDICTED FINAL SCORE: APPALACHIAN STATE 85, WESTERN CAROLINA 78

Wofford (11-8, 4-3 SoCon) at Furman (9-9, 3-4 SoCon), 4 p.m.

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In another key late afternoon SoCon matchup, Wofford travels to Furman for a clash between two South Division and Palmetto State arch-rivals. Both basketball teams have been playing excellent basketball as of late, with Furman entering having won two straight, while Wofford has also claimed back-to-back wins.

The Paladins and Terriers will be meeting for the 128th time in the series, with Furman holding the commanding 82-45 all-time series edge. Wofford has won five of the past six games between the two, including a 79-65 win over the Paladins in the regular-season finale last season, allowing the Terriers to garner the bye, which eventually positioned the Terriers to punch their second-straight NCAA Tournament ticket by knocking off College of Charleston in the tournament title game. 

Both teams came into the campaign having to replace four starters from teams that posted 20-win seasons a year ago. Both Furman and Wofford have gotten good production from some of the leftovers from those respective teams. For the Terriers, they have gotten superlative efforts from lone returning starter Brad Loesing (14.1 PPG, 5.6 APG) at the point guard position, while top reserve Kevin Giltner (15.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG) has continued to be "instant offense" for the Terriers, although now as a full-time starter.

Forward Drew Crowell (8.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG) has provided the scoring punch the last two games, posting back-to-back career-high efforts in wins over Georgia Southern and Appalachian State. In his latest career-high effort, Crowell posted 19 points, as Wofford claimed the 73-61 win over the Mountaineers on Thursday night.

For Furman, it has also had to rely on its leftovers from a year ago to carry the Paladins this season. Furman has gotten a solid season from forward Brandon Sebirumbi (10.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG), who is the lone returning starter from a year ago, while Charlie Reddick (9.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG)—a little-used reserve a year ago—has established himself as Furman's biggest perimeter threat this season, leading the team and ranking fourth in the league with 37 triples on the campaign. Reddick posted his first career double-double in Furman's 64-54 win over Georgia Southern on Thursday night, posting 16 points and a career-high 14 boards.

The Paladins had to also battle adversity on Thursday night, with two point guards having to sit out with injuries on Thursday night, forcing little-used, but talented freshman David Brown (2.5 PPG, 0.8 APG) into his most action of the season. In 30 minutes of action on Thursday evening, Brown tallied six points, three assists, three steals, three rebounds, and turned the ball over only once in his first-career start for the Paladins. It will likely be Brown that starts once again on Saturday for the Paladins, as Richard Brown (8.9 PPG, 3.4 APG) and Jordan Lloyd (4.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG) continue to nurse back injuries.

The reason Wofford has not fallen off all that much from a team that lost four starters and helped the Terriers win back-to-back SoCon titles over the past couple of seasons, is the fact that this team stills plays extremely well on the defensive end of the floor, as Wofford ranks first in the SoCon in scoring defense (61.5 PPG) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (42.1 percent). Furman is not all far behind defensively this season, ranking second in the league in scoring defense (63.4 PPG) and fifth in field goal percentage defense (43.5 percent).

While the trend has seen Wofford enjoy Timmons Arena as a second home over the past three seasons, expect Furman to claim its first win over the Terriers inside the friendly confines since a 67-61 victory on Feb. 18, 2008.

Please check back tomorrow morning for previews of Saturday's three evening league tilts, while also keeping an eye for this weekend's feature league title between red-hot UNCG and Samford in a league clash slated for Sunday afternoon.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: FURMAN 60, WOFFORD 56

Chattanooga (9-11, 3-4 SoCon) at Elon (8-9, 3-3 SoCon), 7 P.M.

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Chattanooga continues its North Division road swing on Saturday night at Elon, taking on a Phoenix club that has struggled as of late, having lost seven of their eight games games, including an 86-80 setback to Samford on Thursday night. The Mocs dropped an 81-72 contest to UNC Greensboro just up the road on the very same evening. 

Elon and Chattanooga has become a pretty good rivalry on the SoCon basketball hardwood since the Phoenix joined the league as an official member in the 2003-04 season. Most won't forget the semifinal meetings in back-to-back seasons, in 2008 and '09, with the Phoenix claiming an 86-85 double-overtime win over the Mocs in 2008, while the Mocs returned the favor a year later in the same round, getting a 79-78 win, going on to eventually defeat the College of Charleston, 80-69, in the title game. 

The Mocs claimed both meetings last season, including getting a hard-fought, 71-65, win on Dec. 17, 2010, at Alumni Gym. Saturday evening's meeting between the two will mark the 19th all-time meeting between the two North Division rivals, with Chattanooga holding a narrow 10-8 series advantage. 

Chattanooga comes in being led by three players averaging in double figures, and have possibly the league's top point guard, in Keegan Bell (8.1 PPG, 6.9 APG), who ranks seventh in the nation in assists per game. Leading the trio of double-figure scorers this season is Omar Wattad (13.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG), and Wattad is one of the league's most prolific perimeter shooters, as his 56 triples ranks him second in the league in trifectas this season.

Wattad is coming off a 19-point performance in the loss to UNCG on Thursday night. Ricky Taylor and first-year frontcourt sensation Drazen Zloravic (10.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG) leads the Mocs on the boards. Taylor contributed 18 points in the loss to the Spartans on Thursday, while Zloravic was solid once again, recording a double-double with 14 points and 13 boards.

Elon comes into the contest in desperate need of a victory after an 86-80 loss to Samford on Thursday night, and have now lost two straight. In fact, since starting the season 5-0 on home hardwood, the Phoenix have since lost three straight inside the friendly confines of Alumni Gym. Elon comes being led by forward Lucas Troutman (12.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG) and sensational freshman point guard Austin Hamilton (10.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, team-leading 50 assists).

This should be one of the games of the night in the SoCon on Saturday; however, Chattanooga's experience will be the difference, as the Mocs pick up a crucial win at Alumni Gym on Saturday night. The win would give the Mocs the opportunity to be in first place at the end of the night, depending on the result of the Appalachian State-Western Carolina game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: CHATTANOOGA 78, ELON 73

College of Charleston (12-6, 4-3 SoCon) at Georgia Southern (6-11, 4-3 SoCon)

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Georgia Southern and College of Charleston meet in a huge South Division clash on Saturday evening in Statesboro, with second place on the line in the SoCon South. Both teams will be looking to rebound from losses on Thursday night, as College of Charleston dropped the first of its two road contests of the road trip, with an 87-69 setback at Davidson, while Georgia Southern fell by 10 (64-54) at Furman on Thursday evening.

Coming into Saturday's matchup, the Eagles have an eight-game skid against the College of Charleston, which dates back to Feb. 24, 2007, when the Eagles claimed a 74-65 triumph at Hanner FIeldhouse. The Eagles and Cougars will be meeting for the 44th time this evening, with Charleston holding a 26-17 all-time series edge. CofC won both meetings last season, including taking a narrow 65-61 win in Statesboro.

Georgia Southern enters the contest continuing to be led by Eric Ferguson (16.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG), who is coming off another strong effort, with 15 points and eight boards in the loss to Furman on Thursday night. Ferguson is joined in double figures scoring average by veteran guards Ben Drayton III (11.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG) and Willie Powers (11.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG). When the Eagles got off to a 4-1 start in league play, it marked the best start for the Georgia Southern basketball program since the 2003-04 season. The Eagles are shooting 47.1 percent from the field this season, which ranks as the top field goal percentage in the SoCon.

College of Charleston comes into Saturday's contest having dropped four its past six games. The Cougars continue to be led by senior forward Antwaine Wiggins (16.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG), who is coming off an 17-point performance in the loss to Davidson on Thursday night. Wiggins is the Cougars' top perimeter threat, and he comes into Saturday evening's contest leading the team with 37 triples on the season.

Wiggins is joined in the double-figures scoring average this season by point guard Andrew Lawrence (12.7 PPG, 5.1 APG) as well as sophomore forward Trent Wiedeman (10.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG). Lawrence ranks second on the club in triples, with 34 on the season, while Wiedeman's 7.9 RPG ranks him second in the SoCon in rebounding.

This one should be an exciting contest, with two of the most athletic teams in the SoCon on display on Saturday evening. The Eagles are 5-1 at home this season since opening the campaign with a 90-81 loss on the home hardwood to Valpo. CofC will make that mark 5-2 this season, winning a tight one at Hanner and extending its streak to nine against the Eagles on Saturday night.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 68, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 65 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTQ5acTlTwI

Davidson 80, The Citadel 51

DAVIDSON, N.C.—For the fifth-straight game, Jake Cohen tallied a 20-point effort, as Davidson went on to claim an 80-51 win over The Citadel on Saturday night at Belk Arena. In total, Cohen finished with 20 points, four rebounds, blocked three shots and recorded a pair of steals to help the Wildcats to their sixth-straight win and remain unbeaten in the month of January.

The win improved the Wildcats to 14-4 overall and 8-0 in league play, while The Citadel fell to 4-14 overall and 1-6 in Southern Conference play. Also adding double-figure scoring efforts in the win for the Wildcats were D'emon Brooks (15 points) and J.P. Kuhlman (11 points). The Bulldogs were led in the losing effort by center and league-leading scorer Mike Grossele, who posted 22 points, five boards and three assists in the 29-point setback.

The story of the game was simple. It was Davidson's defense that ruled the night in the victory over the Bulldogs, as the Wildcats were able to limit the Bulldogs to a paltry 35.3 percent (18-for-51) shooting from the field for the contest. It was certainly an improvement from the opening half of play for The Citadel, as the Bulldogs had only four points and shot just 16.4 percent (4-for-24) in the opening half, and the Bulldogs headed to the break facing a 31-point deficit (47-16).

Davidson finished the game connecting on a blistering 53.4 percent (31-for-58) of its shots from the field. Davidson will next be in action on Thursday night, facing North Division power Chattanooga at the McKenzie Arena, while The Citadel will host Wofford at McAlister Field House. Both tip-offs are slated for 7 p.m. on Thursday evening.  

Wofford 79, Furman 72

GREENVILLE, S.C.—For the sixth time in the last seven meetings, Wofford claimed a victory over its Palmetto State arch-rival Furman, as the two-time defending SoCon champions rebounded for a seven-point halftime deficit to out-score Furman by 14 points in the second half and win its fourth straight on the Timmons Arena hardwood. 

With the win, Wofford remained in the mix for one of the top two seeds in the South Division, as the Terriers improved to 12-8 overall and 5-3 in SoCon play to remain for tied with Georgia Southern. The Terriers actually hold the advantage over the Eagles by virtue of the 22-point win over GSU last Saturday. The loss brought an end to a two-game winning streak by the Paladins, and dropped their overall mark to 9-10 on the campaign, and 3-5 in league play.

The Terriers were paced in scoring by its two veterans from those back-to-back title winning teams, with small forward Kevin Giltner posting a game-high 26 points, while senior point guard Brad Loesing added 21 points in the win. Also adding double-figure scoring efforts for the Terriers were forward Drew Crowell and freshman guard Karl Cochran, who added 12 and 11 points, respectively. 

Giltner added seven rebounds and seven assists while connecting on seven of 14 shots from the floor and all eight of his trips to the foul line to cement one of his most complete efforts of the 2011-12, while  Loesing did most of his offensive damage from the charity stripe, draining 11 of 13 free throw attempts.

Furman was led by senior forward Brandon Sebirumbi's 18 points, while sophomore guard Charlie Reddick added 14 points, seven boards and five assists and Bryson Barnes chipped in 10 points off the bench.

Wofford shot 51 percent from the field, made eight of 13 three-point attempts and 21 of 25 free-throw attempts, including all 12 in the second half.  The Terriers also managed a 35-17 edge on the glass that included 15 offensive rebounds and 20 second-chance points.

The Paladins shot 52.9 percent from the field and connected on 11 of 22 three-point attempts, but were just 7-of-11 from the charity stripe and did not attempt a free throw in the second half.

Wofford continues a three-game road trip on Thursday evening when it travels to face The Citadel.  Furman faces College of Charleston on Thursday night at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C., before travelling to The Citadel on Saturday night.