Southern Conference Basketball

Chattanooga Mocs (17-16, 11-9) vs. College of Charleston Cougars (26-7, 15-5)

Monday, March 9, 2009—7:00 PM EST

After dispatching the tournament favorite Davidson Wildcats, the College of Charleston Cougars, the No. 3 South seed, take on the Chattanooga Mocs, the No. 1 North seed, with an NCAA tournament berth at stake.

This will be the second time this year these teams have squared off.

The Cougars won the first meeting, 86-77, back in late February on the Mocs' home floor. Bobby Cremins’ bunch will need to lean on that experience since the SoCon tourney is being played at Chattanooga this year. Needless to say, Charleston will be playing an away game.

Charleston comes into the game piping hot. They’ve won eight in a row and 10 of their last 11 overall.

Chattanooga dropped their last three regular season games, but they’ve rebounded with two wins to reach the tournament final. Charleston, because of seeding, had to play an extra game to reach this point, so the Mocs should have fresher legs. Don’t underestimate how tough it will be for Charleston to not only battle the crowd, but also to play their fourth game in four days.

In the only meeting between these teams this year, Chattanooga outshot the Cougars percentage-wise from the floor and from behind the three-point line, although Charleston did convert three more threes than the Mocs.

The one area that cost Chattanooga the game was in the turnover department.

The Cougars took good care of the ball, finishing with only 10 on the game. Chattanooga, however, had 18 giveaways. Providing a team as offensively talented as Charleston with eight extra possessions is a recipe for disaster.

Chattanooga will have to do a much better job of handling the ball tonight.

Andrew Goudelock led the way for Charleston with 21 points and four assists. He had help from Donovan Monroe, 18 points, and Antwaine Wiggins, who finished with 16 points and five rebounds

Dustin Scott, eight rebounds, and Jermaine Johnson, seven boards, led the Cougars on the glass.

Chattanooga had four players score in double figures. Kevin Goffney was the high man with 26 points, while Stephen McDowell pumped in 15.

Nicchaeus Doaks had 12 points and seven rebounds, and Khalil Hartwell had 12 points and six rebounds.

Current line: Charleston -2.5

Chattanooga is 8-12 against the spread with a record of 3-5 as an underdog.

Charleston is 13-12 against the spread with a record of 8-10 as the favorite.

The Cougars are the more talented team. As long as they can control their emotions and endure the runs and lift the Mocs will receive from their fans, Charleston can size themselves for dancing shoes.

Steve’s pick: Charleston -2.5

Stephen Curry has carried the Wildcats on his shoulders for an entire season. The only remaining chance his teammates will get to repay the favor will now be in the NIT after a disastrous performance by both Curry and his teammates against Charleston in the Southern Conference Championship Semifinals.

The Cougars knocked off the 'Cats to advance to the finals of the Southern Conference Championship, sending Stephen Curry and Davidson's weak resume packing for the NIT. With only a win against West Virginia and tough losses against Duke, Oklahoma, and Purdue, Davidson doesn't stand a shot to make the tournament with an at-large bid.

Curry faced double-teams and aggressive hedges all game to knock the superstar out of his rhythm. The junior connected on just two of 11 three-point attempts, needing 18 field goal attempts and eight free throws to tally his 20 points. Besides struggling to shoot the ball, Curry also only contributed three assists, tying his season low (discounting the one game he left early injured).

Stephen Curry is legitimately a one-man team in 2009. A one-man team that dazzled the young and the old with his jaw-dropping moves in the paint and toughness to boot. A one-man team that won't get a shot to knock off the Georgetown's and Kansas's of the game. A one-man team with a little left to prove in Charlotte.

But Curry isn't the only mid-major superstar that lost his chance to put on his dancing shoes.

Tennessee-Martin put together an incredibly athletic group of players that posted a solid 22-9 record overall as well as won 14 league games. A potential NBA draft pick because of his superior athleticism, Lester Hudson spurred the Skyhawks' attack.

But in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, Tennessee-Martin couldn't knock off the one OVC team the Skyhawks couldn't beat in the regular season. Morehead State didn't contain Lester Hudson, the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, but shut down the rest of his teammates to stamp UT-Martin's ticket to the NIT.

Hudson is one of the most prolific scorers in the country, dropping over 27 points per game. He just doesn't score either. Hudson recorded a quadruple-double last year reaching double-digits in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

The senior took his one-man act into the conference semifinals and put on a show to be talked about in the Ohio Valley for years. After scoring 42 points in the quarterfinals, Hudson never stepped off the court against Morehead State, tallying 34 points, seven three-points and 10 rebounds. Hudson failed at out-scoring the Eagles, but succeeded at dominating his teammates who only scored 21 points.

Since Tennessee-Martin won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title, the NIT awards them an automatic bid.

While Stephen Curry and Lester Hudson are a one-man show, two brothers have set a multitude of records together. Twins Chavis and Travis Holmes have combined to score over 3,700 points and in the process turned the Virginia Military Institute into a Big South power.  

VMI plays an up-tempo style of play that ranked first or second in pace each of the past three seasons. That tempo has produced some incredible scoring totals. The fast pace creates more opportunities to score, but talented players must be in place in order to cash in on all those chances.

Travis and Chavis Holmes can score from all over the court, in the half-court set as well as in transition (which is the overwhelming majority of the time). Together they contribute over 40 points per game this year and almost seven steals. The fraternal duo dropped 46 points against Kentucky in their season opening upset win.

Immediately the country knew that the Holmes' boys could beat anybody, anywhere. Unfortunately the Keydets' swagger began to fade, eventually losing three consecutive Big South games.

VMI righted its ship (well tank in its case), looking to take down top-seeded Radford in the conference championship game. The Holmes' twins didn't have their best games, Travis scored 12 points and Chavis notched 21, but sophomore star in waiting Austin Kenon scored 34.

The Keydets also forced the tempo and forced Radford into 27 miscues. But unlike the first matchup between the two teams which VMI won, the Keydets couldn't turn Radford's 6'11'' Belarus center Artsoim Parakhouski into a non-factor. The Big South Player of the Year, Parakhouski scored 26 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to end VMI's season.

Radford legitimately ended VMI's entire season. An NIT bid won't likely be waiting in the wings as VMI doesn't have a very good RPI and didn't win the Big South regular season title. A postseason berth may only be in the waiting if the NIT wants to raise its ratings.

This year's NCAA Tournament won't have a mid-major behemoth like Chris Kaman who led Central Michigan in 2003 to its first NCAA Tournament win since 1975. There won't be a Speedy Claxton torched the nets in 2000 as a member of the Hofstra Pride.

There won't be a high scoring duo like Loyola Marymount's Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble. The Lions are probably the only team that could out run the Keydets.

At least for the first time in awhile the NIT will be worth watching for all college basketball fans since it will be the last chance to view the greatness that is Stephen Curry, Lester Hudson, and the Holmes' Twins.

College of Charleston Cougars (25-7, 15-5) vs. Davidson Wildcats (26-6, 18-2)

Sunday, March 8, 2009 – 6:00 PM EST

This is the first semifinal game of the Southern Conference tournament between the No. 3 South seed, the College of Charleston Cougars, and the No. 1 South seed, the Davidson Wildcats.

These teams will meet for the third time this season. They split the first two games with each winning on the other’s court. Both games were tight affairs with Davidson emerging, 79-75, while Charleston won, 77-75, and broke Davidson’s 43-game league winning streak in the process.

In Davidson’s win, Stephen Curry was a one-man wrecking crew. He scored 29 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out nine assists while playing 39 of a possible 40 minutes. Curry didn’t have to do it all alone, though.

Will Archambault (14 points, seven boards) and Stephen Rossiter (11 points, eight boards) also contributed to the road win.

Andrew Goudelock was the high man for Charleston with 22 points and seven rebounds while Jermaine Johnson notched a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Tony White, Jr. scored 10 points and Dustin Scott hauled in 11 boards in the loss.

The key to victory for Davidson was their defense, as they held Charleston to only 37.3 percent shooting from the floor, while they made 46.3 percent of their own shots.

The Cougars turned the table on the Wildcats in the second game, as they held Davidson to only 38.3 percent shooting.

But the biggest key to Charleston’s win was the fact that they owned the back boards. They crushed Davidson in the rebounding department by a 51-31 margin.

White, Jr. led the charge for the Cougars with 19 points while Johnson recorded another double-double with 11 points and 12 caroms.

Scott had 14 points, Donovan Monroe scored 10, and Jeremy Simmons pulled down 12 rebounds.

Curry had another big offensive night for Davidson with 25 points but only made seven of 23 field goal attempts including just four of 13 on threes.

Bryant Barr scored 16 while Andrew Lovedale contributed 13 points for the Wildcats.

Current line: Davidson -9.0

Charleston is 12-12 against the spread with a record of 4-2 as an underdog.

Davidson is 13-16-1 against the spread on the season with a mark of 10-15 as a favorite.

The rubber match between these two schools figures to be a highly entertaining, high-scoring affair. Both teams have a plethora of players capable of scoring in the high teens on any given night. But Davidson has Curry, while no other team in the league does. He’ll find a way to be the difference in a close game.

Steve’s pick: College of Charleston +9.0

If you are looking for free college basketball betting picks for March 6, 2009, you have come to the right place. Touthouse.com college basketball handicappers specialize in NCAA betting picks and are providing a few premium picks for tonight’s games below. Be sure to visit Touthouse.com each day for all your college basketball betting needs.

Free Betting Pick: Tennessee-Martin -4.0 (-110)

Friday, March 6, 2009 7:00p—Courtesy of Bob Harvey

Look for a big effort tonight from the Skyhawks of Tennessee-Martin as they face Morehead State in the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.

The Skyhawks are 22-8 and seeded No. 1 in the eight-team tournament. They’re coming off a lopsided 93-75 win over Tennessee Tech in the first round of the OVC tourney. Senior Lester Hudson scored a career high with 42 points to lead his squad into the tournament's “Final Four.” The win came just days after Hudson was named the OVC player of the year for the second straight season.

T-M punched their ticket to the tournament as the top seed by winning the regular season championship last Saturday night with a 79-65 decision over Morehead State. The Skyhawks are on ATS runs of 3-0 and 7-3, while the Eagles are 7-3 ATS in their last 10. T-M is also 14-5 ATS against conference opponents.

Tennessee-Martin is hosting this year's tournament, which gives them a huge advantage over the field. They’ve also got the best player in the conference in Hudson. That’s going to be a tough combination for Morehead State to overcome. Lay the small number; take T-M-U.

Free Betting Pick: Elon +6.0 (-110)

Friday, March 6, 2009 7:00p—Courtesy of LT Profits

The Elon Phoenix went on the road and took the Wofford Terriers to overtime before losing by three points in January, and we look for a similarly close battle here. Remember that this game is at a neutral location with the Southern Conference Tournament being played in Chattanooga, so we see no reason why Wofford should have an easier time with Elon here than they did at home.

After all, according to the Pomeroy Ratings, Wofford is one of the least efficient teams in the country on the defensive end, allowing 1.105 points per possession to rank 313 out of 344 teams in that critical statistic. We feel that fact alone makes the Terriers a poor risk when laying this many points.

Now by no means are the Phoenix powerhouses, but they were competitive for the most past inside the conference. That regular season meeting with the Terriers was not an anomaly, as Elon was 6-3 against the spread as a road underdog vs. Southern Conference opponents, and the fact that this is not a true road game should only improve those chances.

In fact, Elon was 9-4 ATS as a conference dog regardless of the venue, and we look for that to continue tonight. CBB Free Pick: Elon +6 (-110)

The Southern Conference will tip off its conference tournament in Chattanooga at McKenzie Arena today at noon.

The pairings are split between the north (N) and south (S).

The No. 4N Appalachian State Mountaineers (12-17, 9-11 SOCON) will play the No. 5S Georgia Southern Eagles (8-21, 5-15 SOCON) at 12 p.m. The Mountaineers were victorious 95-82 in their sole meeting this season.

The No. 3S College of Charleston Cougars (23-7, 15-5 SOCON) will face the No. 6N North Carolina-Greensboro Spartans (5-24, 4-16 SOCON) at 2:30 p.m. The Cougs won both meetings against UNCG by an average of 15.5 points.

The No. 4S Wofford Terriers (16-13, 12-8 SOCON) face off against the No. 5N Elon Phoenix (10-19, 7-13 SOCON) at 7 p.m. Wofford and Elon only met once, with the Terriers coming away with the 74-71 overtime win in Spartanburg, SC.

Finally, day one ends with the No. 3N Samford Bulldogs (14-15, 9-11 SOCON) versus the No. 6S Furman Paladins (6-34, 4-16 SOCON) at 9:30 p.m. The Bulldogs won by 11 at home, but the Paladins knocked off Samford by six on their home court.

The quarterfinal round will begin at 2 p.m. on Mar. 7.

The top-seeded Davidson Wildcats (25-6, 18-2 SOCON) will take on the winner of the ASU/GSU game at 2 p.m. Davidson went 3-0 this season against these teams, with the closest margin being 18 points.

The No. 2N Western Carolina Catamounts (16-14, 11-9 SOCON) will face the COC/UNCG winner at 4:30 on Saturday. The Catamounts swept the Spartans from Greensboro but fell 78-67 to the Cougars in Charleston, SC.

The No. 1N Chattanooga Mocs (15-16, 11-9 SOCON) will play the winner of the of the Wofford/Elon game at 7 p.m. on Saturday evening. The Mocs split the season series with both possible opponents. Chattanooga won on the road against Wofford and at home against Elon.

The final game of the quarterfinal round will pit the No. 2S Citadel Bulldogs (20-11, 15-5 SOCON) and the winner of the Samford/Furman game at 9:30 Saturday night. The Citadel went 3-0 against these two opponents, defeating the Paladins in both contests and Samford on the road as well.

The semifinals will begin at 6 p.m. on Mar. 8, and the championship game will be nationally televised on ESPN at 9 p.m. on Monday, Mar. 9.

Will Davidson be able to get back to the Big Dance and march through the giants? They have to take care of the Southern before they can set their sights on that goal.

Wofford Terriers (14-12, 10-7) at College of Charleston Cougars (21-7, 13-5)

Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009 – 7:00 PM EST

The Wofford Terriers, fresh off of a 15-point pounding of Western Carolina, travel to Charleston on Thursday night seeking to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Cougars.

With a win, Charleston will sweep the season series from the Terriers—they won a tightly contested contest, 65-63, back in January.

The loser of tonight’s contest will have a winning streak snapped.

Both teams have won three straight and five of their last six.

Charleston stands a half game behind The Citadel for second place in the South Division although the Bulldogs hold the tie-breaker over the Cougars after sweeping both games this season.

Andrew Goudelock (10 points), Dustin Scott (12 points, seven rebounds), and Donavan Monroe (10 points) paced the offense for the Cougars. Jeremy Simmons chipped in eight points and a team high nine rebounds.

For the Terriers, Tim Johnson had a monster game scoring 21 points and hauling in 17 rebounds. Noah Dahlman was right behind Johnson with 19 points and seven boards while Jason Dawson had 16 points and four steals.

With the exception of field goal percentage—Charleston shot it better, 49.1-to-40.3—the stats for this game were all relatively even except for one.

Wofford missed eight of their 16 free throw attempts. In what turned out to be a two-point game, the Terriers left a win at the free throw line.

Current line: Charleston -8.5

Wofford has a record of 11-10-1 against the spread with a mark of 8-5 as an underdog.

Charleston is 10-10 against the spread with a mark of 6-8 as a favorite.

Charleston needs this game just a bit more. And besides, they’ll have the home crowd behind them. The Cougars will get the win but they won’t cover.

Steve’s pick: Wofford +8.5

Furman Paladins (6-20, 4-13) at The Citadel Bulldogs (18-10, 13-4)

Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009 – 7:05 PM EST

The Citadel Bulldogs play host to the Furman Paladins on Thursday night as they attempt to keep pace with Davidson in a battle for first place in the South Division.

The Bulldogs enter the game as one of the hottest teams in the nation, having won 10 straight and 11 of their last 12.

Davidson, winners on Wednesday night against UNC-Greensboro, clinched a tie for the division as they improved to 16-2 in league play. The Citadel needs to win out and hope Davidson drops their remaining two contests in order to catch the Wildcats.

When these two teams met earlier in the season, The Citadel pulled out a five point overtime win, 74-69.

Cameron Wells (22 points, six rebounds), Zach Urbanus (20 points, six assists), and Demetrius nelson (17 points, eight rebounds) led the offense for the Bulldogs.

Furman had four players in double figures led by Jordan Miller and Justin Dehm, each with 17 points.

Statistically, The Citadel dominated the game.

They outshot Furman, 52.9 percent to 37.7 percent and out-rebounded the Paladins, 38-26.

But they had twice as many turnovers as Furman, 18-9, and those extra possessions are what kept the Paladins in the game.

If The Citadel plays the same type of game this time around but reduces their turnovers, they should have no problem handling Furman.

Current line: The Citadel -11.5

Furman has a record of 9-10-1 against the spread with a mark of 7-9 as an underdog.

The Citadel is an outstanding 15-6-1 against the spread with a mark of 2-3-1 as a favorite.

The Citadel needs this game to keep pace with Davidson. They’ll get the win and the home crowd will help them to cover.

Steve’s pick: The Citadel -11.5

UNC-Greensboro Spartans (4-26, 3-15) at Davidson Wildcats (22-6, 15-2)

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009 – 7:00 PM EST

The Davidson Wildcats welcome the UNC-Greensboro Spartans to Belk Arena on Wednesday night as they’ll not only attempt to sweep the season series from the Spartans, but with a win, the Wildcats will clinch a share of the South Division title.

Davidson currently holds a two-game lead over The Citadel. Each school has three conference games remaining.

When these two teams met back earlier this month, Davidson walked away with a 75-54 victory. Stephen Curry was his typical self as he poured in 29 points, grabbed eight boards, and dished out three assists to lead the Wildcats to victory.

Steve Rossiter (14 points, 13 rebounds) and Andrew Lovedale (12 points, 10 rebounds) both notched double-doubles in the win.

While neither team shot the ball particularly well form the floor, the free throw line, or from beyond the arc, this game hinged on two key areas.

First, Davidson crushed the Spartans on the glass. Led by Rossiter and Lovedale’s 23 total boards, the Wildcats out-rebounded Greensboro, 51-34.

To demonstrate just how dominant Davidson was on the back boards, consider that they had had more offensive rebounds than Greensboro had defensive rebounds.

The other area that defined the outcome of the game was in the turnover department. The Spartans committed 20 giveaways, or seven more than Davidson. Of those 20 turnovers, seven of them were steals by Davidson.

One area in which the Spartans performed well was in turning back 10 Davidson shots. Greensboro will need another solid shot blocking effort but it will be crucial to control the blocks and turn them into possessions as they attempt to stay with Davidson offensively.

One area of concern for Davidson will be the health of Stephen Curry. He returned to action last Saturday against Butler after spraining his ankle in a game against Furman. Curry missed a contest versus The Citadel. Without their leader, the Wildcats were blown out by the Bulldogs, 64-46.

In the Butler game, Curry did manage to score 20 points but only managed to hit six of 23 shots, including two of 13 from three.

Current line: Davidson -27.0

UNC-Greensboro is 9-14 overall against the spread with a record of 9-13 as an underdog.

Davidson is 11-14-1 this season against the spread with a record of 9-13 as a favorite.

Unless Davidson lets five scrubs from an intramural team play in its place, they’ll win this game easily. The only question is by how much.

Steve’s pick: UNC-Greensboro +27.0

College of Charleston Cougars (18-7, 10-7) at Appalachian State (10-14, 7-9)

Monday, Feb. 16, 2009 – 7:30 p.m. EST

The College of Charleston Cougars, coming off of a devastating home loss to The Citadel on Saturday, venture to Boone, N.C. for a Monday night game with the Appalachian State Mountaineers.

The Cougars blew an eight point first half lead against the Bulldogs and then watched as The Citadel pulled away in the second half for the 14-point win and a sweep of the season series.

The loss proved even more costly since Davidson star Stephen Curry suffered an ankle injury in a game on Saturday. The Cougars could’ve pulled closer to the Wildcats in an effort to overtake them for first place.

Much like they did in their first game against the Bulldogs, Charleston shot poorly—6-of-21—from three-point range. Unlike the prior game, The Citadel hammered Charleston on the backboards, 38-21. To complicate matters, the Cougars’ defense was lacking as the Bulldogs made 51 percent of their shots.

Appalachian State, returning home after three straight road games, also enters the contest on a down note having dropped two in a row and three of their last four. The Mountaineers trail Samford by a half game for third place in the North Division.

This will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams. Charleston notched an eight point victory, 88-80, in the first game.

Two critical factors, overall field goal percentage and three point shots, determined the outcome of the first game between the two teams.

The Cougars made 55.6 percent of their overall shots including a blistering 52.4 percent—11-of-21—of their triples.

Leading scorer Andrew Goudelock bagged 33 points for the Cougars. The sophomore guard was 12-of-15 from the field, including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. And just for good measure, the sharp shooter was perfect from the free throw line, making all three of his attempts.

Not to be outdone, the Mountaineers had five players score in double figures, with a high of 15 points from Donald Sims.

If Appalachian State plans to turn the tables on Charleston, they’ll need to buckle down on defense and not allow the Cougars to convert at such a high rate.

And when they’re on offense, they’ll need to improve on their own three-point shooting as they managed a meager 30 percent in the first encounter.

Current line: Appalachian State -1.5

Charleston is 8-10 against the spread with a record of 3-2 as an underdog.

Appalachian State is 8-10 against the spread with a record of 3-2 as the favorite.

After suffering a tough loss in such a big game on their home floor, will Charleston be motivated to play a team that it already beat this season?

The Mountaineers on the other hand, will certainly be looking for payback. They’ll get it.

Steve’s pick: Appalachian State -1.5

The Citadel Bulldogs (16-10, 11-4) at College of Charleston Cougars (18-6, 10-4)

Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 – 4:00 PM EST

The Citadel Bulldogs travel to Charleston on Saturday to face the Cougars in what amounts to an enormous game for both teams.

The Cougars trail the Bulldogs by a half game for second place in the North Division of the Southern Conference. Both teams are chasing first place Davidson and this is a must-win if either school has visions of catching the Wildcats.

The Bulldogs have shown that their bite matches their bark as they enter this contest having won eight straight and nine of their last 10. Included in the streak is a 72-63 victory over Charleston back in January.

Several factors stand out from their first game.

The Citadel, despite being dominated on the glass, 44-32, held the Cougars to only 38.1 percent shooting while they converted field goals at a rate of 46.4.

Contributing to their low percentage was the fact that Charleston shot an abysmal 2-for-18 on three-point shots. By contrast, the Bulldogs sizzled from beyond the arc by burying eight of their 15 attempts.

The Citadel also shared the ball exceptionally well as they assisted on 17-of-26 made field goals while Charleston had a mere three assists for the entire game.

For the Cougars to triumph at home, they must shoot a higher percentage while at the same time, lock down on defense. They’ll also need to control the boards like they did the first time around and do a better job of working as a team to get each other easy baskets.

Current line: College of Charleston -8.0

The Citadel is an outstanding 13-6-1 against the spread with a mark of 11-3 as an underdog including six straight covers.

Charleston is 8-9 against the spread with a record of 5-7 as the favorite but only one for their last eight.

As poorly as Charleston played in the first meeting, they only lost by nine. Given that this game is at home and they’ll be motivated by conference standing and revenge, the Cougars should be confident heading into the contest.

Steve’s pick: College of Charleston -8.0