Season In Review
The SoCon rose to the forefront of national attention thanks to two teams: Wofford and Furman. Before I get into them, I want to note that outside of those two, UNC Greensboro, and ETSU, the conference was very bad. No other team was even .500 in conference play, and the top really covered up a disappointing bottom. However, the top was very good, and Furman made news when they took down Loyola-Chicago and Villanova, and they started off 12-0 on the season. While Furman made waves early, it was Wofford who did it late, going 18-0 in the conference and losing just 4 games all season. They should be in the tournament pretty comfortably at this point, and we could see multiple teams dancing if someone other than the Terriers wins the tournament, which is very possible given the strength of the rest of the top 4. Once we get into the semifinals, there should be nothing but great games, and I am very excited to see what happens.
Bracket
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Contenders
Wofford (26-4, 18-0)
Best of luck stopping the Terriers in the tournament. No one was able to in conference play, and it will be even harder in the conference tournament. Led by Fletcher Magee, Wofford jacks up threes with reckless abandon and they make a ton of them. Magee alone made 121, and as a team, the Terriers made 41.7% of their threes, third best in the country. They actually did better in conference play, going 43.5% from beyond the arc, and it's tough to beat a team that can make as many threes as they do. If they get hot, it's all over for their opponents in this tournament. They aren't just shooters, as they do pretty well rebounding and on the defensive end, so they should be considered the favorite in this tournament.
UNC Greensboro (26-5, 15-3)
The Spartans are one of the teams I love. Wes Miller is a rising head coach, and they made the tournament last season and gave Gonzaga a game. While they don't stand out in any one area, they have a really great team and the whole seems to be better than the sum of its parts. The have a press that does a great job of forcing turnovers, and I think it makes them a huge threat in a tournament setting where you have limited time to prepare and you're coming off of a game the night before. I also think their backcourt is really good with Demetrius Troy, Isaiah Miller, and Francis Alonso is up there with Wofford's, and while they aren't as efficient, they have the talent. They've got some decent front court talent as well, so I think they have the ability to win the conference tournament over Wofford. They closed out the season winning four straight, so they have momentum and if I could pick one other team to make the tournament, it'd be the Spartans since their style is fun and they are good enough to win a game.
Furman (24-6, 13-5)
On the other end of the spectrum, I do not like Furman. I said it. They beat Loyola and people thought that was a huge win, but anyone who looked into it knew coming into the year that this wasn't the same Ramblers team as last year. The same can be said about Villanova, although that is a legit good win. They went 2-4 against the other top teams in the conference, and suffered a bad loss to Samford at home. They played three teams of note in the non-conference and went 2-1, and I don't think they are that good, plain and simple. Listen, I really like Matt Rafferty and Jordan Lyons, they are both good players, but outside of that, their offense is pretty bad. I also think their defense, which is the best in the conference, has been overblown thanks to some three point variance, and I don't think this team makes a big run in the SoCon Tournament.
East Tennessee State (23-8, 13-5)
The Buccaneers have been one of the top teams in the conference since they joined from the A-Sun a few years ago, and this season is no different. They don't have a star player, but they are a solid group and they really play hard. They are excellent on the glass, leading the SoCon in rebounds by nearly three boards. They have some holes, they don't have a reliable backcourt and struggle with turnovers, but they a really solid team. They are 1-5 against the other top 3 teams, but they held serve with the rest of the conference and you know they are going to give any team they play a tough game.
Sleeper Team
None
There really are just four good teams in the SoCon this season, so there aren't any actual sleepers. Samford would be the team I would go with if I were forced to since they have guard Josh Sharkey who is an all-conference level player, but I don't think anyone outside of the top 4 has any shot at winning the tournament. Of course, there is now a 1000% chance that a different team wins the tournament, but I don't see any sleepers.
Players to Watch
Fletcher Magee
Stats: 20.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 44.3/42.8/92.7
If you don't know Fletcher yet, you'll fall in love with him during March. He is currently 14 threes off of Travis Bader's career record, and I'd be shocked if he didn't break it at some point this season. If you've seen Kyle Guy take and make these crazy off balance threes, that's his entire game. He will have a wild tournament, and I think Magee will go off in at least one game. He had 36 points in his last game, and he is averaging 25.3 over his last 12 games, including three other games over 30 points. I certainly wouldn't want to be a coach who has to game plan against him and stop the senior from getting to the NCAA Tournament.
Francis Alonso
Stats: 16.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 42.4/36.5/87
Alonso has been the leader for Wes Miller and UNCG all season, and he will surely be looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament. The Spanish senior is the lead guard for the Spartans, and he should have a big tournament. When they played LSU and Kentucky earlier this season, Alonso scored 20 and 22 points respectively, so he can clearly do it against the best competition. I love the action Wes Miller runs for him, constantly having him coming off threes where he can get clean looks at the basket. There have been times where he has forced it up a little too much, but he can absolutely take over a game and lead the Spartans to a victory.
Matt Rafferty
Stats: 17.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 62.8/36.4/77.1
While I don't like Furman, I can't even try to say that Rafferty isn't an incredible player. A sort of Ethan Happ-lite for the Paladins, except you don't have to take Rafferty out at the end of the game because he can make his free throws. His stat lines speak for themselves, and Furman takes full advantage of his unique skill set, running a lot of their offense through him. I really like the ability to run your offense through a big man in the high post, and it's hard to do better than Rafferty for that specific style of offense. If you can put up a 22/10/5 stat line against a team like UNC Greensboro, you're legit, and I think he could be the reason Furman exceeds my expectations for them in the conference tournament.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Fletcher Magee, Wofford
G: Francis Alonso, UNC Greensboro
G: Josh Sharkey, Samford
F: Matt Rafferty, Furman
F: Cameron Jackson, Wofford
Second Team
G: Jordan Lyons, Furman
G: Isaiah Miller, UNC Greensboro
G: Bubba Parham, VMI
G: Lew Stallworth, The Citadel
F: Jeromy Rodriguez, ETSU
My Pick: UNC Greensboro over Wofford
Upset alert baby! This pick may be a bit of wish fulfillment, since I desperately want to see UNCG in March Madness, but I legitimately think they can beat Wofford. James Dickey will be key, as the junior big man needs to have a big game on the defensive end. He is the conference leader in blocks per game at 2.1, and if he can take away Cameron Jackson, an incredible player who I've barely talked about, then the Spartans have a shot. I mean sure, they lost twice by 30 points each time, but something about this just screams a Spartan victory to me. Maybe it's my Wes Miller love, maybe it's me wanting to see them dancing, maybe it's a precognition, but I am going to say Wofford finally falls in the conference tournament final.
The SoCon rose to the forefront of national attention thanks to two teams: Wofford and Furman. Before I get into them, I want to note that outside of those two, UNC Greensboro, and ETSU, the conference was very bad. No other team was even .500 in conference play, and the top really covered up a disappointing bottom. However, the top was very good, and Furman made news when they took down Loyola-Chicago and Villanova, and they started off 12-0 on the season. While Furman made waves early, it was Wofford who did it late, going 18-0 in the conference and losing just 4 games all season. They should be in the tournament pretty comfortably at this point, and we could see multiple teams dancing if someone other than the Terriers wins the tournament, which is very possible given the strength of the rest of the top 4. Once we get into the semifinals, there should be nothing but great games, and I am very excited to see what happens.
Bracket
Contenders
Wofford (26-4, 18-0)
Best of luck stopping the Terriers in the tournament. No one was able to in conference play, and it will be even harder in the conference tournament. Led by Fletcher Magee, Wofford jacks up threes with reckless abandon and they make a ton of them. Magee alone made 121, and as a team, the Terriers made 41.7% of their threes, third best in the country. They actually did better in conference play, going 43.5% from beyond the arc, and it's tough to beat a team that can make as many threes as they do. If they get hot, it's all over for their opponents in this tournament. They aren't just shooters, as they do pretty well rebounding and on the defensive end, so they should be considered the favorite in this tournament.
UNC Greensboro (26-5, 15-3)
The Spartans are one of the teams I love. Wes Miller is a rising head coach, and they made the tournament last season and gave Gonzaga a game. While they don't stand out in any one area, they have a really great team and the whole seems to be better than the sum of its parts. The have a press that does a great job of forcing turnovers, and I think it makes them a huge threat in a tournament setting where you have limited time to prepare and you're coming off of a game the night before. I also think their backcourt is really good with Demetrius Troy, Isaiah Miller, and Francis Alonso is up there with Wofford's, and while they aren't as efficient, they have the talent. They've got some decent front court talent as well, so I think they have the ability to win the conference tournament over Wofford. They closed out the season winning four straight, so they have momentum and if I could pick one other team to make the tournament, it'd be the Spartans since their style is fun and they are good enough to win a game.
Furman (24-6, 13-5)
On the other end of the spectrum, I do not like Furman. I said it. They beat Loyola and people thought that was a huge win, but anyone who looked into it knew coming into the year that this wasn't the same Ramblers team as last year. The same can be said about Villanova, although that is a legit good win. They went 2-4 against the other top teams in the conference, and suffered a bad loss to Samford at home. They played three teams of note in the non-conference and went 2-1, and I don't think they are that good, plain and simple. Listen, I really like Matt Rafferty and Jordan Lyons, they are both good players, but outside of that, their offense is pretty bad. I also think their defense, which is the best in the conference, has been overblown thanks to some three point variance, and I don't think this team makes a big run in the SoCon Tournament.
East Tennessee State (23-8, 13-5)
The Buccaneers have been one of the top teams in the conference since they joined from the A-Sun a few years ago, and this season is no different. They don't have a star player, but they are a solid group and they really play hard. They are excellent on the glass, leading the SoCon in rebounds by nearly three boards. They have some holes, they don't have a reliable backcourt and struggle with turnovers, but they a really solid team. They are 1-5 against the other top 3 teams, but they held serve with the rest of the conference and you know they are going to give any team they play a tough game.
Sleeper Team
None
There really are just four good teams in the SoCon this season, so there aren't any actual sleepers. Samford would be the team I would go with if I were forced to since they have guard Josh Sharkey who is an all-conference level player, but I don't think anyone outside of the top 4 has any shot at winning the tournament. Of course, there is now a 1000% chance that a different team wins the tournament, but I don't see any sleepers.
Players to Watch
Fletcher Magee
Stats: 20.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 44.3/42.8/92.7
If you don't know Fletcher yet, you'll fall in love with him during March. He is currently 14 threes off of Travis Bader's career record, and I'd be shocked if he didn't break it at some point this season. If you've seen Kyle Guy take and make these crazy off balance threes, that's his entire game. He will have a wild tournament, and I think Magee will go off in at least one game. He had 36 points in his last game, and he is averaging 25.3 over his last 12 games, including three other games over 30 points. I certainly wouldn't want to be a coach who has to game plan against him and stop the senior from getting to the NCAA Tournament.
Francis Alonso
Stats: 16.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 42.4/36.5/87
Alonso has been the leader for Wes Miller and UNCG all season, and he will surely be looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament. The Spanish senior is the lead guard for the Spartans, and he should have a big tournament. When they played LSU and Kentucky earlier this season, Alonso scored 20 and 22 points respectively, so he can clearly do it against the best competition. I love the action Wes Miller runs for him, constantly having him coming off threes where he can get clean looks at the basket. There have been times where he has forced it up a little too much, but he can absolutely take over a game and lead the Spartans to a victory.
Matt Rafferty
Stats: 17.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 62.8/36.4/77.1
While I don't like Furman, I can't even try to say that Rafferty isn't an incredible player. A sort of Ethan Happ-lite for the Paladins, except you don't have to take Rafferty out at the end of the game because he can make his free throws. His stat lines speak for themselves, and Furman takes full advantage of his unique skill set, running a lot of their offense through him. I really like the ability to run your offense through a big man in the high post, and it's hard to do better than Rafferty for that specific style of offense. If you can put up a 22/10/5 stat line against a team like UNC Greensboro, you're legit, and I think he could be the reason Furman exceeds my expectations for them in the conference tournament.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Fletcher Magee, Wofford
G: Francis Alonso, UNC Greensboro
G: Josh Sharkey, Samford
F: Matt Rafferty, Furman
F: Cameron Jackson, Wofford
Second Team
G: Jordan Lyons, Furman
G: Isaiah Miller, UNC Greensboro
G: Bubba Parham, VMI
G: Lew Stallworth, The Citadel
F: Jeromy Rodriguez, ETSU
My Pick: UNC Greensboro over Wofford
Upset alert baby! This pick may be a bit of wish fulfillment, since I desperately want to see UNCG in March Madness, but I legitimately think they can beat Wofford. James Dickey will be key, as the junior big man needs to have a big game on the defensive end. He is the conference leader in blocks per game at 2.1, and if he can take away Cameron Jackson, an incredible player who I've barely talked about, then the Spartans have a shot. I mean sure, they lost twice by 30 points each time, but something about this just screams a Spartan victory to me. Maybe it's my Wes Miller love, maybe it's me wanting to see them dancing, maybe it's a precognition, but I am going to say Wofford finally falls in the conference tournament final.
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