Check out our Preseason Bracketology Podcast here: https://hoopshd.com/2014/11/02/preseason-bracketology-podcast/
The conference realignment craziness of the past few years seems to be finally coming to an end, and one of the victims of it all, once again, was the SoCon. Gone from the Southern Conference are the teams that seem to have defined it in recent history. Last season, College of Charleston left to join the Colonial. This season, Elon has followed Charleston to the CAA, while Davidson (the Southern’s regular season champion and an NIT participant last season) is off to the Atlantic Ten. Appalachian State and Georgia Southern are also both gone as well, heading to join the Sun Belt Conference for football reasons.
The cupboard is not completely bare in the SoCon, however. Wofford, which won the conference tournament last season, is back. Chattanooga, which also played in the postseason, getting a CBI bid, is still around as well. And the SoCon welcomes three new members this season, all three of which received postseason invites last year. Mercer and East Tennessee State move over from the Atlantic Sun. Mercer, of course, not only won the A-Sun’s automatic bid last season but also went on to defeat Duke in the NCAA tournament. ETSU played in the CIT last season and returns to the SoCon which it was a member of from 1978 through 2005. Also returning to the SoCon is VMI (from the Big South). The Keydets were members of the Southern from all the way back in 1923 until leaving in 2003. They also played in the postseason last year, advancing to the semifinals of the CIT.
This season, the team to beat appears to be the Wofford Terriers, a team that returns all of its starters from last year’s NCAA tournament squad including Karl Cochran who may be the best guard in the conference. Wofford should receive a challenge from Chattanooga, which is in its second year under former VCU assistant Will Wade and has adopted their own version of Havoc called “Chaos”. Newcomers East Tennessee State and VMI could challenge as well, though the third newcomer, Mercer, looks like they will struggle with the entire starting lineup having moved on after last season.
Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Wofford: Cochran is joined by the returns of Spencer Collins and Eric Garcia for the best three guard combo in the conference. With the experience they built last season, and Davidson off to the A-10, the Terriers are the clear favorites this year.
2. East Tennessee State: Rashawn Rembert averaged over 16 points per game last season and should only get better, but the Buccaneers have some question marks down low.
3. Chattanooga: Year two of “Chaos” should be led by guard Casey Jones. However, Z. Mason’s 18.1 points per game will be missed and there are some questions in the low posts.
4. VMI: Even though two of three players that averaged 18 points per game or more are gone, Q.J. Peterson does return and given their high octane style of play, the Keydets should find ways to win. Circle January 22 and February 26 on your calendars — the two meetings between VMI and Chattanooga this season. Those games could be wild!
5. Furman: The Paladins should improve off of last year’s 20 losses with the return of four starters including Stephen Croone and the addition of freshman Devin Sibley.
6. Western Carolina: With three starters gone, this could be a rebuilding year, though senior guard James Sinclair is solid. Freshman Tucker Thompson down low should get some serious minutes.
7. Mercer: The combination of a new conference and no returning starters is not a recipe for success, at least this season. Bob Hoffman has done some incredible things in Macon, Georgia during his tenure, so even if they falter this season, the Bears should find their way to the top of the conference standings soon enough.
8. UNC-Greensboro: Tevon Saddler won SoCon Rookie of the Year honors last season, but he does not look like he has enough other pieces around him for this team to reach the upper half of the conference standings.
9. The Citadel: In a conference that has seen a ton of shifts in membership, the Bulldogs have been a constant. They have the SoCon’s longest consecutive membership, having been in the conference since 1936 when their conference mates were the likes of Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina, Clemson and more. In all that time, they have never reached the NCAA tournament, and this year does not look to be a change. Ashton Moore will lead the team from the guard position, but the Bulldogs are lacking in the size and talent to help him out much.
10. Samford: Scott Padgett takes over as head coach, but he is going to have to rebuild this program from the bottom up with only one returning starter from a team that lost 20 games.