Note: The following piece was prepared by Dean Keener, who provides commentary on Southern Conference men’s basketball broadcasts.
Keener played collegiately at Davidson before embarking on a successful 20-year coaching career. He served as head coach at James Madison from 2004-08. You can follow him on twitter: @DeanKeener1
The Dean’s List
Dec. 19, 2018
I. Inside SoCon Hoops
The college basketball season is well underway and in the first seven weeks, we’ve found that the Southern Conference is primed for its best season in recent memory. It would be an understatement to say the league has picked up some quality wins! Furman winning at national champion Villanova and at Final Four participant Loyola Chicago are terrific wins. In fact, the undefeated Paladins are currently ranked No. 24 and have a HUGE game at LSU on Dec. 21. Several other teams look to be gaining positive momentum as we head to league play, although the injury to UNCG’s James Dickey (injury to Lisfranc ligaments in his right foot) could alter the league race. Sure, the Spartans have lots of firepower (and confidence), but without Dickey, they simply aren’t as good, especially at the defensive end.
Wofford had a good win at South Carolina. It’s too bad that they didn’t get a chance to knock off Stanford as the game was cancelled due to weather conditions (wildfires). While ETSU lost plenty from last year, the Bucs look to be right back in the thick of things. But while those teams have proven they will be at or near the top of the standings all season, the biggest surprises have come from Samford and The Citadel. The Bulldogs (both of them) have been great thus far, each with quality wins and proving they can win on the road. In fact, The Citadel has never had eight wins before Christmas and currently sit at 9-2 while riding a seven-game winning streak.
But as good as Furman has been, it’s still very difficult to announce them as the clear-cut favorite. The league is going to be terrific this season. Even teams like Mercer and Chattanooga will be a tough out and have a chance to win each night out. And good luck thinking you’re going to go to Lexington, Virginia, or Cullowhee, North Carolina, and not be in for a battle. The Southern Conference is alive and well!
It’s important to note that the SoCon is 49-6 in home games thus far this season! While there are a number of non-Division I games included in that record, it’s great to see the league is taking care of business at home. Speaking of non-Division I games, SoCon teams are a combined 22-0 thus far.
The next week remains critical for the league as it fights to continue capturing a few more key nonconference wins to boost the league NET. A look at the composite league schedule shows several opportunities for each league member to gain quality wins. Some of those include Mercer facing Ivy league favorite Harvard in Atlanta and ETSU in the Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso, Texas.
II. Did You Know?
• Furman’s first appearance in the Associated Press Top 25 marked the first time a SoCon school has been ranked in the poll since Davidson held the No. 22 spot on Dec. 15, 2008. Their game at LSU on Dec. 21 is huge!
• Speaking of Furman, their 12-0 start is the best by a Southern Conference program since Davidson began the 1963-64 season with 15 straight wins.
• Wofford’s Fletcher Magee is one of the best shooters in college basketball. He is currently 16th on the all-time 3-point field goal list (397) and has a chance to break the all-time record held by Travis Bader of Oakland University (504).
• Furman’s Matt Rafferty is among SoCon leaders in no less than seven categories! He’s seventh in scoring, second in rebounding, first in field-goal percentage, third in assists, third in steals, fourth in blocks and third in minutes played! Can you say, “Early leader for Player of the Year!”
• Last season there were 5,537 athletes playing Division I men’s basketball — and 689 of them transferred. Of that number, 331 left for another Division I program.
III. 6 Observations thus Far
1. Southern Conference league play is going to be a beast
2. Scott Padgett is proving he can really coach
3. Matt Rafferty is a problem for opposing teams
4. Get to know the name Jeromy Rodriguez. ETSU. He’s a double-double machine!
5. The SoCon has the best collective group of 3FG shooters of any conference in the country. Period
6. The Citadel leads the league (and nation) in scoring. They average over 101 points per game and have legitimate talent
IV. NCAA's NET Ranking System
The NCAA’s replacement for the RPI is the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool). The components of the NET are listed below. Note that only games against Division I opponents are included in a team’s NET.
1. Team Value Index: It includes the opponent, whether a team won or lost and the game location
2. Net Efficiency: This is basically the margin off victory. Net efficiency is calculated for each team for every game and then averaged
3. Winning Percentage: Wins divided by total games
4. Adjusted Winning Percentage: home, away, neutral court
5. Scoring Margin: Team score minus an opponent's score, but capped at 10. Overtime games are treated as one-point results
V. Foreign Trips
College basketball programs span the globe each summer taking advantage of an NCAA rule that allows teams to travel abroad. Division I teams are permitted to take a foreign trip once every four years per sport and it is something that has great value, both athletically and culturally. First, coaches are permitted to have as many as 10 days of practice prior to departure. Secondly, coaches and players gain an invaluable head start to the season with the extra court time, competition and off-the-court bonding.
Teams have been making international trips for years, but there was an uptick in 2010 after incoming freshman were cleared to practice and join teams on trips after getting through the NCAA clearinghouse and completing summer school classes.
In order for a student-athletes to be eligible to participate in practice and games regarding a trip, the student-athlete must have been eligible for intercollegiate competition during the previous academic year OR have been enrolled full time at the institution the previous academic year AND are eligible for competition during the academic year immediately following the tour.
It’s permissible for an incoming student-athlete to participate on a foreign tour if:
• He/she has earned three credits towards any institutional degree program
• He/she is eligible to represent the institution during the academic year immediately following the tour
Again, coaches get to evaluate new players in competition, tinker with lineups and implement their systems in game situations against other teams. The players build chemistry with each other and their coaches, get valuable early practice time and a feel for what their teammates can do. These trips can be costly, but coaches agree they are necessary for recruiting and building/sustaining a high-level program.
Wofford toured Portugal in mid-August and accomplished everything and more during their weeklong trip.
VI. New Year’s Resolutions
It’s hard to believe, but 2019 is less than two weeks away. With that, our annual New Year’s Resolution list is back. I think I have found some pretty attainable goals for each program as we enter the New Year:
The Citadel – Keep buying into the process. The Bulldogs have bought into Duggar Baucom’s system of play. They have some quality wins to show for it (at South Florida and at James Madison). Now they need to do it in league play
ETSU – Keep defending. Steve Forbes has a knack for putting new players in roles and getting the most out of them. Thus far, the Bucs are really playing defense. If they continue to defend, they will be right there at the end
Furman – Continued chemistry. The Paladins have all the ingredients for success and it’s showed thus far. They have talent, depth and great chemistry. They simply need to keep playing team ball
Mercer – Home Games! From Nov. 20 to Jan. 10, the Bears will play just three home games. They are traditionally really good inside Hawkins Arena and need to get home!
UNCG – Keep handling their business at home. This Spartans team is really good. Let’s hope they can get James Dickey back. Regardless, the Spartans are riding a 16-game home winning streak
Samford – Continued balance. Scott Padgett has done a great job putting things together. The Bulldogs are defending (lead the SoCon in field-goal percentage defense) and also shooting it well (first in 3-point field-goal percentage). The inside-outside duo of Ruben Guerrero and Josh Sharkey has been really good!
Chattanooga – Stay focused on the process. Second-year coach Lamont Paris continues to put things together, but it’s going to be a process for the Mocs
VMI – A bit of luck. The Keydets have played some good basketball at times this season, they just need some luck. Maybe having five off their next seven at home will help.
Western Carolina – Find their touch. The Catamounts are rebuilding, but in the meantime, they need to shoot it better, especially from the free-throw line, if they’re going to win some games
Wofford – Don’t change a thing. The Terriers will be just fine if they stay healthy and play team ball. With Fletcher Magee, Nathan Hoover, Storm Murphy, Cameron Jackson and others, they will be fine
We will start the SoCon Ladder as well as talk about what’s happening in the Southern Conference and college basketball in our next edition of “The Dean’s List” on Jan. 9, 2019. Happy Holidays to all!
Follow me on twitter: @DeanKeener1
Dean Keener