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
Jan. 23, 2019

I. Inside the SoCon

With league play closing in on the halfway mark, it provides us with some observations. Overall, conference play this season is not for the weak, as each contest is an absolute war. In fact, there is no guarantee that playing at home provides a significantly better chance to win. The league simply has too many good players and coaches to figure out what is going to happen week-to-week. Heck, this may be Mike Young’s best team in 17 seasons at the helm (and that’s saying a lot), but even the Terriers are vulnerable and need to play well each night out. UNCG, ETSU and Furman are right there with Wofford as the league’s best at this time, yet any of the 10 league members are capable of winning when you take into consideration injuries, as well as matchups and foul trouble in a particular game.

Equally important is the improvement by Chattanooga. Their success is critical for the league’s brand and it looks as though the Mocs are trending in the right direction.

Wofford is currently 7-0 in league play and at the top of the standings (and SoCon Ladder), but it will be interesting to see how things play out. There are still lots of questions to be answered. Here are some that I have:
• Will this be the year the SoCon gets an at-large bid? Wofford is the only team with an outside chance. They currently have a NET ranking of 29, but they need to keep winning and hope that South Carolina (and even North Carolina, Mississippi State and Oklahoma) keep winning. Even then, chances are very, very slim as playing some of the teams with 200+ NET will hurt as will the three non-Division I games they played. But here’s hoping because they’re good and the league is good – really good!
• Can Mercer find a way to get a win on the road? The Bears are young and that’s tough during a year when the league is so good. But last Saturday, they went to Samford and pulled off the win, their first this season away from Hawkins Arena. My guess is they will get a few more road wins before we get to Asheville
• Is Chattanooga ready for prime time? Lamont Paris and staff have rebuilt the Mocs. They have really good young talent. In the next two weeks, they travel to Furman and Wofford, then come home to host Western Carolina and ETSU. I believe they have the ability and confidence to compete with the league’s best, but we will know more very soon
• Can Mark Prosser beat a top-tier team at home in his first season? The Catamounts are in good hands, but it will take some time. That said, I think Prosser and the Catamounts have a chance to get someone at home as it’s never easy to win inside the Ramsey Center
• What happened to The Citadel? Nothing. The Bulldogs have just hit a tough stretch in the schedule and they simply need to shoot better. In their past five games, they are just 59-205 (28.7 percent) from 3-point range. Once the 3-ball starts dropping again, look out, as this group is more than capable!
• Can the “Big 4” continue to hold serve at home? Last Saturday, UNCG went to Johnson City and beat the Bucs. That is no easy feat! Wofford, ETSU, UNCG and Furman are a combined 37-3 at home this season. The team that can continue winning at home and “steal” a game or two on the road will probably win the regular-season title
• Can Jeromy Rodriguez average a double-double this season? The redshirt junior is currently averaging 11.6 points per game and 12.0 rebounds per game. There is no reason to believe he won’t continue his dominating ways. If so, he would be the first SoCon player to average a double-double since UNCG’s Ben Stywall averaged 14.3 ppg and 10.4 rpg during the 2009-10 season
• Who’s really competing for Player of the Year honors? There are plenty of candidates – and lots of time for others to make their case – but as of today, in no particular order, it looks like Furman’s Matt Rafferty, ETSU’s Jeromy Rodriguez, Wofford’s Cameron Jackson, UNCG’s Francis Alonso and Wofford’s Fletcher Magee are the headliners. Samford’s Ruben Guerrero has been awfully good and VMI’s Bubba Parham, the conference’s leading scorer, has five games of 30 points or more this year, but both are behind the first group

It’s exciting to know that Southern Conference basketball is alive and well. For those that follow this league closely, understand that nothing will be settled until March.

II. Did You Know

• Mercer’s Ross Cummings is back at it. Much like last season, he has come alive in conference play. Through seven league games, the junior is averaging 23.5 ppg while shooting 54.3 percent from 3-point range (31-for-57) and 90 percent (36-for-40) from the free-throw line
• Wofford’s Fletcher Magee has taken 384 free throws during his career. He’s made 349! 91 percent is very impressive!
• Since Jan. 1, The Citadel’s Matt Frierson is just 13-for-52 (25 percent) from 3-point range. No doubt, as one of the best shooters in the league, I’m thinking he is going to go on a tear very soon. SoCon opponents best beware
• Wofford is receiving votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Top 25
• Through 21 games, Western Carolina has played just seven at home. This is the fewest of any team in the league
• Surprisingly, Western Carolina is the only SoCon team that is not .500 or better at home for the season
• Streaks:
- ETSU had won eight in a row until losing at home to UNCG last Saturday
- Wofford has won six in a row. The Terriers have won 10 straight inside Richardson Indoor Stadium
- Chattanooga has never had a losing record in 37 years playing at McKenzie Arena. They are currently 8-1 at home

III. Guys who need their Driver’s License

The Citadel (No. 1), Furman (No. 11) and Wofford (No. 17) are nationally ranked in 3-point field goals made per game. But there are several individual players in the Southern Conference that are “specialists” of sorts. These guys shoot a large percentage of shots from behind the arc and simply don’t drive to the basket as much as others:

• Tyler Burgess (The Citadel) 64 of 66 (97 percent of shots are 3-point field-goal attempts)
• Matt Frierson (The Citadel) 187 of 195 (96 percent)
• Josh Cottrell (WCU) 60 of 66 (91 percent)
• Patrick Good (ETSU) 144 of 159 (91 percent)
• Matt Halvorsen (WCU) 152 of 190 (80 percent)
• Kaiden Rice (The Citadel) 141 of 180 (78 percent)
• Keigan Kerby (Chattanooga) 29 of 38 (76 percent)
• Andrew Brown (Furman) 54 of 77 (70 percent)
• Jordan Lyons (Furman) 195 of 287 (68 percent)
• Brandon Austin (Samford) 135 of 202 (67 percent)
• Ross Cummings (Mercer) 151 of 224 (67 percent)

IV. SoCon Ladder

This is very difficult, as things continue to be refined on a weekly basis. Wofford is the one constant, as the Terriers are riding a six-game winning streak and look to be the team to beat. No doubt, this Ladder could very well look different in early February, but for now here are the selections as of Jan. 23:

1. Wofford – The Terriers have won six in a row and have a NET in the high 20s. This is a very good basketball team that does not beat itself. While Fletcher Magee is the star, they are far more than a one-man show. They’re two-deep at many positions
2. UNCG – You have to like everything about the Spartans. They have talent, experience and have good chemistry. You don’t go to Johnson City and beat ETSU in front of 5,700 fans unless you are a mentally tough outfit. Wes Miller has built a program that sustains through seasons
3. ETSU – The Bucs continue playing outstanding team basketball with eight players averaging between 6.9 and 12.4 points per game. Even though they had their eight-game winning streak snapped, the Bucs are as good as anyone in the Southern Conference. Did I mention they have three posts players that could start for everyone in the league?!
4. Furman – It’s obvious that the Paladins will be near the top all season. Bob Richey has a really good team. Even though they are just 3-4 over their past seven games, that has as much to do with the schedule as anything
5. Chattanooga – The Mocs are back! Maybe not all the way, but certainly this is a talented young group. They have already matched their win total (10) from last season. Kevin Easley is the leader for Freshman of the Year and fellow freshman Donovann Toatley has been solid in the backcourt. Arizona State transfer Ramon Vila is averaging 11.8 ppg, and 4.9 rpg and is shooting 68 percent from the field since becoming eligible in mid-December
6. Mercer – The Bears’ schedule was a bit unkind to start league play, as five of their first seven conference games were on the road. Returning to Hawkins Arena should help, especially after winning at Samford last weekend. The Bears will play seven of their final 11 league games at home. Let’s hope their fans are still engaged. If so, they could have a lot to say about the league standings
7. Western Carolina – This group is young but solid. I firmly believe they will be a factor as the regular season plays out. But to get there, they would be well-advised to start shooting a bit better from the field and free-throw line
8. Samford – Scott Padgett has a good basketball team. Period! The Bulldogs started the year 10-2 and while they are just 2-6 in their last eight games, they have enough talent and coaching that they will be a factor in the league race. Don’t get down on this group
9. VMI – The Keydets ended a five-game skid by beating Western Carolina on Saturday as Bubba Parham went for 33. The sophomore is a scoring machine even with all the attention he gets from opponents. Through injuries and everything else, Dan Earl and staff have kept the Keydets focused
10. The Citadel – In the midst of a losing streak, the Bulldogs have been close. Unfortunately, they don’t get the UNCG/VMI home or road swing this season. They play at UNCG on Thursday then have to travel home to play VMI on Saturday. All that said, no way this team will finish here, as Duggar Baucom and staff will get this corrected

Until the next “Dean’s List” on Feb. 6, follow me on twitter: @DeanKeener1