SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Mercer Bears are tabbed as the preseason favorites to win the Southern Conference women’s basketball title for the 2020-21 season, according to a vote by the league’s head coaches. Mercer senior guard/forward Shannon Titus was named the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year. The league’s media predicted Chattanooga, one of three teams to claim a share of the for the regular-season title in 2019-20, to win the SoCon title in 2020-21.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or student-athletes as part of the balloting.
Mercer finished the 2019-20 campaign 8-23 overall and 4-10 in SoCon play but were the regular season and tournament champion in both 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. Susie Gardner’s squad returns four starters, including Titus, a senior guard/forward, and Jaron Dougherty, a junior forward, both of whom earned spots on the preseason all-conference team. Mercer picked up five of the eight possible first-place votes. The Bears, picked third by the media, earned 45 total points from the coaches, six ahead of Chattanooga, who picked up 39 points and one first-place vote. The Mocs, however, were the media’s pick to win the league, amassing 115 points and eight of the 18 first-place votes. Chattanooga placed senior guard Bria Dial and junior forward Eboni Williams, the Mocs’ top two returning scorers, on the preseason all-conference squad.
Samford, the 2019-20 Southern Conference tournament and regular-season tri-champion, was selected third by the coaches and second by the media. The Bulldogs earned four first-place votes from the media and senior forward Natalie Armstrong, a 2019-20 first-team all-conference selection and the 2020 Southern Conference tournament Most Outstanding Player, was named to the preseason all-conference team by the coaches.
Furman, selected fourth by the coaches, picked up 31 points and one first-place vote. The Paladins were also tabbed fourth by the media (89). Redshirt senior Tierra Hodges, a 2019-20 second-team all-conference selection by the coaches after leading the league in rebounding, is a preseason all-conference selection for the Paladins.
UNC Greensboro, which finished last season 23-9 and 10-4 in SoCon play and earned a share of the 2019-20 regular season title before falling 59-54 to top-seed Samford in the championship final, came in fifth in the coaches’ poll (30) and tied for fourth in the media poll (89), picking up one first-place vote from the coaches. Redshirt senior forward/guard Aja Boyd, the Spartans’ top returning scorer, earned a spot on the preseason all-conference team.
Wofford took sixth in both the coaches poll (24) and the media poll (68). Senior forward Jamari McDavid earned a preseason all-conference nod.
ETSU took seventh in both the coaches (15) and media polls (52). Junior guard/forward E’Lease Stafford was named to the preseason all-conference team for the Bucs. Western Carolina was picked eighth in both polls, earning seven points in the coaches poll and 24 from the media. Lauren LaPlant, a redshirt senior guard who was second in the league in 3-pointers made (80) a season ago, earned a spot on the preseason all-conference squad.
All eight teams were represented on the 10-member SoCon preseason all-conference team, with Mercer and Chattanooga each placing a pair on the team.
The Southern Conference will conduct its virtual Basketball Media Day on Thursday, with interviews with each coach conducted by Pete Yanity airing on
ESPN+ beginning at 10:30 a.m. Eastern on Friday.
The 2020-21 season gets under way on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The 2021 Ingles Southern Conference Championship presented by General Shale will be held March 4-7 at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina.
2020-21 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
Team (1st-place votes) Total
| 1. Mercer (5) |
45 |
| 2. Chattanooga (1) |
39 |
| 3. Samford |
33 |
| 4. Furman (1) |
31 |
| 5. UNCG (1) |
30 |
| 6. Wofford |
24 |
| 7. ETSU |
15 |
| 8. Western Carolina |
7 |
2020-21 Preseason Player of the Year
Shannon Titus, Sr., G/F, Mercer
2020-21 Preseason All-Southern Conference Team
E’Lease Stafford, Jr., G/F, ETSU
Tierra Hodges, R-Sr., G/F, Furman
Jaron Dougherty, Jr., F, Mercer
Shannon Titus, Sr., G/F, Mercer
Aja Boyd, R-Sr., F/G, UNCG
Natalie Armstrong, Sr., F, Samford
Bria Dial, Sr., G, Chattanooga
Eboni Williams, Jr., F, Chattanooga
Lauren LaPlant, R-Sr., G, Western Carolina
Jamari McDavid, Sr., F, Wofford
2020-21 Preseason Southern Conference Media Poll
Team (1st-place votes) Total
| 1. Chattanooga (8) |
115 |
| 2. Samford (4) |
111 |
| 3. Mercer (2) |
100 |
| 4. Furman (3) |
89 |
| UNCG (1) |
89 |
| 6. Wofford |
68 |
| 7. ETSU |
52 |
| 8. Western Carolina |
24 |