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
I. Inside the SoCon
The Southern Conference continues to receive national interest in men’s basketball, and for good reason. Even though the league is a bit top-heavy this season, the overall attendance is up, the quality of play has been good, and while there have been a few lopsided scores, the intensity of most league games has been at a really good level. ETSU, Furman and UNC Greensboro all have at least 20 wins. ETSU has now reached 20 wins for the fifth consecutive year, while the Paladins and Spartans have done it in four straights seasons. All three schools are on program-record runs for consecutive 20-win seasons.

As we enter late February, there are several storylines in the league. As mentioned, three teams have 20 or more wins and the battle to secure a top-six seed in the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship presented by General Shale makes for constant conversation. But I think the biggest story is the potential of ETSU gaining an at-large bid in the event it doesn’t win the conference tournament. The Bucs have a NET ranking of No. 42 and a quality win at LSU which keeps them in conversation for a NCAA tournament bid. If they can win out in the regular season (that will not be easy) and make it to Monday night in Asheville, they should have a legitimate chance at the SoCon’s first at-large bid as they would be 29-5. The naysayers will point to limited Q1 wins and three non-DI games, but to me, they pass the eye and talent test. I know Steve Forbes has tried harder than anyone as it relates to scheduling. That said, I think the Southern Conference should limit teams to just one non-DI game. The Bucs beat those three teams 293-139 and get nothing from it other than ammunition from the Selection Committee as a reason not to take what could be one of the best 65 teams in the country. Regardless, this will be interesting to watch as we head toward tournament time.

Who will have the momentum – mentally and physically – to win multiple games in Asheville is also a big question. I believe there are five, maybe six teams that can win the tournament and while ETSU, Furman and UNCG are the clear favorites, all 10 teams can win one or two games, and that’s what makes things interesting. Much like last year, I believe this will be one of the best SoCon tournaments in recent memory.


II. Did You Know
• The Southern Conference currently has three teams with 20 wins or more for the fourth consecutive year
• Chattanooga, Western Carolina and Wofford all have a chance to reach 20 wins in the regular season. The Southern Conference has never had five teams eclipse the 20-win mark
• UNCG, ETSU and Furman lead the league in field-goal defense. Not surprisingly, they are the three best teams
• ETSU has held 18 straight opponents below their season scoring average
• UNCG leads Division I in turnover margin at +7.3 per game
• Samford leads the league in free throw percentage at .734. UNCG is last at .624. This will be interesting to watch come tournament time
• Carlos Dotson (Western Carolina) has 11 double-doubles in 14 conference games. He has 15 double-doubles on the season
• The tournament returns to Asheville. The venue is now called the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville. Previously known as the U.S. Cellular Center and originally as the Asheville Civic Center


III. In the Huddle?
Did you ever realize that from the opening tip to the final buzzer a coach has almost as much time with his team as actual game time? A college game is 40 minutes; yet if each team utilizes all its timeouts, including halftime (15 minutes) and media timeouts, there are 38 1/2 minutes of stopped time a coach has with his players. Factor in timeouts when officials go to the monitor to review a play and stopped time may exceed 40 minutes. So, what actually goes on during a timeout? 

Timeouts are used for a variety of reasons. Coaches use timeouts to discuss strategy, to rest their players, to save a possession in the event of a held ball as well as make substitutions and/or stop momentum by the opponent.

During stoppage in play, coaches have different philosophies on how to conduct a timeout, but there are generally a few constants: most quickly visit with their assistants, they allow players to catch their breath/get hydration and they relay information relevant to the game.

The next time you’re watching a game, look for changes in the offense or defense of each team coming out of a timeout. The good coaches have the innate ability to quickly recognize weaknesses in their opponents’ play and take advantage. In particular, watch for out-of-bounds plays and/or a change in half-court defense. These are areas where a good coach can “steal” a possession that can help his team win.


IV. SoCon City Restaurants
There are 10 cities in the Southern Conference and each one has some terrific places to eat before or after a game. This is not necessarily a ranking of five-star establishments, but simply places that have good food and/or a good atmosphere. I must admit that I’ve been to most but not all of the restaurants listed below and so, I’m sure there are many more:

Birmingham
• Gianmarco’s - Terrific Italian restaurant just minutes for the Samford campus. If you don’t have a reservation, try the wine bar in back

Charleston (probably not fair to list just four)
• Muse Restaurant & Wine Bar – The sea bass is off the charts
• FIG – Simply terrific food
• The Ordinary – A 1920s bank now houses an upscale seafood restaurant
• Dog & Duck – Family pub with 3 locations in the area

Chattanooga
• Main Street Meats – The place features a butcher shop. The café is great for lunch or dinner
• Alleia – Great Italian cuisine

Cullowhee
• Bogarts – Long-time restaurant a must visit when visiting Catamount country

Greensboro
• Scrambled – A great place for breakfast
• Hops Burger Bar – Really good burgers
• Lucky 32 – I’ve been told a must stop 
• Stamey’s Barbecue – Most say the best BBQ in Greensboro

Greenville
• Bacon Brothers Public House – Good food in a farmhouse type location
• Willy Taco – Mexican grub. Also have a Spartanburg location

Johnson City
• Southern Craft – Best Barbeque in the Tri-Cities
• Label – Possibly the best dinner restaurant in Johnson City
• Aubrey’s – Another good dinner location

Lexington
• The Palms – Old-style bar & grill
• Salerno Wood Fired Pizza – Simple and causal. Great pies and calzones

Macon
• Dovetail – For a nice dinner in Macon 
• The Rookery – Burgers, sandwiches and more
• Ocmulgee Brewpub – For good burgers and beer, go here
• Finchers BBQ – Really good BBQ

Spartanburg
• Cribbs Kitchen – Great casual place for burgers, salads and sandwiches
• Burrito Hub – I’m told by many the best tacos in the Upstate?


V. The SoCon Ladder
There are just two weeks remaining in the regular season and for the second consecutive year, in celebration of the Grammys last week, I have put together the song that I believe best describe each team. Please note that only the best hits of 2019 were considered. 

Broken down in tiers, here is the final SoCon Ladder of the 2019-20 regular season:

Tier I
• ETSU (“On a Roll” – Ashley O)
- The Bucs are good, really good. To say they are on a roll would be an understatement

• Furman (“Motivation” – Normani)
- Bob Richey’s Paladins can beat you in many different ways. They can defend, but they also shoot the ball very well. This is a motivated bunch. Can they sweep ETSU?

• UNCG (“I Don’t Care” – Ed Sheeran + Justin Bieber)
- The Spartans may have as much talent as anyone in the league. Most importantly, they know how to defend and don’t care who they’re playing. The quality wins at Georgetown and Vermont only validate that

Tier II
• Western Carolina (“Spirit” – Beyoncé)
- There is truly a spirit and specialness to this group. A season sweep of Wofford only confirms this is a very good team. Carlos Dotson is averaging a double-double and Mason Faulkner can score on anyone. Three at home, then a visit to ETSU for Senior Day. I have only one request … make sure Purple Thunder is in the house in Asheville!

• Chattanooga (“We Back” – Jason Aldean)
- One of the most tradition-rich programs in the Southern Conference is making its way back to relevancy. That someday is now

• Wofford (“Hey Look Ma, I Made It – Panic! At the Disco)
- A seamless transition from Mike Young to first-year head coach Jay McAuley has kept the Terriers in play for a postseason tournament. That said, they’ve lost three in a row and finish with games at UNCG, at Furman, ETSU and at Mercer. Ouch

• Mercer (“Now That I Found You” – Carly Rae Jepsen)
- Greg Gary was a great offseason hire. He and his staff have gotten the most out of this group. Great find for AD Jim Cole and his senior staff

Tier III
• Samford (“Heartache Medication” – Jon Pardi)
- The Bulldogs have had some tough luck and that’s caused some heartache. That said, they have enough talent to win multiple games in Asheville; they simply must take care of the ball!

• VMI (“Never Really Over” – Katy Perry)
- When playing the Keydets, it’s never over. Dan Earl does a great job and has his young team playing hard in every game. Although, isn’t that what you would want (and expect) for guys that one day may be asked to protect our country?

• The Citadel (“Cruel Summer” – Taylor Swift)
- Actually, it’s been a cruel winter for the Bulldogs. They have as many injured players as able bodies


Until the next “Dean’s List” on March 4, follow me on Twitter: @DeanKeener1