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 SoCon Hoops

The college basketball season is well underway, and thus far the season has been a bit of a roller coaster. Nationally, we’ve already seen three teams ranked No. 1, controversial calls as well as multiple games decided at the buzzer or in overtime. We’ve also seen the return of coaches to where they first started (Ed Conroy at The Citadel, Sean Miller at Xavier, Thad Matta at Butler, and Steve Prohm at Murray State). All have their teams playing well.
 
Since the regular season tip off five weeks ago, the highs and lows simply confirm why college basketball is among the best – and most unpredictable – team sports. But then again with the West Regionals (Sweet 16 & Elite 8) coming to Las Vegas this March for the first time (T-Mobile Arena), who would expect anything other than a crazy season ahead.
 
There have also been some highlights within the Southern Conference in the early going. SoCon teams have generally taken care of business at home, where they are collectively 39-11. There have been a few missed opportunities, but overall, I think collectively the league is much better than its current No. 22 NET ranking (KenPom currently has the SoCon ranked #17).
 
The hottest team in the league appears to be Chattanooga. Dan Earl has his Mocs playing well. The Mocs are currently 7-3, having won five straight. In addition, graduate transfer Jake Stephens is playing at a very high level. The Mocs have three key nonconference games remaining – Middle Tennessee, Belmont and Georgia – before league play begins. While Furman dropped a tough one to hot-shooting High Point last week, they bounced back and beat a good Winthrop team. Without question, the Paladins remain one of the teams to beat in the conference.
 
With just two weeks before conference play kicks off, the league looks to be as evenly matched as any in recent memory. Teams still have an opportunity to help themselves as well as the league’s NET ranking with some key nonconference matchups. But, regardless of what happens throughout the remainder of the month, I think we’ve come to learn this is going to be a very competitive season in men’s basketball. It’s anyone’s guess how things will play out, but it should be lots of fun.
 
Conference play begins Dec. 28 when Mercer visits Samford. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
             
II. SoCon Fast Facts

• Dalvin White (Chattanooga) is second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.33
• Jake Stephens (Chattanooga) is on pace to finish his career with more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds
• Over the past seven-plus seasons, Furman has one of the best home-court advantages in the country by posting an 89-15 overall record. For what it’s worth, Division III Randolph-Macon College has college basketball’s longest home winning streak. The Yellow Jackets have won 51 straight at home
• At age 39, Bob Richey ranks as the youngest coach in the top 15 winningest active Division I coaches
• The Citadel is 18^th in the nation in free-throw percentage (77.2 percent)
• Furman is 20th in the nation in field-goal percentage (49.8 percent)
• Western Carolina is limiting opponents to just 30.9 percent from 3-point range. This is a big improvement from last season (35.7 percent) and should serve the Catamounts well in league play
• Since Feb. 16, 1987, in a game against Davidson, ETSU has made at least one 3-pointer in 1,102 consecutive games

 
III. Five Observations Thus Far

• Jake Stephens (Chattanooga), Mike Bothwell (Furman), Jalen Slawson (Furman), Stephen Clark (The Citadel), Sean Conway (VMI), Tre Jackson (Western Carolina), B.J. Mack (Wofford) and freshman Jackson Paveletzke (Wofford) are playing at a high level
• The Citadel has four Division I wins and are holding opponents to 40.8 percent shooting. Ed Conroy looks to have a revamped roster playing well and ready for conference play
• Sean Conway will need to carry a heavy load for VMI this season but so will the freshmen. Currently, Conway leads the Keydets in scoring at 15.7 points per game, while freshmen collectively are contributing 47.4 points per game
• Mercer freshman David Craig (Mercer) is one of the tallest players in league history. At 7-2, he has a chance to be a factor. While not at a level to dominate at this time, he’s been pressed into action with the injuries to Shannon Grant and James Glisson III and this has escalated his development. He already has three double-doubles – second among all freshman in Division I – only Duke’s Kyle Filipowski has more
• It’s always difficult to analyze stats among conference teams this early in the season as there is such a discrepancy in the competition. I don’t believe we will really see individual and team stats that matter until the conference season is in full swing

 
IV. New Rules

This year may have the fewest rule changes in recent memory. Flopping was considered to be a major concern in the college game and the rules committee felt that an initial warning for flopping was not enough of a deterrent. Therefore, this season, if a player is called for flopping, the opposing team is awarded one free throw. The hope is that this will curb flopping. Many times, this is a difficult call for the officials, and it remains to be seen how effectively this is working.

In addition, conferences are now allowed to have their teams use live and preloaded video on their benches during games. 


V. New Year’s Resolutions

It’s hard to believe, but 2023 is just a few weeks away. That means it’s time for our annual New Year’s Resolution list. I think there are some realistic goals for each program as they enter the new year and conference play begins:
 
The Citadel – Find a fourth. This Bulldogs have several good players. Stephen Clark is as versatile as anyone in the league. Austin Ash and Elijah Morgan are also experienced and talented. But the Bulldogs will need at least one more player to step up as conference play begins
 
ETSU – Help the King reign. The Bucs need Jordan King to find his rhythm. The senior has not shot the ball well and currently has a 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He’s much better than that and once he gets going, look out
 
Furman – Understand they are everyone’s BIG game. The Paladins have been the most consistent program in the conference the past five years. They simply need to be reminded that every league member circles their game against them
 
Mercer – Get healthy. The Bears need Shannon Grant and James Glisson III to return to action for conference play to compete against the SoCon’s elite. These are two potential starters that will have an impact on winning for Greg Gary and staff
 
UNCG – Shoot it better. Everyone in college basketball knows that Mike Jones is an outstanding coach, especially at the defensive end. The Spartans simply need to find a better rhythm at the offensive end as they are not shooting well enough
 
Samford – Get home and get healthy. Third-year coach Bucky McMillian has lots of talent and all the ingredients for success. But they will go 32 days between home games (Nov. 27 to Dec. 28). They’ve been drawing better and need to get the students re-engaged as conference play beings. They also need a little luck on the injury front
 
Chattanooga – Keep shooting the 3 ball (but don’t ever forget about Jake Stephens). The Mocs lead the nation in 3-pointers made at 12 per game. In addition, they have the best player in the SoCon through the first five weeks of the season in Jake Stephens. The graduate transfer leads the league in scoring, rebounding and blocks.
 
VMI – Good health! With only 10 healthy players, the Keydets can ill afford to lose anyone on the roster. Andrew Wilson has done a really nice job under difficult circumstances in the early going
 
Western Carolina – Stay the course. The Catamounts have the talent and coaching to be a factor in the league race. But if they are going to win meaningful conference games, they will need to shoot it just a bit better. Equally, they need to protect home court, as they have traditionally been very good inside the Ramsey Center
 
Wofford – Understand that things will be alright. With Jay McAuley taking a leave of absence on Dec. 5, things changed. The players reacted by beating Coastal Carolina the next day. They have the talent to overcome and have an outstanding season if everyone will do just a little bit more
 
 
We will talk about current happenings in the Southern Conference in the next edition of “The Dean’s List” on Jan. 4, 2023. Until then, Happy Holidays to all. Be safe.
 
 
Follow me on Twitter: @DeanKeener1