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 X: @DeanKeener1
   

1. Inside SoCon Hoops

 
The college basketball season is well underway, and nationally, we’ve seen a bit of a roller coaster.  Purdue, Kansas, Houston, UConn, and Arizona are as good as anyone, yet they all have at least one loss, except for Houston. Kentucky, Creighton, and Marquette are also among the top teams at this time, but there appear to be at least ten to fifteen teams that will challenge for a national championship.
 
Since the regular season tip off six weeks ago, the great games, upsets, and buzzer-beating wins (yes, Chattanooga’s Trey Bonham’s half-court shot against Gardner-Webb was as good as any thus far in college basketball) simply confirms why college basketball is among the best - and most unpredictable - team sport.
 
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 43-7 through December 19.  There have been a few missed opportunities, but UNCG had a great win at Arkansas, Western Carolina beat Notre Dame, Chattanooga beat Louisville and on Tuesday, December 19, The Citadel beat Notre Dame and Western Carolina notched their second Power 5 win of the season at Vanderbilt. 
 
The hottest team in the league appears to be Samford. The Bulldogs have won 10 straight after beating Valparaiso on Tuesday.  Western Carolina is playing very well. The Catamounts are led by a terrific backcourt and stand at 9-2 after beating Vanderbilt. With the win, WCU is off to the program's best start since the 2009-10 season. The UNCG Spartans have dropped two in a row, and currently stand at 8-3, but they will be a factor come conference play. The Chattanooga Mocs are also 8-3 and have a key non-conference game remaining at Auburn on Dec. 30. Furman is 6-6, but don’t let their record fool you as they have played a challenging schedule.  They have also been without Marcus Foster the past few weeks.  It would not be wise to count the Paladins out when league play begins. 
 
Greg Gary has Mercer headed in the right direction as the Bears have won three straight and looked good doing it.  They’re doing it with a blend of returning players, newcomers as well as a few transfers.  The Citadel is as improved as anyone in the league.  Ed Conroy has size and experience, and the Bulldogs will also be a factor in the league race.  ETSU has won three straight and four of their last five and seem to be jelling at the right time.  Wofford has won four in a row.  The Terriers are going to surprise, as many had them in the lower tier.  And while the VMI Keydets only have two wins, they’ve only played four home games to date.  Don’t think it will be easy to win a league game inside Cameron Hall in January or February!
 
With just two weeks before conference play kicks off, the league looks to be evenly matched.  In addition, teams still have opportunities to help themselves as well as the league’s NET ranking with some key non-conference matchups.  But, regardless of what happens throughout the remainder of the month, we’ve come to learn this is going to be a very competitive season in men’s basketball. Conference play begins Jan. 3 when all ten members are in action.  It’s anyone’s guess how things will play out, but it should be lots of fun.
              

2. SoCon Fast Facts

 

• Vonterius Woolbright (Western Carolina) and Sam Alexis (Chattanooga) are both averaging a double double.  In fact, Woolbright leads the SoCon in scoring (21.5 ppg) AND rebounding (11.8 rpg)!
• Over the past four-plus seasons, Furman has had one of the best home court advantages in the country by posting an 51-5 overall record
• Samford is fifth in the country in scoring offense averaging 90.5 points per game
• Samford is also fifth in assists per game (20.6/game) while Furman is ninth in the country in assists per game at 19.3
• The SoCon announced that HD Intelligence will be the league’s official performance analytics partner for men’s and women’s basketball.   The SoCon is the first conference to develop a league-wide agreement with HDI for performance analytics

 

3. 6 Observations thus far

 

1. Vonterius Woolbright (Western Carolina) is currently playing at another level.  In addition, Mikeal Brown-Jones (UNCG), Kobe and Keyshaun Langley (UNCG), Honor Huff (Chattanooga), Sam Alexis (Chattanooga), Achor Achor (Samford), AJ Staton-McCray (Samford), JP Pegues (Furman) and prior to injury, Marcus Foster (Furman) are also playing well in the non-conference
2. I’m not sure there is a more improved player in the league than Donovan Atwell at UNCG.  The lefty has been terrific so far averaging almost 12 points per game while shooting over 38% behind the arc. His improvement creates spacing that allows the Langley’s to drive the ball.  Equally, it helps Brown-Jones operate inside.  Special consideration goes to Western Carolina sophomore DJ Campbell who is also much improved and key cog in the Catamounts lineup
3. The Citadel has five Division I wins and is holding opponents to 41.2% shooting. A revamped roster has Ed Conroy and the Bulldogs playing well and ready for conference play
4. Even with the influx of transfers, there are still several freshmen that are making their mark in the earlier going.  Koree Cotton and Tyran Cook at VMI are averaging double figures as well as Myles Che at Chattanooga.  Anthony Benard (Mercer) is starting at point guard for Mercer and doing a solid job as is teammate Jake Davis who went for 26 points, including four made 3-pointers, in a win over Georgia State. He can really shoot it.  Finally, Jeremy Lorenz (Wofford) is averaging 9.0 ppg while shooting 51.4% from the field
5. It’s always difficult to analyze stats among conference teams this early in the season as there is sometimes a discrepancy in the competition.  I don’t believe we will really see many team stats that matter until the conference season is in full swing.  That said, we’re seeing some terrific individual play across the entire conference
6. The NCAA ruling that recently allowed two-time transfers immediate eligibility will certainly effect several teams in the SoCon.  Trey Bonham (Chattanooga) dropped 14 in his Chattanooga debut last Saturday helping the Mocs defeat Alabama A&M.  All he did in his second game was go for 15 points, including the game-winning, half-court buzzer-beater!

 

4. Best of the Non-conference

• Best win(s) – UNCG beating Arkansas and The Citadel winning at Notre Dame
• Player – Vonterius Woolbright
• Team(s) – There are several options for this award, but I’m going with the Samford Bulldogs who are riding a 10-game winning streak.  Western Carolina also deserves mention as the Catamounts are doing something special in Cullowhee

 

5. New Rules

There were several new rules this year, but the biggest by far is regarding legal guarding position.  The change to the “block/charge” rule is the defender MUST be set and in position by the time the offensive player plants a foot to go airborne to attempt a field goal
 
V.         New Year’s Resolutions
 
It’s hard to believe, but 2024 is less than two 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 – Keep battling on the Boards. The Bulldogs currently have a rebound margin of + 5.6.  Yes, some of that is due to two non-DI games, but this group can rebound! Quentin Millora-Brown leads the way at 9.4 rpg. They will need to continue with this trend as conference play begins
 
ETSU – Cut down on turnovers.  The Bucs have shown they are a solid team. But only one player in the rotation - Quimari Peterson - has more assists than turnovers.  If they can cut down on turnovers, they will be a factor during league play
 
Furman – Understand they are everyone’s BIG game.  I talked about this last year.  The Paladins need to be reminded that every league member circles their game against them
 
Mercer – Make the free ones.  The Bears have played really well the past two weeks.  Now they need to shoot free throws better as a team to win on the road come conference play
 
UNCG – Continue to develop the bench.  Everyone in college basketball knows that Mike Jones is an outstanding coach, especially at the defensive end.  The Spartans are playing well, they just need a bit more production from the bench
 
Samford – Don’t change a thing. Bucky McMillian has lots of talent and all the ingredients for success. The Bulldogs are currently riding a 10-game winning streak and getting production from 12 players!
 
UTC – Keep shooting the 3-ball. The Mocs are once again among the nation’s leaders in three-point attempts per game (30.6) and makes (10.7). The eligibility of Trey Bonham simply adds another perimeter shooter
 
VMI – Get Home!  Andrew Wilson’s Keydets are as young as any team in the country.  They will be fine, but simply need to get back to the friendly confines of Cameron Hall
 
Western Carolina – Stay the course and simply get 5% better at the defensive end.  The Catamounts have lots of talent as well as good coaching and will be a major factor in the league race. Vonterius Woolbright is playing at a very high level.  It’s not that the Catamounts are poor at the defensive end, they simply need to keep getting better if they want to reach their goals
 
Wofford – Understand that things will be alright. Statistically, the Terriers look like a solid team.  It’s because they are. With several new players playing key roles, everyone knew it would take some time.  They also need to stay mentally tough as four of their first six conference games are away from home
 
 
We will talk about current happenings in the Southern Conference in the next edition of “The Dean’s List” on January 10, 2024.  Until then, Happy Holidays to all. Be safe.
 
 
Follow me on X:  @DeanKeener1