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
 
We are just 30 days from the start of the Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships in Asheville. There is still lots of basketball to play, including several key games that will decide the regular-season champion. But it’s a race to finish in the top six. Remember, it’s critical to finish in the top six, as teams don’t want to play in the first round on Friday night in Asheville. It’s difficult enough to win three games in a row, let alone four.
 
Not surprisingly, Furman, UNCG and Samford have started to separate themselves just a bit from the pack. The Paladins were the preseason favorites, with Samford and UNCG also garnering lots of love back in the fall. They have all proven to be outstanding teams with ingredients for success. They have good guard play, they share the ball, and they have multiple go-to players that can score when a play breaks down. Sure, they are well-coached, but every SoCon team is well-coached. Right now, it’s about players and no one should ever forget that.
 
It's the middle of pack where things get interesting. Wofford, Western Carolina, Chattanooga, Mercer, The Citadel and ETSU have all shown they can win. I firmly believe Wofford, Western Carolina, Chattanooga and Mercer will affect the final seedings as much as anyone. Wofford is playing solid basketball. Their win at home Saturday against a red-hot Samford team proved they can beat anyone. The Catamounts got back to their winning ways with a win over VMI. The next two games are key as they need to try and protect home court against Samford and Chattanooga. The injury to Jake Stephens has hit the Mocs hard, but they bounced back with a key win last Saturday at ETSU. And Mercer’s Jalyn McCreary has hit a really nice stride and has helped the Bears win four of their last five.
 
The month of February should be exciting!
 

II. In The Know?

• UNCG has held 10 opponents below 61 points this season
• Eleven of the top 20 scoring leaders in the SoCon are transfers
• Chattanooga’s Delvin White remains first nationally in assist/turnover ratio at 3.76
• Furman leads the league (and ranks 10th nationally) in assists per game at 17.5
• Jake Stephens earned a spot on the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. Since the 1958-59 season, the USBWA has named a National Player of the Year. In 1998, the award was named in honor of the two-time USBWA Player of the Year Oscar Robertson. It is the nation's oldest award. Stephens is one of 50 selections, and the only Southern Conference representative, on the midseason watch list. Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe earned the award in 2022

III. SoCon Trivia True or False
 
Last edition we had a few questions to test your knowledge about Southern Conference Basketball. Let’s see where you rank with a few more (answers at the bottom):

1. Les Robinson coached at two different Southern Conference schools
2. Jim Schaus is the ninth commissioner in the history of the Southern Conference
3. There have been more than 50 SoCon members throughout its history
4. The most rebounds in a game by an individual is 51
5. Steph Curry is the all-time leading scorer in SoCon men’s basketball

IV. Most Improved
 
There are several players that have made a nice jump since last season.
 
As we have mentioned in the past, there are many reasons why it takes some longer to develop or break into the rotation. For some players, it’s nothing more than adjusting to the speed and physicality of the college game. In other instances, a player may be stuck behind an older or more talented player and merely needs to wait his time. Regardless, it’s always great to see players grow and improve throughout their careers.
 
Player development at the college level comes in many different forms. It’s time spent on the court developing and refining fundamentals. It’s also time spent in the weight room getting stronger and quicker as well as time in the film room. It can also be learning about diet and proper nutrition, which is so important for young players.
 
Here are some of the most improved players in the league:

• JP Pegues (Furman) – Arguably the most improved player in the SoCon. He waited – and learned – behind Alex Hunter and is now playing outstanding basketball for the Paladins in his sophomore season

• Corey Tripp (Wofford) – A close second behind Pegues in terms of improvement. No doubt Tripp has been pressed into a much bigger role with the losses of Max Klesmit and Morgan Safford. But credit him for improving his jump shot, buying into his role and being a better all-around player

• Logan Dye (Samford) – At first glance, you may ask why a fifth-year guy whose numbers are not significantly different from a year ago is one of the most improved. His points and rebounds are slightly up from last season, but I would offer that Logan Dye is impacting winning more this year than ever before

• Jaden Seymour (ETSU) – Seymour spent his freshman season at Wichita State before moving to ETSU. Last year, he averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game for the Bucs. This season, he is averaging 8.2 points while leading ETSU in rebounding (7.2) and blocks (0.8). Unfortunately, he has not shot well from the free-throw line this season

V. March Madness
 
The NCAA Division I Transformation Committee’s recent report included the idea of expanding March Madness. The Committee’s recommendation was to accommodate access for 25 percent of Division I members in team sports sponsored by more than 200 schools. Thus, the men’s basketball tournament would expand to at least 90 teams.
 
Many will say that this would simply reward the Power Five conferences as well as the Big East with more bids. During the tournament last year, of the 36 at-large bids in the field of 68, 29 went to those “Power Six” conferences. That’s in line with the average these conferences generally get each Selection Sunday. But I would argue that expanding to a 96-team tournament would not only mean more at-large bids for them but more importantly for other mid-major conferences.
 
During the past decade, a larger tournament would have probably meant several SoCon team receiving an at-large (e.g. 2018-19 UNCG Spartans were 29-7). If the tournament was expanded, SoCon teams that win the regular season may not feel as much pressure to win the postseason tournament, but I don’t think that would change the environment in Asheville at all. In addition, there would be seasons when three or four member schools would be in the conversation for an at-large bid and that would only help the league in the national media as they would be mentioned repeatedly in January and February.
 
The one difficulty for SoCon coaches may be scheduling. They would need to potentially do away with non-DI games in order to be laser focused on the best NET possible. But that’s easier said than done as the Power Six have moved to more conference games, thus limiting nonconference opportunities.
 
That said, I believe the more games during March Madness the better. There is nothing more fun than watching the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, especially during the early rounds!
 

VI. Slotting the Teams

There are three at the top in Tier I, but the others will all have a say in how things shake out. The month of February is going to be a lot of fun for SoCon hoop fans:
 
Tier I
 
Furman – The Paladins had a good week, beating Samford in overtime at home, then beating UNCG on the road. Thus, we have a three-way tie for first place between those teams. The Paladins will go as far as their defense carries them
 
Samford – The Bulldogs had a tough road trip to the Upstate, but they are still a very talented team
 
UNCG – The Spartans struggled to score in the loss to Furman on Sunday. They now go on the road for a tricky two-game swing – Mercer on Thursday night and The Citadel on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Tier II
 
Wofford – This team continues to show resiliency and toughness. The win over Samford once again proved they can beat anyone in the league. The game against Furman at the Well on Saturday looms large!
 
Chattanooga – Life without Jake Stephens is not easy, but Dan Earl and staff have done a terrific job managing the roster. The win at ETSU proved this team is gritty and will not go away
 
Western Carolina – The Catamounts got a much-needed win on the road at VMI last week. Now they get Samford and Chattanooga at home before road games at Wofford and Furman
 
Mercer – Don’t look now, but the Bears have won four of their last five! They will finish conference play with five of their final eight inside Hawkins Arena, which bodes well. I’ll say it again, something tells me we’re going to continue hearing from this group through the end of league play
 
The Citadel – The Citadel finished up its nonconference slate with a loss against Chicago State on Monday. The Bulldogs now set their sights on home games against VMI and UNCG in what is a huge weekend for the Bulldogs
 
Tier III
 
ETSU – The Bucs have not played that poorly at the defensive end. It’s simply a matter of shooting better. During the past five games (1-4), they are shooting just 42 percent from the field and 28.7 percent from behind the arc
 
VMI – The young Keydets continue to battle. Again, teams would be wise to be prepared when they visit Cameron Hall, especially when the Cadets are in attendance
 

True or False

1. True (Les Robinson coached at The Citadel and ETSU)
2. True (Jim Schaus is the ninth commissioner in the history of the Southern Conference)
3. False (There have been 44 SoCon members)
4. True (William & Mary’s Bill Chambers had 51 rebounds vs. Virginia in 1953)
5. True (Curry ended his Davidson College career with 2,635 points)

 
 
Until the next “Dean’s List” on Feb. 15, follow me on Twitter: @DeanKeener1