Rush The Court

Justin Glover is the RTC correspondent for the Southern Conference.

Standings (conference/overall):

NORTH

1. Western Carolina  (1-0/6-1)
2. Samford  (1-0/2-5)
3. Chattanooga  (0-0/4-3)
4. UNC Greensboro  (0-0/1-4)
5. Appalachian State  (0-1/4-4)
6. Elon  (0-1/2-6)

SOUTH

1. Furman  (1-0/5-1)
2. Charleston  (1-0/2-3)
3. Davidson  (1-0/2-5)
4. Citadel  (0-1/5-4)
5. Wofford  (0-1/4-4)
6. Georgia Southern  (0-1/3-5)

Quick Hits: Western Carolina is the hottest team in the conference right now with a 6-1 record with its only loss coming against #2 Texas.  The Catamounts are coming off a home victory over Wofford 72-67 getting a huge game from senior guard Brandon Giles pouring in 22 points and 5 rebounds to give WCU its first conference win of the season.  The Catamounts hosted part of the CBE Classic winning all three of its home games against Arkansas-Monticello (70-44), Binghamton (73-44), and Duquesne (83-77).  Western Carolina has an impressive 5-0 record at home in the Liston B. Ramsey Center.  The Furman Paladins aren’t far behind the Catamounts posting a solid 5-1 start to its season including a road victory against Appalachian State, 85-82, on Thursday December 3.  Junior guard Jordan Miller was lights out scoring 26 points going 4-5 from 3-point land.  The Southern Conference opened conference play this week with Samford, Charleston, and Davidson also earning victories.

Most Disappointing teams: UNC-Greensboro and Elon have a combined record of 3-10 to start the season.  Elon is coming off a 24-point road loss to Samford on Thursday.  Samford was 1-5 until beating Elon handling to start 1-0 in the conference.  UNC-Greensboro has only one win, a 6-point win on the road against USC-Upstate.  The Spartans have lost by an average of 21 points in their four losses.

Sizzling players: Junior forward Noah Dahlman has been impressive all season long for Wofford leading the conference in scoring at 18 PPG as well as averaging 6.9 RPG.  Junior guard Cameron Wells has been equally as good averging 17.7 PPG for the Citadel.  Wells scored 23 points against Davidson Thursday December 3 in a 74-63 loss at home.

Upcoming Important Matchups:

• Fri. 12/4 Wofford @ Michigan State 7 p.m.
• Sat. 12/5 Western Carolina @ Furman 4 p.m. – Currently the two best teams in their respective divisions meet to see who can start 2-0 in conference.
• Sat. 12/5 Davidson @ College of Charleston 4 p.m CSS TV – A battle of two teams at 1-0 in conference.
• Thursday 12/10 Campbell @ Western Carolina 7 p.m. – Two very quality mid-majors get head-to-head as both teams are off to fast starts with Campbell at 4-1 and the Catamounts at 6-1.
• Sat. 12/12 Davison @ Gonzaga 4 p.m. – A match-up with a mid-major powerhouse in Gonzaga could be huge for the conference RPI.

Team Breakdowns:

Appalachian State (4-4):  If it wasn’t for the tough loss to Furman (85-82) on Thursday, the Mountaineers could be riding a three game winning streak.  Appy State beat Morgan State 93-92 in overtime on November 28th and beat Winthrop 70-51 in its previous two games.

Chattanooga (4-3):  After losing three straight, the Mocs have responded with two straight wins over Longwood 74-70 and Jacksonville State 80-71 on December 1st in its last two games.  Keegan Bell led Chattanooga with 17 points in the Jacksonville State victory.

College of Charleston (2-3):  After losing two in a row to East Tennessee State, 77-71, on November 25th and an 86-69 loss at Tennessee on November 27th, the Cougars bounced back.  Opened conference play with a 68-59 victory over Georgia Southern on December 3.

Davidson (2-5):  Has won two of its last three games starting with a 78-37 win against Fredonia State on November 25th.  Lost against Rhode Island, 75-65, but bounced back with a 74-63 road victory against the Citadel.  Senior guard Will Archambault scored 21 points to give the Wildcats their first conference win of the season.

Elon (2-6):  The Phoenix are on a four-game losing streak with losses to Hofstra (70-46), Yale (69-65), UNC-Wilmington (86-56), and most recently Samford (55-31).  That is an average of 20.5 points per loss.  Their defensive struggles have really hurt them recently trying to turn it around in the next couple of weeks.

Furman (5-1):  The Paladins have one of the elite scorers in the conference in junior guard Jordan Miller who continues to play inspired basketball early.  Furman’s only loss was a 77-65 defeat on the road against Rice.  Defeated Appalachian State on the road 85-82 to start 1-0 in conference.

Georgia Southern (3-5):  Were riding a two-game winning streak before losing to the College of Charleston 68-59 on Thursday December 3rd.  Defeated Arkansas-Fort Smith 86-77 in overtime thanks to 18 points from Willie Powers. Followed that win with a 80-77 win against Troy getting 21 points from sophomore guard Ben Drayton.

Samford (2-5): Has won two of its last three games starting with a 68-52 victory over McNeese State on November 23rd. Lost 74-53 at Texas Tech on November 28th but open conference play with a dominating performance against Elon winning 55-31 on December 3rd.

The Citadel (5-4): The Bulldogs had won two-straight games before losing to the Davison Wildcats on December 3rd 74-63. Defeated Virginia-Wise 69-37 on November 28th.  A day later against Central Connecticut State the Bulldogs won again 67-53.

UNC-Greensboro (1-4): Has played three ACC opponents in Duke (96-62, L), Virginia Tech (59-46, L), Clemson (89-67, L). Last two games was a 76-70 road win against USC-Upstate on November 24th and a loss against East Carolina 82-61 on November 28th.

Western Carolina (6-1): Since the Catamounts traveled to #2 Texas (73-41, L) they haven’t lost winning five straight including a 72-67 win to open conference play against Wofford on December 2nd.  Senior guard Brandon Giles has scored 24 and 22 points in his last two games.  Also, Western Carolina has defeated three mid-majors in Binghamton (73-44), Duquesne (83-77), and Gardner-Webb (75-59) to help boost the conference.

Wofford (4-4): The Terriers were riding a two-game winning streak before losing a tough five point lost against Western Carolina on the road.  Defeated Southern 81-66 on November 27th and one night later defeated Seattle, 84-83, thanks to 23 points from Noah Dahlman.  Dahlman was named SoCon men’s basketball November Athlete of the Month, averaging 18 points over that time.