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Southern Conference Tournament Preview

by Jonathan Gonzalez

The first stop to March Mania. That is the tagline for the 84th edition of the Kyocera Southern Conference Basketball Championship, which kicks off today at noon in Chattanooga, Tenn. For Davidson, it is a stop that the Wildcats hope is indeed the first for them, and the last for each of their 11 SoCon adversaries as the NCAA Tournament approaches.

Although seven teams have a legitimate shot at winning the SoCon tourney, a Davidson loss would be a major disappointment for a team that finished unbeaten in league play. To put Davidson's league dominance into perspective, think about this: the Wildcats finished with a six-game lead - that's right, six - over SoCon South second-place finishers College of Charleston and Georgia Southern.

Some of you may be thinking that Davidson has won 15 in a row and 20 for the season, so even if they should falter, a bid should be waiting for them. Sure, a bid to the NIT, not the NCAA. The cold, hard truth is that this is the Southern Conference, a one-bid league.

Without a doubt, this is Davidson's tourney to lose. The Wildcats' journey starts at noon. The home court may be Chattanooga's, but in all honesty, that should not make that much of a difference to a Wildcat team that has not tasted defeat in conference play. Anything less than Davidson cutting down the nets on Saturday would spell disaster in Wildcat country.

First Round, March 2

(Game 1) No. 4 North Elon (7-22, 5-11) vs. No. 5 South Wofford (14-13, 7-9) at 12 p.m.
(Game 2) No. 3 South Georgia Southern (17-12, 10-6) vs. No. 6 North Western Carolina (8-21, 3-13) (30 min after Game 1).
(Game 3) No. 4 South Furman (16-12, 9-7) vs. No. 5 North East Tennessee State 9-18, 4-12) at 6 p.m.
(Game 4) No. 3 North Appalachian State (16-11, 9-7) vs. No. 6 South The Citadel (12-15, 4-12) (30 min after Game 3).

Quarterfinals, March 3

(Game 5) No. 1 South Davidson (20-7, 16-0) vs. Winner of Game 1 at 12 p.m.
(Game 6) No. 2 North UNC Greensboro (16-11, 9-7) vs. Winner of Game 2 (30 min after Game 5).
(Game 7) No. 1 North Chattanooga (17-10, 10-6) vs. Winner of Game 3 @ 6 p.m.
(Game 8) No. 2 South College of Charleston (18-9, 10-6) vs. Winner of Game 4 (30 min after Game 7).

Semifinals, March 4

(Game 9) Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner at 6 p.m.
(Game 10) Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner at 8:30 p.m.

SoCon Championship, March 5

Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner at 8 p.m.

Inside the First Round

Elon vs. Wofford

Season Series: Wofford won the lone match up 75-63.

Analysis: The Terriers beat Elon with hot-shooting back Feb. 14. Wofford shot a blistering 54 percent from the field en route to a 75-63 win. Both teams are evenly matched, so the win will probably go to the team that can make its shots. Stopping Wofford guard Adrien Borders will be key for Elon.

Prediction: Wofford 68 Elon 59

Georgia Southern vs. Western Carolina

Season Series: GSU won the lone match up 85-76.

Analysis: Way back on Jan. 3, Western Carolina beat up Georgia Southern on the boards, had four starters in double figures and hit 10 three pointers. About the only thing the Catamounts did not lead GSU in was the score, as the Eagles capitalized on 28 WCU turnovers en route to an 85-76 win. Obviously, Western Carolina needs to take care of the ball to win. For Georgia Southern, a solid shooting day plus more aggressiveness on the boards should equal a win.

Prediction: GSU 73 WCU 70.

Furman vs. East Tennessee State

Season Series: Furman won the lone match up 76-68.

Analysis: The Jan. 8 match up between Furman and ETSU featured 16 lead changes and was decided only when Furman's Ben Earle hit two late three-pointers. Aside from Earle's late flurry, the only difference between the two teams was Furman's advantage in free-throw percentage. In a game with two teams so evenly matched, look for the difference to be a great individual performance. The suspects are ETSU's Tim Smith and Furman's Moussa Diagne.

Prediction: ETSU 83 Furman 73

Appalachian State vs. The Citadel

Season Series: ASU won the lone match up 84-66.

Analysis: Appalachian State routed the Citadel Feb. 3, thanks in large part to sharp three-point shooting. What ASU did not do well was rebound. The Mountaineers were out-rebounded by the Citadel 69-41. That kind of pounding on the boards usually warrants a loss, so don't expect ASU to be so lucky again if they can't have better success on the boards. If the Mountaineers can control the boards and get scoring from their bench, they win. If the Citadel can win on the boards, take care of the ball and limit ASU's offensive opportunities, they have a good chance to get a victory.

Prediction: ASU 90 The Citadel 75

Jonathan Gonzalez is a Hoopville Staff writer living in North Carolina. He can be contacted by clicking here.

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