2009 Southern Conference Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/05/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 88th-annual Southern Conference Tournament is set to begin on Friday from the McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga.

Once again the top team in the Southern Conference was the Davidson Wildcats, who finished with a 16-2 mark against league opponents, grabbing the top seed in the South Division and one of the four first round byes. Chattanooga and Western Carolina finished the season tied at 11-9, but the Mocs grabbed the top seed in the North Division thanks to a tiebreaker. Western Carolina collected the second seed in the North Division, while The Citadel finished second in the South Division with a 15-5 ledger. All three teams will join Davidson in the quarterfinals, thanks to first round byes.

The College of Charleston Cougars finished tied with The Citadel in the South Division with a 15-5 mark, but since they finished on the wrong end of the tiebreaker the Cougars will battle the sixth-seed from the North Division, UNC Greensboro in first-round action. Claiming the third seed in the North Division was the Samford Bulldogs, who will take on the Furman Paladins, who were only good enough for the sixth spot in the South Division.

The other two matchups with pit the fourth-seeds from the North and South, Appalachian State and Wofford, against Elon and Georgia Southern, which finished in the fifth spot in the North and South Division, respectively.

Starting off postseason action will be the fifth-seeded Georgia Southern Eagles against the Appalachian State Mountaineers, who grabbed the fourth seed out of the North. The Eagles had their wings clipped this season, as the team grabbed just eight overall victories, finishing the year with a 5-15 mark in conference play. Georgia Southern comes into the tournament with 11 losses in its last 12 contests, and is currently surrendering 78.5 ppg, which ranks the team at the bottom of the Southern Conference. As for the Mountaineers, they stumbled down the stretch, losing five of their last seven matchups. The rough patch at the end of their schedule left the Mountaineers with a mere 9-11 mark in the Southern Conference, which was only good for fourth in the North Division. Much like their counterpart, the Mountaineers have also struggled defensively, allowing 76.6 ppg. If Appalachian State wants to grab its first title since 2000 the team will have to improve in that area on the floor.

Taking the third seed in the South Division is the College of Charleston Cougars, who will take on the UNC Greensboro Spartans in first-round action. The Cougars grabbed 23 victories this season, and finished with a very strong 15-5 mark in conference action. On top of their strong overall season, the team heads into this tournament playing great basketball, having won seven of its last eight games. The Cougars have relied on a dangerous offensive attack, as the team is netting 78.4 ppg, which is the second best in the Southern Conference. However, for the team to claim its first league title since 1999, the Cougars must perform better defensively. As for the Spartans, they closed out the regular-season with a 74-66 victory over Elon. However, it was just the fifth overall victory for UNCG, which finished with a terrible 4-16 ledger in conference action. The Spartans only have 10 wins in this tournament, and it is unlikely the team will see many more considering UNCG is netting just 63.2 ppg.

Another first-round matchup will have the Wofford Terriers battle the Elon Phoenix. The Terriers, who have enjoyed little success over the past few seasons, put forth a surprising display this year, winning 16 overall games, while posting a 12-8 mark in conference action. Wofford closed out its season with seven wins in its last nine games, and although the team has only five previous victories in this tournament, the Terriers are primed to make a small run this year. As for the Phoenix, they could do no better than fifth in the North Division. Elon collected just 10 wins on the season, but posted a meager 7-13 mark in league play. The team also stumbled down the stretch, losing five of its last seven games, including two in a row. Earlier this season the Phoenix were upended by Wofford, but by a narrow three-point margin in overtime.

The final matchup in the first round will have the Samford Bulldogs take on the Furman Paladins. The Paladins were one of the worst teams in the league this season, as the squad collected just six wins on the year. Furman also stumbled in league play, posting a 4-16 mark. Furman, which lost its last five games on the regular-season, was one of the worst offensive teams in the conference, netting just 61.3 ppg. As for the Bulldogs, they have relied on their tenacious defensive play, as the team was the top defensive squad in the Southern Conference, holding schools to just 61.7 ppg. Samford finished with the third-seed in the North Division, but the squad finished with just a 9-11 mark against conference teams, and closed out the year with six losses in its last nine contests.

The Southern Conference has been dominated by the Davidson Wildcats, and the team continued to tighten its stranglehold on the league with another regular- season title. The Wildcats have a league-best 56 tournament wins and have captured the title 10 times, and that includes three straight championships coming into this season. Since the beginning of the 2006-07 season the Wildcats have posted a remarkable 53-3 ledger in league action and that includes the team's 16-2 record in the SoCon this season. Overall Davidson finished with 25 wins on the year, mainly because of the play of standout guard Stephen Curry, who is leading the nation with 28.4 ppg. Curry is also pacing the Wildcats with 174 assists and is grabbing 4.3 rpg on the season. However, Curry is known mostly for his ability to score at will, and on February 28th against Georgia Southern, the guard scored 34 points, setting the Davidson career mark for points with 2,487. While Curry is the heart and soul of this team, the Wildcats are also receiving plenty of help from Andrew Lovedale in the paint, as the big man is contributing 12.5 ppg and a team-high 8.6 rpg. The Wildcats dropped a couple of conference games this season, but this is still their tournament to lose.

The last team to win the Southern Conference other than Davidson was the Chattanooga Mocs, who corralled the top seed out of the North. Other than the Wildcats, Chattanooga has won the most SoCon Tournament titles (nine) and tournament wins (48). Although Chattanooga is the top seed in the North this year, it is a deceiving accolade for the squad, which finished a game below .500 on the year overall. The Mocs were not that much better in league play as well, posting just an 11-9 record. A major reason for the mediocre ledger was the team's performance down the stretch, as Chattanooga dropped its last three regular-season games. The Mocs are one of the more dangerous scoring teams in the conference this year, as the squad is netting 76.5 ppg, which is good enough for third in the conference. Stephen McDowell has been the main scoring threat for Chattanooga, as the guard is netting 18.3 ppg. Where the Mocs do most of their damage however, is in the paint, as the team is led by Nicchaeus Doaks down low. Doaks is currently contributing 14.3 ppg on the year, and is pacing the team with 8.9 rpg. Joining Doaks in the post is Kevin Goffney and Khalil Hartwell, as Goffney is registering 13.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg, while Hartwell is chipping in with 9.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg.

The Citadel has been the laughing stock of the Southern Conference for many years, especially in tournament play, where the team is a pathetic 10-55. However, this year could be different for the Bulldogs, who grabbed the second seed in the South with a 15-5 conference mark. Overall the Bulldogs finished with 20 victories, marking only the second time in school history. The team was not dominant on the season offensively, but the squad is averaging 67.1 ppg. Demetrius Nelson has been the top scoring option on the year for The Citadel, as the forward is producing 16.1 ppg, to go along with a team-best 6.6 rpg. Cameron Wells, who is leading the team with 93 assists on the season, is also contributing 15.5 ppg. Fortunately the Bulldogs can rely on their strong defensive play, which carried the team through most of the season, as the Citadel is allowing just 64.2 ppg, which is good enough for second in the conference.

The second seed from the North Division is not on the same level as The Citadel, as the Western Carolina Catamounts finished with a mediocre 11-9 mark in league action. The Catamounts won their only SoCon title back in 1996, but their overall display in this tournament has been awful, as the team has racked up a record of 14-29 in this event. Heading into this postseason the Catamounts will need to rely on their solid play offensively, as the squad is currently netting 74.8 ppg, behind a 44.4 percent shooting effort. Harouna Mutombo is pacing the team with 14.6 ppg and is also grabbing a team-best 4.5 rpg. Brandon Giles is contributing 13.3 ppg for WCU, while Jake Robinson is chipping in 9.2 ppg. Brigham Waginger is only netting 8.6 ppg for WCU, but the guard has been a solid floor general, dishing out a team-high 101 assists. Unfortunately the team has endured some troubles defensively, as opponents are averaging 72.8 ppg against WCU, while shooting a high 47.0 percent from the floor.