Southern Conference 2012-2013 Year in Review: Awards and Previewing the SoCon Tournament

AWARDS:

1st Team All SoCon 

1)  Guard: Trey Sumler- Western Carolina

2)  Guard: Jack Isenbarger- Elon

3)  Forward: Trevis Simpson UNCG

4)  Forward: Lucas Troutman- Elon

5)  Center: Mike Groselle- Citadel

2nd Team All SoCon 

1) Guard: Karl Cochran- Wofford

2) Guard: Darrell Armstrong- UNCG

3) Forward: Z. Mason- Chattanooga

4) Forward: Nathan Healy- Appalachian State
5) Center: Jake Cohen- Davidson

3rd Team All SoCon 

1) Guard: Raijon Kelly- Samford

2) Guard: C.J. Reed- Georgia Southern

3) Forward: Jay Canty- Appalachian State

4) Forward: Ryley Beaumont- Elon

5) Center: Adjehi Baru- Charleston

Freshman All SoCon Team

1) Guard: Tanner Samson- Elon

2) Guard: Spencer Collins- Wofford

3) Forward: Gee McGhee- Chattanooga

4) Forward: Tim Williams- Samford
5) Center: Kendrec Ferrara- Furman

Player of the Year:

1) Lucas Troutman- Elon

2) Trevis Simpson- UNCG
3) Trey Sumler- Western Carolina

Freshman of the Year:

1) Tim Williams- Samford

2) Gee McGhee- Chattanooga
3) Spencer Collins- Wofford

Coach of the Year:

1)      Matt Matheny- Elon

Below is the 2013 Southern Conference Tournament Bracket

First Round Friday, March 8

Quarterfinals Saturday, March 9 ESPN3

Semifinals Sunday, March 10 ESPN3

Championship Game Monday, March 11 ESPN or ESPN2

1        Davidson

12:00 pm

8

Wofford

11:30 am

9

Georgia Southern

6:00 pm

4         Appalachian St

2:30 pm

5          Samford

2:00 pm

12           Furman

7:00 pm

2

Elon

6:00 pm

7

Chattanooga

6:00 pm

10

UNC Greensboro

8:30 pm

3       Charleston

8:30 pm

6

Western Carolina

8:30 pm

11

Citadel

Below are questions provided by John Roberts, author of Chattanooga Mocs blog, mocsmania.blospot.com, that I have answered to help preview the SoCon Tournament

1) Which team without a bye is the most dangerous? Why?

            I really do not like the chances of any team in this tournament without a bye because the conference is so top heavy with powerhouses Davidson, Elon and Charleston ruling the SoCon. Alas, March brings out the best in players and teams so a team without a bye could have a “Cinderella” like run in the SoCon Tournament.

             Call me crazy, but I actually think Chattanooga is the most dangerous team without a bye. Sure, Chattanooga got blown out on the last game of the season at Appalachian State, endings its hopes of getting a first round bye in the SoCon Tournament (if Chattanooga had won they would have finished in a four-way tie for second place in the North division with Samford, Western Carolina and Appalachian State and Chattanooga would have received the bye via the tiebreaker) as they finished fifth in the North with a subpar 8-10 conference record. But Chattanooga has won big games this season. The Mocs beat Western Carolina and Samford on the road this season and were able to knock off the North division champion Elon Phoenix at home. If Z. Mason plays very well, then maybe Chattanooga could make a surprise run in the tournament. I do not like the Mocs odds but crazy things can happen in a conference tournament.

2.      Which team with a bye is most likely to be eliminated first? Why?

            Appalachian State. The Mountaineers were the last team to secure a first-round bye, finishing with a pedestrian 10-8 conference record. Davidson, Elon and Charleston were all able to grab a bye with ease as they were the three most dominant teams in the conference all season long. Appalachian State will face the winner of the Samford versus Furman first round matchup and if Samford is able to take care of business and beat a struggling Furman squad, then Appalachian State could be in trouble in the quarterfinal round. Samford and Appalachian State faced off twice this year, with each contest being decided in the final minutes of the game as the two teams split the season series. Samford could knock off Appalachian State, especially if sophomore guard Raijon Kelly has a good game for the Bulldogs.

3) Which first round game is the most interesting? Why?

The Georgia Southern versus Wofford first round matchup intrigues me the most. Georgia Southern and Wofford finished with identical records overall and in conference play. Wofford swept the season series. Given that this is the #8 seed (Wofford) versus the #9 seed (Georgia Southern) matchup, I expect this to be the most entertaining first round game.

4) Which potential semifinal is the most interesting? Why?

 An Elon versus Charleston semifinal is a very intriguing matchup. Charleston beat Elon at Alumni Gym 56-54 in a tightly contested battle on December 1^st but things have changed immensely since then. After that loss, Elon ripped off 11 wins in its next 13 Southern Conference games to win the North Division Title. I doubt Elon (the #2 seed in the tournament) or Charleston (the #3 seed in the tournament) will lose in the quarterfinals, so it appears these two teams are headed for an intense rematch in the semifinal round.

5) Who do you think wins the SoCon Tournament? Why?

I believe Davidson will win the tournament, given their dominance in conference play. Elon poses the biggest threat to Davidson because the Phoenix has the best starting five in the Southern Conference. Not only does Elon possess the leagues’ best starting unit, they also have two of the best players in the Conference in junior guard Jack Isenbarger and junior forward Lucas Troutman. Elon proved it can hang with Davidson on Wednesday night, losing 69-63 in a contest that went down to the wire. Still, it is tough to pick against a Davidson team that went 17-1 in conference play and is currently riding a 14 game win streak, with its last loss coming on January 14^th.

6) What seed do you think the team you just picked to win the SoCon Tournament will get in the NCAA Tournament? Why?

 If Davidson is to go on to win the tournament, I think they will be a #13 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the seed it was last year in the March Madness tournament. Every couple of days ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi creates a mock bracket for the tournament in what he calls “bracketology”. The bracket assumes the current first place team in every conference will win its conference tournament to make the projections. In each of the last two brackets, Davidson has been a #13 seed. Davidson likely earned this seed with its “bracketbuster” win over Montana University a week ago. If Elon or Charleston wins the tournament, I would expect them to be a #14 seed in the NCAA Tournament. If by some miracle a team outside of Davidson, Elon or Charleston wins the Southern Conference tournament, I would predict them to earn a #15 seed.

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