It's a SoCon Thursday (2-1-18)

We have a full slate of conference games scheduled for Thursday night, and all five games can be viewed on ESPN3.






Enjoy this week's games



  

Thursday's games.....

Wofford (16-6, 7-2 SoCon) at The Citadel (7-14, 2-7 SoCon) 6 pm
McAlister Field House       Charleston, South Carolina

Samford (8-15, 4-6 SoCon) at ETSU (19-4, 10-0 SoCon) 7 pm
Freedom Hall Civic Center      Johnson City, Tennessee

VMI (7-14, 2-8 SoCon) at UNCG (16-6, 7-2 SoCon) 7 pm
Greensboro Coliseum     Greensboro, North Carolina

Chattanooga (8-15, 2-8 SoCon) at Western Carolina (9-13, 4-5 SoCon) 7 pm
Ramsey Center       Cullowhee, North Carolina

Furman (15-7, 6-3 SoCon) at Mercer (10-12, 3-6 SoCon) 7:30 pm
Hawkins Arena      Macon, Georgia

The Standings

#1  ETSU              10-0 

#2  UNCG               7-2  (tie)

#2  Wofford             7-2  (tie)

#4  Furman             6-3  

#5  WCU                 4-5
#6  Samford            4-6  

#6  Mercer               3-6

#8  The Citadel        2-7

#9  VMI                    2-8  (tie)

#9 Chattanooga       2-8  (tie)

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Up Next: Two Double-Headers in Cullowhee

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations                      

The 2018 Catamount Football Schedule

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations             

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SoCon Basketball Power Rankings (1-28-18)

As you know, each week we participate in the SoCon Hoops Project Power Rankings.  Each week I'll also post my rankings that were submitted to the SoCon Hoops Project here.

Below is my submission for this past week's rankings. The consolidated rankings should be posted shortly on the SoCon Hoops Project website.


Power ranking - 
1- ETSU
2- UNCG
3- Furman
4- Wofford
5- Mercer
6- Samford
7- Western Carolina 
8- VMI
9- Citadel
10- Chattanooga

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It's a SoCon Monday (1-29-18)

We have four games to tip off action on an unusual Monday night schedule.

Three of the four games can be viewed on ESPN3, with the WCU at Wofford game carried on Stadium.

Probably the most interesting game of the night will be the closely matched VMI at Samford game. The other three contests have a clear favorite that should have little problem putting their opponent away.


Enjoy this week's games

  

Monday's games.....

ETSU (18-4, 9-0 SoCon) at The Citadel (7-13, 2-6 SoCon) 6 pm
McAlister Field House    Charleston, South Carolina


UNCG (16-5, 7-1 SoCon) at Chattanooga (7-15, 1-8 SoCon) 7 pm
McKenzie Arena    Chattanooga, Tennessee


Western Carolina (9-12, 4-4 SoCon) at Wofford (15-6, 6-2 SoCon) 7 pm
Richardson Indoor Stadium    Spartanburg, South Carolina


VMI (7-13, 2-7 SoCon) at Samford (7-15, 3-6 SoCon) 8 pm
Pete Hanna Center      Birmingham, Alabama

The Standings

#1  ETSU              9-0 

#2  UNCG             7-1

#3  Wofford           6-2

#4  Furman           6-3  

#5  WCU               4-4
#6  Mercer            3-6  

#6  Samford          3-6

#8  The Citadel      2-6

#9  VMI                  2-7

#10 Chattanooga   1-8

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SoCon Basketball Power Rankings (1-22-18)

As you may or may not know, each week we participate in the SoCon Hoops Project Power Rankings.  Each week I'll also post my rankings that were submitted to the SoCon Hoops Project.

Below is my submission for this past week's rankings. The consolidated rankings should be posted shortly on the SoCon Hoops Project website. 




Power ranking - 
1-ETSU
2-Furman
3-UNCG
4-Wofford
5-Mercer
6-Western Carolina
7-Samford
8-Chattanooga
9-VMI
10-The Citadel

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Game #19: ETSU

Western Carolina (8-10, 4-2 SoCon) at ETSU (15-4, 6-0 SoCon)


Date/Location: Saturday, Jan. 20 | 4:00 p.m. | Johnson City, TN | Freedom Hall Civic Center
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-Talent: Gary Ayers & Daniel Hooker
TV/Video: ESPN3
- Talent: Kasey Marler & Bruce Tranbarger
The Series:  Western owns a 25-52 overall record against the Bucs, having lost 19 of the last 20 games played.  The Cats are 16-39 overall vs. ETSU in games played since the Bucs joined the Southern Conference and Western holds an 8-28 record all-time in games played in Johnson City.

ETSU Message Board:  Buccaneer Nation

Western Carolina Game Notes 

ETSU Game Notes 

The Cats travel to Johnson City on Saturday to meet the league-leading Bucs who are currently 15-4 overall and a perfect 5-0 in conference play. The Bucs own a 8 game win streak and are 8-1 in Freedom Hall this year.

The Bucs are averaging 78.1 points per game, while holding opponents to 65.7 ppg, hitting 48% of their free throws and 34.4% from beyond the arc. ETSU hits 69.6% as a team from the free throw line, averaging 15 per game, while pulling down an average of 37 rebounds per game. Currently, there are two players averaging double digits, Desonta Bradford leads with 13.9 ppg, and Jalan McCloud with an average of 11.6 ppg. The Bucs also have tw0 players averaging 9 points per game and one at 8.8 ppg.




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It's a SoCon Thursday (January 18, 2018)

We only have 4 games this Thursday, as two conference games were played Monday night.

All four of Thursday's games can be viewed on ESPN3, with 3 of them starting at 7 pm (Eastern) and the Samford game at 8 pm.

The premier game of the night has the undefeated in conference play Bucs traveling to one-loss, second place team, Furman.  This will be the first time the Bucs have met a conference top 4 team on the road in league play this season.

Enjoy this week's games
  

Thursday's games.....

ETSU (14-4, 5-0 SoCon) at Furman (13-5, 4-1 SoCon)  at 7:00 pm on ESPN3
Timmons Arena, Greenville, South Carolina

The Citadel (6-11, 1-4 SoCon) at UNCG (12-5, 3-1 SoCon) at 7:00 pm on ESPN3
Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina

Mercer (9-9, 2-3 SoCon) at VMI (5-11, 0-5 SoCon)  at 7:00 pm on ESPN3
Cameron Hall, Lexington, Virginia

Wofford (12-5, 3-1 SoCon) at Samford (7-11, 3-2 SoCon)   at 8:00 pm on ESPN 3
Pete Hanna Center, Birmingham, Alabama

The Standings

#1  ETSU    5-0 

#2  Furman  4-1

#3  (tie) UNCG  3-1

#3  (tie) Wofford  3-1  

#5  WCU  4-2
#6  Samford  3-2  

#7  Mercer  2-3  

#8  The Citadel  1-4  

#9  VMI  0-5 

#10 Chattanooga  0-6 

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VMI Post Game Comments

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations            

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WCU Player of the Game (VMI)

The Purple & Gold "Player of the Game" for Wednesday's home game against Mercer is junior forward Marc Gosselin.



           

                                                                               
                                                   


Marc scored a team-high of 16 points against the Keydets to lead Western Carolina to the fourth conference win of the season (4-2 SoCon). Four Catamounts scored in double figures against VMI.

Marc hit 5 of 9 field goals and hit 6 of 7 at the free throw line. Marc also had 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocked shot as well as three assists.















Purple & Gold Congratulates Marc on his selection.







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SoCon Basketball Power Rankings (1-15-18)

As you may or may not know, each week I participate in the SoCon Hoops Project Power Rankings. 

You can view those consolidated rankings from 4 SoCon basketball enthusiasts on the SoCon Hoops Project's website, here is a link to those rankings: SoCon Hoops Project Power Ranking for 1-15-18.


Each week I'll also post my rankings that were submitted to the SoCon Hoops Project.


Power ranking - 
1-ETSU
2-Furman
3-Wofford
4-UNCG
5-Western Carolina
6-Mercer
7-Samford
8-The Citadel
9-Chattanooga
10-VMI

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Game #18: VMI

VMI (5-10, 0-4 SoCon) Western Carolina (7-10, 3-2 SoCon)

Date/Location: Saturday, Jan. 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Cullowhee, NC | Ramsey Center
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
- Talent: Gary Ayers
TV/Video: ESPN3
- Talent: Daniel Hooker (PxP) and Jeff Bryson (Analyst)
The Series: The Catamounts and Keydets meet for 56th time Monday night in Cullowhee, and the Cats hold a 32-23 lead in the all-time series and are 18-9 in games is played in Cullowhee.  WCU has won 10 of the last 14 match-ups between the two squads but VMI and the Catamounts split the season series a year ago with each squad winning on its home court.


Western Carolina Game Notes 



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It's a SoCon Monday... and Thursday (1-15-18)

We have five mid-week games scheduled for 2 days again this week. all are conference games.  On Monday two games are on the schedule, while three games are set for Thursday night.

Four of the five games will be on ESPN3, while one game is on the Stadium network (Mocs/Bears). While the top team and the bottom team have somewhat separated themselves, the lines have somewhat blurred in the middle eight.

Enjoy this week's games
  



Monday's games.......
VMI (5-10, 0-4 SoCon) at Western Carolina (7-10, 3-2 SoCon)  7 pm

Chattanooga (6-12, 0-5 SoCon) at Mercer (8-9, 1-3 SoCon)  7 pm


Thursday's games.....
ETSU (14-4, 5-0 SoCon) at Furman (13-5, 4-1 SoCon)  7 pm

The Citadel (6-11, 1-4 SoCon) ar UNCG (12-5, 3-1 SoCon)   7 pm

Mercer (8-9, 1-3 SoCon)  at  VMI (5-10, 0-4 SoCon)  7 pm

Wofford (12-5, 3-1 SoCon)  at  Samford (7-11, 3-2 SoCon)   8 pm

The Standings

#1  ETSU    5-0 

#2  Furman  4-1

#3  UNCG  3-1

#3  Wofford  3-1  

#5  WCU  3-2
#5  Samford  3-2  

#7  Mercer  1-3  

#8  The Citadel  1-4  

#9  VMI  0-4  

#10 Chattanooga  0-5  

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Coach Hunter's comments after UNCG loss

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations            

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SoCon Basketball - Saturday, January 13th 2018

On Saturday, all 10 SoCon teams were in conference action. We now have a team that is 5-0 (not a big surprise) in conference play, and a team 0-5 (a very big surprise), not a surprise that one team has not won a game, it's the team that has not won a game that is the big surprise, while the preseason #1 pick pulled off a big surprise of their own today. 



Saturday's results.......

UNCG 66 - Western Carolina 55
UNCG's Marvin Smith scored a game-high 24 points a UNCG beat Western Carolina 66-55 on Saturday night. UNCG was 26 of 53 (49 percent) from the floor while holding the Catamounts to 15-of-38 shooting (40 percent). The Spartans won the rebound battle 36-19. Mike Amius had 19 points for Western, while Deriece Parks added 12 points.

Furman 70 - Wofford 79.
Then there was 1. The loss by the Paladins on Saturday left only one team undefeated in conference play, ETSU. The Terriers knocked off the second team hoping for a 5-0 conference record at the end of Saturday night. Fletcher Magee drilled a trey to give Wofford a late lead and the Terriers held on to knock Furman from the Southern Conference unbeaten ranks 79-70 on Saturday night. Furman failed to score in the final 1:50 as Wofford took their fourth straight victory.

VMI 48 - ETSU 89
David Burrell and Devontavius Payne both put up 17 points as the ETSU Bucs dominated VMI 89-48 on Saturday afternoon in Johnson City. ETSU shot 43 percent (13-30) while limiting the Keydets to 5-of-26 shooting in the first half. The Bucs shot 53 percent (33-62) for the game, while VMI made just 13 of 50 (26 percent).

Samford 50 - Mercer 81
The surprise game of the day was Mercer's domination of the Bulldogs in route to picking up their first conference victory. Ria'n Holland had 23 points to lead the Bears to a convincing 81-50 victory Saturday afternoon. The Bears sprinted to a 44-16 halftime advantage over the Dogs, then never looked back. Samford was just 5 of 21 (24%) from the floor in the half. Mercer shot 47% (16-34) in the first half and finished hitting 31 of 64 attempts.

Chattanooga 101 - The Citadel 110
Two teams with four conference losses met in Charleston, and the Bulldogs pulled out their first conference victory in overtime Saturday afternoon. Zane Najdawi scored a career-high 37 points, as The Citadel rallied to beat Chattanooga 110-101 and end a five-game skid for the Bulldogs. Chattanooga's Makale Foreman scored a career-high 30 points with six 3-pointers, as Nat Dixon added 20 points with four 3s, for the Mocs.  Chattanooga hit 17 3-pointers. The Mocs now have lost five straight.

The Standings

5-0  ETSU

4-1  Furman

3-1  UNCG

3-1  Wofford

3-2  WCU
3-2  Samford

1-3  Mercer

1-4  The Citadel

0-4  VMI

0-5  Chattanooga

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Game #17: UNCG

UNCG (11-5, 2-1 Southern) at Western Carolina (7-9, 3-1 Southern)

Date/Location: Saturday, Jan. 13 | 7:30 p.m. | Cullowhee, NC | Ramsey Center
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
- Talent: Gary Ayers
TV/Video: ESPN3
- Talent: Daniel Hooker (PxP) and Jeff Bryson (Analyst)
The Series: The Cats are 31-19 vs. the Spartans overall, and 26-14 since Greensboro joined the SoCon, in a series that started in 1979. The Cats are 19-6 in games played in Cullowhee.

The Spartans will visit Cullowhee after a loss in Johnson City against ETSU (58-68) in what was a replay of last year's SoCon championship game.  Coming into the Ramsey Center, the Spartans are 11-5 overall, 2-1 in the SoCon and 3-4 in road games.  UNCG is averaging 73.6 points per game while holding opponents 61.8 points.

The Spartans have two players scoring in double figures, led by Francis Alonso with 18.4 ppg, followed by Marvin Smith with 10.9 ppg.



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WCU Player of the Game (Mercer)

The Purple & Gold "Player of the Game" for Wednesday's home game against Mercer is junior forward Mike Amius.



             

                                                                                                                                     


Mike scored a game-high of 21 points against the Bears to lead Western Carolina to their third conference win of the young season.

Mike hit 8 of 11 field goals and was 5 of 7 at the free throw line. Mike also had 7 rebounds, 1 steals, 1 blocked shot as well as two assists.






Purple & Gold Congratulates Mike on his selection.




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Up Next: Mercer

Mercer (7-8, 0-2 SoCon) at Western Carolina (6-9, 2-1 SoCon)

Date/Location: Wednesday, Jan. 10 | 7:00 p.m. | Cullowhee, NC | Ramsey Center
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
- Talent: Gary Ayers
TV/Video: ESPN3
- Talent: Daniel Hooker (PxP) and Jeff Bryson (Analyst)

Western Carolina Game Notes 

Mercer Game Notes 

The Series: The Cats are 7-6 all-time vs. Mercer, 4-2 since the Bears joined the SoCon, and are 3-2 in games played in the Ramsey Center. However, the Cats have dropped the last two games played to the Bears.

Mercer comes into the Ramsey center riding a two-game loss, but those two losses are against two of the top teams in the SoCon, ETSU, and Furman.  The Bears are 7-8 overall this season and 0-2 in the SoCon and just 1-5 in road games.

The Bears are scoring an average of 78.5 points per game while holding opponents to an average of 69.2 points. Mercer is hitting 48.2% of their field goals, including 42.4% of shots from the three-point arc (9.3 ppg), and has a team average of 74.2% at the free throw line. Statistically, in the SoCon, the Bears rank first in rebounding defense (29.6), second in rebounding margin (+4.5), second in field goal% (48.2%), second in 3-pt. field goal% (42.4%) – 7th in NCAA, and second in free throw% (74.2%).

This will be a tough game for the Cats.

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It's a SoCon Wednesday... and Thursday (1-10-18)

We have five-midweek games, 3 scheduled for Wednesday, 2 for Thursday.  Of the five, four are conference match-up, while Wofford gets a non-conference contest vs. Harvard in Spartanburg on the schedule.


All five games will be on ESPN3, so enjoy a couple nights of SoCon basketball.
  





Wednesday 1-10-18

Mercer (7-8, 0-2 Southern) at Western Carolina (6-9, 2-1 Southern)  7 pm

Furman (12-4, 3-0 Southern) at Chattanooga (6-10, 0-3 Southern)  7 pm

Harvard (6-9, 1-7 Away)  at  Wofford (10-5, 7-1 Home)


Thursday 1-11-18

Samford (6-10, 2-1 Southern)  at The Citadel (5-10, 0-3 Southern)  6 pm

UNCG (11-4, 2-0 Southern) at  ETSU (12-4, 3-0 Southern)   7 pm

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SoCon Basketball Power Rankings (1-8-18)

As you may or may not know, each week I participate in the SoCon Hoops Project's Power Rankings. You can view those consolidated rankings from 4 SoCon basketball enthusiasts on the SoCon Hoops Project's website.

Here is a link to SoCon Hoops Project Power Ranking for 1-7-18.


Each week I'll also post my rankings that were submitted to the SoCon Hoops Project.


Power ranking - 
1- ETSU
2- Furman
3- UNCG
4- Wofford
5- Samford
6- Mercer
7- Western Carolina
8- Chattanooga
9- The Citadel,
10- VMI

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This week's basketball in Cullowhee

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations                         

SoCon Basketball - Saturday, January 6th 2018

On Saturday, all 10 SoCon teams were in conference action, with no major upsets, however, VMI put a major scare in the Spartans.


Saturdays games.......

UNCG 63 - VMI 61
UNCG's Francis Alonso scored 19 points and his free throws with 3.7 seconds left to play allowed UNCG to escape with a 63-61 win at VMI on Saturday. The Keydets' Austin Vereen put up a last-second shot for VMI from the half-court, but the ball skipped off the front of the rim at the horn.


Mercer 71 - Furman 74
The Paladin's Daniel Fowler scored 21 points as Furman rallied to beat Mercer 74-71 on Saturday. The Bears started strong in the second period to go ahead 59-50, the Paladins tied it at 59-59 following Fowler's 3 with 6:18 remaining. Fowler followed with two free throws, a dunk and a 3-pointer, then Fowler and Jordan Lyons made six free throws down the stretch to seal the win to remain undefeated in SoCon play.


ETSU 85 - Chattanooga 66
ETSU's Peter Jurkin scored 15 points as the Bucs defeated rival Chattanooga 85-66 on Saturday, running its win streak to six games. ETSU led from start to finish in its third dominating performance. The Buccaneers defeated Mercer by 19 and Binghamton by 18 before Saturday's 19-point win.


The Citadel 92 - Wofford 109
The Terriers had three players with career nights, as Nathan Hoover, Trevor Stumpe and Storm Murphy combined for 57 points as Wofford beat The Citadel 109-92. Cameron Jackson added 13 points with a career-best 13 rebounds. Hoover finished with 21 points, Stumpe added 19 and Murphy put up 17 for Wofford.


Western Carolina 71 - Samford 85
Samford's Demetirus Denzel-Dyson scored 21 points as Samford dominated Western Carolina 85-71  on Saturday night. Denzel-Dyson hit 4 of 7 from beyond the arc as Chambers hit 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. Alex Thompson and Eric Adams added 13 points apiece for Samford (6-10, 2-1). Matt Halvorsen led the scoring for the Cats with 21 points.  

The Standings
3-0  ETSU
3-0  Furman
2-0  UNCG
2-1  Wofford
2-1  Samford
2-1  WCU
0-2  Mercer
0-3  Chattanooga
0-3  The Citadel
0-3  VMI


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It's a SoCon Saturday (1-6-18)

The SoCon tips off this Saturday with a full slate of conference games, all 10 teams are in action today.

In the third day of full conference action, we should start to see some separation between the contenders and the pretenders.

All five games will be on ESPN3, so enjoy a full day of SoCon basketball.
  





UNCG (10-4, 1-0 Southern) at VMI (5-8, 0-2 Southern)  @ 1:00 pm

Mercer (7-7, 0-1 Southern) at Furman (11-4, 2-0 Southern)  @ 4:30  pm

ETSU (11-4, 2-0 Southern) at Chattanooga (6-9, 0-2 Southern)  @ 5:00 pm

The Citadel (5-9, 0-2 Southern) at Wofford (9-5, 1-1 Southern)  @ 7:00 pm

Western Carolina (6-8, 2-0 Southern) at Samford (5-10, 1-1 Southern)  @ 8:00 pm

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Game #15: at Samford

Western Carolina (6-8, 2-0 Southern) at Samford (5-10, 1-1 Southern)

Date/Location: Saturday, Jan. 6 | 7:30 p.m. | Birmingham, AL | Hanna Center (5,000)
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
- Talent: Daniel Hooker
TV/Video: ESPN3
- Talent: Curt Bloom (PxP) and Bill Jones (Analyst)
Series: The Cats are 10-9 overall against the Bulldogs, 9-9 in conference play, but only 2-7 in games played in Birmingham.
Twitter Updates: @catamounts

Game Notes:    Western Carolina      -       Samford

Probable Starters:

Western Carolina
Guard, Freshman Desmond Johnson   5'11"  170
Guard, Freshman Matt Halvorsen   6'1"  170
Guard, RS Senior Deriece Parks  6'5"  155
Forward, Junior Marc Gosselin  6'7"  205
Forward, Junior Mike Amius   6'7"  210

Samford
Guard, Junior Justin Coleman  5'10"  170
Guard, Sophmore Triston Chambers  6'2"  185
Guard, Senior Demetrius Denzel-Dyson  6'5" 205
Forward, freshman Alec Thompson 6'8" 210
Center, Senior Eric Adams  6'7" 215

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