The Road to Asheville (2-1-20)

Conference action continues Saturday with only 4 games on tap. The big game for the day starts at 4 pm as UNCG travels to Johnson City to face ETSU in a replay of their matchup in Greensboro in early January.


Western Carolina at Chattanooga
The Cats travel to Chattanooga to face the Mocs in a facility that has proven difficult for Western Carolina to win, as the Moc's Round House has been unkind to the Catamounts. The Mocs and Cats are currently tied with Chattanooga for 5th place in the conference standings with 5-4 records in conference play. While the Mocs are coming into the game off a win, the Cats are coming off a home loss to UNCG on Wednesday. The two teams meet with a top-six spot in the conference standings on the line, as we know, the first six teams at the end of the regular season receive byes in the first round of the SoCon Championships. The Cats are also playing for its second season sweep all-time against the Mocs. Massy favors the home-standing Mocs with a 4 point home advantage and project a 78-74 win for UTC.


UNCG at ETSU
The two teams tied for second place in the conference face off in Johnson City at 4 pm Saturday, in a rematch between these two teams. ETSU picked up the win in the first game that was played in Greensboro, and have declared a White Out at the Freedom Hall for game two, looking for the sweep. The Bucs are coming off their first home loss of the season, while the Spartans are coming off a convincing win over Western Carolina. ETSU leads its series against the Spartans 17-14 all-time. The Bucs and Spartans are randed 1 and 2 respectively in this week's power ranking and rank 4 and 6 respectively in this week's mid-major top 25 poll.  Massey projects a 2 point home advantage for the Bucs, and a 64-62 win by ETSU.


The Citadel at Mercer
The Bulldogs travel to Macon on Saturday in search of their first conference win. However, this will prove difficult as they face one of the hottest teams in the conference, with a five-game win streak and entering the game having just knocked off the #1 ETSU Bucs on Wednesday night. Currently, Mercer is in a three-way tie for 5th place in the conference standing, and the Bulldogs are #10 in the rankings. Massey projects a big home advantage for the Bears, and an eleven point win by Mercer over the Bulldogs, 83-72.


Samford at Wofford
The eight place Samford Bulldogs travels to Spartanburg to face the 4th place Terriers of Wofford in the final game of the day. The Terriers have won 3 of their last 4 games, and are coming in off a win at the Citadel, while the Bulldogs are in a seven-game skid.  Wofford holds an 18-5 series lead and is 6-3 in SoCon play. Massey gives the home-standing Terriers a big home-field advantage and projects an 82-69 win over the Bulldogs.