Basketball season is nearly here, so it's time to break down the Southern Conference, one of the regular candidates to produce a mid-major NCAA Tournament darling.
So, here's my deep dive SoCon basketball preview for the 2024-25 season.
2024-25 SoCon Regular Season NCAAB Conference Title Odds
| Team Name | Odds (Via BetMGM) |
| Samford | +250 |
| Wofford | +400 |
| Chattanooga | +400 |
| East Tennessee State | +600 |
| Furman | +700 |
| UNC Greensboro | +700 |
| Mercer | +1400 |
| Western Carolina | +4000 |
| The Citadel | +5000 |
| VMI | +8000 |
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The SoCon Favorite
Samford Bulldogs
Bucky Ball finally reached its peak, as Samford earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament and gave Kansas fans the scare of the century last season.
Being a great mid-major team likely means high-major squads are licking their chops to take some players via the portal. Samford lost its top four scorers — two of which transferred.
Achor Achor and A.J. Staton-McCray head to high-major schools, but the Bulldogs found some strong replacements of their own.
Filling in for Achor is Tulane transfer Collin Holloway, who averaged 12.8 points per game in the AAC. It’s reasonable to assume Holloway could post even better numbers as the possible focal point in an offensive-friendly system.
While Holloway is different than Achor, he can assert his dominance with his shooting prowess and strong frame.
Meanwhile, guard transfers Trey Fort (4.1 PPG at Mississippi State) and Julian Brown (10 PPG at Wagner) should make strong contributions in the backcourt next to returning point guard Rylan Jones.
Fort is the ideal “system fit” at Samford, especially compared to his previous stint at Mississippi State. We’re only a year removed from Fort averaging 20+ points per game at the JUCO level, but Mississippi State's defensive focus led to Fort falling into a deep bench role on an NCAA Tournament team.
Jones was the perfect addition for Samford last year, as his five assists compared to 1.5 turnovers per game turned him into one of the most reliable floor generals in mid-major hoops.
Once again, Samford loaded up the roster with scoring threats for Jones to pass to.
The question is does this personnel match Bucky’s style? He wants to pressure opposing offenses in the full court and push the ball in transition. He regularly deploys a 10-11 man rotation, but it’s tough to know if players will buy into pressing constantly until we see it.
Samford should be the favorites in the SoCon. I have no complaints considering it consistently wins 20+ games under McMillan and virtually every team lost key pieces.
Good SoCon Values
Chattanooga Mocs
The Mocs return the dynamic guard tandem of Honor Huff and Trey Bonham, who accounted for over 38 points per game last year.
That duo fits perfectly in Dan Earl’s offense, which regularly ranks among the most prolific 3-point-shooting teams in the sport.
Moreover, the advantage of having a pair of elite guards is nothing small (save the jokes about Huff and Bonham’s diminutive size). The two have uncanny chemistry and know how to make each other better.
Chattanooga likely needs to be a top-75 offense nationally (or better) to secure the conference title. It just won't be good enough on the defensive end, but I love the Mocs' chances of posting elite offensive numbers.
I’m eager to see the transformation of some of their D-II imports. The biggest name of the trio of newcomers is Frank Champion, who posted 17.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last year.
At 6-foot-7, Champion could be a bigger initiator to ease the stress off the guards while either driving or dishing to shooters. Meanwhile, Garrison Keeslar (18 PPG, 8 RPG, 4 APG) and Jack Kostel (13.3 PPG, 4.3 APG) figure to battle for rotational minutes.
Unsurprisingly, Coach Earl brought in players who have experience handling the ball and making plays. Being able to pass effectively is a huge part of Earl’s system, since everything is up-tempo and runs through the perimeter.
It’s such an advantage to have four or five players on the court who don’t panic with the ball in their hands.
The one drawback to Chattanooga’s roster is its lack of length. The good thing is Champion’s rebounding prowess and broad shoulders give him the flexibility to play a small-ball five role.
The Mocs' height is very underwhelming; Makai Richards and Collin Mulholland are the lone Mocs’ above 6-foot-9.
Honestly, Chattanooga could be best served playing a smaller lineup so it can go all-in on being an elite offense.
Wofford Terriers
Wofford returns 10 rotation players that averaged four-plus points per game, including SoCon Player of the Year candidate Corey Tripp.
Tripp returns off the heels of a breakout campaign in which he posted 15 points per game. He's a sure thing to be one of the best players in the conference.
The Terriers will provide a great case study toward what’s more valuable: returning the brunt of a roster or accumulating the most talented via the portal. It'll be interesting to see, as they'll be more cohesive in the non-conference.
But that's largely meaningless in terms of winning the league. By January, everybody should have some level of cohesion.
The one thing Wofford needed this offseason was another shot-creating guard, which Justin Bailey (11 PPG at USC Upstate) can fill next to Tripp.
Also, keep an eye on sophomore leaps from forwards Bilal El Shakery and Jeremy Lorenz. Unlocking the upside of someone like Lorenz — who averaged 6.8 points per game on just 4.3 shot attempts — is the difference between Wofford finishing third or first in the league.
I’m a fan of betting on Wofford’s mixture of talent and experience at pretty generous odds.
East Tennessee State Buccaneers
The Buccaneers battled Samford tooth-and-nail for the SoCon title and should build on that momentum. They get back two starters, guard Quimari Peterson and forward Jaden Seymour. Those are likely the two most valuable players from last year's squad, so getting them back is huge for their 2024-25 success.
Keep an eye on veterans Curt Lewis and John Buggs III, who should be competing for starting spots. Lewis was a JUCO All-American two years ago and should help replace leading scorer Ebby Asamoah, while Buggs demands defensive attention at all times due to his elite shooting chops.
The ideal thing about Lewis and Peterson is the pair has a built in chemistry as former teammates at John A. Logan College in 2022-23. The two won a national title, and Lewis secured the JUCO National Player of the Year. It's tough to not love this guard duo in Johnson City.
So, what's the big key for the Buccaneers finishing near the top of the SoCon? Being more consistent on the offensive end.
They ranked 229th in offensive efficiency last year, while ranking 313th in effective field goal percentage and 310th in 3-point percentage. That won't lead to a regular season title if it happens again.
Middle of the Pack SoCon Teams
Furman Paladins
It feels like Furman sacrificed a couple of years to finally make the NCAA Tournament and win a game in the event.
Since then, the Paladins finished in the middle of the pack in the SoCon, and the issue was compounded by losing three starters to the portal — JP Pegues, Marcus Foster and Alex Williams.
I liked the addition of Jalen Sullinger, but he opted to leave the program before enrolling, so that dropped Furman in my preseason rankings.
That’ll add more pressure on guards PJay Smith Jr. and D-III transfer Nick Anderson. Although neither is the caliber of Pegues or Mike Bothwell, both have the chops to lead Furman in scoring.
One advantage Furman boasts over most SoCon foes is its length; three of its forwards stand 6-foot-11 or taller.
The biggest name of the bunch is sophomore Cooper Bowser, who flashed at times during his freshman year.
The combination of Bowser, Garrett Hien and D-II transfer Charles Johnston should give Furman an advantage on the glass over virtually every conference foe.
UNC Greensboro Spartans
Mike Jones had the arduous task of following up Wes Miller's successful stint in Greensboro.
So far, it's been an overwhelming success for Jones, who ushered in a trio of winning seasons, including a pair of 20+ win campaigns.
Jones is known for his defensive ethos and slower tempo, which differs his squad from numerous others in the SoCon.
Last year was a bit different, though. UNCG found a spark in the shooting department, but regressed on the defensive end.
I think Jones will get back to his coaching style this year, as three of his five departed starters (Mikeal Brown-Jones and the Langley twins) leave an offensive void.
The Spartans did add a pair of potentially strong offensive weapons — Radford transfer Kenyon Giles (14 PPG) and George Mason transfer Ronald Polite III (7.4 PPG). I could see UNCG having a solid offense if Giles and Polite build strong chemistry with returning sharpshooter Donovan Atwell.
Jones finished fifth or better in each of his three years at UNCG, so his teams offer a pretty safe floor. I just don't think the roster is strong enough to compete with the Samford/Chattanooga/ETSU tier.
Mercer Bears
It’s a new era for the Mercer Bears under Ryan Ridder. Despite being 39 years old, Ridder has won at the JUCO level, at Bethune-Cookman and at UT Martin.
He has a knack for identifying talent; his two best players at UT Martin last year — Jordan Sears and Jacob Crews — transferred to SEC schools for big paydays. That’ll help in recruiting.
The Bears bring in eight new players, spanning from D-III guys to high-upside D-I guys.
Incoming guards Tyler Johnson (16 PPG at USC Aiken), Ahmad Robinson (15 PPG at New Hampshire) and Marcus Overstreet (17 PPG at USC Beaufort) will likely help dictate how good Mercer is in the immediate future. Those are essential players for Ridder in his first year at Mercer.
The upside comes from Petras Padegimas (Dayton) and Angel Montas (Fordham). Padegimas never carved out a real role due to Nate Santos' emergence, while Montas couldn't stay healthy at Fordham. Transferring down puts both in a position to help a rising program.
Ridder is a coach who prioritizes playing with pace. He’s coached seven years at the D-I level, and his teams ranked top-25 in Adjusted Tempo in six of the seven years. He’ll need his guards to set up the pace he wants to play. If so, Robinson could be a sneaky first team all-league selection.
Mercer won’t contend for a league title, but it's talented and well-coached enough to finish top-six or seven and steal a couple of victories over elite teams.
Long Odds for a Reason
The Citadel & VMI
I’ll keep it short and sweet on these two Military schools. Military schools can’t compete in the portal and NIL era.
VMI is 11-53 and 3-33 in the past two years, while The Citadel finished ninth in back-to-back years.
Neither team is good, and both will regularly have pretty extreme lines against them in most games.
Can they eventually become profitable? We’ll see just how outrageous the numbers end up, but I’ll fade both to begin the year. I see both as bottom-15 teams in the sport.
Western Carolina Catamounts
Tim Craft spent the past 11 seasons at Gardner-Webb, where he won over 53% of his games and 58% of his Big South meetings.
Now in the Southern Conference, Craft is tasked with replacing over 60 points from last year's 20+ win squad, including seniors Vonterius Woolbright and Tre Jackson.
Most of this year's roster is new to college hoops, besides returning forward Bernard Pelote and Pepperdine transfer Cord Stansbery. The others either haven't played D-I hoops at all or haven't played a large role at the D-I level, so I'm expecting a very rough transitional year for the first year of the Craft era at WCU.
My SoCon Best Bet
I'll take a shot on the odds with Chattanooga to win the league (+400). I'm a bit concerned about the Mocs' size, but the Huff-Bonham-Champion trio is very enticing.
While Chattanooga boasts top-end talent, it also features a ton of depth that should allow it to play 10-or-11 deep. That fits the style Earl wants to play perfectly, so his starters won't get worn out from playing such a quick tempo.
While the Mocs aren't the odds-on-favorites, I see them in the same light as Samford.
