Tournament
Begins: March 6
Conference
Championship: March 9
Television Coverage: ESPN3, ESPN2
Tournament Bracket: https://admin.xosn.com/fls/4000//socon/Championships/2014-15_/15MBKBracket.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=4000
Television Coverage: ESPN3, ESPN2
Tournament Bracket: https://admin.xosn.com/fls/4000//socon/Championships/2014-15_/15MBKBracket.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=4000
Overview:
The 2014-2015 season was a tough one for the Southern Conference
(SoCon). The teams went 36-64 against other conferences including 2-30 against
the RPI Top 100 (both wins were by Wofford). The SoCon representative (outside
of Wofford) will likely be a 15 or 16 seed and have a very tough first round
matchup. If Wofford can win the conference tournament title for the second year
in a row, the Terries could be looking at a 12 or 13 seed giving them a good
chance at a first or second round upset. Here are three teams to watch in the
SoCon tournament.
Favorite to Win Tournament: Wofford Terriers (25-6, 16-2)
Wofford has a good chance to make it back into the NCAA tournament for the second season in a row, which would be their fourth appearance in the last six years. The Terriers are still looking for their first win (0-3) in the big dance. Wofford will first need to win the SoCon tournament, which the Terriers will certainly be favored to win. Wofford went 16-2 in SoCon play losing to second place finisher Chattanooga along with a questionable loss to The Citadel early on. The Terriers played a very challenging non-conference schedule going 2-3 against the RPI Top 50. Wofford defeated Iona and North Carolina St. while losing to Duke, Stanford, and West Virginia. The Terriers will be a tough team to upset in the SoCon tournament.
Most Likely to Upset Favorite: Chattanooga Mocs (22-9, 15-3)
Chattanooga also had a challenging non-conference schedule, but was unable to get a quality win losing to Butler, Georgia, and Wisconsin. The Mocs finished 15-3 in SoCon play including a victory over Wofford on the road. Chattanooga’s three conference losses (Mercer, Western Carolina, and Wofford) were all to top four teams in the SoCon. The Mocs could provide a big challenge to Wofford if they meet in the SoCon tournament title game.
Dark Horse to Win Tournament: VMI Keydets (11-18, 7-11)
The SoCon is not a very deep league this year meaning that an upset bid will truly be a dark horse. VMI has struggled this year to win games, but not put up points. The Keydets rank 3rd in the country in points per game (81.2), 1st in three point field goals made per game (11.6), and 10th in rebounds per game (39.5). VMI likes to shoot deep and often. The only problem with that strategy is that extended cold streaks put the Keydets in jeopardy. VMI ranks only 266th in three point field goal percentage. The other problem that may hold the Keydets back is their defense. Even though VMI scores 81.2 points per game, the Keydets give up 80.7 points per game, which ranks 342nd in the country. If VMI wants to play spoiler, the Keydets will need to stay hot for three games.
Expected Tournament Bid(s): Conference Tournament Winner
Favorite to Win Tournament: Wofford Terriers (25-6, 16-2)
Wofford has a good chance to make it back into the NCAA tournament for the second season in a row, which would be their fourth appearance in the last six years. The Terriers are still looking for their first win (0-3) in the big dance. Wofford will first need to win the SoCon tournament, which the Terriers will certainly be favored to win. Wofford went 16-2 in SoCon play losing to second place finisher Chattanooga along with a questionable loss to The Citadel early on. The Terriers played a very challenging non-conference schedule going 2-3 against the RPI Top 50. Wofford defeated Iona and North Carolina St. while losing to Duke, Stanford, and West Virginia. The Terriers will be a tough team to upset in the SoCon tournament.
Most Likely to Upset Favorite: Chattanooga Mocs (22-9, 15-3)
Chattanooga also had a challenging non-conference schedule, but was unable to get a quality win losing to Butler, Georgia, and Wisconsin. The Mocs finished 15-3 in SoCon play including a victory over Wofford on the road. Chattanooga’s three conference losses (Mercer, Western Carolina, and Wofford) were all to top four teams in the SoCon. The Mocs could provide a big challenge to Wofford if they meet in the SoCon tournament title game.
Dark Horse to Win Tournament: VMI Keydets (11-18, 7-11)
The SoCon is not a very deep league this year meaning that an upset bid will truly be a dark horse. VMI has struggled this year to win games, but not put up points. The Keydets rank 3rd in the country in points per game (81.2), 1st in three point field goals made per game (11.6), and 10th in rebounds per game (39.5). VMI likes to shoot deep and often. The only problem with that strategy is that extended cold streaks put the Keydets in jeopardy. VMI ranks only 266th in three point field goal percentage. The other problem that may hold the Keydets back is their defense. Even though VMI scores 81.2 points per game, the Keydets give up 80.7 points per game, which ranks 342nd in the country. If VMI wants to play spoiler, the Keydets will need to stay hot for three games.
Expected Tournament Bid(s): Conference Tournament Winner
Wofford has an outside chance to get an at-large bid
into the NCAA tournament, but it is unlikely. The Terriers had the 14th
toughest non-conference strength of schedule including two quality wins against
Iona and North Carolina St. Unfortunately, the Terrier’s SoCon strength of
schedule (297) really hurts Wofford’s chances of an at-large bid along with a
bad loss to The Citadel. If Wofford manages to win the SoCon tournament title,
the Terrier will likely be a 12 or 13 seed. If anyone else wins the SoCon
tournament title, they will likely be a 15 or 16 seed.
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