The State of the SoCon: January 12, 2016 update
Jan 12, 2016 12:49:19 GMT -5
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Post by orangeandblack on Jan 12, 2016 12:49:19 GMT -5
My January 12 updated rankings:
#1 (---) Chattanooga Mocs (14-3, 3-1 SoCon) RPI #54
Still the team to beat. Casey Jones has been missing for quite a while, and UTC finally suffered a loss without him. They took it on the chin against Furman. A nice bounce back win @ Wofford helped right the ship.
#2 (---) Mercer Bears (12-4, 2-1 SoCon) RPI #106
The Bears had a free shot on the road vs. UTC, but came up short. It was a 2 point game late, but UTC finished strong. I say it was a 'free shot' because it was on the road and it's become clear that no one is going to run the table in this league. Mercer is 7th nationally in rebounding margin. I love watching this team on defense just as much as I do on the offensive end.
#3 (▲1) East Tennessee State Buccaneers (10-6, 3-0 SoCon) RPI #136
ETSU is dominating opponents as they race to a 3-0 start. The only undefeated team. I'm still not sold though, as their schedule has been the easiest by far. They nearly lost to at home to UNC-G. I will say I'm impressed when I look at this teams stats overall, however, free throw shooting has taken a large dip since my last write up. We will find out a lot over the next 3 games (versus Samford, UTC, and Mercer)
#4 (▲2) Furman Paladins (9-8, 3-1 SoCon) RPI #211
I'm feeling good about Furman now! The hottest team at the moment, and flying up the rankings. They have the early marquee win over UTC, and it looks like FU won't wait until the conference tournament to hit their stride. Let's see if they can keep the momentum going. A huge game @ Mercer is on the horizon this Thursday.
#5 (---) Wofford Terriers (6-10, 3-1 SoCon) RPI #241
Wofford does not intimidate me. I have zero concerns about playing them. They've shown us that they can beat the teams I rate below them. They'll have some large scale opportunities coming up soon (Mercer, Furman, and ETSU over their next 4 games). If they win a couple of those, then we'll talk!
#6 (▲3) UNC Greensboro Spartans (5-12, 1-3 SoCon) RPI #296
I'm impressed with UNC-G. I rated them way too low in my original write up. I do, however, think that this is their ceiling. They just don't seem to be able to finish any of these close games.
#7 (▼4) Samford Bulldogs (10-7, 1-3 SoCon) RPI #182
Where do I start with Samford? Their only win is over The Citadel. They've been absolutely crushed by Mercer and Furman. I thought they belonged in the top 3 or 4, but it's looking more like the bottom 3 or 4. They need answers quickly.
#8 (▼1) Western Carolina Catamounts (7-9, 2-1 SoCon) RPI #188
Another team that is sliding down in my rankings. I know they are 2-1 in conference, but the 2 wins are over easy teams (VMI, UNC-G). The loss is what gets them down this low. A thrashing at home versus ETSU. There's no excuse for that. They *should* be higher than UNC-G by virtue of beating them, but this is my feeling that they belong down here.
#9 (▲1) The Citadel Bulldogs (7-9, 0-3 SoCon) RPI #276
The Citadel still leads the country in scoring (and still last place in points against). They are moving up because VMI has claimed the final spot.
#10 (▼2) VMI Keydets (5-10, 0-4 SoCon) RPI #281
The Keydets have the top scorer in the league in QJ Peterson (17.7 points/game). VMI managed to contend in a game with Wofford, so that is bad news for Wofford! The other three losses were by huge margins.
#1 (---) Chattanooga Mocs (14-3, 3-1 SoCon) RPI #54
Still the team to beat. Casey Jones has been missing for quite a while, and UTC finally suffered a loss without him. They took it on the chin against Furman. A nice bounce back win @ Wofford helped right the ship.
#2 (---) Mercer Bears (12-4, 2-1 SoCon) RPI #106
The Bears had a free shot on the road vs. UTC, but came up short. It was a 2 point game late, but UTC finished strong. I say it was a 'free shot' because it was on the road and it's become clear that no one is going to run the table in this league. Mercer is 7th nationally in rebounding margin. I love watching this team on defense just as much as I do on the offensive end.
#3 (▲1) East Tennessee State Buccaneers (10-6, 3-0 SoCon) RPI #136
ETSU is dominating opponents as they race to a 3-0 start. The only undefeated team. I'm still not sold though, as their schedule has been the easiest by far. They nearly lost to at home to UNC-G. I will say I'm impressed when I look at this teams stats overall, however, free throw shooting has taken a large dip since my last write up. We will find out a lot over the next 3 games (versus Samford, UTC, and Mercer)
#4 (▲2) Furman Paladins (9-8, 3-1 SoCon) RPI #211
I'm feeling good about Furman now! The hottest team at the moment, and flying up the rankings. They have the early marquee win over UTC, and it looks like FU won't wait until the conference tournament to hit their stride. Let's see if they can keep the momentum going. A huge game @ Mercer is on the horizon this Thursday.
#5 (---) Wofford Terriers (6-10, 3-1 SoCon) RPI #241
Wofford does not intimidate me. I have zero concerns about playing them. They've shown us that they can beat the teams I rate below them. They'll have some large scale opportunities coming up soon (Mercer, Furman, and ETSU over their next 4 games). If they win a couple of those, then we'll talk!
#6 (▲3) UNC Greensboro Spartans (5-12, 1-3 SoCon) RPI #296
I'm impressed with UNC-G. I rated them way too low in my original write up. I do, however, think that this is their ceiling. They just don't seem to be able to finish any of these close games.
#7 (▼4) Samford Bulldogs (10-7, 1-3 SoCon) RPI #182
Where do I start with Samford? Their only win is over The Citadel. They've been absolutely crushed by Mercer and Furman. I thought they belonged in the top 3 or 4, but it's looking more like the bottom 3 or 4. They need answers quickly.
#8 (▼1) Western Carolina Catamounts (7-9, 2-1 SoCon) RPI #188
Another team that is sliding down in my rankings. I know they are 2-1 in conference, but the 2 wins are over easy teams (VMI, UNC-G). The loss is what gets them down this low. A thrashing at home versus ETSU. There's no excuse for that. They *should* be higher than UNC-G by virtue of beating them, but this is my feeling that they belong down here.
#9 (▲1) The Citadel Bulldogs (7-9, 0-3 SoCon) RPI #276
The Citadel still leads the country in scoring (and still last place in points against). They are moving up because VMI has claimed the final spot.
#10 (▼2) VMI Keydets (5-10, 0-4 SoCon) RPI #281
The Keydets have the top scorer in the league in QJ Peterson (17.7 points/game). VMI managed to contend in a game with Wofford, so that is bad news for Wofford! The other three losses were by huge margins.
