UNC Greensboro continues to be the class of the SoCon

UNCG celebrates its win at Arkansas earlier this season (photo courtesy of UNCG athletics)

We're winding down non-conference play and UNC Greensboro (8-1) continues to be the class of the Southern Conference, and the Spartans are off to an 8-1 start, which is easily the best record overall in the SoCon to this point in the season. The Spartans, who are to an 8-1 start to the season, which includes a win over No. 14 Arkansas, battled Elon Sunday afternoon in the Southern Conference Game of the Week, taking down a feisty Phoenix team, 82-73, after having seemingly a safe halftime lead in the contest. The nine-point win over their cross-town rivals gives UNCG its best start in program history.

The Spartans have shown some offensive firepower under head coach Mike Jones, who is in his third season at the helm of the Spartans basketball program, and as we wind down non-conference play, it's UNCG's explosiveness on the offensive end of the floor and not its impressive play on the defensive end of the floor that has been most impressive through the first nine games, with the 80.1 PPG scoring clip ranking third behind both Samford (90.8 PPG) and Furman (84.1 PPG) for the third-best scoring output per game among the league leaders. 

Much of that uptick in scoring, which really started with the beginning of Southern Conference play last season, has come as a result of shooting the ball at nearly a 40% clip from beyond the arc through the first nine games this season, as the Spartans have connected on an impressive 39.2% (89-of-227) from beyond the arc through the first nine games this season. As a team offensively, UNCG currently ranks fourth overall in team field goal percentage, as UNCG is connecting on 47.0% (254-of-540) from the field, and the Spartans are getting solid scoring output from both Mikeal Brown-Jones (19.4 PPG) and Donovan Atwell (13.9 PPG), who have been able to supplement Keyshaun Langley (12.9 PPG) nicely as scorers this season, giving UNCG a three-headed monster to be reckoned with offensively.

Despite nearly blowing a 15-point lead, the Spartans were again led by Mikeal Brown-Jones, who scored 24 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, including a 12-of-14 effort from the free throw line, while also adding 11 boards. Brown-Jones also added a career-best four blocks on the defensive end of the floor to highlight a strong effort defensively.  The Spartans without Keyshaun Langley in Saturday's win over Elon, and it didn't seem to bother UNCG at all, as others like Brown-Jones stepped up down the stretch to help the Spartans secure the win over their cross-town rivals. In addition to Brown-Jones' 24 points, Donovan Atwell added 19 points, while Joryam Saizonou chipped in with 12 to help the Spartans get over the top against Elon. Kobe Langley just missed a double-figure scoring effort, finishing with nine.

The Spartans were also good at the foul stripe in the win over Elon, knocking down 16-of-20 attempts from the charity stripe. It's a snapshot of yet another area in which the Spartans have excelled at through the first nine games this season, ranking third in the SoCon in free throw shooting behind only Samford (76.8%) and Chattanooga (74.2%), as the Spartans have connected on a solid 72.9% (124-of-170) so far this season.

The win over Elon was UNCG's seventh-straight victory and the Spartans will return to action Saturday evening, as the Spartans will visit the Cam Henderson Center to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd, with tip-off in that contest set for 7 p.m. The Thundering Herd, who were SoCon power in the 1980s and early 90s before changing conferences, have struggled this season,  and have gotten off to just a 3-6 start to the season prior to their Tuesday night contest at Toledo. UNCG was able to get one of their signature wins in the non-conference last season, as UNCG was able to post a 75-67 win at the Greensboro Coliseum on. Dec. 13, 2022.

Along with its contest against Marshall on Saturday, UNCG has games remaining at High Point (Dec. 19), vs Lynchburg (Dec. 21) and at No. 19 Texas (Dec. 29) before beginning its SoCon slate at home on Jan. 3 against defending champion Furman on Jan.3.

Meanwhile, the other team that has performed at a high level for most of non-conference play--Western Carolina (7-2)--had to rebound from a two-game losing skid by getting a win over blue ridge mountain rival UNC Asheville (W, 78-63) during the Catamounts' Big South portion of its schedule, which is an area the Catamounts also struggled with last season, dropping games at UNC Asheville (L, 61-73), vs. Gardner-Webb (L, 55-71) and vs. USC Upstate (L, 64-79) last season.

The Catamounts added a game at High Point this season, while facing the same trio that handed it losses last season, having already faced two of those three from a year ago. It was Gardner-Webb who handed the Catamounts their first loss of the 2022-23 season, downing Western Carolina 82-77 at Paul Porter Arena in Boiling Springs, N.C.

Despite holding a seven-point lead at the break (37-30), the Catamounts allowed the Bulldogs to go bonkers offensively in the second half, as the Bulldogs scored 52 second-half points on 55.1% (16-of-29) shooting from the field, which included 57.1% (4-of-7) effort from three-point land to secure the home court win. The win by the Bulldogs overshadowed what was a 35-point scoring effort from preseason SoCon Player of the Year Vonterius Woolbright, as he poured in 35 to lead all scorers.  

The next time out, the Catamounts would make it two-straight losses, as the Purple and Gold would drop what was a 97-71 decision on the road against the High Point Panthers. Vonterius Woolbright continued his torrid scoring pace, pouring in 25 points, however, the Catamounts could never overcome a poor start en route to what was a 26-point blowout loss on the road at the Qubein Center. 

Western Carolina also struggled shooting the basketball from the perimeter in the loss to the Panthers, connecting on just 16.0% (4-for-25) from three-point land for the game. The Panthers, meanwhile, blistered the nets for a 58.9% (33-of-56) from the field, and knocked down 24-of-26 free throws in the  winning effort. 

Individually for Woolbright, he knocked down 8-of-13 shots from the field and was 9-of-14 from the charity stripe to account for his night offensively. Additionally, the preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year added seven rebounds, four boards and one steal in the loss. 

Joining Woolbright in double figures in the setback was Tre Jackson, who chipped in with 17 points, however, struggled yet again shooting the basketball, as he connected on just 6-of-18 shots from the field, including a 4-for-14 performance from three-point range. The duo accounted for 42 of the team's 71 points in the contest,  accounting for the only two Catamounts in double figures in the loss.

As a team, the Catamounts were only able to connect on 42.6% from the field (26-of-61). Duke Miles, who led High Point with a game-high matching 25 points, helped the Panthers race out to a 47-25 halftime lead, and the Catamounts would never trim the margin below 15 points in the second half, as the Panthers handed Western Carolina its second-straight loss.

The Catamounts would rebound in a big way the next time out, when they hosted Blue Ridge mountain rival UNC Asheville at the Liston B. Ramsey Center this past Saturday. At halftime, the No. 32 jersey of former standout Kevin Martin was retired, and the Catamounts completed a good afternoon all around for fans of the Purple and Gold by dispatching preseason Big South favorite, 78-63, in front of a crowd of 2,904 fans inside the friendly confines.

On this afternoon, the Catamounts finished with an outstanding defensive performance, holding their visitors to just 37.5% (21-of-56) shooting from the field for the game, while Western Carolina was able to blister the nets at a 55.2% (32-of-58) shooting clip, rebounding with a good win over a good team. 

On a day when the Catamounts honored their former 12-year NBA veteran by retiring his jersey, future NBA hopeful Vonterius Woolbright led the Catamounts offensively once again, posting a double-double effort of 23-point, 12-rebound effort, as he once again highlighted several statistical categories in the contest. Woolbright also led the team by dishing out seven assists. 

Bernard Pelote came off the bench to add 13 points on a 6-for-8 shooting performance from the field, while Tre Jackson and DJ Campbell rounded out the double figure scorers for Western Carolina by chipping in with 12 points apiece. 

Also highlighting Western Carolina's defensive effort was the fact that the Catamounts were able to hold the visiting Bulldogs to a season-low 63 points in the win. The Catamounts also rebounded from their poor three-point shooting effort on the road at High Point in the previous outing, as the Catamounts connected on 10-of-22 (45.5%) from long-range.

Fletcher Abee would lead the Bulldogs with 21 points, as the Bulldogs continued to battle to keep their deficit to less than double digits several times in the opening half of play, however, trimming the Catamount lead to eight twice in the second half, however, could get no closer, as Western Carolina improved to 7-2 heading into its exam week.

Individually, Vonterius Woolbright, who was the November SoCon Player of the Month, continued to shine in several categories in the league's statistical categories, as Woolbright continues tp lead the Southern Conference in scoring and rebounding, averaging 22.2 PPG to go with 11.3 rebounds per contest. His 35-point effort in the road loss to Gardner-Webb is a league best for the 2023-24 season.

Western Carolina will hit the hardwood again on Saturday with a trip to USC Upstate before facing Vanderbilt in the Music City on Dec. 19. The Catamounts will close out non-conference play with a pair of non-Division I contests against both Brescia (Dec. 21) and King (Dec. 30) before beginning SoCon play on Jan. 3 with a trip to Charleston to take on The Citadel.

SoCon Player of the Week Alex Williams (Furman)

Furman (5-6) has taken its lumps during the non-conference slate, and it's not of too much concern to head coach Bob Richey, who knows just how tough his non-conference slate has been so far. If you add in the fact that the Paladins have only gone into one game with a completely healthy roster of players (at Princeton), the tough start for the defending champions makes even more sense.

Furman has been without leading scorer Marcus Foster (19.9 PPG) since late in the opening half of the game at Princeton, as he went out of the lineup and did not return after suffering a torn MCL on a freakish play near the end of the first half of that contest.  The Paladins were also without one of its other leading scorers--Alex Williams--for almost the entire first month of the season. Throw in an emergency appendectomy for Ben VanderWal () and a strained groin for Tyrese Hughey (), which severely limited his playing time in the Myrtle Beach Invitational, it becomes a little easier to see just how extensive Furman's injury issues have been so far and we're not even to conference play yet.

It's something nearly all of the league's top contenders have had to deal with at some point or another, however, as last year it was Chattanooga, who had to deal with not having Jake Stephens around for much of Southern Conference play, while Samford had to a=tjust to life without point guard Ques Glover until late January following a pre-Thanksgiving injury. 

As if losing Foster wasn't bad enough against the Tigers, making matters worse for Bob Richey's Paladins was the fact that the Paladins ended up on the wrong end of a heartbreaking 70-69 after leading virtually the entire game against the reigning Sweet Sixteen participants and unbeaten Tigers. Tigers guard Matt Allocco connected on a three with 4.2 seconds left, giving the Tigers its first lead of the second half and overcoming an what was an 11-point lead (65-54) with 4:10 remaining to come all the way back to stun the Paladins. All told, The Tigers outscored the Paladins 16-4 down the stretch to get the win. 

Xavian Lee ended up pacing the Tigers with 24 points, while Caden Pierce completed his afternoon by adding a double-double with 22 points and an impressive 15 rebounds.

Furman finished the contest by being led by Garrett Hien's 16 points and eight boards, while JP Pegues and Alex Williams chipped in with 16 and 14 points, respectively. The Paladins held a narrow 38-33 edge on the glass, however, allowed the Tigers to get 12 offensive boards to score a crucial 16 second-chance points. Neither team shot the ball well from long-range, combining to connect on just 12-of-54 from long range, while the 11-for-19 effort from the charity stripe by the Paladins marks Furman's worst performance of the season from the free throw stripe.

Princeton is the only team to have held Furman to less than 70 points in its first 10 games this season. 

The second part of a tough road trip involved a trip to Bud Walton Arena to face an Arkansas team fresh off a win over No. 9 Duke in the ACC-SEC Challenge. Though the atmosphere was a little more tame than the one that greeted the Blue Devils, there was still a healthy 19,200 fans on-hand to see the Razorbacks take on the Paladins. 

Aside from the difficulty of facing one of the top SEC teams to begin with was the fact that the Paladins were also without Marcus Foster, who will be sidelined until mid-January with his injury, however, the Paladins would be able to hang around for much of the night, despite suffering a third loss in its past four games, as the Razorbacks handed the Paladins their second 14-point non-conference loss, posting a 97-83 win on its home floor over the 'Dins. 

The Paladins fought hard in their loss to the Razorbacks, and the Paladins were led in scoring by JP Pegues and Alex Williams, who posted 21 and 20 points, while Ben VanderWal added 14 and Garrett Hien rounded out the Paladins in double figures with 10 points.

The Razorbacks were led in the contest by Khalif Battle, who posted a game-high 25 points, while Chandler Lawson and Trevon Brazile added 19 and 13 points, respectively in the win.

Arkansas shot the ball at a 60.7% (37-of-61) from the field, while the Paladins were held to just 38.4% (28-of-73) from the field for the game. The Razorbacks would build as much as a 20-point lead in the contest before Furman would trim that lead to as little as seven inside the final minute.

Furman rebounded from the tough road trip last Saturday, when the Paladins hosted Bob Jones inside the friendly confines of Timmons Arena. Furman picked up its 101st win since the start of the 2015-16 season, posting what was a 100-58 win over non-Division I Bruins.

In the win over Bob Jones, Alex Williams posted a career-high 31 points in the 42-point win, as he picked up right where he left off against the Razorbacks against the Bruins. In the win over BJU, Williams connected on 12-of-19 shots from the field and was 6-of-12 from three-point land. His 31-point effort of the season marked the third such performance for Furman basketball this season, joining Marcus Foster's back-to-back 30-point performances in Myrtle Beach. 

For his efforts against both Arkansas and BJU, Williams was chosen as the Southern Conference Player of the Week. For the week, Williams connected on an impressive 55.8% of his shots from the field, including shooting the ball at a 52.4% from three-point land in games against Arkansas and BJU. 

Also in the win over the Bruins, the Paladins dished out a season-high 33 assists, with Carter Whitt contributing a contributing a career-high 10 assists, while JP Pegues dished out 12 helpers to account for 22 of the team's 33 total assists in the contest. Tyrese Hughey added a career-high 15 rebounds. 

The win over Bob Jones only offered a brief respite to the Furman struggles, however, as Tuesday night the Paladins were in New Orleans to take on another solid mid-major program, in the Tulane Green Wave--a team picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference--and came into the season off an impressive 20-win campaign a year ago under head coach Ron Hunter. The Paladins suffered their sixth setback of the non-conference in wild fashion, dropping what was a 117-110 double-overtime decision at Tulane.

Furman, which trailed by as many as 16 points (60-44) early in the second half, and by as many as 13 with under eight minutes left (76-63), rallied all the way back to take a late, 89-87, lead on a Carter Whitt layup with under 30 seconds remaining. After a layup by Cross tied the game, 89-89, Pegues cooly and calmly knocked down a three, which initially looked to have been at the buzzer, however, after a long review, it was determined to have come with eight-tenths of a second left.

With Furman leading 92-89 on the ensuing inbounds play by the Green Wave, Furman committed a foul on Cross in the act of shooting the potential game-tying three-pointer from about 35 feet. He knocked down all three foul shots, and after the teams ended the first overtime tied, 99-99, the Green Wave, which was led by an unconscious performance by Forbes in the second extra session. His three-straight threes were enough to quell the Paladins' charge just enough for the Green Wave to get over the top for the win. 

The Paladins return to the floor on Dec. 19 when they will host Presbyterian (7-4) in a 7 p.m. tip-off time slated for Timmons Arena. Furman will close out non-league action after Christmas, hosting Division II Anderson University at Timmons Arena. The Paladins will open SoCon play on Jan. 3 at red-hot UNCG.

Both Samford (8-2) and Chattanooga (6-3) have gotten off to good starts to the 2023-24 season, as both appear to be among the top tier in the Southern Conference race and legitimate title contenders once again this season. The Bulldogs are the top offensive scoring team in the league, having posted 128 and 118 point scoring efforts in each of their past two outings. It has led to a 90.8 PPG scoring average, which ranks the Bulldogs fifth nationally in scoring average. 

The Bulldogs' 118-91 win over Alabama A&M earlier this week marked an eighth-straight win for head coach Bucky McMillan's club since opening the season with consecutive losses to No. 2 Purdue (L, 45-98) and at VCU (L, 65-75). The 118 points in the win over Alabama A&M marked the first time the Bulldogs have scored 100 or more points in back-to-back games since 1970. 

Of other significance in the win over A&M was the fact that Jermaine Marshall returned from injury. The preseason all-conference selection posted 16 points on a 5-for-6 effort shooting from the field, including a 3-for-3 effort from three-point land. The Bulldogs were led in scoring in the contest by AJ Staton-McCray, who posted 18 points.

The Bulldogs have their next big test coming up on Saturday, hosting Belmont (8-3) in a 3 p.m. EST contest at the Pete Hanna Center, as Samford looks to post a ninth-straight win,  and move to 9-0 at home on the young season.  The Bulldogs will close out non-conference play by traveling to face Valparaiso (4-6) on Dec. 19 before going to Texas Southern (0-7) on Dec. 30. The Bulldogs will open up Southern Conference play on Jan. 3 at the Hanna Center against Chattanooga (6-3).

The Mocs got a bit of good news this week with the news that players that have transferred twice won't have to sit out a year, meaning guard Trey Bonham could be available for Southern Conference play. That will give the Mocs, who already have a variety of scoring options in the backcourt like Honor Huff (16.8 PPG) and Myles Che (10.0 PPG) a variety of scoring options. 

The Mocs were 112-51 winners over non-Division I member Tennessee Wesleyan, while having dropped its last one game against non-Division I competition, with an 87-80 setback to Morehead State.

Dan Earl's team rank tied for first in the SoCon so far in three-pointers made per game (10.8), while ranking third in the league in total triples made, having knocked down 97 this season. Only Samford (108) and Furman (99), which have both played one more game, have more total three-pointers made to this point in the league than the Mocs' 97.

Chattanooga returns to non-conference play on Saturday, heading to Huntsville to face Alabama A&M (1-8). The Mocs will finish out non-conference play by hosting Gardner-Webb (5-6) on Dec. 19 before heading out on the road for tests at Milwaukee (4-7) on Dec. 22 and will close out non-league play at Auburn (7-2) on Dec. 30. The Mocs will open up Southern Conference play on Jan. 3 at Samford (8-2). 

East Tennessee State (6-4) and The Citadel (6-5) have both enjoyed some good moments through the early portions of non-conference play.  The Bucs latest win under their new head coach Brooks Savage. The Bucs got some late-game heroics from Quimari Peterson helped get the Bucs over the top in what was a thrilling 73-72 win over in-state rival Tennessee Tech. 

Peterson finished with a team-high 23 points and filled up the stats sheet by adding eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and blocked three shots, helping ETSU overcome a halftime deficit en route to a one-point win. Ebby Asamoah and Jayden Seymour both finished in double figures, as they each finished with 13 points in the win. 

The Bucs trailed the game, 34-32, at the half, however, would rebound and put things together in the second half, outscoring the Golden Eagles, 41-38, in the second half, as ETSU remained unbeaten at Freedom Hall this season, improving to 3-0 on the home floor. 

The Bucs' latest contest came on Friday night, as they posted a third-straight win, and after close, hard-fought wins over Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State, it was the right time to face a non-Division I program.

In Friday night's win over the Pioneers, the Bucs were able to get a career-high 17 points from Tyler Rice, and the Bucs also made a season-high 33 field goals, which included 11 three-point field goals. The Bucs also owned a substantial margin on the glass, out-rebounding the Pioneers by a total of 26 (57-31). 

The Bucs continue to be led in scoring by Ebby Asamoah, who is averaging 16.2 PPG. Asamoah did not log any action in the Bucs win over Tusculum Friday night.

ETSU will face Kansas City (5-6) at home on Dec. 20 before facing back-to-back road tests at both Utah State (10-1) two days later, and then will finish non-conference play on the road at East Carolina (6-4) on Dec. 29.  ETSU opens Southern Conference play on Jan . 3 by hosting Mercer (3-6) at Freedom Hall. The Bucs continue to be a team learning how to win under Savage, and the Bucs have played very good defensively in spurts this season. 

Like the Bucs, Ed Conroy's The Citadel Bulldogs are a team that is seemingly learning how to win, and its effort on the defensive end of the floor has kept it in a majority of their contests this season.  

The Bulldogs were last in action this past Thursday night against College of Charleston, as the two were facing off for the second-straight season, and for it was once again the Cougars who came out with the win, as College of Charleston, captured an 86-71 win in the friendly confines of TD Arena. 

The Cougars improved to 6-4 in a matchup between a pair of former Southern Conference foes, as CofC was able to knock down 13 three-pointers in the contest, shooting them at a blistering 42% (13-of-31) from long-range in the contest. 

The Bulldogs did manage to place four players in double figures in the loss, with guards AJ Smith and Madison Durr leading the scoring efforts for The Citadel, scoring 18 points apiece. Elijah Morgan was able to add 16 points, while Vanderbilt transfer Quentin Millora-Brown rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Bulldogs with 13. 

The Bulldogs finished the night posting a 45.8% shooting clip (27-of-59), and shot 41.7% (5-of-12) from three-point range. The Bulldogs, who have been the top defensive team in the SoCon through the early portions of the 2023-24 season, surrendered an uncharacteristic 86 points to the Cougars, allowing Pat Kelsey's club to control the pace of the game, which is something that normally doesn't happen to Ed Conroy's team. The 86 points are the most surrendered by The Citadel this season, and the loss snapped what had been a three-game winning streak for The Citadel.

The Bulldogs have been led by guards AJ Smith (16.6 PPG) and Elijah Morgan (11.7 PPG), who have been winning games with their performances on the defensive end of the floor to this point this season, ranking fourth in the SoCon in field goal percentage defense (42.2%), while leading the SoCon in scoring defense (64.4 PPG).

The Citadel will close out non-conference play with games at Notre Dame (4-5) on Dec. 19 before closing out non-conference play with Toccoa Falls on Dec. 30. 

Wofford (5-5) is currently riding a three-game winning streak, with its three most impressive wins of the season and all coming on the road. The Terriers, who are under the direction of first-year head coach Dwight Perry, have posted consecutive wins over Middle Tennessee State (W, 74-64/OT), Gardner-Webb (W, 81-66) and most recently in Conway, getting a win over Coastal Carolina (W, 88-80).

It was the first game after Cliff Ellis announced his retirement after a 49-year career, with Benny Moss taking the reins of the Coastal Carolina program. The Terriers got another big effort from freshman phenom Jeremy Lorenz, as he poured in 22 points, while junior Dillon Bailey added 21, as the Terriers led the game almost wire-to-wire in securing its fifth win of the season. 

The one area the Terriers hope to improve as non-conference play winds down is on the defensive end of the floor, where Wofford currently ranks 10th in the SoCon in scoring defense (80.2 PPG), while ranking eighth in field goal percentage defense (43.8%). The Terriers return to action against Kentucky Christian Sunday, Dec. 17 before heading to Oklahoma State () on Dec. 20. The Terriers close out non-conference play on Dec. 29 by hosting Southern Wesleyan.

Mercer (3-6) and VMI (2-9) are the only two teams in the Southern Conference without a winning record at this point in the season, however, the Bears did manage to get maybe their biggest win of the season last time out against Georgia State, as the Bears were able to take down their Peach State rival, 64-60, in what was a thriller. The Bears were led in the win by a freshman, as 6-6 forward Jake Davis posted 16 of his game-high 26 points in the opening half, and it was a defensive effort by head coach Greg Gary's club that was able to hold the visitors from Atlanta without a field goal over the final four-and-a-half minutes, allowing the Bears to secure the win. 

Davis, who was making his first collegiate start, knocked down 10-of-13 shots from the field, while also adding eight boards to the Mercer cause. Graduate transfer Amanze Ngumezi added 13 points, while Alex Holt and Robby Carmody rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Bears, adding 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

Mercer returns to action Saturday against a former Atlantic Sun rival, as the Bears will host Florida Gulf-Coast (3-8) before facing their final NCAA Division I opponent of the non-conference slate, as the Bears will host Queens (6-6) on Dec. 19 at Hawkins Arena. A pair of non-Division I league foes, in Thomas and Talladega will offer the final two non-conference foes on Dec. 21 and 29, respectively, and that should help the Bears finish out the non-conference slate with a respectable non-league record.  Mercer opens SoCon play on Jan. 3 at East Tennessee State. 

It's not a surprise that VMI has struggled through the early, and the Keydets have yet to defeat a Division I foe (0-9), although head coach Andrew Wilson's club has seemingly been in most of those games. VMI's latest setback was a 73-56 setback to Commonwealth of Virginia rival Radford.

In the latest loss against a Division I foe this season, the Keydets were able to get a career-high tying 20 points from Tyran Cook, who scored 12 of those points on four triples. Center DJ Nussbaum also managed to tie a career-high, posting 14 points in the losing effort, however, those were the only two Keydets in double figures in the 17-point loss, as the inside-outside duo accounted for 34 of the team's 56 points in the contest.

VMI struggled shooting the ball against the Highlanders, finishing the contest by connecting on just 36.8% (21-of-57) from the field and were just 26.3% (5-of-19) shooting from long range.

The thing that Wilson's club did exceptionally well in the loss to the Highlanders was rebound the basketball, posting a +15 (43-28) edge on the glass in the loss. That blitz of the boards by VMI led to a 19-10 advantage in second-chance points. 

VMI has struggled offensively through the first 11 games this season, ranking just eighth in team field goal percentage (44.2%) and rank ninth in scoring offense (70.3 PPG). 

The Keydets, who once again have one of the youngest teams in all of college basketball, have been led by junior guard Brennan Watkins (15.3 PPG) and freshman guard Koree Cotton (12.5 PPG). 

The Keydets will close out non-conference play by taking heading on the road to take on red-hot Longwood (11-1), who has the nation's longest winning streak, on Sunday in a 2 p.m. EST tip.  The final non-conference battle for the Keydets will come against a non-Division I foe, as the Keydets will host Penn State New Kensington on Dec. 22 before opening up Southern Conference at Wofford (5-5) on Jan. 3.

Power Rankings:

1. UNCG--The Spartans are rolling right now and will end non-league play with the league's signature pre-conference win

2. Western Carolina--The Catamounts have had some head-scratching losses of late, but it hasn't been due to lack of production from Woolbright.

3. Furman--The Paladins have played the toughest non-conference schedule, and are learning how to adapt to life temporarily without Foster.

4. Chattanooga--With news coming down this week that Tre Bonham will likely be available for the Mocs immediately, it could prove to be a game-changer for Dan Earl's club.

5. East Tennessee State--Slowly but surely, Brooks Savage's team is learning how to win and have now claimed three-straight wins, however, the road gets tough from here to close out non-conference play. 

6. Samford--There's no question Samford has the talent to challenge to win the league title again this season, but the problem is they need a challenge.

7. Wofford--The Terriers continue to be a surprise package, and will be one of the hottest teams in the SoCon heading down the stretch in non-conference play, as Wofford likely secures its fourth-straight win this weekend.

8. The Citadel--As long as Ed Conroy's club continues to defend at a high level, they'll  be a headache for anyone in league play.

9. Mercer--The Bears gained some confidence in getting a key win over Georgia State last week.

10. VMI--Longwood represents the last opportunity for the Keydets to avoid finishing non-conference play 0-10 against NCAA Division I foes.