Feb. 20, 2006
Cullowhee, N.C. - With a full week of competition remaining in the Southern Conference men's and women's basketball regular-season, the picture as to seeding in the rapidly approaching SoCon Basketball Championships, March 2-5 in Charleston, S.C., is still cloudy at best. With too many possibilities and scenarios to list, here is a breakdown entering the final week for both the Catamount and Lady Catamount hoop squads:
Three of the five teams to receive a first-round bye in SoCon men's basketball have locked up spots, including north division champion Elon, Georgia Southern and Davidson. With wins in its final two games, Western could gain one of the two remaining first round byes, but the College of Charleston, Furman, Chattanooga, Wofford and Appalachian State could also stake claims to the two remaining bids with various combinations of wins and losses over the final seven days.
Complicating matters, with 11 teams and the league divided into North and South Divisions, the seeding, 1-through-11, will be based on overall league winning percentage regardless of division. All North Division team will only play 14 SoCon games, while the South will play 15. Western's current .500 SoCon winning percentage ranks sixth, just trailing Furman's .538 SoCon winning percentage. (See below for full listing of SoCon men's basketball remaining games)
Western has two remaining games, including Tuesday night's home finale versus UNC Greensboro and a road trip to Chattanooga on Saturday. Tuesday's game (Feb. 21) will be Retro Night with fans encouraged to dress in the style of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s and will start at 7:00 pm.
The Chattanooga Lady Mocs are the only team at present to have been locked into their seed for the upcoming conference tournament on the women's side. Three teams - Davidson, UNC Greensboro, and Appalachian State - are the only three squads that can finish second with the Wildcats currently holding the runner-up spot, followed by the Spartans and Mountaineers.
With wins in its final two games, coupled with back-to-back losses by current fourth-place standing Appalachian, Western Carolina can finish as high as tied for fourth in the final SoCon rankings, tied with the Mountaineers but would earn the fourth seed due to the head-to-head sweep this year. If Western were to split, the puzzle would be further complicated with too many possible scenarios to list. (See below for full listing of SoCon women's basketball remaining games).
The top five teams in the SoCon based upon overall conference records will all receive a first round bye and will open tourney play on Friday rather than Thursday. Western can go a long way in helping to secure that opening off day on Monday night, hosting the College of Charleston at 7:00 pm in the Ramsey Center. The Lady Catamounts and Cougars are currently tied for fifth - the final transfer spot - with identical 7-9 conference marks.
On Monday, Western will honor its lone senior, Teyawna Hardy, on Senior Night in a pre-game ceremony. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm in the Ramsey Center.
Remaining SoCon Men's Basketball GamesMonday, February 20 Appalachian State at Chattanooga, 7 pm Furman at The Citadel, 7:15 pm
Tuesday, February 21 UNC Greensboro at Western Carolina, 7 pm Davidson at Georgia Southern, 7:30 pm
Wednesday, February 22 Wofford at College of Charleston, 7 pm The Citadel at Savannah State, 7:30 pm
Thursday, February 23 UNC Greensboro at Appalachian State, 7 pm
Saturday, February 25 College of Charleston at Davidson, Noon (ESPN2) Elon at UNC Greensboro, Noon (FSN South) The Citadel at Wofford, 2 pm (ETV) Western Carolina at Chattanooga, 7 pm
Sunday, February 26 Georgia Southern at Furman, 2 pm
Remaining SoCon Women's Basketball Games
Monday, February 20 Georgia Southern at Chattanooga, 5:15 pm Appalachian State at Davidson, 7:00 pm College of Charleston at Western Carolina, 7:00 pm UNC Greensboro at Wofford, 7:00 pm
Tuesday, February 21 Elon at Furman, 7:00 pm
Saturday, February 25 Appalachian State at Elon, 2:00 pm College of Charleston at Georgia Southern, 3:00 pm Western Carolina at UNC Greensboro, 4:00 pm Chattanooga at Wofford, 5:00 pm
Sunday, February 26 Furman at Davidson, 3:00 pm
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