The Southern conference has their best on display this Saturday with the top team facing the top player. Who takes first in the league after this game?
TV schedule: Saturday, Jan. 27, 7:00 p.m. ET. ESPN3
Arena: Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, South Carolina
With all the talk about Trae Young of Oklahoma this season, other elite scorers have flown under the radar. That includes Fletcher Magee of Wofford 15-5 (6-1). At one point in the early part of the season, he was averaging nearly 26 ppg and had his signature moment of the season, dropping 27 points in the road upset at the defending champs North Carolina Tar Heels.
His overall numbers have gone down slightly in conference play, but the team continues to thrive, winning their last six games to set up this big battle.
East Tennessee State 17-4 (8-0) may not have an elite scorer like Magee, but they have a number of contributors, with six players averaging at least 7.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg. It’s also an old squad, with five of the six top scorers all seniors. The Buccaneers was the top team in the Southern Conference a year ago and was the league’s representative in the NCAA tournament, where they lost in the first round to Florida.
The two games between these teams last season were both down to the final minutes, with the home team winning each game. Magee played well in both games, averaging 23.5 ppg between them.
Next: Which seed is the Southern Conference representative?
Along with UNC Greensboro (who has a win over NC State of their own), it appears to be a three-team race for the regular season title. And if the Southern tournament goes chalk, that would mean that the No. 1 team would have a much easier path to the finals and the automatic bid to the Big Dance. With this game being at Wofford, I think Magee will have a huge night to take the Terriers to the top spot after the weekend.
Prediction: East Tennessee State 76 – Wofford 83