Southern Conference Basketball: A rivalry renewed between UNC-Greensboro and Wofford for 2018-19

Wofford and UNC-Greensboro Basketball have gone toe-to-toe in the Southern Conference over the past few years. Will 2018 give us the next chapter?

Over the last four years, there has been a budding rivalry in the Southern Conference between the Spartans of UNC-Greensboro and the Wofford Terriers. The two teams have faced off 11 times over that time, including in three of the last four Southern Conference tournaments.

Since the 2014-15 season, UNCG leads the season series 6-5, including coming away victorious in the last five outings. In 2015 the Terriers knocked UNCG out of the SoCon tournament, the Spartans got their revenge two years later, dismissing Wofford in the semifinals. Last season the Spartans did it again, breaking the hearts of Wofford in their fans when a final-minute three-pointer gave UNCG a 56-55 semifinal win on their way to winning the conference title.

2018 could be more of the same as both teams return the bulk of their offensive production and there is a good chance they will once again be an obstacle to each other in their hunt for the SoCon’s automatic NCAA tournament bid.

The Terriers finished 21-13 and earned the 5^th seed in the tournament with an 11-7 record and lost in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament to Central Michigan. Coach Mike Young returns his top six scorers, including all four that registered double digits, led by the conference’s top scorer and reigning Player of the Year, senior guard Fletcher Magee. Magee averaged 22 points per game while shooting 48% from the field, 90.7% from the free throw line and 43.9% from beyond the arc.

Also returning are junior guards Trevor Stumpe and Nathan Hoover. The 6-5 Stumpe averaged just under 11 points and was the team’s second-leading rebounder at 4.2 per contest. Hoover is a native of Memphis scored 11 points per game and was 2^nd on the team in three-point shots made with 70, shooting 40% from three-point land. Storm Murphy is a 5-11 guard who averaged six points but was the Terriers’ leading assist man with four per game.

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In the frontcourt, Young brings back seniors Cameron Jackson and Matthew Pegram. Jackson is a 6-8 forward who averaged 12 points and a team-leading 5.9 rebounds for a team that struggled mightily rebounding the ball. Pegram is a 6-11 center who was productive in 15 minutes per game with five points and three rebounds.

The Wofford newcomers have the length that will hopefully be able to help on the boards. Four of the six new faces are 6-6 or taller. Isaiah Bigelow is a 6-7 guard from North Carolina that averaged over 10 rebounds per game as a senior. Messiah Jones and Alex Michael are 6-6 forwards and Chevez Goodwin is a 6-9 sophomore who will be eligible after transferring from College of Charleston. Ryan Larson and Drew Cottrell are a couple of guards who will add depth in the backcourt.

UNCG won 27 games and as a No. 13 seed gave No. 4 Gonzaga a scare in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 68-64. The season earned head coach Wes Miller a seven-year contract extension. Everything came up roses last season for the Spartans and continue to bloom into 2018. They return five of their top seven scorers. Francis Alonso and Demetrius Troy are senior guards that poured in 23 points and dished out 6.7 assists last season.

Isaiah Miller is a 6-0 guard who averaged 8.3 points and 3.1 rebounds as a freshman. James Dickey and Kyrin Galloway return to the Spartan frontcourt. Dickey is a 6-10 junior forward who could become a double-double machine for the Spartans this season after averaging 8.9 points and 8.4 rebounds last year and Galloway could become a key contributor after scoring 5.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per game.

Miller welcomes the conference’s No. 2 recruiting class according to 247sports.com with 6-8 268lb. Mohammed Abdulsalam and 6-6 small forward Angelo Allgeri. Also joining the Spartans is 6-9 junior Eric Hamilton who spent his first two seasons at Wichita State.

Last season the Spartans hung their hat on defense and that isn’t likely to change in 2018. In 2017 UNCG ranked in the top 20 nationally in a myriad of categories. They finished 5^th in scoring defense (62.5), 18^th in scoring margin (10.7), 20^th in field goal percentage (40.6), 17^th in three-point field goal percentage defense (31.7), 15^th in rebound margin (6.7) and 18^th in total steals (267).

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These two teams have been butting heads for the last four seasons and it is likely to continue into 2018 as the Socon regular season and tournament championships could likely to be decided by one if not both of these teams if recent history is any indication.