Mid-major Basketball: 3 under-the-radar teams for 2020-21 season
By Logan Butts
Western Carolina Catamounts
As the Southern Conference (SoCon) gets tougher each season, there are bound to be good teams that fly under the radar in that league.
Enter the Western Carolina Catamounts (our first non-Eagle nickname of the group). Western Carolina has only made the NCAA Tournament once, way back in 1996. To make it again will be an uphill battle in the always competitive SoCon, but I think the Catamounts have a good shot.
Despite losing the hulking inside presence of Carlos Dotson, Western Carolina returns do-it-all guard Mason Faulkner who averaged 17.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game last season.
With ETSU having undergone a number of changes during the offseason, the Catamounts main competition for a conference crown will come from Furman (who lost Jordon Lyons but return Clay Mounce among other key players) and the favorites, UNC Greensboro (who return one of the best mid-major players in the country in Isaiah Miller).
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It is always going to be a battle in the SoCon no matter how good the favorites are. With a versatile player like Faulkner leading an experienced squad, the Catamounts should have a fighting chance to earn their second-ever NCAA Tournament bid.