SoCon Basketball: 2022 conference tournament preview and predictions

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Malachi Smith – Chattanooga

2021-22 stats: 20.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.7 SPG

Smith was officially named the SoCon Player of the Year on Wednesday and for good reason. He leads the league in scoring and is on pace to be the first Division I men’s player since Duke’s Zion Williamson in 2018-19 to average at least 20 points, 6 rebounds and 1.5 steals on 50% shooting or better, per Sports Reference. Pretty good company.

The 6-4 guard has scored 20 points in a game 18 times this season — tied for the third-most in the country.

As if his offensive feats aren’t impressive enough, Smith also ranks fourth in the SoCon in adjusted defensive rating, per Torvik, and is tied for second in steals per game.

To put it as simply as possible, Smith has been the best individual player on the best team in the conference. And he technically has two years of eligibility remaining, should he choose to use them.

Jake Stephens – VMI

2021-22 stats: 19.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.0 BPG

On Jan. 15 against The Citadel, Stephens became the first DI player since 2010 to put up 20 points, 21 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks in a win, per Sports Reference. In February alone, he had performances of 39 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists; 21 points and 17 rebounds; 27 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists…you get the point.

The First Team All-SoCon center leads the league in eFG% and ranks second in scoring, rebounding, blocks and offensive rating, per KenPom. He also ranks third in the country on Heat Check CBB’s Gold Star Guide, a metric designed to evaluate individual performance and star power.

To top it all off, the 6-11 center leads the league in 3P%, shooting a ridiculous 50% on more than five 3-point attempts per game.

It’s worth noting that Stephens has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, but the expectation is that he will be ready to play in time for VMI’s SoCon Tournament opener on March 5.

Jalen Slawson – Furman

2021-22 stats: 14.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.7 SPG

Slawson was a starter for Furman last season but was just fifth on the team in both minutes and points per game. With Noah Gurley transferring to Alabama and Clay Mounce graduating, Slawson has emerged as Head Coach Bob Richey’s go-to frontcourt option. Man, has he delivered.

The 6-7 forward plays most of his minutes at the five but is far from a traditional center — in a good way. Because he can handle the ball, shoot the three and has an NBA body, Slawson is almost always a mismatch on the court. That versatility is illustrated by the fact that he is one of just four players in the country currently averaging at least 14 points, 7 boards, 3 assists and 1.5 steals per game, per Sports Reference.

Slawson was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday as he can guard multiple positions in addition to leading the league in defensive rating and steals.

Mike Bothwell and Alex Hunter – Furman

Bothwell’s stats: 15.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.1 APG

Hunter’s stats: 13.6 PPG, 3.1 APG, .419 3P%

While Slawson holds down the frontcourt, Bothwell and Hunter round out Furman’s Big Three in the backcourt.

Bothwell is the Purple Paladin’s starting point guard and leading scorer — a First Team All-SoCon player this season. He also leads the SoCon in BPR, per EvanMiya.

Hunter ranks second in the SoCon in BPR and is Furman’s most lethal 3-point shooter with almost 100 made threes on the season at a 41% clip. Although Hunter is the team’s third-leading scorer, he’s tied with Bothwell with eight 20-point games on the season, including back-to-back 21 and 30 point performances against North Carolina and Mississippi State earlier in the season.

Ques Glover – Samford

2021-22 stats: 19.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.4 APG

After a 1-6 start in league play, Samford rattled off nine wins in its next 10 games. Over that stretch, Glover averaged 21.8 points and 4.7 assists, leading Samford to the No. 3 seed — its best finish since joining the SoCon back in 2008.

Glover spent the last two seasons at Florida, where he averaged 3.5 points on just over 10 minutes per game. This season, he was named First Team All-SoCon member as he leads the league in usage percentage and ranks second in assists and third in scoring.

Hayden Brown – The Citadel

2021-22 stats: 18.5 PPG, 9.4 RPG, .549 eFG%

Brown was the Preseason SoCon Player of the Year and has largely lived up to his lofty individual expectations, despite The Citadel’s struggles as a team.

Brown ranks fourth in the league in scoring and has put up 20+ seven times this season, a top 20 number nationally.