Dick Vitale may consider college basketball to be “happy action fun time,” but there may be nothing enjoyable about the season coming up for the defending Southern Conference basketball champ.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers are suffering from graduation losses, defections and tragedy. All of this should combine for a new Southern Conference champion.
Southern Conference teams are licking their chops as the Mountaineers one-year reign on the conference should be a sweet memory.
The conference, especially the North Division, is anybody’s for the taking.
Predicting the Southern Conference is going to be tough, but the Mastermind is going to take a crack at it.
In the North Division, expect UNC-Greensboro to take the title, followed by Davidson, East Tennessee State, Appalachian State, Western Carolina and VMI.
College of Charleston will be the Southern Division champion, with Georgia Southern Wofford, Furman, Chattanooga and The Citadel following in that order.
Expect College of Charleston to win the tournament and make it to the NCAAs.
The North Division is wide open. We will start by talking about the Mountaineers. Appalachian won 23 games and advanced to the NCAA tournament last year, but things have changed in Boone, N.C. Gone is head coach Buzz Peterson, who has left for greener pastures at Tulsa. Gone is Tyson Patterson, probably the best point guard to play in the Southern Conference since former ETSU standout Keith Jennings. And unfortunately, gone is Rufus Leach, the team’s leading scorer who drowned in Watauga Lake this summer.
Things got even worse for first-year Head Coach Houston Francher recently as former Science Hill star Demetric Stevens left school after being declared ineligible for his freshman season due to grades. He was being counted on to give the Mountaineers good production from the point-guard spot.
The Mountaineers do have last year’s Tennessee Class AAA Mr. Basketball in Josh Hare, but it should be a rebuilding year for Appalachian State. Look for the Mountaineers to spend March Madness in front of the television.
The teams that have the best chance of dethroning the Mountaineers in the North Division are UNC-Greensboro and Davidson. The Spartans weren’t world-beaters last season, going 9-7 in Southern Conference play, but they do return three starters and have plenty of size. Davidson has tradition and also has size, including 7-2 post player Martin Ides. But with Greensboro’s experience, look for them to win their first Southern Conference North Division title.
The team that I’m picking to finish third may surprise you. ETSU is almost ready to turn the corner. Four starters return for the Bucs and a strong freshmen class has arrived. The glory years haven’t returned yet, but this team is definitely on the rise.
Western Carolina has a new coach in Steve Shurina, but don’t expect them to challenge for the title.
VMI should not have any trouble finishing in the North Division basement again.
College of Charleston should win the South Division and also return to the top of the Southern Conference after being dethroned last year by Appalachian State.
The Cougars have all five starters returning, including Jody Lumpkin, The Sporting News Preseason Player of the Year in the Southern Conference. The Cougars also have Head Coach John Kresse, who has an incredible record of 517-127. With this record, it’s hard to believe bigger schools haven’t stolen him away.
Georgia Southern hasn’t dominated the Southern Conference like they did the Trans America Athletic Conference in the early 1990s. Three starters return, including Julius Jenkins, who averaged 15.5 points per game last year, as the Eagles had their first winning season since 1993. Look for them to have another one in 2000-01.
Wofford’s hopes for Southern Conference supremacy rest on the shoulders of Ian Chadwick. He is the conference’s leading returning scorer at 16.8 points per contest. Chadwick will most likely battle with Lumpkin for conference MVP honors. They have two other starters returning and should give the Eagles a close race for second.
The good news for Furman is that they have four starters returning. The bad news is they finished last in the Southern Conference’s South Division last season. The starter they did lose was Stanislav Makshantsev, their leading scorer from one year ago.
The Paladin faithful had better enjoy their shocking 45-10 blowout football victory over Georgia Southern, because there won’t be many convincing wins for the basketball team this winter.
Chattanooga made it to the NCAA sweet 16 in 1997. Now they’re fighting to stay away from the conference basement. Oliver Morton is one of the league’s best centers, but he doesn’t have much help.
The Citadel has all five starters back from last year, but that is not going to save the Bulldogs from finishing last.
Southern Conference teams will probably not have great non-conference records this year.
In a three-week stretch starting on Nov. 17, Appalachian State hosts North Carolina, Chattanooga and ETSU play Tennessee, Wofford plays Alabama, VMI plays Virginia and Davidson travels to Duke. And these are just the teams’ that look like national contenders this year.
The non-conference schedule will be tough, but a few of these games are at SoCon home courts or close to them. It’s a great chance to see some of the top teams in the country. But it will be nice to get into the Southern Conference schedule and see if these predictions come true.
I better give you a word of advice before you put money on these predictions. I picked the Mets to beat the Yankees.

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