As the NCAA Tournament is fast approaching, conference tournaments are being played all around the country where the winner will receive the conference’s only bid to the Madness. These are considered “one-bid” conferences, and even schools that dominated during the regular season will have to win to keep their seasons alive.
The Southern Conference, or SoCon, is one of those traditional one-bid leagues. It’s a conference that consists of 10 schools from the states of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
The men’s SoCon tournament will take place from Friday, March 7, to Monday, March 10. The venue for all of the tournament games will be Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
The SoCon tournament always delivers great basketball, and a great champion. Last year, top-seeded Samford ran the table to win their first ever SoCon tournament title, beating seven-seed ETSU by seven in the final. Samford advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a #13 seed, and their upset bid over Kansas came narrowly short, as the Bulldogs lost to the Jayhawks 93-89.
The stage is set for another great year of SoCon tournament basketball. Here is the favorite, the contenders, the dark horse, and my pick of who will win the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament!
The Favorite:
Chattanooga Mocs (23-8, 15-3)
After stepping away from the spotlight in the SoCon for a couple of seasons after a head coaching change, the Mocs are back atop the SoCon standings and will go to Asheville with the number one seed in the tournament. After Chattanooga started the conference season 1-2, the Mocs will enter the SoCon tournament as one of the hottest teams in college basketball. They’ve won their last 11 games to secure the SoCon regular season title, their 15th in school history.
Much of that success comes from a balanced scoring attack, led by junior guard Honor Huff. The Brooklyn native has averaged double figures in each of his three years in college, and has scored 10+ points in each of his last 10 games. Huff will be coming into tournament play hot, after finishing the regular season with a season-high 29 points in Chattanooga’s blowout win over VMI.
However, Chattanooga is a great scoring team and that makes them so dangerous. Bellarmine transfer Bash Weiland scores 14 points per game and has been a great addition for the Mocs. Fifth-year senior Trey Bonham (13.5 points per game) is looking to make the All-SoCon first team for the second straight season. Big man Frank Champion won SoCon Newcomer of the Year in just his first season of Division 1 basketball. The Mocs are one of just 17 teams in Division 1 that have five different players who have scored 1,000 points or more in their career.
Chattanooga boss Dan Earl won SoCon Coach of the Year, and is starting to become one of the best mid-major coaches in the country.. The third-year head coach has now won 62 total games with the Mocs, and has led his squad to a second straight 20-win season. He and his team will remember their heartbreaking loss in the SoCon tournament semifinals last year to ETSU in overtime. This year, it’s a revenge tour for the Mocs that may lead them to a NCAA Tournament bid.
The Contenders
UNC Greensboro Spartans (20-11, 13-5)
UNC Greensboro is a team that has found success consistently over the last few years. It’s the third straight year where the Spartans won 20 or more games and finished in the top three in the conference standings. However, the postseason tournament has been a problem for UNCG. Since they last won the title in 2021, the Spartans haven’t made it past the quarterfinal round.
Can the Spartans change that trend this year? First team All-SoCon selection Kenyon Giles could be a big factor to make that happen. The Radford transfer is one of seven new additions to the UNC Greensboro roster, and has hit the 20-point mark 9 times this season. Along with that, third team selection Donovan Atwell (13.7 points per game) is averaging double figures for a second straight season.
UNC Greensboro will rely on two things in Asheville: threes and defense. The Spartans lead the SoCon in three-point shooting percentage (37.6% as a team), and they hit 13 three pointers in their regular season finale win over Samford. Even better, the Spartans have the best defense in the conference, allowing 65.4 points per game (which is top 30 in the nation). It looks like the Spartans have some great team factors that could propel them to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in school history.
Samford Bulldogs (22-9, 12-6)
Last year’s SoCon champions have taken a slight step back this year after a lot of roster turnover, but elite coach Bucky McMillan and his team have all the intangibles to make another run in March this year. The Bulldogs once again have the best offense in the SoCon, and a top 15 offense in the nation. Coming into the tournament, the Bulldogs average 83.5 points per game.
The star of that offensive showcase at Samford is Trey Fort, who is another star newcomer in the SoCon this season. The Mississippi State transfer is scoring 15 points per game. He went off for a career-high 29 points in the regular season finale against UNC Greensboro. Rylan Jones, who started on the SoCon Championship team from last year, is a great facilitator to the offense. He averages 5.1 assists per game, which leads the conference. Josh Holloway is a beast off the bench, winning SoCon Sixth Man of the Year and earning a spot on the SoCon All-Defensive team.
Samford had a phenomenal start to their SoCon season, starting the conference slate with an 8-2 record. However, things have tapered off at the end, with Samford going 3-4 in their last seven games coming into the tournament. There are some positive signs, though. Samford has scored 90 or more points in each of their last three games, the first time they’ve done that this season. Let’s see if that can translate into postseason play.
East Tennessee State Buccaneers (19-12, 12-6)
Last season, ETSU came into the SoCon tournament with low expectations as the No. 7 seed. The Buccaneers made a Cinderella run to the tournament finals, where they were knocked off by Samford. This season, ETSU was picked to finish third in the SoCon preseason poll, and the Buccaneers have met the higher expectations.
The reason they’ve had another strong season? Quimari Peterson. The senior guard from Gary, Indiana just won the SoCon Player of the Year award, and has been an all-first team SoCon selection in back-to-back seasons. He is a top 30 scorer in the nation, leading the conference with 19.5 points per game. The Buccaneers also have the best defensive player in the conference, Karon Boyd. The junior is the first ETSU player in history to receive SoCon Defensive Player of the Year.
After a shaky start to the SoCon season, ETSU has won seven of its last nine games entering the SoCon tournament. The Buccaneers open up the tournament as the number three seed, and they’ll face Wofford, a team they won and lost against during the regular season. If the Bucs rely on their star players on offense and on defense, a first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017 may be on the cards.
The Dark Horse
Furman Paladins (23-8, 11-7)
It’s no surprise that Furman is once again in contention for the SoCon Tournament title. Two years ago, the Paladins won the SoCon and upset Virginia in the NCAA Tournament on a last-second three from JP Pegues. Now, Bob Richey’s team is starting to tap back into that March magic, winning five of their last six games to cap off the regular season. They will be the number five seed heading into this weekend’s tournament.
Senior guard Pjay Smith is a big key in creating Furman’s magic. The senior guard earned SoCon Player of the Week recently after a last-second three-pointer lifted Furman to victory in their regular season finale against Wofford. Division II transfer Nick Anderson has had a stellar first year for the Paladins as well.
The key to Furman’s success? Rebounding and ball security. The Paladins are 16-3 this season when winning the rebounding battle over their opponents, and 12-1 when they turn the ball over less than their opponents. Furman had a strong run in non-conference play, with wins over Tulane, Belmont, Florida Gulf Coast and Princeton. If Bob Richey’s squad can replicate that form this week, Furman has a chance to run the table as the five seed.
My Pick: Furman
When you take a close look at Furman’s recent stretch, you can see that the Paladins are playing their best basketball at the right time of the season. I think Furman comes into the SoCon tournament underrated, and that gives the Paladins an advantage. Bob Richey has proven himself to be a top coach in the SoCon, and I think his squad can tap into some March magic to take down good teams like Samford and Chattanooga, and make a surprise run in the SoCon tournament. If they complete it with a championship, the Dins would be the lowest seed to ever win the SoCon.
In many conference tournaments, dark horses make unexpected runs to conference titles, and I think Furman has all the right qualities to do that this year in the SoCon. Should they win the SoCon, Furman may be able to make some more shocking history in the NCAA Tournament.
However, before the “Big Dance”, college basketball conference tournaments are played all over the country, with 32 of them in total before March Madness. Each winner of a conference tournament will automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament and be one of 68 teams in the nation to compete for a national championship.
One automatic qualifier will come from the Southern Conference, or SoCon. It’s a conference that consists of 10 schools from the states of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
The men’s SoCon tournament will take place from Friday, March 7, to Monday, March 10. The venue for all of the tournament games will be Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
The SoCon tournament always delivers great basketball, and a great champion. Last year, top-seeded Samford ran the table to win their first ever SoCon tournament title, beating seven-seed ETSU by seven in the final. Samford advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a #13 seed, and their upset bid over Kansas came narrowly short, as the Bulldogs lost to the Jayhawks 93-89.
The stage is set for another great year of SoCon tournament basketball. Here is the favorite, the contenders, the dark horse, and my pick of who will win the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament!
The Favorite:
Chattanooga Mocs (23-8, 15-3)
After stepping away from the spotlight in the SoCon for a couple of seasons after a head coaching change, the Mocs are back atop the SoCon standings and will go to Asheville with the number one seed in the tournament. After Chattanooga started the conference season 1-2, the Mocs will enter the SoCon tournament as one of the hottest teams in college basketball. They’ve won their last 11 games to secure the SoCon regular season title, their 15th in school history.
Much of that success comes from a balanced scoring attack, led by junior guard Honor Huff. The Brooklyn native has averaged double figures in each of his three years in college, and has scored 10+ points in each of his last 10 games. Huff will be coming into tournament play hot, after finishing the regular season with a season-high 29 points in Chattanooga’s blowout win over VMI.
However, Chattanooga is a great scoring team and that makes them so dangerous. Bellarmine transfer Bash Weiland scores 14 points per game and has been a great addition for the Mocs. Fifth-year senior Trey Bonham (13.5 points per game) is looking to make the All-SoCon first team for the second straight season. Big man Frank Champion won SoCon Newcomer of the Year in just his first season of Division 1 basketball. The Mocs are one of just 17 teams in Division 1 that have five different players who have scored 1,000 points or more in their career.
Chattanooga boss Dan Earl won SoCon Coach of the Year, and is starting to become one of the best mid-major coaches in the country.. The third-year head coach has now won 62 total games with the Mocs, and has led his squad to a second straight 20-win season. He and his team will remember their heartbreaking loss in the SoCon tournament semifinals last year to ETSU in overtime. This year, it’s a revenge tour for the Mocs that may lead them to a NCAA Tournament bid.
The Contenders
UNC Greensboro Spartans (20-11, 13-5)
UNC Greensboro is a team that has found success consistently over the last few years. It’s the third straight year where the Spartans won 20 or more games and finished in the top three in the conference standings. However, the postseason tournament has been a problem for UNCG. Since they last won the title in 2021, the Spartans haven’t made it past the quarterfinal round.
Can the Spartans change that trend this year? First team All-SoCon selection Kenyon Giles could be a big factor to make that happen. The Radford transfer is one of seven new additions to the UNC Greensboro roster, and has hit the 20-point mark 9 times this season. Along with that, third team selection Donovan Atwell (13.7 points per game) is averaging double figures for a second straight season.
UNC Greensboro will rely on two things in Asheville: threes and defense. The Spartans lead the SoCon in three-point shooting percentage (37.6% as a team), and they hit 13 three pointers in their regular season finale win over Samford. Even better, the Spartans have the best defense in the conference, allowing 65.4 points per game (which is top 30 in the nation). It looks like the Spartans have some great team factors that could propel them to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in school history.
Samford Bulldogs (22-9, 12-6)
Last year’s SoCon champions have taken a slight step back this year after a lot of roster turnover, but elite coach Bucky McMillan and his team have all the intangibles to make another run in March this year. The Bulldogs once again have the best offense in the SoCon, and a top 15 offense in the nation. Coming into the tournament, the Bulldogs average 83.5 points per game.
The star of that offensive showcase at Samford is Trey Fort, who is another star newcomer in the SoCon this season. The Mississippi State transfer is scoring 15 points per game. He went off for a career-high 29 points in the regular season finale against UNC Greensboro. Rylan Jones, who started on the SoCon Championship team from last year, is a great facilitator to the offense. He averages 5.1 assists per game, which leads the conference. Josh Holloway is a beast off the bench, winning SoCon Sixth Man of the Year and earning a spot on the SoCon All-Defensive team.
Samford had a phenomenal start to their SoCon season, starting the conference slate with an 8-2 record. However, things have tapered off at the end, with Samford going 3-4 in their last seven games coming into the tournament. There are some positive signs, though. Samford has scored 90 or more points in each of their last three games, the first time they’ve done that this season. Let’s see if that can translate into postseason play.
East Tennessee State Buccaneers (19-12, 12-6)
Last season, ETSU came into the SoCon tournament with low expectations as the No. 7 seed. The Buccaneers made a Cinderella run to the tournament finals, where they were knocked off by Samford. This season, ETSU was picked to finish third in the SoCon preseason poll, and the Buccaneers have met the higher expectations.
The reason they’ve had another strong season? Quimari Peterson. The senior guard from Gary, Indiana just won the SoCon Player of the Year award, and has been an all-first team SoCon selection in back-to-back seasons. He is a top 30 scorer in the nation, leading the conference with 19.5 points per game. The Buccaneers also have the best defensive player in the conference, Karon Boyd. The junior is the first ETSU player in history to receive SoCon Defensive Player of the Year.
After a shaky start to the SoCon season, ETSU has won seven of its last nine games entering the SoCon tournament. The Buccaneers open up the tournament as the number three seed, and they’ll face Wofford, a team they won and lost against during the regular season. If the Bucs rely on their star players on offense and on defense, a first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017 may be on the cards.
The Dark Horse
Furman Paladins (23-8, 11-7)
It’s no surprise that Furman is once again in contention for the SoCon Tournament title. Two years ago, the Paladins won the SoCon and upset Virginia in the NCAA Tournament on a last-second three from JP Pegues. Now, Bob Richey’s team is starting to tap back into that March magic, winning five of their last six games to cap off the regular season. They will be the number five seed heading into this weekend’s tournament.
Senior guard Pjay Smith is a big key in creating Furman’s magic. The senior guard earned SoCon Player of the Week recently after a last-second three-pointer lifted Furman to victory in their regular season finale against Wofford. Division II transfer Nick Anderson has had a stellar first year for the Paladins as well.
The key to Furman’s success? Rebounding and ball security. The Paladins are 16-3 this season when winning the rebounding battle over their opponents, and 12-1 when they turn the ball over less than their opponents. Furman had a strong run in non-conference play, with wins over Tulane, Belmont, Florida Gulf Coast and Princeton. If Bob Richey’s squad can replicate that form this week, Furman has a chance to run the table as the five seed.
My Pick: Furman
When you take a close look at Furman’s recent stretch, you can see that the Paladins are playing their best basketball at the right time of the season. I think Furman comes into the SoCon tournament underrated, and that gives the Paladins an advantage. Bob Richey has proven himself to be a top coach in the SoCon, and I think his squad can tap into some March magic to take down good teams like Samford and Chattanooga, and make a surprise run in the SoCon tournament. If they complete it with a championship, the Dins would be the lowest seed to ever win the SoCon.
In many conference tournaments, dark horses make unexpected runs to conference titles, and I think Furman has all the right qualities to do that this year in the SoCon. Should they win the SoCon, Furman may be able to make some more shocking history in the NCAA Tournament.