Skip to main content
Tuesday, November 10, 2026Nov 10
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

SoCon men’s basketball expected to be deep in talent again

Furman forward Devin Sibley knocks down UTC guard Jonathan Burroughs-Cook during a game at McKenzie Arena in January. Sibley, the SoCon's player of the year last season, is one of four starters back for the Paladins.
Furman forward Devin Sibley knocks down UTC guard Jonathan Burroughs-Cook during a game at McKenzie Arena in January. Sibley, the SoCon's player of the year last season, is one of four starters back for the Paladins. Furman forward Devin Sibley knocks down UTC guard Jonathan Burroughs-Cook during a game at McKenzie Arena in January. Sibley, the SoCon's player of the year last season, is one of four starters back for the Paladins.

By Gene Henley 4 min read

Last season, the Southern Conference men’s basketball race included five teams that won at least 10 games in league play and seven that won at least eight.

The conference the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga calls home is expected to be just as deep this season, with Mercer selected by coaches to win the SoCon title and Furman – one of three teams to win 14 regular-season conference games in 2016-17 – picked to do so by media.

East Tennessee State University earned the top seed for the SoCon tournament and ultimately the title with a 79-74 win over UNC Greensboro before falling to Florida in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Today, the Times Free Press takes a look at the league and predicts the order of finish:

1. Samford: The Bulldogs return their top seven scorers from last season’s 20-win team, led by senior point guard Christen Cunningham, senior wing Demetrius Denzel-Dyson and junior post Wyatt Walker, with the latter two all-conference selections last season. They also added Alabama transfer guard Justin Coleman, who started seven games for the Crimson Tide in 2015-16 and led the team in assists.