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Everything you need to know about the Wofford Terriers

Adam Hoge — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:42:05 -0000

Location: Spartansburg, South Carolina
Conference: Southern
Record: 26-8 (15-3, 1st Place)
Coach: Mike Young (116-125 in 7 years at Wofford)
Enrollment: 1,450 students

The Terriers returned five starters this season from a team that went 16-14 a year ago. Wofford was hoping to make the NCAA Tournament in 2009, but it was upset by Elon in the first round of the SoCon Tournament. On top of five returning starters, Young brought into two transfers from the state of Minnesota who played AAU ball with Noah Dahlman (16.8), the team's leading scorer. Those two transfers, Jamar Diggs (9.4 ppg) and Cameron Rundles (6.6 ppg) became two of the team's top four scorers. Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor is familiar with all three Minnesota natives, having played AAU basketball against them.

Wofford enters the NCAA Tournament on a 13-game winning streak and finished first in the Southern Conference with a 15-3 record.

How they got here: Wofford beat Appalachian State 56-51 in the SoCon Tournament Championship Game March 8.

Key wins: at Georgia (60-57), vs. South Carolina (68-61)

Impressive loss: at Pittsburgh (63-60)

Common opponents: at Illinois (lost 78-64), at Michigan State (lost 72-60)

How Wisconsin and Wofford Compare

The Terriers get most of the their points on easier shots closer to the basket, which could be a problem for them against Wisconsin's big men. However, they also get to the line a lot as they attempt 24 free throws per game. Dahlman and Diggs combined for 346 free throw attempts this season and they both shoot over 70 percent from the line.

Wofford will likely try to get Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil in foul trouble early. Both Wisconsin big men should be capable of stopping the Terriers down low if they can stay in the game.

While Wisconsin gets 34 percent of its scoring from behind the 3-point line, Wofford only gets 25 percent from deep. Junior Salters is Wofford's only major threat from behind the arc as he hit 66 threes this season.

Other than that, both teams are in the upper 60s in points per game, while Wofford averages only five more possessions per game than Wisconsin. The Terriers don't turn the ball over too much, averaging 11.9 per game.

This game will likely be decided by Wisconsin's post defense. Dahlman is only 6-9, so as long as UW can stay out of foul trouble, they should be able to defend him. He doesn't have a great jump shots, but will try to out muscle and hustle you in the paint to get to the basket. He is Wofford's only double-digit scorer.

College Basketball Stats

NCAA Basketball

Tracking the smaller conferences

BoilerTMill — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:35:53 -0000

With the Big Ten Tournament getting underway today I wanted to take a brief look at possible first round opponents. One of the things I love about Championship Week is watching the smaller schools fight their way into the tournament. Sure, many of these guys don't stand a chance since nine of them will be 15, 16, or play-in game seeds, but it is fun to watch their jubilation anyway.

We can pay particular attention to these teams too because we're going to be a top 3 seed as long as we don't crap the bed tomorrow against Indiana or Northwestern. Anything less would be a crime against humanity. As a result, we'll probably be looking at the one of following teams as our first round opponent.

East Tennessee State (20-14) - The Bucs won a wild Atlantic Sun Tournament where four teams tied for first place with 14-6 conference records. ETSU was a game back at 13-7, but won on Mercer's home floor in the title game. Their 123 RPI might bump them up to a 15 because the champions of the MEAC and SWAC are usually pretty dreadful. Tommy Hubbard, a 6'4" forward is their top player at better than 14 points and 8 rebounds per game.

Robert Morris (23-11) - RMU won on Quinnipiac's home floor last night to clinch their second straight NCAA bid from the Northeast Conference. Last year they lost by 15 to Michigan State in round one. This is a team that has some NCAA experience from that game, so they won't shy away from playing another Big Ten team. They had balanced scoring with 10 different players notching a basket against MSU in last year's game. Getting a seed better than last year's #15 will be difficult, as this is a play-in game team possibly. A 127 RPI will likely help them avoid a trip to Dayton. Karon Abraham is their lone double figures scorer at over 13 per game. He is a 5'9" freshman guard.

Murray State (30-4) - Honestly, this team scares the bejesus out of me, but with 30 wins and an RPI of 58 the Ohio Valley champs should get a decent seed for once. This is a team that regularly makes the tournament and challenges bigger teams, but they have just one win in 13 trips to the NCAA's. Their four losses were to Morehead State within their conference, Western Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, and California. Bear in mind, Cal won the Pac-10 and Murray State only lost to them by 5 in the season opener. Cal is probably the only team with a pulse they have played though. If you want balance though, this is your team. Ivan Aska, B.J. Jenkins, Danero Thomas, Tony Easley, and Isaiah Canaan all average between 10.3 and 10.6 points per game. This team also regularly throws down 80 per night. I expect them to be at least a 13 seed.

Winthrop (19-13) - The Eagles are the dominant team from the Big South, but knocked off heavily favored Coastal Carolina to win the auto-bid. Less than 20 wins and a 162 RPI, however, likely means a 16 seed at best. This is Winthrop's 9^th NCAA bid and Reggie Middleton leads them in scoring at 10.3 points per game.

Montana (22-9) - This is another dangerous team that used a huge second half to return to the NCAA's last night. The Grizzlies are led by Anthony Johnson, who basically said, "I'll do it my damn self," last night by scoring 42 points and 34 in the second half to erase a 22 point deficit on Weber State's home floor. That is how you steal a bid!

Wofford (26-8) - So we may meet again, Terriers. Wofford earned its first ever NCAA bid by winning the Southern Conference this week. They would probably love a chance to meet Purdue as well. Leading scorer Noah Dahlman (over 16 per game) was part of the team that shocked Purdue 69-66 in Mackey Arena two years ago. He had five points in that game, while leading scorer Junior Salters from that contest is still on the team as well. Wofford's RPI of 69 might get them a higher seed.

Oakland (26-8) - The Golden Grizzlies come from the Summit League, which traditionally is in the 14-16 range in seeding, but this is a great club. They lost just once in league play, to IUPUI. They avenged that loss in the conference title game by beating the Hoosiermakers easily. Keith Benson is a human double-double, but three other players also average in double figures. They also have a white guy with a state of Wisconsin tattooed on his arm. That's just high comedy, folks.

North Texas (24-8) - Joe Lunardi currently projects us as playing the Sun Belt Champion Mean Green. They have for scorers who average double figures led by Josh White, who hit the winning basket in the Sun Belt title game. NTU is 0-2 all-time in the NCAA's, but they most recently made the tournament in 2007 and challenged Memphis in round 1 as a 15 seed. Their RPI of 99 puts them in the 14-15 range again.

Other possible conference champs that haven't been decided:

America East - Vermont vs. Boston University - The Catamounts had never been to the NCAA's before 2003, but they upset Syracuse in 2005. Both teams have 100+ RPI's, putting them in the 15-16 range.

Patriot League - Lafayette vs. Lehigh - The winner of this conference title game tomorrow will be lucky to avoid the play-in game. Lehigh has the best RPI at 158.

MAC - If anyone other than Kent State or Akron wins the tournament they will likely be a 15 seed at best.

MEAC - Anyone but Morgan State will be in the play-in game.

SWAC - With Jackson State getting upset by Grambling State last night we have one guaranteed play-in game participant from whoever wins this conference. It could be second seeded Arkansas Pine Bluff, whom we dominated last year at home.

Big West - UC Santa Barbara and Pacific are the favorites, but both will be hard pressed to rise above a 15 seed.

Preview: Michigan State Spartans vs. Wofford Terriers

KJ@theonlycolors — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:40:03 -0000

Your MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS vs. the WOFFORD TERRIERS

THE BRESLIN CENTER, EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN

7:00 P.M. (ET), FRIDAY

TV: BTN

Terrier bullets:

Overall record of 16-14 last season; 12-8 in Southern Conference play; Kenpom ranking of #233.
Team returns all 7 players who started 10+ games last season.
Terriers have split 8 games so far in new season. Played Pitt to within 3 points on the road in season opener; led Panthers by 13 early in second half. Lost by 14 at Illinois. Best win is 3-point road win against Georgia.
Leading scorer is 6'6" junior forward Noah Dahlman, who is averaging 18.0 points/game on .589 FG shooting. Chips in 6.9 rebounds/game to boot. Dropped 20 points on 9-16 FG shooting against Pitt. Brother of our own Isaiah.
No other player is scoring in double digits. 6'2" senior guard Junior Salters averaged 15.0 points/game last season, though. He's knocked down 19 of 50 three-point attempts (.380) so far this season.
Wofford upset Purdue 69-66 two years ago. Salters led the Terriers with 13 points in that game.

Last year Wofford was quite a bit better on offense than on defense. Given that the team's roster stayed almost fully intact, it's not surprising that that situation continues to be true this season. Oddly, though, they've seemingly reversed strengths. Last season, they were good at offensive rebounding and not so good at holding on to the ball. This season, the reverse is true. Could just be a small-sample-size thing.

Roughly the same thing on defense: still not very good, but so far last season's strengths/weaknesses don't seem be carrying forward.

So I'll go ahead and give up on providing any masterful four-factor-driven story on how the Terriers will comport themselves tomorrow night. (One positive [for us] that has carried over from one season to the next: They don't block many shots [Block% of 3.6% this season]. Expect Draymond Green, Delvon Roe, and Raymar Morgan to score with relative ease down low.)

Let's go big picture instead: 48 hours out from the UNC loss, I'm feeling a little better about the (college basketball) universe. From pure a fan perspective, I'm disappointed this team hasn't been able to meet the early-season expectations that come with a preseason #2 ranking. But, from an analytical perspective, I have to concede that Tuesday night's game probably doesn't have a lot of predictive value. It was an early-season road game in a very hostile setting against a team that refused to miss shots in the first half. MSU could have won, but it would have taken a superior performance.

I'm more concerned about the Florida loss, really. That was a neutral court game in which it's hard to find a story to tell other than "We beat ourselves." 30%+ turnover percentage vs. a team that shot 5-24 from 3-point range.

Tom Izzo teams have certainly bounced back from bad nonconference losses to become conference title and Final Four contenders before. I was kind of hoping we could take a smoother ride to that destination this season, though.

Anyway, the upcoming four-game stretch (leading into the Texas game) is a bit underwhelming from a fan excitement standpoint. No real opportunities to show progress against a good opponent--only to be less-than-perfect against subpar competition or, perish the thought, pick up a really bad loss.

Onward and forward. And maybe, in a few weeks, upward.

BtB 2009-10 Southern Conference Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:25:09 -0000

The Southern Conference, and the nation, got a little taste of what life without Stephen Curry would be like when the College of Charleston knocked off Davidson in last year's conference semifinals. The Cougars then lost to Chattanooga on the Mocs' home floor, extending the Cougars tournament drought to 10 seasons, while simultaneously making UTC the third league team to claim multiple tournament bids during the 00s. The Mocs represented the conference in 2005, former member East Tennessee State won back-to-back crowns in 2003 and 2004, and Davidson first won in 2002 before claiming three straight between 2006 and 2008. The 2008 Elite Eight squad managed the conference's only three NCAA wins in the decade. Seeing as this squad was the only conference champion to escape the bottom four seed lines during the 00s, that's understandable.

Appalachian State and UNC Greensboro were the other two SoCon qualifiers during the decade. They represented the league in the 2000 and 2001 tournaments, respectively.

Even with Curry gone, the Wildcats will challenge for the title, especially with the conference tournament shifting to their backyard (Charlotte) this season. However, look to two of their South Division competitors, Bobby Cremins' Cougars and their crosstown rivals, The Citadel, fresh off their first ever postseason berth. to lead the way. In the North Division, Buzz Peterson is back at Appalachian State, and he has some talent at his disposal, while Western Carolina brings back all five starters from a team that tied for the division crown last time around.

As you can see, there's still plenty to watch in this conference, even after the player who may arguably be its greatest ever has moved on to the NBA. More on all 12 teams after the jump.

Here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order, starting with the North Division. (Click here to see my College of Charleston preview and my preseason All-SoCon team, as it wouldn't attach to this post.)

North Division

UNC Greensboro (last NCAA: 2001) The Spartans lost one starter from last year's 5 win team, F Damian Eargle (9.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg), a gifted sophomore who departed for personal reasons. The remaining four starters, led by 6-4 Finnish G Mikko Koivisto (12.4 ppg, 2.4 apg) and 6-5 F Ben Stywall (11.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg), will have to improve on both ends of the court to improve their win total. Meanwhile, head coach Mike Dement hopes that two freshmen, 6-8 Brian Cole and 6-7 Taylor Hoffer, can turn into the frontcourt force Eargle threatened to become. UNCG's non-conference schedule is ACC heavy, as they visit Duke and Virginia Tech, and face Maryland, NC State, and Wake Forest at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Elon (last NCAA: None) Former Davidson assistant Matt Matheny is the new head coach of the Phoenix, and his team could struggle in his first season, as last year's two leading scorers F Ola Atoyebi (13.9 ppg) and G Brett James (13.2 ppg) are both gone. The good news is that none of the team's other main performers from last season, led by the guards Josh Bonney (5.4 ppg, 3.1 apg), Devan Carter (7.1 ppg), and reserve Chris Long (7.2 ppg) left after the coaching change. Lots of players, especially an underperforming frontcourt, will have to step up to keep the Phoenix out of the basement, however. The Phoenix will participate in the South region of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Duke, where they'll open with Charlotte.

Chattanooga (last NCAA: 2009) The Mocs, last year's North Division champs, hosted last year's SoCon tourney and claimed the crown. Don't expect a repeat trip, as all five starters from that team are gone. The team's leading returning scorer is 6-6 senior G Ty Patterson, who averaged a little more than 8 points a contest this season. In fact, John Shulman's roster is loaded with reserves from last year's team, but one key newcomer is 6-5 F Troy Cage, a JC transfer who played at UNLV, and should immediately make his presence known. The Mocs schedule includes trips to Missouri and Richmond for the South Padre Island Invitational. They'll face Texas-Pan American, then either Bethune-Cookman or Longwood in the main tournament. In a scheduling coup, Georgia Tech visits McKenzie Arena this season.

Samford (last NCAA: 2000) Jimmy Tillette has four starters back from a team that finished at .500 overall, and just below that mark in the league. He also returns his five leading scorers from a season ago. The Bulldogs' strength is their backcourt, featuring 6-4 junior Josh Davis (10.1 ppg) and 6-4 senior Trey Montgomery (11.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg),the team's leading rebounder from a season ago. That should serve as a warning to a frontcourt that features 6-6 FBryan Friday (12.5 ppg. 3.5 rpg) and 6-8 C Andy King (8.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg), who certainly could put the ball in the basket, but need to increase their sometimes timid rebounding efforts. Two freshmen, 6-10 Levi Barnes and 6-9 Andrew Windler, will push them for minutes. During the non-conference season, Samford will visit Alabama, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech. They'll also take part in a round-robin event at Ohio, which, oddly enough, will feature a game against crosstown rival UAB.

Western Carolina (last NCAA: 1996) The Catamounts finished last season with a mark that was just above .500 both overall and in the SoCon. They should be better this season, as all five starters are back--led by last year's SoCon Freshman of the Year, 6-4 Canadian G Harouna Mutombo (14.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.8 spg), and senior backcourt mates Brandon Giles (13.2 ppg) and Brigham Waginger (8.4 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.6 spg). Head coach Larry Hunter could stand to get a little more production from a frontcourt featuring starters Adrian Gailliard (4.9 ppg. 3.1 rpg), Richie Gordon (6.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg), and reserve Jake Robinson (9.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg), however. If they step up, WCU becomes a serious contender for the overall league crown. This season, the Catamounts visit Clemson, Louisville, and Texas, as part of the CBE Classic. They'll also host one of that event's subregionals, featuring A-10 contender Duquesne, decimated America East champ Binghamton, and D-2 Arkansas-Monticello.

Appalachian State (last NCAA: 2000) Buzz Peterson is back to coach the Mountaineers after nine years away from Boone. He has a chance at immediate success, thanks to the return of five starters from a team that only managed 13 wins in 2008-09. The backcourt is one of the best in the league, as 6-1 junior Donald Sims 13.7 ppg, 2.3 apg) and 6-1 senior Kellen Brand (14.8 ppg) are offensive threats from anywhere on the floor, and senior PG Ryann Abraham (9.8 ppg) returns after a season that featured a suspension. The frontcourt features two strong rebounders--6-6 senior F Josh Hunter (8.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and 6-10 junior C Issac Butts (8.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg)--who could stand to score a little more. Appalachian's schedule features road trips to Arkansas, Dayton, Louisville, and Robert Morris. The games against the Razorbacks and Cardinals are part of the odd Hall of Fame Showcase event.

South Division

Georgia Southern (last NCAA: 1992) (Thanks to Rose Carter in GSU's sports information department for helping me clear this entry up.) GSU alum Charlton Young replaced Jeff Price at the helm after a 8-22 season that featured only 5 league wins. Young lost two starters, though guard Julian Allen, who was one of five Eagles to average more than 9 points a contest last season was suspended for the final third of last season. That means Georgia Southern still has a few guys who can score, especially guards Willie Powers (14.6 ppg before he suffered a knee injury), Antonio Hanson (12 ppg, 2.4 apg), and Ben Drayton III (11.8 ppg, 2.6 apg). Plus, 6-7 senior F Tyler Troupe, really stepped up after Allen's suspension, averaging 13.5 ppg and 8.2 rpg during the last 10 games of the season. So he'll be an effective weapon on the wing an in the 3 spot. However, Young will have to get his players to give a better effort on the defensive end of the court for the win total to increase. The Eagles visit South Carolina and Florida, as part of the Legends Classic. GSU will welcome D-2 Arkansas-Fort Smith, Troy, and Valparaiso to Statesboro for one of that event's "subregionals."

Furman (last NCAA: 1980) The Paladins are the classic "good news/bad news" case this season. For the good, Jeff Jackson has all five starters back. Now, the bad. That team only managed six wins, four in the league. 6-2 guard Jordan Miller was the only Paladin who averaged in double figures last season (13.8 ppg), so it's no wonder this team ranked near the bottom of every offensive statistical category in the SoCon. If the players can build on its experience, and Jackson can get more out of a frontcourt that didn't do nearly enough on the glass, they should improve significantly. Trips to in-state rivals Clemson and South Carolina are on the slate, as is a trip to California for the Golden Bear Classic.

Wofford (last NCAA: None) Mike Young's squad is loaded with experience this season, as all of his starters and key reserves are back from a squad that finished 16-14. However, as there's still a lot of other talent in the South Division, it could be tough for them to leave the middle of the pack, especially as the Terriers struggled on defense last season. 6-6 junior Noah Dahlman (17.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg) anchors the frontcourt, while 6-2 senior Junior Salters(15 ppg) is the leader in the backcourt. 6-5 junior swingman Tim Johnson averaged 10 points a game, while grabbing nearly 9 boards a contest. If Wofford can focus on both ends of the floor this season, they'll surprise. The schedule should prepare them for the rigors of the SoCon slate. They open with a trip to Pitt, while they also visit Georgia, Michigan State, Bradley, and Illinois. The last two games are part of the Las Vegas Invitational, and the Terriers will face Southern and Seattle or Presbyterian in Vegas. Wofford also welcomes South Carolina to Spartanburg.

Davidson (last NCAA: 2008) Not only is Curry gone, but so are F Andrew Lovedale and G Max Paulhus Gosselin. That means the returnees, led by 6-7 F Steve Rossiter and sharpshooters Bryant Barr--a 6-4 G, and William Archambault--a 6-6 swingman, will have to really up their offense production. Curry's nearly 29 points a contest will be hard to replace, and losing Lovedale's 12.5 points and nearly 9 boards a game makes the problem even bigger for Bob McKillop's squad. Expect 6-10 soph Frank Ben-Eze and 6-10 frosh Jake Cohen to battle to replace Lovedale inside. The schedule is typically tough, starting with a BracketBuster rematch with Butler right away. The Wildcats will fill the SoCon's host slot in the Charleston Classic, where they'll face USF in their opener, then La Salle or South Carolina on day two. They also face Gonzaga in Seattle and Cornell, then Hofstra or St. John's in the Holiday Classic.

The Citadel (last NCAA: None) Ed Conroy's team managed 20 wins and the school's first ever postseason bid, a trip to the CollegeInsider tournament, where they lost to Old Dominion by 8 in round one. The Bulldogs should be competitive again, but Conroy needs to replace graduated C Demetrius Nelson (16.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg), the team's leading scorer. Look for 7-0 former Washington backup C Joe Wolfinger--who has a year of eligibility left while he's in grad school--to get the first chance to replace him. The backcourt won't be an issue, thanks to the presence of 6-1 Cameron Wells (15.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and 6-2 Zach Urbanus (10 ppg, 3.3 apg), while swingmen John Brown (5 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Austin Dahn (6.8 ppg) could stand to help them out more offensively. The Bulldogs visit Houston, Texas A&M, and West Virginia, and host Michigan State.

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Southern Conference this season?

Appalachian State

2 votes

Chattanooga

1 votes

The Citadel

1 votes

College of Charleston

2 votes

Davidson

4 votes

Elon

0 votes

Furman

0 votes

Georgia Southern

2 votes

UNC Greensboro

0 votes

Samford

0 votes

Western Carolina

0 votes

Wofford

1 votes

13 votes | Poll has closed