SoCon Edition: Week One LEADERS

This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Week one of conference games is in the books. Where does your team stand? SoCon Fast Break starts now. All right, Darren. Here we are, 2026. So we've got through with the holidays. We've got through the non-conference games. The one thing that I have picked up on, though, even early in 2026, it doesn't matter what calendar year it is, what season it is, because we're still going to be surprised. We're still going to see chaos. It does not matter. And we're seeing it right here in the Southern Conference to start the season in conference play. We've seen it early already. We've seen some upsets. We've seen some teams not playing to the level that we thought we would. In the flip of that, we've seen at least one team that did not look very good in non-conference. They're just sitting up here at 2-0. Hello, UNCG. Justin Neely has come out already said that he was going to lay the gauntlet down and dominate the SoCon, as we heard earlier in the year. And I do think this is something, though, that when you start looking at the standings in, obviously, it's week one. It's two games in due conference play. I get it. But this is something that we've talked about previously, is that now you have the opportunity of really gauging the teams because it's much more comparable in terms of the matchups and understanding. These teams are built very similarly. Obviously, some have deficiencies more so than others. And obviously, some teams are built differently, and their pieces are going to fit together better. But now you're seeing a situation where, just even after two games, you can start making some observations and start getting to that point where you might be a little bit concerned or you're very surprised or happy if you're a certain fan base and you look at the standings right now. I mean, we know we're going to have situations where there's going to be some people that are in the bottom, not going to be happy. But the surprise, I think, you're sitting there with Chattanooga, sitting there at 0-2. Yeah. I mean, and that's one of the notes I have as we talk kind of about surprises, whether positive or negative. And the mocks are sitting there squarely with a big circle around them of just being shocked that they're 0-2. And frankly, they made a, I think it was a 16-0 run in that VMI game. Yeah, an 18-2 eventually run. But I mean, they were not competitive for the first half of that game. No. They just looked like they just didn't have... That's right. And Dan Errol even talked about, they came out and didn't even really have a concept of what their why was, that they even wanted to come out there and play in that game. Yeah. No, I mean, this team to me, from an outsider's perspective, is really struggling with consistency and finding an identity. They've really struggled to get consistency other than from Jordan Friesan. He's the only double-digit score that they have right now. I know a couple guys are close. Yes. And can I interrupt you right there real quick? Yeah. Because we have made a mistake. And Jordan, we apologize. It's Jordan Friesan. Friesan. It is Friesan. I apologize. I apologize to that. As someone whose last name never gets pronounced right, I appreciate that. But Jordan Friesan's been there kind of one shiny light of remotely close to consistent play. That's right. You know, and they're not rebounding it well. I mean, they ranked 297th in the country in rebounding, total rebounding. And I think another theme for them too, I know we've talked about the injuries, but they're just not getting much inside. Not only from the rebounding, but just... Mulholland has not been able to play hardly at all this season. He tries to get out there and still this lower body injury, lower leg injury, still not... It's limiting him in terms of actually getting some minutes and trying to get that rhythm. And we've talked about it. They are a mash unit. So I do give them the benefit of the doubt right now. But the problem is though, you get behind the eight ball too quickly in conference play, you can't make it up. And that's the problem sitting there at 0-2. And that's going to be a struggle for Chattanooga. I think you hit the nail on the head there. At some point, we talked about this either last week or the week before, the team that wins this league in a worst case scenario is going to have five losses. And I think someone's probably... I think that's a stretch. I think three or four losses probably wins the league. So if you've got two losses in one week, you are putting yourself in a really, really difficult spot to go get that top seed in Nashville. And frankly, the way they're banged up right now, unless something happens and they get healthy and they kind of figure out an identity, I just don't know how they're going to... They've got to get on that heater pretty quickly. They do. And that's all predicated by injury. So they've got to have a rotation where you can actually get into the rhythm. You can have some consistency. And that's what they don't have right there, sitting at 0-2. And also the Citadel, 0-2, we talked about it. I mean, they have struggled in the non-conference, obviously. Have not had a Division I win in a long time. And it's just very difficult when you consistently giving up almost 50% from the field to your opponent. It's going to be hard to outscore people, especially in this league. Yeah, and they don't particularly score it great to begin with. So I continue to say, but I feel for those guys down there in Charleston because it's a well-coached bunch, but they just have really, really struggled, frankly, for the better part of two years now and it's at a pretty high level. Yeah, especially on the defensive side. That's the problem. Yeah, and I think they've probably had a couple guys that they thought maybe would take a step forward that haven't taken as much of a step forward and maybe a transfer to come in that maybe would be contributing more than they have. So, you know, for the sake of them, their staff and the league, I want to see them and this Division I winning streak drought here this conference season. Yeah, it will not surprise me, though, that they do get a win and they spoil somebody's week. That will probably happen. And I know Chattanooga had to go two games on the road in there at VMI and at UNCG, the other team that's sitting there, 0-2, and maybe a surprise, but you're talking about tough schedule to start and that's Mercer. Yeah, based on the talent level that they have. So right now, I'm not concerned with Mercer. I'm not concerned whatsoever. That's two difficult places to go play, to open up conference play at Furman. You're right in that game and then you have to follow that up and go to ETSU and ETSU. We saw what they've been able to do in the non-conference and they're not missing a beat right now. No, they're not. And look, I completely agree with you. I'm not worried about them at all. I think they played the two other best teams in the conference to start the conference play out. Now that could change in a week or two, but I think as of right now, if you had healthy rosters at the end of the year, I think Furman and ETSU are going to be right there. So, you know, and they had chances to win both of those games. They did. They got a pretty good look at the end of the Furman game and, you know, they let it half-time at the ETSU game, which I understand, you know, probably the most irrelevant stat of all time is leading a game in half-time. But, you know, look, they competed for the vast majority of that game well enough to win, but ETSU really locked up in the second half among other things, which is what they do. They're 39th in the country and I believe it's total defense. There's 39th in the country. And so, you know, that's a team that they're going to be hard to score on for 40 minutes. So, especially at home there in Freedom Hall. That's a difficult place to play. Absolutely. You know, we'll, when we get to our segment with power rankings, you know, I think my feelings about Mercer will be illustrated in where they are. So, we'll get a little teaser for a head in the show. Stay around for the power rankings. And also, just go ahead and hit that subscribe or follow button. It's easy to do. It doesn't cost you anything. It helps us out and you get opportunities to hear more and more of SoCon Fast Break. Again, it's easy. YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. All right. So, the other teams that we're looking at, Furman sitting there at one-in-one, and then you also have VMI one-in-one, and we'll talk about that game against Chattanooga. Western gets the big win at Furman. We'll talk about that and Samford sitting there at one-in-one. But the unbeaten, it's ETSU, Wofford. And UNCG. And there's something about when you look at some of these teams, and we'll talk about the ETSU run that they're on right now, because I do think it's significant just how well they're playing defense. But the Mercer Furman game there on New Year's Eve. I mean, that was a thriller type of game. And it was one of those games, and you talked about it. Mercer had an opportunity, got a decent look. I was there, and I felt that Barakko Kojai, I felt he could have continued to the rim rather than settling for a little bit of a floater right there. Because he is so effective as far as finishing. He's one of the best finishers in the conference. And I felt that Charles Johnston, though, was a little bit of a distraction. He had been playing that rim protector role without Cooper Bowser there, and he impacted, okay, Kojai's shot right there at the end. He did, and I'll tell you, I agree with you. I think he probably, at a minimum, could have tried to draw Johnson out more and get some contact, maybe get to the line. Yeah, or maybe draw him out. Because to your point, they had him, the play that they drew up had him going downhill hard. And he's a big, strong, physical player. But to your point, Charles Johnston did a really good job on that play. He impacted the shot. He forced Kojai to take a little decent look. Not, not, it was a challenging shot. It was a challenging shot, you know, a runner. Off of one foot, runner, floater. And then he did an excellent job of getting back to Armani Mighty, and they were able to double team box out Mighty, where, yeah, okay, technically they had a tip to try and put it back in. But that tip was never close because they did a really good job, Ferman did, making sure that Mighty was covered after that shot went up. And I know those are little things, but that's a big deal. You know, when you're looking at that from a, from a video review perspective of Charles Johnston doing a really good job on the defensive end. Yeah, no doubt about it. And Charles Johnson was plus nine in the plus minus. And again, he did a really good job against Armani Mighty there. Again, no Cooper Bowser. And does look like he's going to come back in a couple of weeks. So I think that's a huge win for Ferman to be able to get Cooper Bowser back again. He's leading the country in field goal percentage in 81%. I mean, it's absolutely insane. It's all dunks. It's insane. And the one thing that I picked up also, Ferman plays the pick and roll lob like nobody's business. And I don't think it's even close in the Southern Conference. They're the best pick and roll lob unit out there. No, I mean, Coach Richie does a very good job teaching that. And the way that they execute their offense. But I think when you've got a guy like Alex Wilkins from a IQ and skill set and ability to pass it and Cooper Bowser with his height, his length and his improved hands, suckered near the rim. Yeah. And he's getting it. It's a dunk. And even Charles Johnson, Ben Vander Waals. Yeah. I mean, I saw several lobs to both of those guys. No, you're absolutely right. And but that's, you know, credit to what we just talked about. You know, you also not only the IQ and the pass and ability of Alex Wilkins, but he is a big time threat getting downhill. Oh, no, no, the game where he hit against against Mercer right there on the base. He's not playing shot. No, he's not playing like a freshman. That's the reality of it. Again, he had 20 points there again, silenced everybody from Mercer fan base. I promise you there as he drove baseline and hit that jumper. And you're talking about finishing strong. Also, it's amazing. And he's a wiry, thin type of guy, but he just has a lot of upper body strength and a consorbed contact. Yeah. Again, I put him up with a Baraco cojay as some of the best finishers in the Southern Conference. I completely agree. Completely agree. All right. And then obviously what I've been saying, Asa Thomas for Furman, he's going to be the difference maker for this team because he can light it up from outside. And when you're in a two point game, when you can have perimeter precision, like Asa Thomas, four of nine there, 19 points. And that's going to be a difference maker. And it was against Mercer. It wasn't. And to your point, he did not have, he had, I think the worst shooting out of the season against Western. That wasn't the reason that they lost. But they probably win that game. So to your point, yeah, I mean, he's an integral piece to this Furman team, especially when they are down a couple guys right now. Yes. And everything is really kind of magnified because their bench is pretty thin right now. It is. Yeah, no doubt. You know, and that's not a knock against any of the guys coming off the bench. That's right. You know, they've got some injuries that they're dealing with right now. So, yeah. I thought this was an interesting game. And a lot of times you might not, but I felt this was a statement win for VMI early in the season, because you're coming off of the Sanford loss where you played really well in the first half. And then you just came out completely flat, obviously on the offensive side there against Sanford and you allowed them to come in there into your own building and take control there in the second half. So you felt that almost slipping away again against Chattanooga as we talked about the big run that they had 16-0 and ended up being an 18-2 run there in the second half where you had a 19 point lead. And anytime you have a 19 point lead at home, you got to win that game. You have to. You have to win that game. And for Chattanooga, I mean, it's just almost impossible to come back from a 19 point deficit on the road, but give them credit of all the inconsistencies that we've talked about. They were right in that game, but I felt this was huge for VMI to withstand that run, have the nerves to finish strong and get that victory. And this is the first time they've beaten Chattanooga since 2022. So it's significant that VMI was able to do this. And also, because we still got the preseason player of the year, Ricky Bradley Jr. He's on the bench. He hasn't been medically cleared. I know that's what I'm saying. It's crazy that this is still the biggest storyline as we're going into conference play is where is Ricky Bradley Jr.? Yeah. And I think much of a season saving win without sounding too dramatic for VMI that you could have for the reasons that you mentioned of you played well in the first half to open things up against Sanford. And it really fell apart in the second half and you end up getting blown out by 20, right? Come back. You've got a Chattanooga team very, very much on the ropes on the ropes. The first half. Yes. And all of a sudden you blink and it's a one possession game or two possession game. And they did a really good job of finding and finishing that off. Because if you start off, oh, and two that those games went. I mean, that's you're now you're kind of starting to talk about, well, here's the same old VMI. Oh, yes, of course. That's that's the tough part about it. And Tom Aldizaloo, he was absolutely fantastic 22 points for three pointers there. He was the energy for VMI. TJ Johnson continues his stellar play though. But I felt it was freshman Alexander Doshvili who was the catalyst there in the second half, 14 points, nine rebounds. This is just his third game and he's a freshman in his first start. And so this is just showcasing once again, there's freshmen here in this league that I know we want to talk about the transfer guys coming in. But I know we've mentioned it. Watch out for some of these freshmen. This is as good of a freshman class as I've seen in a mid major league in a long time. I mean, there are guys that are not playing because teams have injuries or depth problems. These are freshmen that are playing and making major contributions. Yes, they are because they are some of the better players on their team. Yes, you know, and we'll probably talk about another one of these freshmen, you know, coming up out for UNCG. But, you know, to your point, just good balance from VMI. Yeah. And, you know, something to continue to build off of. And you talk about having been a chat new team for three years, you know, you give up that big run and you hold on. Can they now start to build some momentum and say, look, yeah, we want Ricky Bradley, Jr. back because that takes us to a different level. That's right. But guess what? We can we can go compete now. They are competing. They're showcasing that they can compete even without Ricky Bradley, Jr. But at the end of the day, you're going to need somebody. You're going to need another offensive threat. All right. Speaking of another freshman you talked about UNCG, the trenches battle. It was Chattanooga and UNCG as UNCG gets that victory. KJ Younger get to know this guy. I mean, he powered through arm tackle after arm tackle in this game, a career high 24 points. And then also Justin Neely just went ahead and just did what he does. Another double double his eighth of the season after that game. And this just again, showcase that UNCG if they can get some things going, especially on the defensive side, they can be a team that you don't want to see because they're inside game with Younger. And then obviously Justin Neely. Yeah. And then you have a man type of basketball right there. And then you have another freshman stepping up Noah Norgar. It's the game winner basically hits the three pointer there. He scored seven points in the final minute of the game and ice the game for UNCG gave them that confidence that they needed. And then obviously followed that up with another win against Samford there. Yeah. And I mean, kudos to coach Mike Jones. I mean, this thing was looking like sure of a season a month ago. They're sitting at two and oh in the league and have played well and frankly, look, they beat Samford nine day. No, they don't. No, they don't. They just don't want to because they want to slow it down, you know, and but they won that game. Yeah. And they're getting much more consistent production. You know, this is maybe a scenario. We'll see if they can keep their winning ways up. But this is maybe a scenario where in this portal era, you have so many new faces and sometimes it just takes a little bit longer to get it together. Yeah. That's right. And it looks like this team has found its groove and have found the consistency they need. And it helps to play at home. No doubt about it. Yeah. So there is that side of it as well. And but I just love that what you saw from UNCG back to back games being able to really showcase their physicality as Justin Neely had another double double in that game against Samford. So now he's has nine for the season. He's fifth in the nation in double doubles. I mean, it's absolutely fantastic. And KJ Younger, he almost had a double double also. Yeah. These guys are playing extremely well. They are. And I don't expect them to shoot it. It's 69 percent from deep every night. No. I mean, but, you know, they are shooting it from deep better now. They are. The one thing that concerns me that I'll say about them though still is they are currently still 307th in the country in scoring defense. Yeah. Which has improved that. Relatively uncharacteristic for Mike Jones team. But they're two and oh in the conference. They are two and oh in the conference. Well, everything gets as long as you score one more extra point. That's for certain. All right. Western Carolina at Furman. And this was the only game that to win into overtime and 11 three run there for Western Carolina. Marcus Kell, just phenomenal there in overtime. And I felt that Western when it mattered most, they played some solid defense and especially at the end of regulation and there at the end of overtime that not allowing Furman to really get a good look. No, they didn't. You know, this was, I think we got a glimpse of Western Carolina can be because they have three guys and I know they got more than three against Furman on Wednesday. But they've got three guys that are bucket getters and Marcus Kell, Cord Stansberry and Julian Somaro. Yeah. And those guys obviously other way 16, 15 and 16 and Somaro added eight rebounds. Yeah. So if you're going to get that kind of production out of three guys, you're going to be really competitive in this league and you're going to be dangerous. And so I think that was a really good example of, hey, I know the league didn't necessarily perform as well as it has in years past in non-conference. But man, I think there is a bunch of teams. There's not a whole lot of, hey, we can play C plus tonight. No, not not even close. The conference is compacted very tightly. I know you can get down to the bottom and you're going to have some of that separation, but it is very compact. Western dominated the boards in that game against Furman. Yeah. 48 to 35, 17 offensive rebounds and they converted that into 18 second chance point there for the cat amounts. And again, that neutralized a Furman's 34 to 28 scoring advantage in the paint because they were able to also open it up shooting 50% from beyond the arc. They controlled the glass and that handcuffed Furman's opportunity for transition game. And we know how imperative that is for Furman to be able to get on transition. It is. And you mentioned like the defense, the defensive effort from Western Carolina. I mean, you know, Furman only shot 34% from three. They were eight of 17 from the free throw line, which that's the killer right there. And that seems to have been a little bit of a concern for the Powdons this year. You know, in the rebounding margin, obviously very surprising, but to even at home only shoot 17 free throws, regardless of their eight of 17 or 15 of 17. That's, it's not nothing, but that's not, you know, there's a lot of times where the home team is going to shoot a lot more than 17 free throws. They're going to be shooting like 24, 25 free throws. So, you know, I say that to say like kudos to Western Carolina on the defensive end. Not foul. Defensive not foul. Yeah, that's right. All right. Player spotlights. Let's take a look at some of the best performances after week one, two games into the Socon season. Jaden Booth, Samford, I'm going to go ahead and start right there. I think he is potentially the most dangerous pure score in the league because of his ability to open things up, especially from the perimeter. He can also get downhill. I mean, right now he is one of the top in the country and three pointers made at four, average and four per game. Yeah. So that's number two in the country. So yeah, he's an elite level type of score. Yeah. He's a bucket getter flat out. He just gets it done. Yeah, no question. And also Alex Wilkins, I know we've talked about it. Freshman sensation averaged 22 points in his first week of conference play. It's okay. Yeah. I need to see if we can do some research and find out has a freshman averaged better than 22 points in their first two games of the conference season. I doubt it. I don't know. I doubt it. It's been a long time. So I mean, I don't even think Steph probably didn't do that as a freshman. We need to look at, we need to look at that. Brian, make sure you're making note of that so we can do some research on that. Brian are obviously a producer extraordinaire and a director over there. All right. Justin Neely currently fourth in the nation in rebounding and also nine double doubles. He had 22 points and 14 rebounds against Sanford. We've already talked about it. Again, I know him and KJ younger, like I said, grown men. Justin Neely just continues. He is a force because not only from an inside perspective, but he can step out and knock down the three. He can. And look, when you have one guy literally almost averaging 12, 13 rebounds a game, I mean, you're taking away extra shots on the defensive end and you're generating extra shots on the offense. That's right. Yeah. Because he's doing it on the offensive board also. Yeah, he is. He's doing it on both ends. Yeah. Guys, consistency defined as how I would describe Dylan Faulkner back to back 25 point games. He had 12 rebounds against VMI and recorded seven combined blocks for the week. Yet there's no doubt his name was in the running for SoCon player the week after two games. Yeah. I mean, if there wasn't a guy that averaged 32 a game and shot 60% three, there's a good chance is probably him. Yes. That's right. Yes. And that guy will go to the headliner. Niels Mahowski there from Wofford. SoCon player of the week as you talked about average 30, average 32 points and four and a half rebounds and his 37 points at the Citadel was the highest output by a Wofford player since Fletcher McGee in 2019. When you put your name in the same category as Fletcher McGee, that's pretty special. 64 points in two games and not only was he named SoCon player of the week, but he was also nationally recognized as the Lou Henson national player of the week. And that is significant. That's the first Wofford player that's ever been named the Lou Henson award winner. So congratulations to Niels Mahowski. I mean, he was talking about a burner. He was. He was lights out and that Wofford team played well. I mean, the funny thing is, is they got, they got the majority. I shouldn't say the majority of the scoring, but their top two leading scores both games were not Kamari Oms. That's right. You know, Caden Vasco also great. Yeah. Vasco or Vasco. Yeah. Caden Vasco. I think Caden Vasco is one of the most underrated players in the Southern Conference. I think he is so valuable. I agree. Wofford. I know you can look at Mahowski and the stats that he's putting up. I think, and obviously Kamari Holmes, I love what he's doing there, but Vasco is an efficient type of player that's playing at a different level and seems to be the connective tissue for every player there at Wofford. Yeah, absolutely. And he comes from a physical league in the mid American conference that, you know, you anticipate he's going to play with a different level of toughness and just kind of to your point be that guy that kind of keeps everything together. No question about it. All right. So last week, you know, I love stats. So I got to pull this one up and I wanted to mention UNCG real quick in that game against Samford. They had two turnovers in that game, two turnovers for the entire game, including zero turnovers in the second half. I don't care who you're playing. I don't care what league you're in. You have zero turnovers in the second half. You're almost impossible to beat. No, I look, we could go out and grab five guys and play a Wreckley game right now. And play at 21 and we might have more than two turnovers. Yes, we're going to have, we might have more turnovers than points after two minutes. I can promise you. No, I mean, that's incredible. And again, kudos to that staff. I mean, like they just look like they've just grinded and grinded and grinded and they're starting to really put it together. They're playing so efficient. And again, just in two games, conference play, I get it, but their turnover percentage right now is leading the league. 10.6% turnover percentage. So they're very efficient. They're handling any type of pressure and they're making good decisions. I mean, that's what that stats telling me. Yeah, 100%. And that's pretty characteristic of a coach Jones team. They typically take care of the ball well and make smart decisions on the offensive end of the floor. No question. All right. Another stat. Since 2017, 100% of the teams in the Southern conference that start three and O have finished in the top three of the final regular season standings. So we've got three teams that have an opportunity to get to that magical three and O mark. And that's obviously ETSU, Wofford and UNCG. Well, guess what? UNCG or Wofford, one of those teams not going to do it because they play head to head tomorrow night. They're in Spartanburg and I'm excited about that game. We'll talk about it. I'm actually going to be calling that game. So I am very excited about to see both of these teams up close and personal. All right. Real quick, power rankings after the first two games in the conference. All right. We'll start at the bottom. I got Citadel at 10. Yep. Again, they're doing a really good job free throw line. But you're giving up way too many points and allowing teams to shoot too well against you. Chattanooga, I got nine. I do too. I was curious. So we didn't talk about this prior, by the way. We did not. I was curious where you're going to have chat. I got them at nine too. Yeah. Just based on what I'm seeing right now because I mean, I know injuries play a part of that, but they are nationally ranked. They're 24th in assists to turnover ratio. So they're playing well at particular times, but I would say their stock is down. VMI, I've got them at eight. They lead the league in three point attempts. And, you know, so they're playing a game where, again, if they can get hot from beyond the arc, then they're going to be in a shot. That's my concern is that are they too reliant on the three point shot? Yeah. And I think the thing with that is you see the last couple of years when they've been good, they've been good, but teams have gone on big time runs against them. They really got to cut that out. If that's right. They want to take the next step, but that's going to be really hard. If you're taking a ton of threes and you have off nights, because you're going to give teams opportunities to get out and transition. No question. All right. I've got the Western at number seven. So leagues overall, a rebounding unit and number one in offensive rebounding. Got UNCG sitting there at number six. And I'm still a little bit concerned about the defense, but obviously when you start the season two and oh, you're doing something right. No, for sure. I struggled with this. I had Samford at six only because I just, I, their, their consistency to be able to defend well enough on a consistent basis is something that I think concerns me a little bit, but I'm totally fine with, with putting UNCG at six. Yeah. I've got Samford at five again, that they do a great job with ball security as well. Number four, top four. I've got Wofford there at number four. I do think their stock is up again. Caden Vasco is absolutely fantastic. Number four in the country and assist a turnover ratio. And I've talked about how he's the glue, the connective, and I don't mean necessarily glue type of guy, but he does a lot. But I think this is a Wofford team that when you have the offensive efficiency that they've at least portrayed over the first two games, one on the road, or I should say both on the road actually that this is a dangerous team right now. It isn't. And how I feel about them right now, I had them at two. Okay. I, I go, I, I went back and forth on that, but I just think that they've played really well. They have flat. I have them at four based on schedule. Yeah. I get the teams that they play. That's why I have Mercer at number three, even though they're O and two, I'm telling you, Mercer is a quality team. Oh yeah. They had the hardest opening two games in the conference and it's not even close when you have to go to Furman and then go to ETSU and they were in both of those games. Can they finish some of these games? Can they have situations where they don't give up some of these big runs? Yeah. And you mentioned it. You mentioned it at least a couple of times. They're depth. Yes. That top five is really good. Yeah. There is a drop off, but they are not getting a ton out of their bench. That's right. Yeah. There is a drop off. All right. I've got Furman at number two. Again, they've got talent. Depth could be an issue if they have another type of injury. You get Cooper Bowser back. That obviously makes them even stronger on that front court. Yeah. And I don't want to give them an excuse, but I think all due respect to Western, if Cooper Browsers healthy, the Palladins are sitting here at two and two. Two and no. I do. I had Mercer four, Furman three, but I think we're like, you know, I mean, it's one A, one B. I don't disagree with anything you're saying here. Well, I don't know if we even need to try to figure out who's number one. That's ETSU leading the league in full season net rating and also conference only defensive efficiency. And even throughout the entire season, their defensive efficiency is absolutely top notch. Again, conference games only 92.3. I mean, they are a lot down right now defensively. And so I do have them number one. All right. So preview and some of the upcoming games. We talked about it. The Ingalls game of the week and that is tomorrow there in Spartanburg, UNCG. Can they stop Mahovsky's heater that he's on right now? This is a huge matchup to two and oh teams with one of them having the opportunity to start the conference season three and oh, yeah, hey, McCauske's going back to the crib. I, he's got a lot of shots up in that, and that's in that place. I think he's going to, I think he's going to be a talk, continue to be a tough matchup. I mean, I know we're not quote unquote picking them, but I, I like Wofford. I just think at home. But I do think to your point, it's going to be a really good test for you and UNCG. Obviously started off two and oh, but you know, you were at home. Now you got to go on the road. It's going to be a hostile environment. I know that they're giving out free pizza at halftime to the students. So they're want that place to be packed. Jerry Richardson, indoor stadium. Wofford's not an easy place to play. No, when people show up there. That's right. Yeah, it can be a challenging facility to play. That's right. Some other games to highlight real quick. Furman at Chattanooga. This is almost a desperation situation for Chattanooga. It's a must win for Chattanooga. You've got to, you need to avoid that O and three hole and we'll see how that plays out. VMI at ETSU. Yeah. VMI, if they can connect from beyond the art, they will make this game competitive. So will ETSU be able to slow them down and have that perimeter defense to limit them from outside shooting? Yeah. Yeah. ETSU is just so tough at home. Talk about a tough place to play. Oh yeah, no doubt. And with that defensive efficiency. Yes. That's right. I'm curious. And then on Saturday, UNCG at ETSU. So two back to back tough games for UNCG. So we're going to find out what UNCG is made of. And that's actually a potential of showdown of unbeatens. Obviously, ETSU and UNCG have to win their previous game. Wofford at Mercer. This is another one. Now Wofford, can you go on the road there to Macon? Mercer has played extremely well at home this season, 6-0. And they can get out in transition, out on the fast break. But Wofford does have the number one offensive efficiency team right now, at least in conference play. Yeah. No, I mean, look, it's a game that starting off 0-2 whether we, you know, we've talked about how we feel about them. But at the end of the day, they are 0-2. So this is to a degree a big time, you know, maybe not a must win, but they got to, they got to make sure they take care at home. No doubt about it. Who they're playing, given the fact they started off this conference season 0-2. That's right. Hey, this is another big week. Yeah. Here we go. Conference play continues. And as always, make sure you hit that subscribe or follow button. You know the drill, YouTube, Apple podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, including iHeart Radio app. Until next time, may all your jumpers hit nothing but the bottom of the net.