In relation to mid-major conferences, the Southern Conference has been somewhat impressive. Six of the ten teams in the conference finished their season with an above .500 overall record. The SoCon has the unfortunate opportunity to be only a one-bid conference, so whoever wins the Southern Conference Basketball Tournament will be the lone representative. Chattanooga finished the regular season with a 14-4 conference record. This gives them the overall one seed for the conference tournament. Can Chattanooga add to their 11 tournament wins, or will UNC-Greensboro defend last year’s title? The following contains the Southern Conference Tournament bracket and schedule, as well as a preview of what we can expect to see.
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Southern Conference Basketball Standings
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Seed |
| Chattanooga | 14-4 | 24-7 | 1 seed |
| Furman | 12-6 | 20-11 | 2 seed |
| Samford | 10-8 | 20-9 | 3 seed |
| Wofford | 10-8 | 18-12 | 4 seed |
| VMI | 9-9 | 16-14 | 5 seed |
| UNC Greensboro | 9-9 | 17-13 | 6 seed |
| Mercer | 8-10 | 15-16 | 7 seed |
| East Tennessee State | 7-11 | 15-16 | 8 seed |
| The Citadel | 6-12 | 12-17 | 9 seed |
| Western Carolina | 5-13 | 11-20 | 10 seed |
Southern Conference Tournament Schedule
Dates: March 4-7
TV Schedule: ESPN+, ESPNU, ESPN
Venue: Harrah’s Cherokee Center — Asheville, NC
Byes: Top 6 teams get single bye
Defending Champion: UNC Greensboro
Southern Conference Tournament Bracket
First Round
- (9) The Citadel 84, (8) East Tennessee State 76 (OT)
- (7) Mercer 81, (10) Western Carolina 53
Quarterfinals
- (1) Chattanooga 71, (9) The Citadel 66
- (4) Wofford 68, (5) VMI 66
- (2) Furman 80, (7) Mercer 66
- (3) Samford 66, (6) UNC Greensboro 64
Semifinals
- (1) Chattanooga 79, (4) Wofford 56
- (2) Furman 71, (3) Samford 68
Championship
- (1) Chattanooga 64, (2) Furman 63 (OT)
Chattanooga advances to NCAA Tournament
Southern Conference Breakdown
As previously mentioned, Chattanooga has dominated the Southern Conference Basketball Tournament with 11 all-time wins. The Citadel, Mercer and Samford are three teams who have yet to win the tournament. Even with Chattanooga’s dominance, the Mocs have only won the tournament once since 2008. East Tennessee State has eight total titles, while Furman has six.
According to the College Basketball NET Rankings, the gap between Chattanooga (70) and Furman (81) is 11. Other Southern Conference basketball teams in the NET top-200 are Wofford at 107, VMI at 158, UNC Greensboro at 160, East Tennessee State at 172, Samford at 182 and Mercer at 190. What makes Chattanooga such a highly ranked team is their defense. The Mocs average 65 points given up (54th in the country) and only allow opposing teams to make .299 percent of their three-point attempts (28th in the country). Furman is one of the better three-point shooting teams in the country, making 38.6% of their threes (8th in the country). They also score 78.3 points per game (31st in the country).
In regards to the preseason poll, there was not a horrible deviation from what was projected and the final Southern Conference basketball standings. Chattanooga lived up to the preseason hype, finishing number one in the conference, while Western Carolina was projected to finish last. The biggest overachiever in the conference was Samford, which was projected to finish eighth, but finished third. The biggest underachiever was East Tennessee State, which was projected to finish third, but finished eighth.
Team Stats | 2022 Southern Conference Basketball Tournament
(1) Chattanooga
Net Ranking: 70 (No. 1 in SoCon)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 76 (No. 2 in SoCon)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 110.7 (62)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 100.1 (108)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +0.24 (146)
(2) Furman
Net Ranking: 81 (No. 2 in SoCon)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 73 (No. 1 in SoCon)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 114.7 (20)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 103.8 (174)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +0.08 (147)
(3) Samford
Net Ranking: 182 (No. 7 in SoCon)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 189 (No. 7 in SoCon)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 105.2 (144)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 106.7 (246)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.67 (164)
(4) Wofford
Net Ranking: 107 (No. 3 in SoCon)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 107 (No. 3 in SoCon)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 107.8 (97)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 101.5 (130)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.08 (151)
(5) VMI
Net Ranking: 158 (No. 4 in SoCon)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 161 (No. 4 in SoCon)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 111.9 (36)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 111.2 (310)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +0.27 (145)
(6) UNC-Greensboro
Net Ranking: 160 (No. 5 in SoCon)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 171 (No. 5 in SoCon)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 100.6 (242)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 100.7 (119)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.77 (168)
(7) Mercer
Net Ranking: 190 (No. 8 in SoCon)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 199 (No. 8 in SoCon)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 106.2 (129)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 108.4 (271)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +1.22 (128)
(8) East Tennessee State
Net Ranking: 172 (No. 6 in SoCon)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 178 (No. 6 in SoCon)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 109.1 (80)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 109.6 (291)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +2.07 (117)
(9) The Citadel
Net Ranking: 234 (No. 9 in SoCon)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 247 (No. 9 in SoCon)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 101.9 (214)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 108.9 (277)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.34 (158)
(10) Western Carolina
Net Ranking: 283 (No. 9 in SoCon)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 289 (No. 9 in SoCon)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 100.6 (240)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 110.8 (303)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +0.04 (149)
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