CBB Review prepares you for every conference tournament leading up to Selection Sunday on Mar. 16. Up next: The SoCon Tournament.
It was a bit of a down season for the SoCon, a conference that has fairly consistently earned a 12-13 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This year, the winner looks to be more in the range of a 13-14 seed, but make no mistake – there are a few quality teams eyeing to win the SoCon Tournament.
Familiar teams Chattanooga, UNC Greensboro, and East Tennessee State are all near the top and have chances to win this tournament. But the 4-5 seed game between Samford and Furman could also produce the winner – as both teams had over 20 wins in the regular season.
You can’t rule out some of the bottom teams from pulling off upsets in a conference that in all honesty is severely underrated.
2025 SoCon Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Quimari Peterson, ETSU
Freshman of the Year: Linus Holmstrom, VMI
Transfer of the Year: Kenyon Giles, UNC Greensboro
Coach of the Year: Dan Earl, Chattanooga
First Team:
- G: Kenyon Giles, UNC Greensboro (15.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 40.7 3P%)
- G: PJay Smith, Furman (17.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 41.1 3P%)
- G: Quimari Peterson, ETSU (19.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.0 SPG, 43.1 3P%)
- G: Trey Bonham, Chattanooga (13.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.4 SPG)
- F: Jayden Seymour, ETSU (15.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.1 BPG)
Second Team:
- G: Honor Huff, Chattanooga (14.7 PPG, 2.3 APG, 1.9 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 41.7 3P%)
- G: Rylan Jones, Samford (11.1 PPG, 5.1 APG, 3.4 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 40.7 3P%)
- G: Ronald Polite, UNC Greensboro (13.2 PPG, 3.8 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 48.4 3P%)
- G: Trey Fort, Samford (15.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.4 APG, 39.5 3P%)
- G: Bash Wieland, Chattanooga (14.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 56.5 FG%)
2025 SoCon Tournament Simulation
First Round – Fri., Mar. 7
8. Mercer (13-18, 6-12) vs. 9. Western Carolina (8-21, 4-14) – 5 p.m. EST on ESPN+
Friday’s games probably won’t come close to producing the winner of the SoCon Tournament, because there’s a vast difference between these teams and the top five. However, Mercer has won two of four and just took down WCU by 12 points last Saturday.
Mat’s pick: 8. Mercer
7. VMI (13-18, 7-11) vs. 10. The Citadel (5-24, 0-18) – 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN+
The Citadel was one of the worst teams in Division I college basketball this season and didn’t win a game in conference. No need to overdo it with this pick.
Mat’s pick: 7. VMI
Quarterfinals – Sat., Mar. 8
1. Chattanooga (23-8, 15-3) vs. 8. Mercer – Noon EST on ESPN+
Like I said, there’s a big difference between the top and bottom half of this conference. Chattanooga’s on an 11-game winning streak. While they did lose to the Bears in overtime on Jan. 1, I’ll blame New Year’s Eve for that loss. This is a different team and one focused on making it to the Big Dance.
Mat’s pick: 1. Chattanooga
2. UNC Greensboro (20-11, 13-5) vs. 7. VMI – 2:30 p.m. EST on ESPN+
VMI did not beat UNCG in the regular season (although the first meeting was a one-possession game). The last meeting was a Spartans win by 26 points. While they’ve been teetering off down the stretch, UNC Greensboro has one of the best defenses in the country, which stifles most teams in their way.
Mat’s pick: 2. UNC Greensboro
3. East Tennessee State (19-12, 12-6) vs. 6. Wofford (16-15, 10-8) – 6 p.m. EST on ESPN+
This isn’t your Fletcher Magee Wofford team that shot the lights out of the ball. This Terriers squad actually only connects on 33.1% of shots from downtown, but they are built to rebound the basketball. Unfortunately for them, ETSU is too and is a slightly better shooting team. One thing to note – both teams really stink at free throws so if it comes down to that it could be ugly down the stretch.
Mat’s pick: 3. East Tennessee State
4. Samford (22-9, 12-6) vs. 5. Furman (23-8, 11-7) – 8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN+
Samford almost won a game in March last year but they’ll have a chance this year. They’re the 13th best scoring team in the country thanks to head coach Bucky McMillan and his patented “Bucky Ball.” They lost to Furman twice in the regular season but I think this is when they get over the hump.
Mat’s pick: 4. Samford
Semifinals – Sun., Mar. 9
1. Chattanooga vs. 4. Samford – 4 p.m. EST on ESPN2/ESPNU
Can Samford’s scoring get them past the top seed in the tournament? I’m gonna say not so fast. The Mocs shut them down to below 75 points in both games they played this season and for me, defense has the upper hand here when a championship is on the line.
Mat’s pick: 1. Chattanooga
2. UNC Greensboro vs. 3. East Tennessee State – 6:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2/ESPNU
Two defensive teams and two teams that have options to take over. I might sound like a broken record preaching defense but I promise there are exceptions. And for me, that’s Quimari Peterson. I think he has some big moments in the SoCon Tournament and plays on!
Mat’s pick: 3. East Tennessee State
Championship – Mon., Mar. 10
1. Chattanooga vs. 3. East Tennessee State – 7 p.m. EST on ESPN
Any of the top five teams in the SoCon would make for a great championship game but I’m going with the Mocs and the Buccaneers, two teams that have been near the top of the conference for a handful of years. While Peterson and Jayden Seymour are a great one-two punch, the Mocs just have so many great options. I picked Samford to go all the way on our podcast, but I’m switching it up here. It’s tough to write off such a balanced team playing with momentum.
Mat’s pick: 1. Chattanooga