Friday, November 8, 2019 6:00 p.m.
Timmons Arena , Greenville, SC
I've replayed the Ramblers' 60-58 loss to Furman on November 9th last season in my head about 30-40 times. The haunting picture in my mind is frozen at a particular moment: tie score, with about 4.5 seconds left on the clock, and Furman's Clay Mounce was left all alone, at which time he promptly drove unimpeded to the basket for an emphatic dunk that gave the Paladins the win.
The Southern Conference has been on the rise for the past several years, culminating in last year's impressive finish where Wofford and Furman both dented the AP Top 25. Furman and UNC Greensboro both made the NIT, and Wofford knocked off Seton Hall in the NCAA Tournament.
For 2019-20, East Tennessee State has been tabbed to top the SoCon, with UNC Greensboro and Furman coming in 2nd and 3rd. The Paladins beat Gardner-Webb on the road to open the season 70-63, snapping Gardner Webb's 14-game home winning streak in the process. Sophomore forward Noah Gurley led the balanced Furman attack with 18 points on efficient 6 of 8 shooting. Junior guard Alex Hunter added 13 points.
The Paladins run a three forward, two guard lineup under third year head coach Bob Ritchey. Mounce (a 6'7" junior), 6'8" sophomore Gurley and 6'7" sophomore Jalen Slawson start in the frontcourt. Dynamic senior Jordan Lyons and 5'11" junior Alex Hunter man the backcourt. Lyons is the leading returning scorer after averaging 16.2 points last season; weighing in at 203 pounds despite his 5'11" height makes him a powerful guard, but most of his points come from outside, and he takes almost twice as many three-point shots as anyone else on the team (303 attempts last year, hitting on 35%). Mounce averaged 10.7 points last year while shooting nearly 52% from the field. Hunter does most of the ball handling and playmaking.
Furman lost their top scorer and rebounder, Matt Rafferty out of Hinsdale Central, to graduation after last season; he scored 1340 points and snagged 851 rebounds in his career while helping Furman become a legitimate mid-major hoops power. The Paladins have won 20 games or more for three straight seasons, and averaged 22.5 wins over the last four seasons.
Loyola is coming off an impressive win over UC Davis, 82-48, in which four starters scored in double digits and the MVC Preseason Conference Player of the Year dished a career-high 11 assists. Cameron Krutwig missed a triple-double by only two rebounds. With Furman's three-forward lineup, the Ramblers are likely going to need exceptional passing and ball movement.
Unfortunately the new-look Ramblers (with sophomore Cooper Kaifes out injured for the season) shot only 4 of 16 from behind the arc (25%), and looked worse than that in their exhibition loss to Indianapolis. Developing a credible, effective three- point shooting threat will be a key to winning until Lucas Williamson and Tate Hall find their strokes from deep. Taking care of the ball will be important; Furman forced 16 turnovers against Gardner-Webb, and allowed only one GWU field goal over the final 3:40.
Loyola game notes: https://loyolaramblers.com/documents/20 ... df?id=9707 Furman game notes: https://furmanpaladins.com/news/2019/11 ... arena.aspxTV/Streaming video: ESPN3
https://www.espn.com/watch?id=f78f9e36- ... af08879b71 Internet audio feed: https://loyolaramblers.com/watch/?Live=3&type=LiveLive stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=286623Vegas odds: Furman by 4