Senior Noah Dahlman and the Wofford Terriers open their defense of their 2010 Southern Conference tournament championship tonight against Appalachian State in Chattanooga, Tenn.
At McKenzie Arena, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Game 2: (N3) Appalachian State 65, (S6) Georgia Southern 57
Game 5: (N1) Western Carolina vs. (N5) UNC Greensboro, 2 p.m.
Game 6: (S2) Wofford vs. (N3) Appalachian State, approximately 4:30 p.m.
Game 7: (N2) Chattanooga vs. Furman, 7 p.m.
Game 8: (S1) College of Charleston vs. (N4) Elon, approximately 9:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6 p.m. (SportSouth)
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, approximately 8:30 p.m. (SportSouth)
Where: McKenzie Arena; Chattanooga, Tenn.
Top scorers: Wofford — Sr. F Noah Dahlman (20.0 ppg., 5.5 rpg.); Sr. G Cameron Rundles (13.8 ppg., 78 assists); Sr. G Jamar Diggs (12.3 ppg., 94 assists). Chattanooga — Sr. G Donald Sims (21.3 ppg., 111 assists); Jr. G Omar Carter (16.4 ppg., 5.9 rpg.);
Notes: This is a rematch of last season's Southern Conference championship game, which the Terriers won, 56-51. ... Appalachian State won its first-round game Friday afternoon, 65-57, against Georgia Southern. The Mountaineers made only six field goals in the first half and held a 22-21 lead. ASU still had only a 50-47 lead with five minutes remaining. Sims (Gaffney High School) led the team with 20 points. ... Wofford beat Appalachian State, 74-65, in Boone, N.C., on Jan. 27. On that night, Sims was honored for becoming ASU's all-time leading scorer earlier in the season. ... Dahlman was named Southern Conference player of the year by league coaches and Sims got the honor from the media. ... Wofford ended the regular season with five straight wins. ... Appalachian State has won four straight and eight of nine. ... In SoCon games, Wofford ranks first in defense (64.8 points allowed per game), second in offense (75.5). Appalachian State is eighth in defense (70.9), tied for fifth in offense (72.5).
Next: The winner plays 6 p.m. Sunday in the semifinals against either Western Carolina or Furman.
The Terriers celebrated on the court, were presented with a championship trophy and cut down the nets in Charlotte last year after winning the Southern Conference men's basketball tournament.
Immediately, they thought of doing it again.
“We had barely made it to the locker room. We hadn't even changed yet,” Wofford forward Terry Martin said. “And we were talking about winning another one.”
Why not?
Wofford this season returned five seniors: Southern Conference player of the year Noah Dahlman, league-leading rebounder Tim Johnson, standout starting guards Cameron Rundles and Jamar Diggs, and Martin first off the bench. The Terriers also had an experienced point guard in junior Brad Loesing, one of the best ball-handlers in the conference, and talented players on the bench.
They won the South Division again, sharing with the College of Charleston this time, and will open their title defense at about 4:30 p.m. today against Appalachian State at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn.
“For a lot of us, this could be our last game,” Dahlman said. “We're going to do everything in our power to extend it and not have it be the end. It's a senior-driven team and we've been around the block. We're not going to be shocked by anything. We're going to weather the storms.”
As the tournament grew nearer, Wofford got better and better. The Terriers (18-12, 14-4) won their last five games with focus and intensity similar to last year's run.
“It feels a lot like last year,” Johnson said. “We're playing well at the right time.”
“It's coming to together for us,” Diggs said. “We have great timing.”
They had to go to Chattanooga, where the Mocs had just demolished Furman in a hostile environment, and won by 39 points. Wofford finished the regular season against the Paladins in a sold-out Timmons Arena with a crucial first-round bye for the tournament on the line and won by 14 in a game that really wasn't so close.
The Terriers lost two of three, at the College of Charleston and at home against Davidson, to begin February. They had also dropped a late-January game to Furman in overtime at the Benjamin Johnson Arena. Outsiders may have had their doubts about a championship repeat.
“Ask anybody who knows anything about college basketball. You don't want to peak too early,” Rundles said. “You want to hit your stride in late February going into March. We're doing that. We played our best basketball in the last two games and that's important.”
Wofford head coach Mike Young said he's noticed a change in his players' demeanor.
“I think there is a confidence that permeates our program, certainly in the last couple of weeks heading into this tournament,” Young said. “It's not arrogance. But there is a high level of confidence and there's a difference between the two. Confidence is a grand thing for anybody.”
“We certainly have an edge to us again,” Dahlman said. “We're going to be tough. That's for sure.”
Wofford made the NCAA tournament for the first time last year, losing a four-point game to Wisconsin in Jacksonville, Fla. The Terriers are three games from doing exactly what they talked a year ago about doing.
“It's the best time of year. I love this time of year,” Dahlman said. “We have a chance to get that feeling again, when the clock hits zero and we celebrate going to the NCAA tournament.”
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