As the calendar turns to December, Big South teams are starting to reveal their identities, whether meeting, exceeding or falling short of expectations.
Here is an early-season stock watch for each Big South team.
High Point Panthers: Staying the Same
High Point is probably the best one-bid conference team in the country. With that comes high expectations that the Panthers have met but have not exceeded. Their best win was their three-point triumph against the UAB Blazers. However, UAB is off to a really poor start this season. High Point registered slim wins over American, Old Dominion and Jackson State while losing to Missouri State in the Cayman Islands. A record of 6-1 looks good, however, the Panthers’ wins have all been fairly pedestrian for a school like High Point. D’Maurian Williams and Kezza Giffa make a lethal and dangerous backcourt duo for any opponent.
Winthrop Eagles: Trending Down
Winthrop is the hardest team to dissect in the Big South after the first few weeks. While the Eagles are 5-3, some of their wins were by a slim margin over teams they should be beating, while some were losses in games they were underdogs. However, their loss to Georgia Southern, who finished ninth in the Sun Belt last year, doesn’t help their resume. In a few weeks, we’ll get a better picture of how good Winthrop really is. If they keep Kelton Talford healthy, they’ll still be contenders in the Big South.
Longwood Lancers: Trending Up
Longwood might be on a two-game losing streak, but before that, they were the last undefeated team in Virginia. The Lancers’ losses to McNeese and Kansas State weren’t pretty, but those are two tournament-ready programs. With quality wins against Milwaukee and UAB, Longwood once again is building an impressive resume of wins. KJ McClurg has been their breakout man so far. The Division II transfer averages 13 points per game and accounted for 25 points against UT Martin.
UNC Asheville Bulldogs: Trending Down
So far, UNC Asheville’s season would be fine for some mid-major programs. However, a program with the winning expectations of the Bulldogs won’t be too happy with their start. After being dismantled by Alabama on opening day in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Asheville fell to an Ohio team struggling to start the season. The Bulldogs aren’t as good as last year, as they lost a plethora of talent after their run to the Big South title game. Still, maybe there’s a bigger gap than most thought between the top three teams in the Big South and UNC Asheville.
Charleston Southern Buccaneers: Trending Down
Charleston Southern has faced an absolute gauntlet of a schedule this season. While the Buccaneers have fought against several powerhouse programs, they ultimately came up short in each matchup. Their only win so far has been against an NAIA school. The Buccaneers are another hard school to assess because they haven’t played a lot of similar-sized programs. However, the Buccaneers’ loss to North Florida was quite eye-opening. Taje’ Kelly is still up there as the most dynamic player in the conference.
Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs: Staying the same
Gardner-Webb, like High Point, has simply met expectations so far. The Runnin’ Bulldogs looked good in the games they were supposed to win and looked worse in the games they were underdogs in. Their one-point win over Elon is their best win by a large margin. Anthony Selden has been immense for Gardner-Webb, averaging 17 points per game, including dropping 26 against NC Central.
Radford Highlanders: Trending Up
Only a few mid-major college basketball fans and experts saw this coming. Radford has not only exceeded November expectations, but the Highlanders have shown zero signs of a team picked seventh in the Big South preseason poll. Jarvis Moss is averaging over 17 points per game and FAU transfer Isaiah Gaines is averaging just under seven rebounds per game off the bench.
Presbyterian Blue Hose: Trending Up
Presbyterian may have been picked eighth in the poll, but it’s becoming glaringly obvious that this team is very underrated. Their best wins are a 67-42 beatdown of Youngstown State and close triumphs over Wofford and Stephen F. Austin. Guards Kory Mincy and Kobe Stewart partner well together and have nearly identical points per game.
USC Upstate Spartans: Staying the same
Although Upstate has only beaten non-Division I schools, the Spartans have stayed competitive in games they were supposed to get blown out. USC Upstate has almost an entirely new team and coaching staff, and it will take plenty of time to get this team to gel together. USC Upstate played very well in a close loss to Wake Forest, which bodes well for Year 1 of its rebuild. Freshman guard Mister Dean looks like a superstar in the making.
