Here’s our updated Big South men’s basketball power rankings based on games played through December 12th.
Note: National rankings are courtesy of KenPom.com. Arrows denote movement in power rankings since last ranking.
1. Winthrop 5-3 #118
no change
Since our initial Big South Power Rankings, the Eagles knocked off Furman in overtime and took care of non-Division I opponent Greensboro College. Pat Kelsey’s squad also fell to Dayton. Keon Johnson and Xavier Cooks are leading the charge for Winthrop. Johnson is 2nd in the Big South in scoring 17.9 points per game while Cooks is averaging 16.8 and ranks 3rd in the conference.
This week: 12/17 @ Hampton, 12/20 vs Georgia Southern
2. UNC-Asheville 7-3 #128
no change
Behind head coach Nich McDevitt, Asheville has raced out to a great start. The Bulldogs have won 4 straight and 7 out of 8 with their only loss during that time span coming at Kansas. UNCA’s only losses have come against Kansas, VCU, and Georgia. Ahmad Thomas is leading the way with 16.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
This week: 12/17 vs Western Carolina, 12/19 vs UNC Greensboro
3. High Point 5-5 #292
no change
The Panthers have 3 Division I wins on their resume thus far, having defeated UNC Greensboro, Navy, and Morgan State. Sophomore Andre Fox leads the team in scoring at 14 points per game while he is shooting 45% from 3-point range.
This week: 12/16 vs NC Wesleyan, 12/19 @ Western Carolina
4. Radford 4-5 #266
1
Radford also owns 3 wins agaisnt Division I oppoenents this season having defeated Stetson, VMI, and Elon. The Highlanders have found success despite being one of the worst offensive teams in the Big South. They rank dead last in the league in scoring offense, field goal percentage, and 3-point field goal percentage. Mike Jones’ squad has done a solid job on the offensive glass, ranking 2nd in Big South play with 12.8 offensive rebounds per game and 1st in the league in offensive rebound percentage.
This week: 12/17 @ UNC Wilmington, 12/20 @ West Virginia
5. Liberty 4-6 #240
1
The Flames have found themselves in a bit of a lull with 3 straight losses and have dropped 4 straight games against Division I opponents. One of Coach McKay’s top players, Caleb Homesley, went down with a season-ending injury against Princeton on Saturday. Ryan Kemrite leads the Big South in 3 point field goal percentage and he’s 5th in free throw percentage.
This week: 12/16 vs Clarks Summit, 12/19 @ Lamar
6. Gardner-Webb 5-5 #227
no change
The Runnin’ Bulldogs are another conference team with 3 non-conference wins over Division I teams at this juncture of the season. Gardner-Webb has wins over Howard, VMI, and Hampton, teams all ranked 300+ in the KenPom rankings. Tim Craft’s team leads the Big South in field goal percentange and is 2nd in field goal percentage defense. Tyrell Nelson is one of 3 players to score double figures as he’s averaging 12.5 points per game to go along with his team-leading 5.7 rebounds a game.
This week: 12/16 vs Warren Wilson, 12/18 @ Nebraska
7. Campbell 5-4 #314
2
Chris Clemons is the top scorer in the Big South, averaging 24 points per game. He also ranks 4th in the league in assists. His 24 points per game mark puts him 4th in all of Division I in scoring. The Camels are coming off consecutive wins over Colgate and the Citadel.
This week: 12/14 vs UNC Wilmington, 12/19 vs Johnson & Wales NC
8. Presbyterian 3-5 #348
1
The Blue Hose had their first “bad” loss of the season when they fell to the Citadel by 14. The Citadel is ranked #316 according to KenPom. PC leads the league in 3 point field goal percentage as they are connecting on over 40% of their 3-pointers as a team. Freshman guard Jo’Vontae Millner leads Presbyterian in points and rebounds.
This week: 12/13 @ USC Upstate, 12/17 vs Coastal Georgia
9. Charleston Southern 4-4 #297
1
The Buccaneers own just 1 win over a Division I opponent so far this season. It came on November 22 against Abilene Christian. CSU has only played 5 such games since 3 of their first 8 contests have come against non-Division I opponents.
This week: 12/13 @ VMI, 12/17 @ Georgia, 12/20 @ Virginia Tech
10. Longwood 2-6 #345
no change
The Lancers are just 1-6 against Division I opponents with 2 losses to 300+ rated KenPom teams. Longwood has lost their last 2 games to Creighton and George Mason by a combined margin of 92 points.
This week: 12/14 vs Averett, 12/19 @ Ball State
