Here’s our updated Big South Basketball Power Rankings with games played through December 14th.
Note: National rankings are courtesy of KenPom.com. Arrows denote movement in power rankings since last week.
1. Charleston Southern 5-3 #221
no change
Maybe that overtime win against Ole Miss in the season opener was a fluke? The Buccaneers got destroyed by a middle of the pack (sorry for the pun) ACC team in NC State this week, 86-50. Charleston Southern shot 30% from the field and was just 2/21 from 3-point rage against the Wolfpack. CSU has a nice test this week against Wofford.
2. High Point 6-3 #174
no change
So, how does CSU stay #1 after that performance? Well, who do you put above them? Certainly not High Point coming off a 97-43 blowout to Ohio State. Hard to beat a team that shoots over 60% from the floor like the Buckeyes did. The Panthers were outscored 54-19 in the 2nd half.
3. Coastal Carolina 8-2 #141
1
So, maybe Coastal Carolina deserves to be #1? Don’t let their sexy record deceive you, Cliff Ellis’ squad already has 4 non-Division I wins and 2 wins over #332 South Carolina State. Their other wins are over a mediocre SEC team in Auburn and a bad Sun Belt team in Louisiana Monroe. They have one more chance at a good nonconference win against Ole Miss later this week.
4. Gardner-Webb 6-4 #188
1
The Runnin’ Bulldogs beat Furman, 74-68, in their only game this week. Jerome Hill continues to lead the way for Gardner-Webb as he notched his 4th double-double of the season with 28 points and 19 rebounds against the Paladins.
5. UNC-Asheville 4-5 #224
no change
The Bulldogs beat up on Tusculum before losing, 79-71, to UAB this past week. Andrew Rowsey struggled against the Blazers, shooting just 5/17 from the field and finishing with 18 points. Rowsey is still averaging over 24 points per game on the season which is the best in the country.
6. Radford 5-4 #186
no change
The Highlanders lost to Georgetown, 76-49, in their only game this week. Former Liberty recruit Aaron Bowen had a career high 16 points for the Hoyas.
7. Winthrop 4-4 #196
no change
A light week for the Eagles who beat Mars Hill, 96-51. Winthrop faces Auburn on Wednesday.
8. Campbell 3-6 #274
2
The Camels entered the week 0-5 against Division I opponents before picking up their first win over Delaware State. Campbell broke the game open with a 24-2 run midway through the first half and went on to win 70-55. Campbell did lose to the College of Charleston in their 2nd game of the week, 58-47.
9. Liberty 4-5 #307
1
The Flames were up by just 5 points with 9 minutes left in the game against a NAIA school who had already lost to William & Mary by 43 points this season. Making things worse, Liberty’s leading scorer Tomasz Gielo is expected to be out until at least mid-January with a stress reaction.
10. Longwood 3-7 #343
1
The Lancers fell to Maryland-Baltimore County, 58-53. It was UMBC’s first win of the season after dropping their first 9 games. Shaquille Johnson led Longwood with 17 points and 7 rebounds.
11. Presbyterian 4-6 #342
no change
The Blue Hose improved to 4-0 against non-Division I opponents this season. Which, obviously, means they are 0-6 against Division I opponents. When will they break through? They get their next chance Tuesday night against Samford.
