Furman passed their first big confrence test on New Year’s Eve, defending the home floor with a gritty 74-72 victory over a physical Mercer squad to move to 10-4 (1-0 SoCon). It was a classic “Timmons Special”, a back-and-forth battle that came down to veteran poise. Alex Wilkins officially announced his arrival to league play, finishing with 20 points and 7 assists, including a cold-blooded baseline jumper with 19 seconds left to secure the win.
Now, the Paladins look to extend their winning streak to seven games as they welcome Western Carolina (4-8, 0-1 SoCon) to Greenville. The Catamounts are in year two of the Tim Craft era and are coming off a tough 79-74 loss to Wofford. While their record might not scream “contender” yet, they possess the kind of length and rebounding that can give SoCon foes headaches.
Here is what you need to know before Saturday’s matchup.
The Catamounts Scouting Report
The Engine: Tidjiane Dioumassi. The graduate transfer is a physical, downhill guard who just put up 13 points and 5 assists against Wofford. He’s a high-level floor general who thrives in the pick-and-roll.
The Perimeter Threat: Cord Stansberry. Stansberry is coming off a 20-point performance and isn’t afraid to let it fly from deep. If he gets clean looks early, it’s going to be a long afternoon for the Furman perimeter defense.
Their Glue Guy: Samuel Dada. The freshman forward is a problem on the boards. He snatched a career-high 13 rebounds (6 offensive) against Wofford.
A Familiar Name: Marcus Kell. A 6’8” versatile forward who can stretch the floor. He didn’t have his best outing against Wofford, but his ability to “pop” in ball-screen actions forces Furman’s bigs out of the paint…. Remember his standout outing against the Paladins last season?
The Injury Report: Shorthanded but Resilient
For Bob Richey’s squad, the “next man up” philosophy is in full effect.
Cooper Bowser: Still sidelined. His rim protection was missed against Mercer, as the Bears outscored Furman 38-28 in the paint. The best case is Bowser back mid-January, but turf toe all depends on pain management. Charles Johnston (9 pts, 12 reb vs. Mercer) will once again be asked to play heavy minutes as the primary interior presence. His defensive performance and rebounding was outstanding against the bears.
Collin O’Neal: Still out. Hopefully he can get back on the court before January ends. This provides more opportunity for Eddrin Bronson and Tom House to provide high-level defensive minutes and spacing. House was huge against Mercer, chipping in 13 points and helping pull the defense away from the rim.
Three Keys to the Game
1. Alex Wilkins and Asa Thomas are currently playing at an All-SoCon level. If WCU tries to hedge hard on Wilkins to get the ball out of his hands, Thomas is going to have another field day from the perimeter. Furman needs their stars to stay efficient to negate WCU’s physical guards.
2. Ending the Possession WCU dominated the offensive glass against Wofford, grabbing 20 offensive rebounds. Without Bowser, Furman has to rebound “by committee.” Ben Vander Wal and Charles Johnston need to be relentless in their box-outs. You cannot give a Tim Craft-coached team 15+ second-chance opportunities and expect to win comfortably.
3. Transition Efficiency Furman’s best offense is often their defense. They turned Mercer over enough to get 17 fast-break points. WCU turned the ball over 14 times in their opener.
The Forecast
Western Carolina is better than their 4-8 record suggests, especially with the rebounding numbers they are putting up. However, Furman is 7-1 at home for a reason. The Paladins have found a way to win ugly when necessary, but back in Timmons, expect a higher-scoring affair. If the Paladins can keep Dioumassi out of the paint and limit Samuel Dada on the glass, they should move to 2-0 in the SoCon.