Feel like dancin'

Good morning! It’s a great day for college hoops. Let’s dive in.

1. A SoCon thriller and a feel-good Sun Belt storyline

Monday’s Southern Conference Championship was the ideal conference title game: momentum swings, incredible shot-making, and more than a few memorable moments.

Hell, it even had underhand free throws!

Most importantly, it delivered an automatic NCAA Tournament to Wofford after its 92-85 win over Furman. It’s the first for the 6-seed Terriers since 2019 when Mike Young was still the coach.

“We believed. We felt like coming into this tournament that we were the best team,” coach Dwight Perry said afterward. “That group in there has been through a lot, a lot most people might not understand. The guys in that locker room know what they have inside of them. They have the heart of a champion.”

Wofford (19-15) went through a midseason change two seasons when Jay McAuley was fired and Perry took over. They adjusted last season, and while the record may not show it this season, they were among the SoCon’s more efficient teams.

It showed last night. Wofford hit 54% of its shots and 14 3-pointers, which were essential when they saw an 8-point lead vanish due to Furman’s 1-3-1 zone, then ripped off a 9-0 run of its own, and a 55-point second half. Furman (25-9) got 27 points from PJay Smith and hit 13 3s of its own, but couldn’t muster any offense in the final two minutes. And that was the difference. (Oh, and that guy making underhand free throws? That was Kyler Filewich, who was the tourney MOP.)

Meanwhile, Troy also earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament — its first since 2017 — with a 94-81 win over Arkansas State in the Sun Belt title game.

It’s quite the exclamation point for coach Scott Cross, who spent 12 years at UT Arlington, who won 72 games over his final three seasons there and was fired. He’s merely led Troy to four consecutive 20+-win seasons and the Big Dance. Take a bow, coach.

The Trojans (23-10) were just better down the stretch. They outscored Arkansas State (24-10) 25-13 over the final 5:53, getting 21 points from Tayton Conerway and 20 from Myles Rigsby. They took care of the ball (just 8 turnovers on 74 possessions) hit 33-of-39 free throws.

You do the little things, you tend to win games. And sometimes, you get to go to the Big Dance.

2. Latest coaching carousel moves and rumors

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