It is another year in the Big South conference where the title will come down to fine margins. High Point has a slim lead over UNC Asheville at the top, followed by a red-hot Winthrop team. With about three weeks left in the regular season, time is running out for any of the nine programs to put themselves in optimal position for the conference tournament in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Guards
Jordan Marsh, UNC Asheville, Sophomore
Asheville’s Marsh hasn’t just had a stellar season; he’s had a season of the ages. In Big South play, he’s averaging 24 points per game and shooting the ball at 47% from the field. In the titanic clash with High Point at the Quebein Center, Marsh dropped 33 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 104-100 barnburner. Asheville now visits last-place USC Upstate on Wednesday.
Colby Garland, Longwood, Sophomore
Garland and Longwood played only one game this past week, as the Lancers lost to Radford in the final moments. While Longwood was shorthanded, Garland picked up the slack and dropped a career-high 23 points on 6 of 11 shooting and converted all 10 of his free throws. His final bucket of the night was the most impressive. The Magnolia, Arkansas, native weaved his way through multiple Highlanders to float a mid-range shot in with just eight seconds remaining. The moment didn’t last, as Radford hit a mid-range of its own to win the game seconds later.
Brandon Maclin, Radford, Junior
Not too long after Longwood beat the Highlanders on their home floor, Radford pulled off a huge win for their program by defeating Longwood in Farmville, Virginia. Maclin’s stats don’t jump off the page, but his overall contribution was excellent. He scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, and sank the shot that downed Longwood 71-69. In the game before Longwood, he dropped 17 points against High Point in a close home loss. Radford now sits fourth in the Big South, between third-placed Winthrop and fifth-placed Longwood.
Kelton Talford, Winthrop, Senior
Winthrop’s key player and main contributor, Talford did what he does best in two road wins this past week. On Feb. 5, Talford scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a comfortable win against Charleston Southern. He would follow that up with 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting with eight made free throws. Talford is in his fourth season at Winthrop and has proven once again why he is one of the faces of the conference.
Juslin Bodo Bodo, High Point, Sophomore
The reigning Big South Freshman of the Year, Bodo Bodo, had himself a day against UNC Asheville. The Cameroonian forward, who operates more as a center, scored 19 points and grabbed a ridiculous 21 rebounds. Bodo Bodo hasn’t been scoring as much this season compared to last, but he is always poised to have games like this when the Panthers need him the most. He is currently the Big South Player of the Week.
Reserves
Carmelo Adkins, USC Upstate, Freshman
Upstate did lose both of their games this past week, but their offense had one of their most productive performances yet against Winthrop. Adkins was a massive reason why the Spartans could have pulled out two wins instead of two losses. He dropped 17 points in both games, with four rebounds against Presbyterian and a double-double against Winthrop. On Monday, he was named Big South Freshman of the Week.
Mister Dean, USC Upstate, Freshman
Adkins wasn’t the only USC Upstate freshman to play great basketball this week. Though the Spartans are having a tough season with an entirely new coaching staff and almost an entirely new team, Dean has been a huge bright spot. He scored 16 points in the loss to Presbyterian and scored 21 on 9-of-14 shooting in their decisive loss to Winthrop.
Kaleb Scott, Presbyterian, Senior
Presbyterian played one game this past week, the aforementioned home clash with USC Upstate. On their way to a victory, Scott played lights out. He scored 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting and registered 14 rebounds in what was his best Big South game this season. Presbyterian now looks ahead to away games against Charleston Southern and Longwood.
