Southern Comfort

Semifinal Sunday in Asheville delivered exactly what this tournament usually does. One comeback that makes the building shake and one player who catches absolute fire.

By the end of the night the matchup for Monday’s Southern Conference Championship was set.

ETSU vs Furman.

But the paths they took to get there looked very different.

ETSU’s game felt like it was slipping away early. Western Carolina controlled the first half and built a 14 point halftime lead, looking like the more comfortable team while the Bucs struggled to find any rhythm.

There was also a moment early that quietly lingered through the rest of the game. Marcus Kell picked up a cheap flagrant foul on Blake Barkley in the first half, the kind of play that sticks in a player’s memory. Barkley didn’t explode right away. In fact, he was fairly quiet offensively for most of the night.

But ETSU slowly started chipping away.

A Jaylen Smith three helped cut into the lead, and later Brian Taylor II knocked down a transition three that brought the Bucs within four with under seven minutes left. The crowd started to lean forward a little more with every possession.

Then the final minutes arrived.

Barkley caught fire and went on a personal 11–2 run that completely flipped the game. Free throws. A layup. A third chance bucket. And finally a three point play that gave ETSU the lead with just over a minute left.

Western Carolina never recovered.

The Catamounts did not make a field goal for the final 8 minutes and 50 seconds, and Marcus Kell’s final desperation shot caught the side of the rim as ETSU escaped with a 69–67 win.

Brian Taylor II led the Bucs with 22 points, while Barkley added 19 and ETSU shot 62 percent from the field in the second half to pull off one of the biggest comebacks of their season.

On the other side of the bracket, Furman’s path was much simpler.

Alex Wilkins turned into a flamethrower.

Wilkins finished with 34 points, shooting 10–17 from the field, 4–7 from three, and 10–10 from the free throw line. Every time UNCG tried to climb back into the game, Wilkins had an answer waiting.

Cooper Bowser quietly added 14 points on a perfect 6–6 shooting night, helping Furman ride a red hot offensive performance to an 81–75 win.

Which sets up Monday night.

ETSU vs Furman for the Southern Conference championship in Asheville.

The Bucs come in with the confidence of a team that just erased a 17 point deficit. Furman arrives behind a scorer who just dropped 34 in a semifinal.

There’s also one other detail worth mentioning.

ETSU swept Furman in the regular season.

Of course this is Asheville, where regular season logic tends to disappear the moment the tournament starts.

But after Sunday’s games, one thing feels certain.

Monday night should be fun.