The men’s hoops landscape of the SIAC has traditionally been one that’s been extremely competitive but one that’s had to fight hard for regional respect as it relates to the overall NCAA Division II basketball scene in the south.
The 2023-2024 SIAC basketball season has seen the usual suspects show themselves early as contenders for the conference regular-season title, even with Clark-Atlanta getting a marquee Division 1 win early in the season. However, one team has stood out from the rest so far. The 2023-24 edition of the Benedict Tigers haven’t just been impressive to start the season; they have the makings of a legitimate NCAA tournament team.
The Tigers are ranked 19th nationally in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll and ranked No. 22 in the D2SIDA Division II media poll. They’re undefeated at 8-0 overall, and 4-0 in early SIAC league play. One of those wins came on the road on Nov. 21 over then No.10-ranked national power Augusta University, 72-64. Benedict has gotten to this lofty national perch in a myriad of ways.
The Tigers have been paced by its offense
They’ve been ultra-effective on the offensive end of the court, scoring 89.1 points per game. They’ve placed in the top 25 nationally in offensive scoring margin (No. 20 at 16 points more than opponents per game), scoring offense (No. 22 at 89.1 points per game), and fast break points (No. 25 at 16.1 points per game).
Transition offense is where they excel, often getting great primary and secondary break opportunities that translate to easy buckets or open looks from beyond the 3-point arc. Their offensive balance to this point has been equally impressive, with three double-figure scorers and another four players hovering a point or two below that threshold. The Tigers also get a substantial contribution from their bench rotation as well, giving head coach Artis Maddox and staff a ton of offensive options with his lineups. They’ve been adept at exploiting size and position mismatches during this undefeated run.
Benedict can make a run in March
Tigers still have another out-of-conference matchup with Mars Hill College (NC) and a big-time SIAC tilt with fellow conference contender Miles College before the Christmas and New Year’s holiday break, with the meat of the conference schedule starting in earnest in January.
Benedict is poised to potentially be 10-0 going into the new year. Either way, the Benedict Tigers have proven themselves early to be a serious threat to the SIAC regular season and tournament titles and obtain a favorable position as the all-important regional rankings start coming out in 2024.
In both quests, Benedict Tiger basketball has the opportunity to increase its national profile as a program with the chops to make its mark by the time the tournament is around in March.
