After beating Furman in the SoCon Tournament final, Wofford completed its run from the No. 6 seed and punched its ticket to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Wofford entered the 2025 SoCon Tournament with a respectable 10-8 league record, armed with the knowledge that it had beaten all but two of its conference foes (Chattanooga and Samford) to that point. The Terriers never had to deal with either of those teams, though, as Furman dispatched both of them earlier in the conference tournament. In turn, Wofford thanked the Paladins by knocking them off in the championship game to secure its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019.
As the No. 6 seed, earning the automatic bid required Wofford to win three consecutive games, something it had done only once during the regular season. After splitting the regular-season series with East Tennessee State, VMI and Furman, the Terriers won the rubber match against each en route to the championship, with its offense scoring 83.0 points per game at the SoCon Tournament.
Wofford may not have been the favorite to win the SoCon’s automatic bid, but it is still a plenty dangerous team. The Terriers boast a top-75 offense nationwide and are peaking at the right time. After ranking 169th in Bart Torvik’s T-Rank through Jan. 31, Wofford has been the 117th-best team in the nation since then.
More Heat Check CBB:
- Bracketology: Projected field | Bubble Watch
- Tournament Index: Complete March Madness projections
- Full conference tournament TV schedule
Height doesn’t define rebounding for Wofford
Wofford does not have a single player in its rotation listed at 6-10 or taller. The Terriers rank just 302nd nationally in average height and 304th in effective height, per KenPom, and rate below-average in height at every position but point guard. Yet, Wofford is dominant on the glass on both ends of the floor. The Terriers easily led the SoCon in both offensive and defensive rebounding rates during league play, and they own top-35 national rankings for the season in both categories.
Wofford has won the offensive rebounding rate battle in 25 of its 34 games this season, going 17-8 in those contests. On the other hand, the Terriers were just 2-7 in games where they posted a lower rebounding rate than their opponent. They enter the NCAA Tournament having notched the better rebounding rate in five straight contests.
Kyler Filewich is the star on the glass (and elsewhere) for the Terriers, ranking top 60 nationally in individual offensive and defensive rebounding rates. The 6-9 forward stuffs the stat sheet nightly with averages of 11.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists. His ability to stay on the floor, averaging just 1.7 fouls in 27.1 minutes per game, is essential. The Terriers boast a +11.7 rebounding rate margin with him on the floor compared to a +3.7 margin when he sits, per Hoop-Explorer.
Three-point variance is huge for Wofford
Wofford plays in more 3-point shootouts than just about anyone. The Terriers are one of only four teams in the country to attempt over 45 percent of their field goals from deep while also allowing its opponents to do the same. In fact, the Terriers have shot the exact same percentage on 3-pointers as they have given up to opponents this year.
Given the high proportion of shots coming from distance in Wofford’s games, whichever team wins the 3-point percentage battle tends to be in great shape for the win. The Terriers have outshot their opposition in 20 of 34 games this season, going 16-4 in such contests; they are only 3-11 when allowing their opponents to connect at a higher rate.
Filewich is the star inside, and he is surrounded primarily by shooters. Wofford’s other starters — Corey Tripp, Dillon Bailey, Justin Bailey and Jackson Sivills — have all attempted 100 or more 3s and average at least 9.3 points on the year.
Tripp is Wofford’s leading scorer (14.3 ppg) and playmaker (3.2 apg) for the season. He enters the NCAA Tournament having scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games, and he has averaged 16.9 points on .460/.384/.841 splits over this stretch. As for Dillon Bailey and Sivills, they have done superb jobs stepping up in the second halves of games this season. They have combined to average 11.9 second-half points on 41.2 percent 3-point shooting, compared to 8.1 points and 29 percent shooting in first halves. Meanwhile, Justin Bailey has been the most efficient of the group, splashing 52-of-118 (44.1 percent) of his 3-point attempts. All four players are good shooters, though, with each hitting at least 34 percent from beyond the arc.
Similar NCAA Tournament efficiency profiles
Tournament Index evaluation
As it stands, Wofford is a projected No. 15 seed by our bracketology at Heat Check CBB and on the Bracket Matrix. The Terriers would rate as the 10th-strongest No. 15 seed of the last 10 seasons (40 total No. 15 seeds) by the Tournament Index.
No. 15 seeds with TI power ratings over 53.6 (15 teams) have combined for eight NCAA Tournament wins over the last 10 years, bolstered by 2022 St. Peter’s winning three games. No. 15 seeds below that mark (25 teams) have only won two games, both by 2021 Oral Roberts. Wofford is currently rated at 54.6.
If the Terriers move up a line, they would be the 23rd-strongest No. 14 seed of the last 10 years. If they drop a line, they would be the strongest No. 16 seed of the last 10 years.
The TI projects an average of 0.15 wins for Wofford given their projected seed and strength.
You must be logged in to post a comment.