It's time for Southern Conference basketball yet again, and I'm thrilled to be able to cover the men's team at Elon University this season. Before the season gets underway Nov. 9, with eight of the 12 SoCon teams in action, I'll bring you my preview.

Note: During the season, I will be contributing to Scanning the SoCon, part of a blog dedicated to SoCon men's basketball. Along with followers of every other team in the conference, I will be part of a weekly look at the SoCon, including Power Rankings. You can see the preseason Power Rankings and answers to other questions here. Be sure to follow it as the season progresses.

Here we go:

Preseason Power Rankings

North Division 1. Elon: Not being a homer here. The Phoenix has two seasons with the core of this current roster to make noise. This year may be the year for Elon. 2. UNC-Greensboro: Rookie coach Wes Miller earned SoCon Coach of the Year last season for his turnaround job with the Spartans. How's the encore? 3. Western Carolina: The Catamounts were mere points away from the NCAA Tournament last year. How will they rebound from losing key players Harouna Mutombo and Keaton Cole? 4. Samford: Tyler Hood and Will Cook provide a couple threats for the Bulldogs. With a new coach this season, the Bulldogs could be a viable contender for a North Division upset. 5. Appalachian State: The Mountaineers lost three seniors to graduation. But head coach Jason Capel knows what he's doing, and speedy guards Tab Hamilton, Mike Neal and Jamaal Trice remain from a team that was competitive at times last year. 6. UT-Chattanooga: Big men Z. Mason (that's right, his first name's not on the roster) and Drazen Zlovaric provide toughness down low, but that's about it from the Mocs.

South Division 1. Davidson: The Wildcats return their top eight scorers and rebounders from last year. Plus they have potentially the best mid-major coach in the country. Like Bernie Mac from Ocean's Thirteen, 'nuff said. 2. College of Charleston: The Cougars have a new head coach, Doug Wojcik from Tulsa. He brings a lot of postseason experience. If Davidson wasn't so good, these guys would be on the top of my list. 3. Wofford: Reigning SoCon Freshman of the Year Karl Cochran provides scoring to this always consistent Terriers squad, but the loss of senior guards Brad Loesing and Kevin Giltner may, just may, hurt. 4. Georgia Southern: Guard/forward Eric Ferguson is the most NBA-ready prospect in the SoCon, but the Eagles will need more than that in a tough South Division. 5. Furman: The Paladins bring in six freshmen in a fairly young lineup, led by senior forward Colin Reddick. In the midst of a stacked South Division, the purples don't stand much of a chance. 6. The Citadel: Mike Groselle is in his last year of being an all-SoCon player, but that's all these Bulldogs have got.

All-SoCon Teams

1st Team Andrew Lawrence (G, Sr., College of Charleston) Trevis Simpson (G, Jr., UNCG) Eric Ferguson (F, Jr., Georgia Southern) De’Mon Books (F, Jr., Davidson) Jake Cohen (F, Sr., Davidson)

2nd Team Jack Isenbarger (G, Jr., Elon) Trey Sumler (G, Jr., Western Carolina) Mike Groselle (F, Sr., The Citadel) Trent Wiedeman (F, Jr., College of Charleston) Tyler Hood (F, So., Samford)

3rd Team Mike Neal (G, So., Appalachian State) Karl Cochran (G, So., Wofford) Jamaal Trice (G, Sr., Appalachian State) Lucas Troutman (F, Jr., Elon) Adjehi Baru (F, So., College of Charleston)

4th Team Derrell Armstrong (G, Sr., UNCG) Austin Hamilton (G, So., Elon) Nik Cochran (G, Sr., Davidson) Tawaski King (F, Jr., Western Carolina) Drazen Zlovaric (F, Sr., UT-Chattanooga)

Player of the Year

My preseason Player of the Year is Georgia Southern’s Eric Ferguson. I have the Eagles rated fourth in the South Division, but Ferguson has the ability to put them up to No. 2, at best. He’s the most NBA-ready player in the conference and can dominate a game on both offense and defense. He gave my team, the Elon Phoenix, fits in both games they matched up last year, including a jaw-dropping block on Elon guard Austin Hamilton in the regular season.

Best Chance to Surprise

Appalachian State lost three key seniors to graduation: guard Omar Carter and forwards Andre Williamson and Isaac Butts. Thus, the Mountaineers received no first-place votes and were picked to finish fourth in the North Division by the coaches. I’m not going to say they’re definitely going to do it. But if something like this is to happen, it’s going to happen in the North.  There’s an immense amount of talent on Appalachian State. Sophomore guards Mike Neal and Tab Hamilton provide a speedy backcourt, while Jamal Trice, Nathan Healy and seven-foot center Brian Okam provide a high-scoring and high-energy front line. If UNCG proves to be a flash in the pan and Wes Miller’s rookie year as a coach is a mirage and Elon and Western Carolina prove less than predicted, we may see Appalachian State as a surprise team come March. And Jason Capel is no slouch.

Best Chance to Disappoint

One thing we know about College of Charleston is that they’re talented. Preseason all-SoCon team members senior guard Andrew Lawrence (probably my favorite player in the whole SoCon) and junior forward Trent Wiedeman are joined by tall and lanky sophomore forward/center Adjehi Baru, not to mention junior guard Nori Johnson and sophomore guard Anthony Stitt. Despite that talent, they’ve got a chance to fall far because they’ve got a new coach. Doug Wojcik comes into his first year with the Cougars after two NIT titles with Tulsa, but you don’t know how that’s going to work. I write this with hesitation because I picked them to finish second in the South. But they’ve got a shot to fall just because the South Division is loaded.