With its quick action and exciting plays, the Wofford Men’s Basketball Team’s games are a fan favorite for Wofford students. For many fans, these games are a way to support their school in a fun and relaxed environment with their friends.
With a strong offense and quick-moving defense, this team is successful at what they do. The team is not just successful when the games are easy. They’re successful under pressure. They seem to thrive off of it.
Over the course of their season, the team has seen a high number of games where a single shot has won the game. Of these immensely close games, they have won the majority of them.
Many of these close games have also gone into overtime, with the Terriers again winning the majority of them.
Led primarily by five talented juniors, the team also boasts skilled sophomores and freshmen, with both classes having four players. Having so many talented players has allowed for a number of different combinations of players based on the need in the game, which assists them in these close games.
Showcasing his talent and leadership this season, Corey Tripp ‘25 has made the winning shots in multiple games with less than 10 seconds left. Tripp has stepped up this year in his role as the team’s point guard, just as Kyler Filewich ‘25 has stepped up as a forward, leading the team in rebounds by a decent amount.
Jackson Sivills ‘25, has also taken advantage of these close games by stepping into a leadership role on the team, playing his best in these situations. Sivills brings another important aspect to the team in that at 6’6, while he is a guard, he can also play as a forward. This makes him a well-rounded player who gives flexibility to his team.
A transfer from Northeastern State, Dillon Bailey ‘25 has recently surpassed 1,000 career points, giving him the most career points on the team.
Off the court, the Terriers benefit from knowledgeable coaches, led by Head Coach Dwight Perry.
From playing at the University of Kentucky to assistant coaching at Furman University and then here at Wofford College before being named head coach in March of 2023, Perry has a long history of playing and coaching basketball at the collegiate level.
This experience, as well as the knowledge of his associate head coach, Will Murphy, and assistant coaches, has allowed for much strategy.
With the excitement of the SoCon tournament coming up soon, there is always the question of what the chances of winning are.
While the odds might not be completely in our favor, with this uptick of close games this season and how the Terriers have been victorious in many of these games, it is clear that this team knows how to play in high-pressure situations very well, and they will not leave the SoCon tournament without a fight.
The Terriers have proved themselves to be tenacious, leaving everything on the court at every game, leading to the many suspenseful games that have become staples of this season and giving spectators something to talk about.
