GAME NOTES: The 2014-15 Southern Conference season will begin when the East Tennessee State Buccaneers host the Western Carolina Catamounts at Freedom Hall on Wednesday.

The Catamounts and Buccaneers last met during the 2004-05 season, ETSU's last season in the SoCon before this season. The Buccaneers hold a 42-23 all-time series lead thanks to their current 15-game winning streak versus WCU.

The Catamounts are 17-20 in their last 37 Southern Conference openers. They could use a win badly, as they enter with a 3-4 record and have a pair of tough road games at Minnesota and Vanderbilt following their trip to Johnson City. WCU dropped a 72-66 decision at Charleston Southern on Monday, which lowered it to a 1-3 ledger in true road tests this season. However, the only true away victory did come over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, who are very tough at their Athletics Center O'Rena. Coach Larry Hunter's team is ranked in the top half of the SoCon in both scoring offense (70.3 ppg, fourth) and scoring defense (70.9 ppg, fifth).

The Bucs won their fourth game in a row after their season-opening loss at Valparaiso on Monday as they earned 63-59 decision at Morehead State. Coach Murry Bartow also led his unit to wins over UNC Asheville (98-87) and Winthrop (69-64). ETSU has made it clear it can be explosive offensively with its average of 83.4 ppg, which ranks 17th nationally. The Bucs are pacing the SoCon in scoring margin (+10.2 ppg) despite ranking eighth in scoring defense (73.2 ppg).

WCU has four players carrying double-digit scoring averages, but Justin Browning, the fifth-leading scorer, is netting just 3.9 ppg. Senior guard James Sinclair has the green light from Hunter and is consistently a focal part of the offensive game plan, for better or worse. Sinclair, who averages a team- high 18.3 ppg, poured in 31 points versus Alabama and had 20 against Oakland, but he has gone just 12-of-43 from the field and 2-of-15 from beyond the arc over his last three games. Juniors Rhett Harrelson (16.1 ppg) and Mike Brown (13.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg) have reached double-figures in the scoring column in all seven games this season. On the interior, WCU leans on Torrion Brummit, who was a seldom used reserve for his first two campaigns with the Catamounts. The 6- foot-7 junior is having a breakout season with 10.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg.

One player ahead of Sinclair on the SoCon's scoring leaderboard is Jalen Riley, who is spearheading the charge for the Bucs with 19 ppg. The 6-foot senior has already drained 14 shots from beyond the arc and 35 free throws in five games. ETSU's other senior in the backcourt, Rashawn Rembert, is also off to a nice start with averages of 15.6 points and 3.2 rebounds. Rembert led the Atlantic Sun Conference in scoring (16.8 ppg) and set a program record for makes from 3- point range (108) in 2013-14. The Catamounts will also have to worry about junior forward Lester Wilson, who has netted 38 points and sank 10 3-pointers in his last two games.

ETSU can live and die by the 3-point shot if its strong defensive effort continues. WCU's lack of depth really hurts it when one of the Catamounts' four scoring options has an off night. The Bucs' edge in firepower should help it prevail and pick up its 16th straight win in the renewed rivalry.