Teams › SoCon · Compare Western Carolina with another team
Western Carolina
Western Carolina returns 61% of last season's minutes and rates #152 on offense and #186 on defense of 365 teams. 80% range: -6.5 to +8.1.
Why we have them here
Western Carolina's preseason projection of +0.7 (No. 152 of 365) starts from the roster: its players' ratings, weighted by projected minutes, add up to a roll-up worth +1.7, more than the +0.7 typical of teams ranked near it. Last season's rating (No. 187 at the end of 2025-26) adds +0.0, about its neighbours' +0.1; the program's level two and three seasons back and the roster's experience and shape add -1.3. It returns 61% of last season's minutes, about the same as teams ranked near it (54%). The projection leans most on Samuel Dada (+2.5), Tahlan Pettway (+1.6) and Isaiah Manning (+1.1); the newcomer who matters most is Isaiah Manning, a transfer from Sam Houston, at +1.1. Its 80% range, -6.5 to +8.1, is about as wide as that of teams ranked near it.
Generated from the published projection's own terms, not written by hand. "Teams ranked near it" are the thirty nearest in the preseason order. Preseason projection frozen 2026-10-23; how the projection is built.
Roster
Returning 59% · Transfer 39% · Other newcomer 2%
| Rank | Player | Pos | Ht | D1 yrs | Group | From | MPG | Rating | Contrib. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 289 | Samuel Dada | F | 6-9 | 1 | Returning | Western Carolina | 21 | +4.8 | +2.5 |
| 563 | Tahlan Pettway | G | 6-2 | 1 | Returning | Western Carolina | 21 | +3.1 | +1.6 |
| 764 | Isaiah Manning | F | 6-8 | 2 | Transfer | Sam Houston | 18 | +2.4 | +1.1 |
| 999 | Abdulai Fanta Kabba | C | 7-0 | 2 | Returning | Western Carolina | 16 | +1.6 | +0.6 |
| 1219 | Tidjiane Dioumassi | G | 6-4 | 3 | Returning | Western Carolina | 22 | +0.7 | +0.4 |
| 1674 | Travelle Bryson | F | 6-5 | 1 | Transfer | Howard | 16 | +0.0 | +0.0 |
| 1876 | Malachi Brown | G | 6-1 | 3 | Transfer | Georgia State | 24 | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| 2020 | Justin Johnson | G | 6-8 | 2 | Returning | Western Carolina | 14 | -0.4 | -0.1 |
| 2296 | Titian DeRosa | F | 5-9 | 0 | Other newcomer | 4 | -1.2 | -0.1 | |
| 2815 | Drew Hollifield | G | 5-11 | 1 | Returning | Western Carolina | 4 | -1.9 | -0.2 |
| 3098 | Donovan Raymond | F | 6-10 | 3 | Transfer | Old Dominion | 6 | -1.8 | -0.3 |
| 3323 | Max Williams | G | 6-6 | 1 | Returning | Western Carolina | 4 | -2.7 | -0.2 |
| 3741 | Jaxon Prunty | G | 6-6 | 2 | Transfer | Charleston | 13 | -1.7 | -0.6 |
| 3861 | Fischer Brown | G | 6-4 | 2 | Returning | Western Carolina | 7 | -2.4 | -0.5 |
| 4659 | Tayeshaun Smith | F | 6-7 | 1 | Returning | Western Carolina | 8 | -3.7 | -0.7 |
A player's rating is points per 100 possessions better than an average Division I player while he is on the floor. Contribution weights it by the share of a rotation slot he is projected to play, so a star on the bench and a role player who never sits both read right. Rank is among all 5,249 rated players. MPG is the projected share of a rotation slot times 40. "From" is last season's team. The bars are contribution, the player's rating times his projected share; their sum is the roll-up the projection starts from.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Proj. margin | Win prob. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Nov 02 | at |  North Carolina #54 | -14.3 | 12% | |
| Sat Nov 07 | at |  UNC Asheville #245 | -2.7 | 41% | |
| Sat Nov 14 | vs |  Lipscomb #118 | +4.1 | 63% | |
| Tue Nov 17 | at |  Butler #86 | -10.5 | 20% | |
| Sat Nov 21 | at |  Wake Forest #76 | -11.7 | 17% | |
| Sun Nov 29 | at |  Charlotte #131 | -6.3 | 30% | |
| Sat Dec 05 | vs |  The Citadel #345 | conf | +10.4 | 80% |
| Sun Dec 13 | at |  Virginia #19 | -19.6 | 6% | |
| Sat Dec 19 | at |  Furman #110 | conf | -4.4 | 36% |
| Tue Dec 22 | at |  Wofford #306 | conf | +3.8 | 62% |
| Wed Dec 30 | vs |  Chattanooga #226 | conf | +4.9 | 65% |
| Sat Jan 02 | vs |  VMI #350 | conf | +11.2 | 82% |
| Wed Jan 06 | at |  Mercer #231 | conf | +0.2 | 50% |
| Sat Jan 09 | at |  East Tennessee State #171 | conf | -2.0 | 44% |
| Wed Jan 13 | at |  UNC Greensboro #246 | conf | +0.6 | 52% |
| Sat Jan 16 | vs |  Samford #190 | conf | +3.8 | 62% |
| Mon Jan 18 | vs | Mercer #231 | conf | +5.4 | 67% |
| Thu Jan 21 | at |  Tennessee Tech #280 | conf | +2.3 | 57% |
| Sat Jan 23 | at | Chattanooga #226 | conf | +0.6 | 52% |
| Wed Jan 27 | vs | Wofford #306 | conf | +7.9 | 74% |
| Wed Feb 03 | vs | Tennessee Tech #280 | conf | +6.8 | 71% |
| Sat Feb 06 | at | Samford #190 | conf | -1.6 | 45% |
| Wed Feb 10 | at | The Citadel #345 | conf | +5.8 | 68% |
| Sat Feb 13 | vs | Furman #110 | conf | +0.4 | 51% |
| Thu Feb 18 | vs | East Tennessee State #171 | conf | +3.2 | 60% |
| Sat Feb 20 | vs | UNC Greensboro #246 | conf | +5.6 | 68% |
| Sat Feb 27 | at | VMI #350 | conf | +6.0 | 69% |
Projected margin is from Western Carolina's side, with home court where the game is not neutral (N). Games are the schedule as posted; tournaments and late additions appear as they are listed. Predictions are as of 2026-10-26 and reflect the roster as the model has it on that date.