By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter

brobinson@thepccourier.com

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — March Madness is upon us, and former Easley High School star Spencer Collins will lead the Wofford Terriers into the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row after helping the squad to a Southern Conference championship win over Furman last week.

Collins, a former All-State performer and North-South All-Star for the Green Wave, scored 10 points in last Monday’s 67-64 win over Furman in Asheville, N.C.

After being a four-year starter at Easley, culminating with scoring 26 points per game and being named Region I-AAAA Player of the Year as a senior, Collins started every game in each of his first two seasons at Wofford as well, earning a spot on the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team in 2013.

Riding an eight-game winning streak, the Terriers (28-6) will be making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the past six years when they tip off Thursday night against Arkansas in Jacksonville, Fla. The Razorbacks lost to top-ranked Kentucky on Sunday in the finals of the Southeastern Conference tournament.

Wofford enters the game as a No. 12 seed in the tournament, while Arkansas is a No. 5 seed. The game will mark Arkansas’ first appearance in the NCAA tournament in seven years, due partially to a probation period.

Arkansas (26-8) last faced Wofford in the 2007 regular season, winning 67-45.

Wofford is 0-3 in the tourney, losing to Wisconsin in 2010, Brigham Young in 2011 and Michigan last year.

The two teams’ only common opponent this season was Iona, which Arkansas beat 99-77 and Wofford downed 86-73.