SIGNATURE WIN: While one could argue that there is no win more important than the victory to become USA South Athletic Conference champions, it is the previous win -- the one that advanced the Monarchs to the conference championship -- that is the signature win of the season for Methodist. Against Covenant College, the West Division's No. 1 seed, in the semifinals of the conference tournament, the Monarchs had to recover from an early 20-9 deficit and a 42-34 deficit before defeating the Scots, 76-71. That game displayed perfectly what Methodist basketball is all about. Never rattled, always composed, the Monarchs went on a 17-3 run after finding themselves trailing by eight early in the second half. With the conference player of the year on the other side of the court for Covenant, Dante Burden exploded for 27 points (including 21 in the final 12 minutes of the game). His seven rebounds and five assists were game-highs. At one point, Burden scored or assisted on 25 straight points in the second stanza, including nine consecutive field goals. Leading 63-62 with around two minutes left, Burden scored seven straight points to build the Monarchs' lead back up to 70-64 with 48 ticks remaining to seal the game. Kaymon Mitchell provided 23 points and five boards in the contest.

SEASON NOTES: Methodist held up to its lofty preseason expectations after being predicted to finish first in the East Division of the annual Coaches' poll … The Monarchs went 18-11 overall and 11-6 in league action … Despite finishing second in the entire conference with 15 wins in the regular season, the Monarchs found themselves third in the East Division entering the conference tournament … Methodist reeled off three separate streaks of four consecutive wins, including victories over William Peace, Covenant, and Huntingdon in the postseason … In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Monarchs lost 78-74 to Emory, the No. 12 team in the nation … Burden led the team with 18.8 points (third in the conference), four assists (fourth), and 2.5 steals (first) per game … Mitchell's 6.3 boards a game was a team-high … Also averaging more than 10 points per game were Garren Dearman (14.1), Mitchell (13.6), and Calvin Manley (10.9) … Methodist led the league in steals (9.7) per game and its 13.3 turnovers was the lowest mark in the conference … The Monarchs also shot 46.2 percent from the field, second in the league while boasting the stingiest perimeter defense by leading the conference in opponent's three-point shooting percentage (32.1) … For his career at Methodist, Burden sits at 974 points.

POSTSEASON AWARDS:

• USA South All-Conference: Burden (first team)
• USA South All-Sportsmanship Team: Wade Jackson
• USA South All-Tournament Team: Burden and Mitchell
• USA South All-Tournament MVP: Burden

LOOKING AHEAD: The bright side is that Burden and Dearman return for their senior seasons in 2020-21. The downside is that Coach David Smith will lose six seniors -- Mitchell, Manley, John Baker, Malik Edwards, Sam Mingledoff, and Andrew Steve -- to graduation. Of the nine underclassmen currently on the roster, only Kevin McLaughlin Jr. saw significant minutes this season. However, Coach Smith has already shown the ability to retool on the fly and with the front runner for conference player of the year next season (Burden), it should be another good season for Methodist, especially if players like Zaire Edwards, Giovanni Thompson, and Derrick Newberry are ready to answer the call after being used as reserves in 2019-20.