FIU is coached by Isaiah Thomas. He has upgraded the talent level, but not too dramatically yet. His team is getting better, though.
The Mocs are playing their last game of the Global Sports Shootout, while the Golden Panthers are playing their first.
Eric Frederick is leading the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game. He is shooting 55.1% from the field. He is also averaging 6.5 rebounds per game. DeJuan Wright is averaging 14.0 points per game and ten rebounds per game.
The Golden Panthers are being outrebounded by about 1.5 rebounds per game, but that is not too shabby. They are shooting under 30 percent from three point range. Of course, we've all heard that before.
They are shooting 44.2 percent from the floor. That is also fairly impressive. This is not a bad offensive team.
Of course, the Golden Panthers 3-1 record is a little deceiving. Florida Memorial, Barry, and Utah Valley are their three wins. Their one loss is to Florida State by 23 points.
So, where do the Mocs stand against this team?
It is actually fairly similar to the Marshall game. They are playing a team that has really not played a schedule that is difficult enough to figure out exactly who they are.
Can the Mocs possibly bounce back from this two game losing streak?
Yes, they can. But the defense has to change. I still have not been able to stomach watching the Jackson State game (likely to happen on Sunday night). But regardless, the defense obviously was HORRIFIC against Jackson State. Can the Mocs improve in this game?
The Mocs have to shoot better, and they have to not the turn the ball over, and they have to rebound. And they absolutely have to play defense. With the Panthers, who have forced nearly 19 turnovers a game, protecting the ball is going to be paramount for the Mocs.
Can Bell protect the ball? Can the team play defense? It's almost impossible to know for sure.
The Mocs are going for their third road win of the year, which would pass their total from a year ago. This would be a very nice one, considering what they have done over their past two games.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebound. Please.
--Protect the ball. The Mocs have been doing an OK job of this this when they aren't playing Louisville or Tennessee. They need to do it again.
--Someone play some defense. Please.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS WIN
--Celebrate their road win of the year.
--Forgive the loss to Austin Peay...but not the loss to Jackson State.
--Wonder how in the world the Mocs are 3-0 on the road against "Teams Their Own Size" and 0-2 at home.
--Wish that the conference tournament could be moved away from Chattanooga.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS LOSE
--Wish that that Isaiah Thompson guy had not become head coach at FIU.
--Hope the Mocs can get it together with a little bit of time off before getting into conference play next week.
--Sigh, go to bed, and realize that tomorrow is another day.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Wattad will not shoot well...again.
--Jefferson will not play as well as he did against Jackson State (perfect night shooting, 18 points, seven rebounds).
--Bell will turn the ball over too many times.
--FIU 74, Chattanooga 64. The Mocs are playing awful right now. It is amazing that they beat Marshall just a week ago. It feels like a lifetime ago at the moment.
GO MOCS!
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