The Mocs had established themselves as one of the main contenders in the SoCon- maybe even the favorite to win the tournament.
That is, until Thursday.
On Thursday night, the Mocs were smashed by 32 points on the road to Wofford. Of course, the Mocs have done this before, but this was the first time they've done it in conference play.
Suddenly, the Mocs are reeling again. And it doesn't get any easier, as the Mocs head to Furman to take on the 13-5 (5-2 in SoCon play) Paladins. Can the Mocs prove again that they belong among the best in the SoCon?
The Mocs came out from playing an emotionally draining home game on the road against Wofford and was flat. They also clearly were suffering from overconfidence.
They have not arrived.
Having faced Andrew Goudelock and Noah Dahlman over the last two games, this game they take on Amu Saaka, yet another of the conference's best players. Saaka is a handful inside yet again, averaging 16.2 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. He also shoots 87% from the free throw line. Saaka is a 6-6 senior, and has been very good. Over the last two games, against Samford and Georgia Southern, Saaka has shot 6 of 9 from the three point line. In the three games prior to that (The Citadel, College of Charleston, and Davidson), he may just 2 of 12 from behind the arc. He has scored over 20 points in eight out of eighteen games this year.
Jordan Miller is a very good player. He averages 12.7 points per game, along with 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He is a 37.6% shooter from three point range. Miller has been a solid contributor for the Paladins for the last four years, and has seen some pretty lean years. It has to feel good for the senior to finally be having some success.
Noah States averages 11.9 points per game, with 5.3 rebounds per game. He shoots 55.5% from the field, and an unbelievable 52.3% from three point range. He has made 23 of 44. He's never shot better than 36.4% for the season, and never made more than the 25 he made his freshman year. He is yet another senior enjoying his best season. He has made a big jump forward this year in terms of production.
Darryl Evans has averaged 3.7 assists per game. Evans scored 8.8 points per game. He has been a very solid point guard for the Paladins.
Brandon Sebirumbi and Justin Dehm have also been very productive for the Paladins and could have explosive games against the Mocs as well.
The Paladins are 66th in the country in shooting and are 197th in the country in rebounding. The Mocs are one of the top rebounding teams in the whole country. They like to slow things down a little bit down. The Mocs like to speed things up. The Mocs will need to make shots against Furman in order to win. Furman has only allowed 56 and 55 points in the last two games (against Georgia Southern and Samford).
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebound. The Mocs did not rebound against the Terriers. They have to do a lot better against Furman.
--Scorers score. The Mocs had none of their best players in double figures against Wofford. The only player that scored in double figures was Troy Cage. The Mocs need Wattad, Bell, Jefferson, Early, and Taylor to score significantly more than they did against the Terriers.
--Fast start. The Mocs fell behind 15-0 against Wofford, and then couldn't ever get back into the game. Against Charleston, the Mocs fell behind 11-1. It's time for the Mocs to actually start a game fast. It's time to take the Furman crowd out of the game to get themselves back into the game.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS WIN
--Feel relieved to have escaped with a 2-1 week.
--Get that good feeling back.
--Start looking forward to the Mocs three game homestand.
--Realize that Wofford was a bit of a fluke.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS LOSE
--Wonder why a team that wears purple with a mascot represented in the classic Song of Roland could really be one of the best team's in the SoCon.
--Be angry about starting 1-0 on the week but finishing 1-2.
--Wonder if the 7-0 start was a fluke.
--Sigh, take a deep breath, and realize that tomorrow is another day.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Wattad, Early, Jefferson, Bell, and Taylor will play better. Let's face it- they can't play any worse.
--The Mocs will play with more energy- let's face it. They sure didn't use any on Thursday night.
--The Mocs will outrebound Furman.
--States and Saaka will dominate the Mocs.
--Furman 74, Mocs 71. The Mocs finally lose a really close one. The Mocs will play better, but their head won't quite be there. This will be Furman's first really good win of the conference season.
GO MOCS!
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