The Mocs just played their guts out, and put them out there against the Catamounts. Can the Mocs possibly play with that much effort again and come up with a solid performance against Appalachian State for a second straight night?
Will Keegan Bell and Omar Wattd be healthy enough to play closer to 30 minutes? How will Chris Early play coming off of his suspension?
These are all questions that the Mocs can't possibly answer at this point. If they could, then maybe I'd have a better chance of providing reasonable analysis of this game.
I'll freely admit- I'm at a loss. I don't have a clue if the Mocs can win. They could get beat by 30. Or they could win the game. Or anything in between. It's impossible to know for sure.
Donald Sims and Omar Carter are the Mountaineers leading scorers. Sims is averaging 20.9 points per game. He makes 42% of his shots, and 32.6% from three point range, while shooting almost 87% from the free throw line. He also averages 3.9 rebounds per game, 3.7 assists per game, and 1.9 steals per game. Carter is averaging 16.3 points per game, and 5.8 rebounds per game. Carter is shooting 40% from three point range.
Andre Williamson is shooting 56.6% from the field, and averaging 6.4 rebounds per game, to go along with his 8.6 rebounds per game. Williamson has been playing very well lately for the Mountaineers.
The first time the Mocs and Mountaineers played, Sims scored 28, but they were a very quiet 28 points. Carter scored just 14, and that was why the Mocs were able to win. Williamson was the only other player with more than six- he scored ten. The Mocs outrebounded the Mountaineers 37-30, and Appy shot 39.1% from the field and 22.6% from three point range. Wattad had 21 points, and Bell had thirteen assists.
Appalachian State has won three straight games. They won by two at UNC-Greensboro, and by six at Elon, and by six at home against Samford on Thursday night. That followed six losses in seven games.
The Mountaineers are a decent rebounding team. They are a team that likes to play at a fast pace, in the Top 100 in the country in scoring.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. The Mocs have to rebound well to stay in the game, just like they did the first time.
--Legs. Will the Mocs have any energy coming off a tough game on Friday night? Will Bell and Wattad be healthy enough to contribute?
--Chris Early. Will he play under control? Or will he be so eager to contribute that he'll get into early foul trouble and put pressure on the Mocs bench to contribute again?
--Hold down Sims and Carter. If the Mocs can hold them to 4 of 17 from three point range again, they will have a shot.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS WIN
--Celebrate clinching a bye in the North.
--Be pleased with the split of the back-to-back games.
--Hope that the Mocs can come up with more wins and clinch the division.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS LOSE
--Worry a lot about losing the bye in the North.
--Be upset about not getting a splut in the back-to-back games.
--Wish the flu on everyone. EVERYONE!
--Sigh, take a deep breath, and remember that tomorrow is another day.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Early will pick up two quick fouls.
--Sims will score over 30.
--Surgical Mask Night won't be a flop.
--Appalachian State 77, Mocs 58. The Mocs will not be able to show up with that much effort on two straight nights. Without knowing the health of Wattad and Bell, there is no way to think that the Mocs can do THAT again. The Mocs need to play great game to have a shot. Will they be able to bounce back this quickly? It's hard to see.
GO MOCS!
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