OOC Opponents

AT A GLANCE

Tennessee- 15-8, 21
Austin Peay- 13-11, 133
Kennesaw State- 5-17, 322
Marshall- 13-8, 64
Louisville- 18-5, 26
Jackson State- 11-10, 203
Florida International- 7-14, 271
Murray State- 16-6, 121
Georgia State- 10-13, 214
Georgia Tech- 10-12, 164

IN DEPTH

Tennessee has been on a bit of a run. It's hard to know exactly where the Vols stand because they have been way up and way down. They had won five in a row before losing to Alabama at home on Saturday. Tonight, they are battling Kentucky, and have Bruce Pearl coming back to coach again. They are a contender in the SEC East, and in the SEC title race.

Austin Peay has suddenly turned cold, and they have fallen behind the both Morehead State and Murray State in the OVC race. The loss at Tennessee Tech last night leaves those two teams tied for third in the conference. The Governors have lost three out of four. They have Fairfield in BracketBusters, and four winnable OVC games left. So they can get back on track.

Kennesaw State beat Campbell last night to get back in the win column. They had lost five straight prior to that, but have Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson at home before a trip to Mercer- all winnable games coming up. The Owls need to get going if they are going to make any noise at all in the Atlantic Sun this year. After their start with a win over Georgia Tech, they have been a disappointment.

Marshall is still the highest ranked win for the Mocs this year. The Herd lost to Southern Miss over the weekend, and are 3-5 in Conference USA play. With UAB, Tulsa, UCF, and UTEP all left as Top 100 RPI teams on the schedule, they are a dangerous team in C-USA. They continue to be mentioned as a major contender to steal a tournament title. They could do it. They have been good- but not great.

Louisville is almost assured to go dancing. They are 7-3 in Big East play. They need to get just two or three more wins to lock up an NCAA bid. They go to Notre Dame tomorrow night in a huge game, and battle Syracuse at home this weekend. The Cardinals will continue to rise up the RPI just by the sheer fact that their schedule will continue to be brutal.

Jackson State had a shocking loss to Alcorn State on Saturday. They are still 9-2 in SWAC play. They have only two road games left- Mississippi Valley State (RPI- 215) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (319). Texas Southern comes to town on Saturday night, and TSU is 9-1 in SWAC play. That game should be a very good game and probably will determine the SWAC regular season champion, although 8-3 Mississippi Valley State may have something to say about it.

Florida International has lost seven out of eight, with their lone win coming over Troy. But their last time out, they lost by one to Top 100 Florida Atlantic. So maybe they are starting to play a little better again. With UL-Lafayette, and Middle Tennessee coming up, the Panthers can get on a bit of a roll if they keep on playing well, before their home rematch with Florida Atlantic. It's time to get going if Isaiah Thomas' team wants to have a solid finish.

Murray State is now back into first place in the OVC, tied with Morehead State. They are the favorites to advance to the NCAA out of the OVC now. It ought to be a very compelling OVC Tournament with Murray State, Austin Peay, Morehead State, and even Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech providing a lot of depth to the league. With only one road game left (at RPI 317 SE Missouri State) and a huge home date with Morehead State, everyone has to like the position the Racers are in to win the regular season title.

Georgia State has beaten UNC-Wilmington and Towson in their last two games to get back in the win column in the CAA. Hofstra, Northeastern, and George Mason all come calling over the next few weeks. Old Dominion is the toughest road game, while Louisiana Tech and William & Mary are the other road games. This team can still make a bit of a run in the CAA, and get to a decent seed in the conference tournament.

Georgia Tech has lost three straight, after winning three out of four. Brian Oliver is now out three weeks. They play Florida State at home and go to Virginia Tech before facing the Mocs. Winning either will be tough. The Yellow Jackets are stumbling a bit. They could smell blood and the ability to get well against the Mocs when they hook up.

GO MOCS!