SoCon Monster Game of the Week: Western Carolina at Appalachian State

The North Division race heats up on Thursday night in Boone, North Carolina, as Western Carolina travels to take on their rival Mountaineers. If Western Carolina wins, then both the Mocs and the Catamounts clinch a bye in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament. If Appalachian State wins, the Mocs will have a full game lead on Western Carolina, an the Mountaineers will be within one game of the Catamounts.

So this game is pretty important on a lot of levels.

Mike Williams and Trey Sumler are the teams leading scorer and the team leaders in assists. Williams is averaging 14.7 points per game, and 3.6 rebounds and assists per game. Sumler shoots nearly 42 percent from three point range. Richie Gordon and Harouna Mutombo are the team's leading rebounders, averaging 5.3 and 5.1 per game.

Appalachian State is lead, as everyone knows, by Donald Sims and Omar Carter. They combine to average over 37 points per game, or more than half that they score. They are good shooters, and are tough to contain for any team. Their continued improved play makes them one of the favorites in the SoCon Tournament. Andre Williamson is the team's leading rebounder, with 6.4 per game.

The Mountaineers have won four straight, while the Catamounts have also won four straight. The first time they played in Cullowhee, Mike Williams made a jumper with less than a second left to give Western a 79-78 win.

LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Sims and Carter will combine for over 40.
--Williams and Sumler will combine for more than 30.
--This will be another very tight battle between these two rivals.
--Appalachian State 74, Western Carolina 69. This will be a tight battle, but Appalachian State is playing good basketball right now. At home, they will find a way to get this done, and turn this into an exciting three team race down the stretch of the SoCon race.