Georgia Southern Preview: Opening Day....Again

The Mocs would like nothing more than to start over again.
So here we go. It's opening day....again.

The Mocs need to forget that this season has started. They need to forget that any of the early season struggles have taken place.

They are 0-0.

And they are.

In SoCon play, the Mocs are 0-0. They get a chance to get to 1-0 with a win over Georgia Southern on Thursday night. Coming up with it may be easier said than done.

Georgia Southern won just one SoCon game a year ago, but was still picked to finish third in the South this year. They have won only one game so far this year, but played Wake Forest close. They were unable to do the same against South Florida. The Eagles are trying to prove that they are better than they were a year ago, and will get a golden opportunity against the Mocs on Thursday night.

Willie Powers is one of the top players in the SoCon. He has not been unstoppable, but he is the best player that the Eagles have, and he is the heart and soul of the team. He is averaging 10.6 points per game. He is second on the team in rebounding with 4.8 rebounds per game. He leads the team with 4.8 assists per game, and is second on the team with 1.8 steals per game. He is shooting nearly 56% from the field and 40% from three point range, while shooting 75% from the free throw line.

Ben Drayton III also averages 10.6 points per game, while being second on the team in assists with 3.0 and first in steals with 2.0.

The best three point shooter is Jelani Hewitt. Hewitt is shooting 43% from three point range, while shooting 83% from the free throw line. He is averaging 11.6 points per game, with 3.8 rebounds per game and 1.6 assists per game.

Eric Ferguson is shooting 51.6% from the field. He leads the team in scoring with 16.0 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game.

The four players mentioned so far all are guards. Ferguson is 6-7. Ferguson is a tremendous player, and will be a valuable piece of the puzzle throughout the year. But let's not kid ourselves, the key to this team is how Drayton and Powers perform.

The key to this game is how Drayton and Powers perform when they are matched up with Keegan Bell. The Eagles last year had a terrible time with turnovers. They have struggled at times with that this year as well. That's the main reason that they rank 101st in field goal percentage while being 219th in scoring.

The Mocs are only 262nd in points per game, and 317th in field goal percentage. The Mocs have played solid defense, and caused plenty of turnovers in their win over Savannah State. They have rebounded the ball reasonably well. They did not come up with the big rebounds against Gardner-Webb on Sunday afternoon. They will need to come up with the big rebounds in this game.

KEYS TO THE GAME

--Rebounding. The Mocs were dominated on the boards in the key moments against Gardner-Webb. They have to come up with the big rebounds to win this game.
--Turnovers. The Mocs need to force plenty of turnovers to be able to find a way to slow down this Eagles offense.
--Bell vs. Powers. This could be the best point guard match-up in the SoCon.
--Drazen Zlovaric. He needs to dominate on the inside. He should be able to in this match-up.
--Ferguson vs. Chris Early. This should be a match-up that Early likes. Ferguson may like it too. Should be interesting.

LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG

--The Mocs have not looked good yet this year, but let's not be confused. Georgia Southern has only beaten Webber International, a non-D1. Both teams will play better than they have played yet this year. They will need to in order to win.
--Zlovaric will have his best game. (Do I have to say this every game?)
--Ferguson will beat out Early in the head to head match-up.
--Bell and Powers will both play well.
--Omar Wattad will not still not play as well as he is supposed to be playing.
--Georgia Southern 67, Mocs 61. The Mocs are not playing well enough to find a way to win a road game right now. The Eagles will play inspired basketball in front of their home crowd and come up with a solid win over the Mocs at home. This will hurt the Mocs a lot in their quest to come up with a split on this road trip. They could come up with the win, but it would take their best performance yet.

GO MOCS!