Kennesaw State Preview: Momentum

Time: 7:00
Line:
TV: None (MocsVision)

This was the game that I picked back in the November preview as the biggest game of the month. Why did I do it? Because if the Mocs came into this game 0-2, they really needed to come up with a win just to start gaining confidence and momentum as they started this four game homestand. They desperately needed to come up with a win to keep the negativity around the program at a minimum.

So, this game is huge.

Kennesaw State has struggled badly on the offensive end so far. They were destroyed by Wisconsin and then lost by 13 against Auburn. They rank 342nd in scoring, 339th in rebounding, 341st in assists, and 340th in field goal percentage out of 345 teams. Then again, playing Wisconsin will do that to a team's stats. By contrast, the Mocs are 335th in scoring and 332nd in field goal percentage. Not good. They are 143rd in rebounding and 254th in assists. In other words, they are slightly better offensively.

Kennesaw State will be without Markeith Cummings, the preseason Atlantic Sun Player of the Year. He is out due to conduct detrimental to the team. There is a belief among several Owl fans that believe that the offense actually runs better without Cummings, who they believe required the ball too much of the time.

So how does Kennesaw State respond without Cummings? This is their second game without him. Spencer Dixon, another player that shoots the ball a lot, is the team's leading remaining scorer, averaging nine points per game right now, and 36.5 minutes per game. Dixon is shooting just 18.8% from the field, though. Aaron Anderson may be the team's best player. He is averaging 7.5 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game. He is shooting 46.7% from the floor. He is 6-7, 215.

Andrew Osemhen is the tallest player for the Owls. He is 6-9. He plays just 15.5 minutes per game, and has made his one field goal attempt of the season, along with just two rebounds. In other words, he has been a non-factor on the offensive end, but he has come up with two blocks and played decent defense.

Nick Turner has made 2 of 8 from three point range on the year. Delbert Love has seven steals already, which is very impressive. Romain Henry started in Cummings place against Auburn, but remained a virtual non-factor offensively.

The scoring went to Anderson, Turner, and Dixon without Cummings. They will need Dixon (who had a great night against Georgia Tech a year ago) and Turner to start shooting the ball better, and will need Anderson to have a big game on the inside. Love, the freshman point guard, will need to show solid composure in this game and make good decisions.

Keegan Bell's match-up with Love should be entertaining. Love has been a bright spot, but the young gun will have to match the senior Bell's play for the Owls to have a real shot here. On top of that, Anderson and his match-up with Drazen Zlovaric will be important. Zlovaric has not really proven yet that he can be a major impact in a game, though he has played well in both games.

Omar Wattad and Dixon may get into a three point shooting contest, though. Both love to throw up the long range shots. Dixon is really struggling so far, though. Both players like to shoot and have been able to light it up if they get going.

KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. The Mocs need to dominate the boards against the team that ranks 339th in the country in rebounding. The Mocs were a good rebounding team a year ago, but struggled at times against teams that weren't great rebounding teams. They need to control the boards against this team that they should control the boards against.
--Shooting. Both teams are really struggling shooting right now. REALLY struggling. The team that gets a little warm shooting the ball should be able to find a way to win.
--Controlled offense. The Mocs offense was under control and working inside-out against Butler on Tuesday night. They need to continue to show that kind of composure on the offensive end and not start taking shots too quickly.
--Bell vs. Love. This is an interesting match-up, and Bell, as a senior, needs to control the match-up.
--Chris Early needs to stay out of foul trouble and stay on the floor. He should be able to have a big game. If he does not, then that should mean that Zlovaric is having a big game, which is just as good from the Mocs standpoint. They need to control Anderson on the defensive end.

LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Dixon will raise his field goal percentage. Then again, that shouldn't be too hard, considering his currently shooting just under 19%.
--The Mocs will dominate inside, even though Anderson will have his moments.
--The Mocs will come out and play inspired basketball.
--Mocs 72, Kenessaw State 54. The Mocs will come out fired up and shoot the ball much better, showing off some of the shooting we saw against Tennessee Wesleyan. Rico White will have a good game, as will Wattad, Early, Taylor, and Bell. Zlovaric will also play well. In other words, this will be an all around good performance. With no one player to take the Mocs focus away, they will play solid defense and keep Kenessaw State struggling from the field. The Mocs put on a performance that gets the home fans excited about the coming season.

GO MOCS!