Count me as one person that is thankful that November is here and the college basketball season is back upon us. Make no mistake- I love college football with a passion, but few things get me quite as fired up as Mocs basketball.
And so we begin. As we embark on another season, November is a bit of a critical month this year for the Mocs. They have a couple of tough road games, followed by four home games. The Mocs need to make sure that they take care of business, get off to a good start, and get the fanbase excited about a team that should be one of the best in recent years for the Mocs.
Schedule
November 13 at Indiana (Hoosier Classic)
November 15 at Butler (Hoosier Classic)
November 18 Kennesaw State
November 21 Warren Wilson College
November 25 Savannah State (Hoosier Classic)
November 27 Gardner-Webb (Hoosier Classic)
Toughest Game: at Butler, November 15. This is kind of a toss up for the Mocs between the Indiana game on November 13 and Butler on November 15. Which one is tougher? Neither will be easy. Butler is a bit down from the last two years, when they were the national runners-up. Indiana should be better than recent years. However, Butler is still ahead of Indiana. Plus, the Mocs will be playing Butler just two days after playing at Indiana. That makes this a particularly tough game. Bouncing back from playing the Hoosiers (win or lose) to battle Butler two days late will not be an easy task.
Easiest Game: Warren Wilson College, November 21. Who? No one has ever heard of this school. That's not to say anything negative about WWC. But the Mocs should be able to handle this team if they are sleep walking, honestly. This will be a good confidence booster for the Mocs after the key stretch of the month. It's a little bit deceiving to say that this one will be much of a challenge.
Most Important Game: Kennesaw State, November 18. The Owls nearly beat the Mocs last year at their place. The Mocs could be coming home 0-2 easily. This game will be critical to keeping any of the positive momentum formed by the offseason going. The home opener is always key for that. Of course, if the Mocs beat either/both of Indiana and Butler then this game becomes critical to maintaining that momentum at home. The Owls could be better this year, and the Mocs need to win their home opener to get the positive energy going.
Predicted Record: 4-2. I'm calling for losses to Indiana and Butler, followed by four home wins. That would be very good for the Mocs. If the Mocs do that, and play admirably against Indiana and Butler, then there will be a positive vibe around the program heading into December, which will bring the first big conference games of the season. Getting off to a 4-2 start is critical to the Mocs having the kind of season that we all think and hope is possible. A better start would be even better.
GO MOCS!
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