OOC Opponents

Every other Tuesday, we will look at each of the Mocs out of conference opponents, how they have done in the previous two weeks and where they stand. This week, we are looking at how each team is predicted to do in the upcoming season.

Indiana- On CBSSports.com, Indiana is picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten. Cody Zeller is a 6-11 freshman that is expected to provide instant dividends. This will be a tough spot for the Mocs. The Hoosier fan base is ready to see a winner and are very positive about the coming seasons. It's Zeller's first game. That will make it tough. But the Hoosiers on the whole are probably an average Big Ten team at best- and maybe slightly below that. These are not your older brother's (much less your father's) Hoosiers.

Butler- According to the Horizon League media, the two time reigning national runners-up are picked to win the league again. They have lost a lot of what has made them such a solid team. Andrew Smith was second team All Horizon. Chase Stigall and Ronald Nored both have starting experience. Why is this team picked to win the Horizon? Because they have done it before. They would be a little bit lower if any other team had lost this much from any other conference. Still, this is not someone anyone really wants to play.

Kennesaw State- The Owls are picked to finish seventh in the ten team Atlantic Sun. Markeith Cummings was picked as the Preseason Player of the Year. Lewis Preston is the new head coach and he could help the program turn a corner. The Owls upset Georgia Tech last season, but lost to the Mocs in the next game. This is the home opener for the Mocs, and a potential trap game for sure.

Warren Wilson- Let's put it this way- remember Virginia Intermont? Chattanooga beat them back in the 2009 opener 107-62. Warren Wilson got beat 89-57 earlier this year by Virginia Intermont. Ouch. Warren Wilson looks like a very interesting university that is very focused on the outdoors. People should take a look, because they really are interesting. But this should be an easy win for the Mocs.

Savannah State- Savannah State was upset by D-II Benedict recently. Of course, Benedict is one of the Top Ten teams in D-II, and the two teams were old rivals. They are picked to finish eleventh out of thirteen teams in the MEAC this season. They are very excited about getting Georgia Tech at home on December 10. They visit Georgetown this Saturday night. There is only one home game between now and the Georgia Tech game, with Jacksonville at home on November 23. Chattanooga will be their third game in the Hoosier Classic, with Gardner-Webb in Chattanooga the following night. Savannah State won ten of eleven to finish the year last year. That included a win over The Citadel, and a win over Longwood, along with Texas A&M-Corpus Cristi. Their only loss was to Longwood during that stretch. (Yes, they played the Lancers twice.)

Gardner-Webb- The Bulldogs were picked to finish tenth out of eleven teams in the Big South. But don't forget, this is the team that hammered Kentucky in Lexington back in 2007-08. Jason Dawson has caused some excitement around the team. They are returning four starters, though. This team should be improved over last year, and has been a bit of a team on the rise ever since they beat Kentucky. They have failed to capitalize on that.

Mercer- The Bears are picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Sun. They lost their top three returning scorers, but return Langston Hall, who averaged 8.2 points per game. They are very young. They battle Samford and Furman before the Mocs come calling. They'll be looking to build some confidence heading into trips to Seton Hall, Georgia, and Georgia Tech, all of which come in the two weeks following the Mocs visit. They also will have already visited Belmont.

Spalding- Coached by Mocs Hall of Famer, Kevin Gray, this team competes in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They are in the second year in the conference and were ineligible to play in the tournament last year, but tied for the conference title in the regular season. Dewhon McAfee won the Player of the Year last year and is back for his senior year.

Kentucky- The Wildcats are picked to finish second in the country, and to win the SEC. They are lead by Terrance Jones, Darius Miller, and a host of freshman. This one is clearly the toughest game on the schedule as Kentucky will probably dominate quite a few teams over the course of the season. Again, this won't be easy. This team is a real force.

Hiwassee- We'll know more about Hiwassee by the next time we write about OOC opponents. They visit Tennessee Wesleyan Wednesday, November 9. That will tell us more about how good this team is. They have a new coach in Rodney Nelson, who was previously an assistant at Maryville College and a Hiwassee graduate.

Longwood- The Lancers were 12-19 last year, but return four senior starters (just like the Mocs) this year. Wonder why Navy isn't playing in the All Military Classic? Because they are playing Longwood on Friday night. Antwan Carter was the Independent Player of the Year last year, averaging over 18 points per game. This is a talented team- quite possibly the best Lancers team that they have ever had. The Mocs struggled to get by Longwood a couple of years ago, so this will not be an easy win for the Mocs in the first round of the Dr Pepper Classic.

Utah Valley State (potential Dr Pepper Classic opponent)- The Wolverines went 19-11 a year ago and won the regular season title of the Great West Conference, going 11-1. Of course, the Great West does not get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament yet, and the Wolverines did not win the tournament- North Dakota did. They return four starters, including Newcomer of the Year last year, Isiah Williams. The Wolverines are picked to win the Great West in the preseason again this year, with five of the six first place votes.

Hampton (potential Dr Pepper Classic opponent)- The Pirates were in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, and are picked to finish second in the MEAC this year, behind Morgan State. Darrion Pellum, the reigning first team All-MEAC player and MEAC Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, returns. Kwame Morgan had offseason surgery to his leg, and may not play. He was a 2nd team All-MEAC performer last year. They play William & Mary this week, before participating in the Cancun Challenge, against Rutgers and Richmond, before going to Cancun to face Sacred Heart, and either Lipscomb or SIU-Edwardsville.

Tennessee- The Vols are picked to finish eleventh in the twelve team SEC. Cameron Tatum and Skylar McBee are the top returning players for the Vols. McBee averaged just over three points per game. The recruiting class did not have anyone rated higher than a 90 by ESPN.com, which is not a high rankings for a major conference team. This is not an impossible game for the Mocs at all, if they play their game.

GO MOCS!