Before the year, there were four games that the outcome was nearly pre-determined. The Mocs were going to lose at Kentucky, and they were going to beat Warren Wilson, Spalding, and Hiwassee.
This is the last of those four games.
That's not to say that there is not reason to watch this game from a Mocs perspective. Omar Wattad is out with concussion symptoms. Who will step up in his absence? Chris Early is still suspended. Do Jahmal Burroughs and Z Mason continue to step up in his absence? Can Drazen Zlovaric continue to build on what he did against the Kentucky Wildcats?
All those questions will be interesting to watch as we figure out just where the Mocs will be heading into the Dr Pepper Classic next week.
Justin Browner is Hiwassee's leading scorer. He is scoring 16 points per game and has two assists per game. The 5-8, 175 pound freshman is a scorer. It will be more difficult to get his shots off agains the Mocs length and size, but he has potential to put on a show shooting from long range against the Mocs perimeter defense.
Cody Lewis is 6-5 and the second tallest player on the Tigers roster. He is averaging 9.3 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game. However, he is not going to be able to play, as he is sitting out with an injury. Lewis would have been one of the Tigers better players at getting rebounds. His presence will be missed in this one.
David Layne at 6-4 averages 11 points and four rebounds per game. He is an asset to the Tigers inside play as well. Cody Carson averages 5.7 points per game, while Brandon Carpenter (another 6-4 player) averages 6.1 points per game and 5 rebounds per game.
All in all, this is a team that is 4-10, with wins over Brescia, Huntingdon, and dominant victories over Boyd, and Johnson. The win over Johnson was 126-65. That's quite a performance. Of course, this team also has a loss to Warren Wilson on their resume. It was in overtime, and 84-80, but there has been discussion about whether or not Warren Wilson was the worst team to ever play at the Roundhouse. Of course, they were missing their best player. Lewis being out does not help Hiwassee, but is likely not as big of a deal as Warren Wilson being without their best player.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. The Mocs need to show that they are capable of hammering away on the boards. Against Indiana and Kentucky, the Mocs did a good job on the boards. Against other teams, it seems that the Mocs take less interest in rebounding. Showing desire and want to on the boards would be huge for the Mocs in this game.
--Intensity. The Mocs played a pretty good game against Kentucky on Saturday night. They need to bring the same intensity, the same desire to this one against Hiwassee. If they are focused, and not taking the game off due to Christmas break coming up and playing at noon, the Mocs should win easily.
--Zlovaric, Burroughs, and Mason. Those three had good games against Kentucky. What do I want to see? I want to see more. Prove that was not a fluke. Go out and perform against Hiwassee.
--Bench play. I want to see some of the bench players (like Dontay Hampton, Rico White, Lance Stokes, and Jared Bryant) have really good games and get some positive momentum going. They have played well this year in spurts, and I have been pleased with their performance. Let's see more of that.
--Shooting. I want the Mocs to get some shots to fall and get some confidence built up heading into the break.
--Knowledge of how they can perform against Warren Wilson. One knows that they can beat Warren Wilson. One only thinks they can. That could be a big difference.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--The Mocs come out flat and fall behind early.
--Browner scores 20+ points for the Tigers. Just seems like he is ready to become a hot shooter in this one and make a name for himself in a big game.
--Hiwassee will play closer than Warren Wilson did against Chattanooga.
--Zlovaric, Burroughs, and Mason will score a combined 40+ points.
--Keegan Bell will have another solid performance, and not allow the Mocs to take the night completely off.
--Mocs 85, Hiwassee 51. Not a great performance from the Mocs, but they get the job done in the end. And that's all that matters in the long run. Time to get things going for the Dr Pepper Classic.
GO MOCS!
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