Mocs 78, Western Carolina 62

FOUR FACTORS (plus two)

eFG%
Mocs- 52.5%
Western Carolina- 50.0%
Advantage- Mocs

TO%
Mocs- 18.9%
Western Carolina- 15.8%
Advantage- Western Carolina

OR%
Mocs- 52.6%
Western Carolina- 21.1%
Advantage- Mocs

FTRate
Mocs- 45.8%
Western Carolina- 13.3%
Advantage- Mocs

FT%
Mocs- 59.3%
Western Carolina- 25.0%
Advantage- Mocs

3PtRate
Mocs- 27.2%
Western Carolina- 58.3%

PLAYER RATER
Overall

1) Drazen Zlovaric 39.1
2) Keegan Bell 27.0
3) Ricky Taylor 23.9
4) Z Mason 19.2
5) Omar Wattad 18.0
6) Dontay Hampton 14.0
7) Jahmal Burroughs 9.3
8) Rico White 1.4
9) Jared Bryant -0.7

Per 40

1) Drazen Zlovaric 52.1
2) Dontay Hampton 50.9
3) Z Mason 33.3
4) Ricky Taylor 29.8
5) Keegan Bell 29.2
6) Omar Wattad 20.5
7) Jahmal Burroughs 19.6
8) Rico White 11.2
9) Jared Bryant -3.5

ANALYSIS

Anyone that wants to rip the Mocs for this performance would be missing the point. Yes, the Mocs trailed 60-58 before going on a 20-2 run to end it to win it going away. Yes, the Mocs allowed Western Carolina to shoot the ball too well, which has not been the Mocs problem most of the time this year. But the Catamounts were slowed down in the key stretch of the game.

No, the most telling stat is the rebound edge. The Mocs outrebounded Western Carolina 50-26. Think about that. The Mocs had 20 offensive rebounds. Western Carolina had 18 defensive rebounds. It is really unusual to see a rebounding stat that lopsided. The Mocs are a tremendous rebounding team when they put the energy and effort into the game.

It was that energy on the glass that has me assured, even when the Mocs were trailing. I simply could not imagine a situation where the Mocs lost the game when they were rebounding that well. When they put that kind of effort into rebounding, it is going to be tough for the Mocs to lose a game like that.

The Mocs also only turned the ball twelve times. That sort of protection of the ball combined with that kind of rebounding will lead to a lot of wins for the Mocs in SoCon play.

Possibly even better news for the Mocs is the play of Drazen Zlovaric, Z Mason, and Jahmal Burroughs. Burroughs wasn't brilliant but he was good enough. However, Mason and Zlovaric were great. Zlovaric scored 19 points, a team high, and had 12 rebounds. Mason had 9 and 9. The two were dominant players. This is the sort of effort I think the two can put forth every night in the SoCon play. They can dominate on the inside most of the teams in the SoCon.

This Mocs team has some real potential to be great. The inside play and the rebounding could really lead the Mocs to a lot of wins in the coming months of SoCon play.

GO MOCS!