UNC-Greensboro Preview: On The Road Again

The Mocs have been bad on the road this year. They're 0-8 on the road this year, including losing their last game at Samford- a SoCon bottom dweller.

Ironically, the Spartans have struggled at home this year. They are 0-5 at home this year against D-1 competition. But they turned two last week in Charleston, stunning College of Charleston last Thursday before slipping past The Citadel on Saturday evening to make things very interesting in the SoCon North race for UNCG. A win by the Spartans would throw them right into the North bye race. But they have to prove they can win at home and that last weekend was not a fluke.

Trevis Simpson has turned into one of the top players in the entire SoCon. He is averaging 16.5 points per game, while being third on the team in rebounding with 3.9 rebounds per game. Simpson takes an inordinate number of threes (103 on the season already) and is shooting 31.1% from behind the arc on the season. His 36 point outburst against Miami kept them in the game. He is averaging 17.7 points per game in SoCon play, along with four rebounds.

No other Spartan is in double figures in scoring. Drew Parker leads the team in three point shooting with 52% from behind the arc. He also leads the team in assists with 2.6 per game. David Williams leads the team in rebounding with 4.7 rebounds per game, and Aaron Brackett has 4.6 boards per game. Derrell Armstrong is second on the team in scoring with 7.9 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 1.9 assists per game.  Korey Van Dussen is averaging 7.2 points and 1.8 assists. This is a team that shoots 38.7% from the field.

The Spartans average 16 turnovers per game. They are a team that really struggles shooting the ball. They rank 327th in the country in shooting. They are not a great rebounding team.

The Mocs need Keegan Bell to snap out of his slump. But the more important thing will be how the Mocs play on the defensive end.  They have been a great defensive team- though they struggled against Samford last Saturday. They have held opponents to 38.6% shooting on the year. They also are a good rebounding team, that will rely heavily on Drazen Zlovaric, Z Mason, Jahmal Burroughs, and Jared Bryant to dominate on the boards. Omar Wattad and Ricky Taylor are the Mocs two leading scorers, while the big guys down low have been playing well lately. Bell has been struggling big time in the last three games. If he lets the game come to him and relazes a bit, the odds are he will snap out of it on against the Spartans.

KEYS TO THE GAME

--Rebounding. The Mocs need to dominate on the boards to be able to beat the Spartans.
--Shooting. It sounds so simplistic, but the Spartans shot better against the Cougars and the Bulldogs...and they won. They are playing one of the better defenses in the SoCon. Will they be able to bring the offense home with them?
--Bell's play. Bell has really been struggling in both shooting, and turning the ball over. Will this be the game that he turns it around a bit?
--Zlovaric. Can the Spartans slow him down? He's been playing well- prior to the Samford game.
--Home court. Can the Spartans finally win at home? Can the Mocs finally win on the road? Something's got to give.

LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG

--Some Spartan is going to go off from three point range. Doesn't it happen every time the Mocs play the Spartans? Seems like this is an unwritten law.
--Simpson will impress plenty of Mocs fans.
--Bell will play his best game in a couple of weeks.
--Mocs 68, UNCG 63. Wattad and Taylor will make a couple of big shots. Zlovaric and Mason will be too much to handle down low. The biggest difference will be that the Mocs defense is playing well and the Spartans won't be able to play the same disciplined offense that Samford played. UNCG can't keep on shooting this well. They will bring the effort to keep it close, but it won't be quite enough. Should be a great game.

GO MOCS!