The Terriers dominated the Mocs last year. They won by 39 in Chattanooga. They won by 32 in Spartanburg on their way to their second consecutive SoCon Tournament championship.
Yes, a lot of the key players are gone from that Wofford team, but do the Mocs have what it takes to finally take down the Terriers? Can the Mocs defend their home court in their one meeting this year against the Terriers? Will this be their revenge? Or will it be more of the same and just a redux of what we've already seen?
The Terriers still have Brad Loesing, one of the top point guards in the SoCon. He is averaging 13.8 points and 4.9 assists per game. He makes it very difficult for other teams to press. Watching Charleston try to press last Thursday seemed to prove how much experience and composure Loesing has. He does average 3.4 turnovers per game, but he's performed better than that most of the time. He is averaging 38.9 minutes per game.
Kevin Giltner and Karl Cocchran also have been dominant at times. Giltner averages 15.4 points per game. Cochran, probably the leader in the Freshman of the Year race, is averaging 11.1 points per game with 4.8 rebounds per game. He's only shooting around 35% from three point range. In conference play he is shooting 51.6%.
Lee Skinner averages 5.9 rebounds per game, and Drew Crowell averages 5.1. Giltner, Cochran, and Loesing are the three best players. They need to get offensive production from someone else. Giltner is 6-6, while Loesing and Cochran are both 6-1. Crowell is 6-9. Skinner is 6-6. This is not a huge team, but they are big enough to contend with the Mocs. The Terriers are outrebounding their opponents by two rebounds per game.
Keegan Bell against Brad Loesing should be a tremendous match-up at the point guard position. The Mocs have been holding opponents under 40% shooting on the year, and the Terriers are shooting 42% from the floor. This is not a high scoring Wofford team. That being said, the Mocs shoot a similar percentage, but score more points due to their fast pace, and the fact that Omar Wattad and Ricky Taylor all shoot better than any of the Terrier shooters from three point range.
But there in lies the problem. Wattad is questionable for the game with his back problem. Taylor has a sore wrist and will likely play, but may struggle to get his shot off from long range, as he did against Appalachian State. Jahmal Burroughs also has a sore knee, and is recovering from a broken nose. The health of the Mocs is in doubt.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. The Mocs have been dominant on the boards. Crowell vs. Drazen Zlovaric should be interesting.
--Health issues. The Mocs need as many healthy bodies as possible to be able to win this game.
--Bell vs. Loesing. Should be a very interesting match-up that could absolutely decide who wins the game.
--Mason and Burroughs. The two fours need to play well against Skinner to give the Mocs their best chance.
--Depth. The Terriers do not rely on depth. They have three guys that play a ton of minutes. Can the Mocs exploit that?
--Cochran's shooting. The Mocs should not leave him. He has been shooting over 50% against SoCon teams. If he is still shooting over 50% from three point range after this game, the Mocs could be in trouble.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--This game will be a defensive game that both teams will struggle to get into the 60s.
--If Ricky Taylor is limited and Omar Wattad does not play, the Mocs will look lost at times on offense, just like they did against Appalachian State on Saturday night.
--The Mocs will not double the post as often in this one, as the inside game of the Terriers is not quite as important as their shooters.
--Cochran will impress Moc fans.
--Mocs 61, Wofford 57. The Mocs will get their revenge- barely. They will be willed to victory by Zlovaric, Burroughs, and Bell and a strong defensive performance. This is a tough environment for the Terriers to expect to win in since they are so young. Giltner and Loesing are good and experienced, but in the end the Mocs will find a way to come away with the win.
GO MOCS!
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