I may be showing my age a little here, at least to any of the audience younger than me. But this is one song about December that comes to mind- one of my old favorites from the 90s.
Counting Crows sings "Long December," and one of the lyrics goes, "Long December, and there's reason to believe that maybe this year could be better than the last."
And that is exactly how I feel about the Mocs right now.
Last year was not good. But as I watch this team, I see reason to believe that maybe this year could be better than last year. There is hope for this team and for their future. I believe this team has a chance to be good. That all starts in December.
Toughest Game: Davidson. A trip to LSU is also very tough, but the Wildcats are the best team on the schedule for the Mocs this month. Yes, it's a home game. This is a very difficult task for the Mocs even at home. It will be the only SoCon game for the Mocs in the month. This is the only time the Mocs play Davidson this year. It's a huge opportunity for the Mocs to come up with a season changing win. It's not going to be easy to go down to LSU, and both are pretty much equally tough. But I think Davidson is the better all around team.
Easiest Game: Reinhardt. Reinhardt is the lone non-D1 remaining on the entire schedule for the Mocs. The Mocs will play them at noon on Friday, December 21. It has become a tradition for the Mocs to play the last game before Christmas break at noon, and it turns into a bit of a Businessman's Special. The time of day, the last day before Christmas- all that makes this not a completely easy game for a young team to focus on and come away with a win. Still, this is the lone game during the month that you look at and say, "The Mocs will almost certainly win that one."
Most Important Game(s): Dr Pepper Classic. I'm normally big on saying that a conference game would be the most important game. But for the Mocs, who play one SoCon game during December against the best team in the conference, the Dr Pepper Classic games are the most important games. High Point has already beaten UNCG and Appalachian State this year, and that is the Mocs first round opponent. The second game will be against either Utah Valley or Austin Peay. These are game the Mocs can win, and it would be huge for momentum heading into the New Year to come away with a couple of wins here. The Eastern Kentucky home game is huge for similar reasons- a game the Mocs will probably be favored to win to continue to build the confidence of this young bunch. By the end of December, I'm hoping to see a team that is coming much closer together and getting close to contending in the SoCon. The Dr Pepper Classic will tell the tale of whether they are there or not. Why is Davidson not picked? Because almost universally people will be picking Davidson to beat the Mocs. That will not have a huge impact on the Mocs final standing in the SoCon race. It matters, but it matters more if they win than if they lose. The Dr Pepper Classic matters if they win or lose.
Predicted Record: 5-2. Call me confident if you want. Here's what I'm predicting. I'm predicting a win over Eastern Kentucky, Reinhardt, High Point, and then the second game of the Dr Pepper Classic (which I'm calling to be the championship game since I picked the Mocs to beat High Point). Then I am picking the Mocs to steal one of the three they are not expected to win- Davidson, Mercer, or LSU. The Davidson and Mercer games are at home. The LSU game is on the road. That means that I am picking the Mocs to not blow a game that they will probably be favored in and steal one that they are an underdog in.
Confident? Perhaps. Hopeful? Definitely. But, the first month showed me that there is reason to believe that maybe this year will be better than the last.
GO MOCS!
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