Kennesaw State Preview: The Noose is Loose

Last year, when the Mocs were expected by many to win the Southern Conference, they came home after two reasonably respectable losses to Indiana and Butler to take on Kennesaw State. The Owls were heavy underdogs, not expected to be able to beat the Mocs in Chattanooga. Yet, on that night, the Owls came up with the win. The Mocs loss that night did a lot of things. It turned away any chance that the fan base would stick with the team. It made the group of seniors doubt everything that they had done as Mocs. It tightened a noose around the neck of the entire program, and choked off the life of the season.

Turn the clock forward one year. The Mocs are a young team, rebuilding after last season's disastrous year. They are 1-4 on the year, but have been playing hard every night and a joy to watch despite the losses. This year they go to Kennesaw with no noose around their neck. They go down there and have the ability to play loose and within themselves. How does this team respond to their first truly winnable road game of the year?

The Owls have just one win on the year, and are 1-5. They lost to Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky, Radford, Towson, and Georgia Southern and beat South Carolina State in overtime. Their sixteen point loss to Georgia Southern on Wednesday was the largest loss of the year for the Owls.

Markeith Cummings is a 6-6 guard and still the best player on the Owls. He is averaging 18.7 points per game this year. He is shooting 50.6% from the field for the year. He has 4.1 rebounds per game and 1.7 assists per game. Cummings is a stellar player and a tough opponent for any team. He scored just six against Tennessee and averaged 21.2 points per game in the other five games. He is a great player.

Aaron Anderson is 6-7 and leads the team in rebounds with 8.3 boards per game. He is also averaging 9.3 points per game. He also is shooting nearly 64% from the floor. Andrew Osemhen is 6-9. He does not shoot much, taking just eleven shots the whole year. He is averaging 2.8 rebounds per game. So, considering his height, he has not done much.

Delbert Love is the Owls 6-0 guard. He is averaging 3.3 assists per game, 38 minutes per game, 11.5 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game. Love is not as good as Cummings, but he is probably the Owls most important player. If the Mocs can cut him off somehow, they can control the Owls offense.

The Mocs are a great rebounding team. The Owls have done well on the defensive boards, but not the offensive glass. Also, the Owls defense has been terrible. They have allowed their opponents to have nearly 57% on eFG. The problem for the Mocs is that they have been fouling a lot, and the Owls have been good at drawing fouls. The Mocs also turn the ball over too much, and the Owls have been decent at forcing turnovers.

The Mocs will need to control the inside game offensively. Drazen Zlovaric and Z Mason have a chance to have big games inside. The guard play will need to contorl Cummings and Love. Will they be able to do it? Rico White is very important to this. Gee McGhee, Farad Cobb,Eric Robertson and Casey Jones will also be relied on. If they focus on their defense, and don't turn the ball over, make a few shots, but focus on getting the ball inside, they will have done their job. McGhee and Jones showed a lot of really good athleticism in recent games. It's been exciting.

LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG

--Cummings and Love will combine for thirty points.
--The Mocs will dominate the boards.
--The Mocs will not be intimidated after playing in Allen Fieldhouse once this year.
--Mocs 67, Kennesaw State 64. Huge chance for both teams. This is a really evenly matched game. Who knows who will win? I think if the Mocs play with the same confidence that they have been playing with, they will come up with a win. I think tonight is the night that Robertson will have an explosive game.