Last year's schedule was a puzzle within a riddle. The home schedule left plenty to be desired, while the road schedule was nearly impossible. This year's schedule is much better. The road schedule is tough, but the home schedule is really not that bad. Let's look at it.
Tennessee Temple- The NCCAA member is already 1-1 on the year. They beat Bryan College last week, and got beat by Lee (from Cleveland, TN) last Thursday, 80-62. The Crusaders play 17th ranked in NAIA Tennessee Wesleyan tonight. Weedlens Beauvil played at Stetson previously and is a solid contributor for the Crusaders. This is the only game for the Crusaders against an NCAA Division 1 team.
Kansas- The Jayhawks are the reigning national runners-up. They made it all the way to the title game last year. However, they are without Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor this year. They beat Washburn yesterday, 62-50 in an exhibition. The Jayhawks are still the favorite to win the Big 12. This is definitely the toughest game for the Mocs all season. A strong performance here would bode well for the Mocs. Jeff Withey will be the player the Mocs will have the most difficult time with.
Southeast Missouri- The Redhawks are picked to finish second in the OVC West behind national darling Murray State. Of the ten players on the OVC Preseason All Conference team, two of them are on the Redhawks. Marland Smith and Tyler Stone will be a tough duo for the Mocs to handle. This will be a massive battle for the young Mocs this early in the year in the CBE Classic.
Troy- The Trojans are picked to finish fifth out of six teams in the Sun Belt East Division. They had no players on any of the first three teams of the All Sun Belt team. They will be relying on newcomer Hunter Williams it appears. Williams scored 19 points in the exhibition against Alaska-Anchorage. It was only a four point win over Alaska-Anchorage. The Trojans may be the weakest opponent coming to Chattanooga for the CBE Classic.
Louisiana Tech- The Bulldogs made it to the WAC Champoionship Game with a lot of young faces last season. They are picked fourth in the WAC. Rasheem Appleby was on the first team All WAC team in the preseason. The Bulldogs are a real contender in the WAC and Appleby may be the best player to show up in Chattanooga for the CBE Classic. Playing them on the third game in three days could be very tough for the Mocs.
Kennesaw State- The Owls are picked to finish ninth in the Atlantic Sun. Markeith Cummings, Aaron Anderson, and Delbert Love are all back for Kennesaw State. Cummings is preseason All Atlantic Sun, and is one of the best mid-major players that doesn't get much press. He's solid. The Owls made things really tough on the Mocs last year. Can the Mocs return the favor at their place, making it three straight years that the road team has won in this series? Or will Kennesaw State make it two straight over the Mocs?
Eastern Kentucky- There are six teams in the OVC East. One is ineligible due to APR reasons (Jacksonville State). Therefore, they did not receive any votes in the preseason poll. That leaves five teams. Eastern Kentucky was picked to finish fifth out of those five teams. Eric Stutz is one of the returning starters for the Colonels and will need to make a lot of improvements to finish higher than that. This is a home game for the Mocs...and one they need to win.
LSU- The Tigers were picked to finish ninth in the SEC this year by the preseason predictions. Charles Carmouche lead all scorers in the exhibition game with 19 points. He is a Memphis transfer. Johnny O'Bryant III scored ten points, ten rebounds, and four assists, to go along with four steals. The Mocs have an outside shot at beating the Tigers down in Baton Rouge. But this is a game the Mocs will be expected to lose.
Mercer- The Bears are the favorite in the Atlantic Sun this preseason. This may be the best non-conference team to come to McKenzie Arena this year. Langston Hall and Jakob Gollon are preseason A-Sun All Conference players. There are ten players on the All Atlantic Sun team. The Bears are a very good team, and the Mocs lost down at their place last year in a blowout. Can the Mocs turn it around this time?
Reinhardt- The Eagles are picked to finish second in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Luke Joseph is the team's lone returning starter. They have a new coach as well. This is an interesting game for the Mocs because it is the mid-day game just before leaving for Christmas Break. So you never know if the Mocs will be completely focused. Plus, this team is a little bit better than previous teams the Mocs have played in this spot.
High Point- High Point was picked to finish third in the North of the Big South, behind Campbell and VMI. They received three first place votes. The Panthers had no one on the All Big South team. The Mocs will play High Point in the first round of the Dr Pepper Classic. Allan Chaney was granted a rare sixth year of eligibility. He is expected to be one of the stars of this year's Big South. Chaney could be a huge factor in the Mocs game against them. Pay attention to UNCG's showdown with the Panthers this Friday- that will tell us a lot about both teams.
Utah Valley- The Wolverines are the favorites in the Great West again. They were a solid team in that conference last year, and the Mocs smoked them in the Dr Pepper Classic. They are a potential Dr Pepper Classic second day opponent for the Mocs. They will have a very difficult first day challenge against Austin Peay. Ben Aird and Holton Hunsacker were each on the All Conference team last year, and return as juniors.
Austin Peay- The Governors are picked to finish just behind Southeast Missouri in the OVC West. Their third place prediction is good. No players made the preseason All OVC team. They only beat Central Missouri in the exhibition 75-66. Will Triggs and Anthony Campbell each scored 17 points in the exhibition game. It was a tie game at halftime. The Governors take on Utah Valley in the first round of the Dr Pepper Classic. They may face the Mocs on the second day.
Georgia Tech- The Yellow Jackets are picked to finish ninth in the ACC in the preseason rankings. Mfon Udofia is the key player for the Yellow Jackets. He put up big numbers last year. As a senior, he will be expected to lead the team. They will be relying heavily on freshman. Hey- the Mocs can relate to that. By January 2, both teams hope the freshman are playing like sophmores. We'll see.
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