Southeast Missouri 77, Mocs 65

The biggest problem for the Mocs in this one is that they could not shoot the ball well, and they could not get the Redhawks to miss when they needed it most.

Really, everything else, they did right. They did an excellent job keeping the big SE Missouri forwards off the offensive glass. They came up with offensive boards, even though they could not buy a basket. They did not turn the ball over frequently, forcing the Redhawks into more turnovers. They got to the free throw line consistently, as part of the attempt to start getting some offense. But it just wasn't meant to be on this night.

Really, beyond Farad Cobb's performance against Kansas, the Mocs have been struggling shooting this year. The Mocs need to find a way to shoot the ball better.

But the good news is that it appears that the Mocs are going do a decent job protecting the ball. They are going to be OK at getting to the free throw line, and are going to be a very good rebounding team. That's the way the stats look so far. If they can ever learn to shoot the ball, the Mocs will be a very difficult out.

Drazen Zlovaric and Z Mason each scored 14, showing how the Z Men are really the key to the whole offense. They are going to consistently contribute on the offensive end. Zlovaric had seven rebounds and Mason had six boards.

Gee McGhee also came up with ten points for the Mocs. It was his best game yet as a Moc, and he is going to be a good one. Lance Stokes had a couple of very athletic moves and scored seven points.

They did a decent job against Nino Johnson and Tyler Stone, who combined for 23 points and 19 rebounds. It's not surprising that they had a good game. They did not have such a good day that the Mocs should not have been able to overcome at home. But Marland Smith and Corey Wilford combined to score 37 points.

Back before the season started, I said the Mocs needed to go 2-2 this week. Right now, they are 0-1. So now, they just need to go 2-1. The possibility is still out there. The Mocs could still go 2-2 this week. They just need to come out tomorrow and take care of business against Troy. If they do that, then they will be back on track.

Big game Monday night. Huge game Monday night. We'll see how the Mocs respond to a little adversity early in the year.

GO MOCS!