Mocs 108, Reinhardt 78

What do you take from a thirty point blowout against a non-D1 in a game played at noon just before the players leave for Christmas Break?

It's hard to know.

The Mocs came out a little slow, falling behind 10-8. But then, things got going. The Mocs were leading 60-33 at halftime. There were too many turnovers in the first half (seven), and too many fouls. Yet, the Mocs were shooting really well. They shot 58.5% from the field in the first half. This is the main reason the Mocs jumped out to the huge lead that they did.

It didn't hurt matters any that Drazen Zlovaric and Farad Cobb finished the first half in double digits in scoring. The Mocs were in position to be very successful.

Then, the second half started slowly. The Mocs did not do overly well. They let Reinhardt back into the game a bit, with the lead getting down to twenty. The Mocs reasserted themselves at the end, and wound up winning by 30.

There are some interesting things to note in this game. Martynas Bareika finished with twenty points, as did Drazen Zlovaric. Alex Bran finished with twelve points. It was easy for Zlovaric to catch the ball in the paint with how much smaller the Eagles were in this one. This game may have been exactly what the Mocs big man needs to garner his confidence and get going for the remainder of the season.

I find it much more interesting what Bareika and Bran did. This is the second straight game that Bran has come off the bench and provided some instant offense. He scored twelve points in sixteen minutes. The Mocs are in desperate need of some offensive firepower. I understand that Bran is not as good on the defensive end of the floor. However, is it possible that Bran could come in and play ten minutes a game and give the Mocs some offensive punch that they have been lacking? I think it is.

Also, Bareika is a guy that the fans have not particularly appreciated. A lot of that is due to his performance last year. However, as this team continues to develop, it becomes increasingly clear that Bareika has improved a lot in the offseason. If he can become a source of some offense off the bench (combined with his ability to rebound- he came up with seven today), the Mocs could really use that.

I'm intrigued by the potential contributions of Bareika and Bran in the future. I don't expect them to be the superstars of the team. But if they can provide a little bit of offense, this would be a huge opportunity for the Mocs to be better on offense. I'm curious about other people's reactions to these two players, and if I may be overreacting. I may be over reaching a bit on Bareika, but based on what I've seen of Bran, I don't think I am with him.

All in all, there is not a ton to take from this one, except for the Mocs have gotten better since the first game, I think, at least for the first half. Against Tennessee Temple, the Mocs just methodically put them away. Against Reinhardt, the Mocs dominated early. With the way that Reinhardt has split with Tennessee Temple on the year, that makes this more impressive.

Still not a ton to take from it. We'll see how the Dr Pepper Classic goes from here.

GO MOCS!