February in Preview

So here we go. The penultimate month of college basketball. And it's time to find out what these Mocs are made of.

This is the key month for the Mocs. It always has been. The thought was that the Mocs would improve throughout the year as the young team developed, and this month the Mocs have an incredible six home games in seven games at one point. The first game is at Georgia Southern and the last game is at Western Carolina. It is the middle seven games that have six home games.

So are the Mocs developing at a speed to win a bunch of these games and get on a roll heading into Asheville? We'll have to find out. It may not be this Saturday at Georgia Southern, but the next seven games are the key to the whole season at this point.

We'll have to wait and see what February brings.

Toughest Game: College of Charleston, February 9. Going to Western Carolina on the last day of February won't be easy, but the Cougars have been better on the road than at home so far this year. The Cougars beat the Mocs by 27 in Charleston. What is going to happen in Chattanooga if everything holds form? I don't even want to think about it. The Mocs are capable of winning this game on Legends Weekend, but it will take their best performance.

Easiest Game: The Citadel, February 7. The Mocs beat the Bulldogs on the road by five points. They lost at home against The Citadel last year. That game was the sign of how awful things had gotten for those Mocs. The Mocs really need to win this one. They are certainly capable of losing this one, but a home game against the team with the worst record in the conference has to be considered the easiest game on the schedule.

Most Important Game: Samford, February 11. After playing The Citadel on Thursday and College of Charleston on Saturday, the Mocs play a true toss up game on Monday. The Mocs beat the Bulldogs on the road, but since then, Samford has proven to be a tough out and are 5-3 in SoCon play. A win by the Mocs in this one could certainly keep them in the running for a bye, and getting a higher seed. A win here would provide some very important confidence for the Mocs moving forward. This game is huge- and likely it will be huge to both teams.

Predicted Record: 4-5. I'll go with losing at Georgia Southern and at Western Carolina for sure. I will also go with losing at home to College of Charleston. That means I'm picking 4-2 in the other six games. The other six are home against The Citadel, Samford, Furman, UNCG, and Elon along with a trip to Wofford. Seriously- 4-2 in those six games is possible, though 3-3 may be more likely. We'll see what happens.

GO MOCS!