SoCon Monday- 1/6/14

A daily preview of all the SoCon games.

Monday Thought

This day will end the SoCon debuts for all the teams. Any remaining teams will play their first SoCon game. Elon and UNCG play at home against teams that they should beat, and The Citadel hosts Chattanooga in a game that will be huge to determine where the pecking order is right now.

Appalachian State at Elon, 7:00 PM

When will Jay Canty come back? Will he come back? If he does, Appalachian State becomes a very different team. Until then, this is a team that struggles on both offense and defense. They are a really bad shooting team. Michael Obacha and Tevin Baskin will be very important in this one, as they will have to control the Elon bigs lead by Lucas Troutman. This should be a relatively easy one for the Phoenix, unless Canty is back. Prediction: Elon 78, Appalachian State 61.

Furman at UNCG, 7:00 PM

Kendrec Ferrara may be the key to the game. He is 6-9. He will need to find a way to help control the Spartans inside attack of Kayel Lock and Kyle Cain. Stephen Croone will have a tougher time driving against the Spartans than he will against the Mocs. Still, he is one of the best players in the SoCon and will be a challenge for UNCG to contain. But the Spartans are much bigger than the Paladins which should be the difference in this one. Prediction: UNCG 78, Furman 64.

Chattanooga at The Citadel, 7:05 PM ESPN3

The Citadel beat Presbyterian by 14 at home back on November 12. Since then, no D1 wins. Ouch. Brian White is the top freshman in the SoCon. He leads the team in scoring and rebounding. They need to get Matt Van Syoc going. He was expected to be the star of this team, and he is the second leading scorer and rebounder, but has not quite lived up to expectations. They are one of the worst two point shooting teams in the country. The Mocs will challenge them inside with Z Mason and Casey Jones. This is one of the Bulldogs best chances for a win over the remainder of the year. It's also one the Mocs must have if they are looking to contend for a SoCon bye. Prediction: Chattanooga 72, The Citadel 66.