Scanning the SoCon- Week Two

Each week, we will have four fans from around the conference answer questions regarding the SoCon. Here are the four fans and their websites:

DavidsonCats- A Davidson Wildcats fan.
MocsMania- A Chattanooga Mocs fan.
TheSportsArsenal- A Citadel Bulldogs fan.
UNCGBasketballFan- A UNCG Spartans fan.

SCHEDULE

Sunday, November 13

Chattanooga at Indiana (Hoosier Classic)

Emory & Henry at Wofford

Monday, November 14

UNG-Greensboro at Georgetown (Maui Invitational)

Furman at Columbia

Richmond at Davidson

Tuesday, November 15

Morehead State at College of Charleston (25 Hours of Basketball) (ESPN)

Chattanooga at Butler (Hoosier Classic)

Appalachian State at ETSU

South Carolina at Elon (SportSouth)

Montreat at Western Carolina

Wednesday, November 16

Georgia Southern at Wake Forest (SportSouth)

Clemson at The Citadel (ESPN3)

Thursday, November 17

UNC-Pembroke at UNC-Greensboro

Mercer at Furman

Western Carolina at Presbyterian

Friday, November 18

Davidson at Duke (ESPNU)

Webber International at Georgia Southern

Samford at Jacksonville

Kennesaw State at Chattanooga

Rutgers-Newark at Elon

 Saturday, November 19

UNCG at Middle Tennessee (Maui Invitational)

College of Charleston at Clemson

Wofford at Wisconsin (Chicago Invitational Challenge) (ESPN3)

Appalachian State at Tennessee Tech 

POWER RANKINGS
1. Davidson 48 (4)
2. Chattanooga 43
3. College of Charleston 40
4. Appalachian State 36
5. Western Carolina 31
6. Wofford 23
7t.UNC-Greensboro 22
7t. Elon 22
9. Georgia Southern 19
10. Furman 12
11. The Citadel 11
12. Samford 5

Sum up your team in 150 words.

DavidsonCats: Davidson doesn't start the D1 season until Monday when they host the Richmond Spiders. The Spiders made the Sweet 16 last season, but lost a lot of firepower to graduation. They were 13-3 in the A10 last year and 29-8 overall. We'll learn a lot about the Wildcats in the next 8 days. We host Richmond, play at Duke, and then host Presbyterian. In the Friday night game against D3 Guilford the Wildcats rolled 111-64. The starters were Cohen, Kuhlman, Cochran, De'Mon Brooks, and Tom Droney. Clint Mann started last season. He didn't play in the final scrimmage against Lenoir-Rhyne and played in a protective face mask against Guilford. Oft-injured senior Frank Ben-Eze played well against LR and didn't play against Guilford. Wildcat fans are optimistic about the play of sophomore Christopher Czerapowicz and freshman Tyler Kalinoski. The two combined for 7 3-pointers against Guilford.

MocsMania: The Mocs didn't play this week, so there isn't much to add to what I already said last week. I guess the only thing to add is that Shulman talked this week about how Stokes and White may be on the first team instead of Early and Taylor. Stokes and White are both freshman, so this is more than a little surprising to me at this point in the season. Not sure if they will end up starting or not. The competition for those spots can only make all the players better. That would be good for the Mocs.

TheSportsArsenal:  It was not a bad weekend for The Citadel, as the Bulldogs split two games at the All-Military Classic in Colorado Springs . The Citadel needs to do a better job at the beginning of games, as it trailed by large margins early in both contests. A furious end-game run wasn’t enough against VMI, which outlasted the Bulldogs 103-100, but The Citadel overcame a 20-point deficit to beat Army 83-72.Mike Groselle was outstanding in both games, finishing with a combined line of 41 points (16-21 FG, 9-12 FT), 21 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, with only 2 turnovers, in 68 total minutes. The Bulldogs got good performances from several freshmen in both games, and a sterling effort against Army from DeVontae Wright (26 points on just 12 FGA). The Black Knights are picked by most observers to finish in the Patriot League basement, but any D-1 win this early in the season by a team as youthful as The Citadel is a good one.

UNCGBasketballFan: Well that first game was certainly a shocker. Not beating a power conference team on the road is one thing. But it was never even interesting. UT made their first 3 shots and it was over. Part of it was just it was one of those nights for the Vols. They hit 2 NBA range 3's and banked 1 in from the corner very early. G just never recovered. But some of it was just plain bad defense. Plus, it was back to an old problem for the Spartans ... not being able to keep guards in front of them. That problem must get corrected soon. Also, Dement seemed very lost in who he wanted to play. G played 12 guys in the first 15 mintues of the game. He's got to get that under control. Right now it just looks like he's panicing. That's not cool at all.
What game are you most looking forward to, other than ones your team plays in, this week?

DavidsonCats: I'm looking forward to the Mocs game at Butler. Butler has played in the past two National Championship games, and have one of the most historic home courts in the game. They lost on Saturday at Evansville. This would be a sweet win for the Mocs and for the Southern, but it won't be easy.

MocsMania:  Count me among the interested in South Carolina's visit to Elon. The Phoenix played very competitively with Massachusetts in the opener, while South Carolina hammered away at Western Carolina in the opener. The gym at Elon is not big, and the Mocs have often had difficulty adjusting to it. That will be even tougher for a team like South Carolina, who is used to playing in places like Rupp Arena. The Phoenix are a good team- much better than originally thought by many people, I believe. They have a chance to show it against the Gamecocks.

TheSportsArsenal: It’s hard to pick just one game of interest this week. Chattanooga plays both IU and Butler , which should be a decent early indicator of how the Mocs will play this season. Davidson’s game against Dukeshould be a good watch. I’ll also be following the CofC’s game at Clemson, as a kind of barometer for The Citadel, which hosts the Tigers earlier in the week.

 
UNCGBasketballFan: Chattanooga at Butler. Even though the Bulldogs have been to 2 straight final fours, they dropped an exhibition game to a non-D1 team this past week. I think there is absolutely a chance a good SoCon team can pick up a nice win over a very good mid-major program.

What would it take for a SoCon team to earn an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament?

DavidsonCats: To get an at-large bid right now, we need someone to cash some big OOC wins, run through the conference regular season, achieve a national ranking, and then lose in the conference tournament. In other words, we need a perfect storm of unlikely events. The long-term answer is that to get an at-large bid we need to have several superb teams. To do that we need to start bringing in more players with more talent.

MocsMania: Someone has to come up with several good out of conference wins. I think that something along the lines of an OVC-SoCon Challenge (or CAA-SoCon, if they'd go for it) would be good for the SoCon. I think that the conference scheduling all twelve teams to participate in BracketBusters would be good. Do those two things, and instantly the scheduling gets slightly better because there would be fewer non-D1's on the schedules of certain teams. Winning those games would be the second step, obviously. I do not believe that they have to run the table in the SoCon. I think College of Charleston could have gotten into the discussion last year if they had had just one SoCon loss. They had a decent RPI, and a couple of nice OOC wins.  I think a nice run in the NCAA Tournament by a team one year and then a solid all around year for the conference the next year would be the real way that this would work out for the SoCon. Probably this year, an at large is all but out of the question, due to the lack of respect for the conference on the whole.

TheSportsArsenal: The SoCon has not had a team receive an at-large bid to the NCAAs since 1950 ( North Carolina State ). I believe Davidson might have garnered an at-large berth in 2008 even if had not won the league tourney. It would have been close. That’s the kind of team that could get an at-large -- a team that runs the table in the league in a decent year for the conference. That Wildcat squad played well out of conference but couldn’t quite get a win that would have “locked” up an at-large bid, if it had needed it.

UNCGBasketballFan: Honestly, our league is going to have to start scheduling much, much better and start to win some of those games. There are just way too many non-D1's being scheduled throughout the league. Our league need to start scheduling lots of mid-major conference team and beating them, as well as getting some wins against power conmference teams. Also, it's going to take wins in the NCAA tournament to gain respect. Even though it's repeatedly denied, past performance does play into future opinions on the conference by the selection comittee. The Misouri Valley and CAA prove this point. It's a shame our league couldn't capitalize on the success of Davidson a few years a ago.

The national fall signing period began this week. What are your thoughts on your teams signees or the signees around the league?

DavidsonCats: It looks like we have some good guards coming in next year. Elon and GSU have both signed shooting guards with ESPN recruiting scores of 85. Chattanooga has signed a guard with a score of 86, Farad Cobb. Hopefully, the conference will also do well in the spring signing period.

MocsMania: I like who the Mocs signed. Warren was big, but Cobb was the most important signee for the Mocs. With Bell graduating, the only true PG on the roster is Hampton, the walk-on. Hampton is fine and all, but the Mocs desperately needed a really good PG to come on, and Cobb fits the bill. He is one of the Top 50 in the country. Tanner Samson looks like a nice find for Elon as well. The Phoenix need another shooter, and they may have found him in Samson.

TheSportsArsenal: The Citadel had two early signees, a point guard from the local area, and a 6’6”forward from Wisconsin who is a good shooter. Both seem to be solid pickups. I'm not that familiar with recruiting around the league.

UNCGBasketballFan: I'm quite dissapponted with UNCG's signing class. Jordan Potts seems to bea very nice player, but I'm confused as to why G needs another PG. The rumor was that Potts teamate (and former Cincinatti commit) Devon Scott was looking to join him in Greensboro. Scott is a strong 6'-8" foward and would have made sense to a team that is losing both of it's big men. However, Scott picked Dayton on Wednesday. It looks like the staff has missed on all of the other big guys that they targeted in the fall. I would expect UNCG to go the JUCO route in the spring and grab a couple of big guys.

Who is the more important returning injured player- Isaac Butts (Appalachian State) or Willie Powers (Georgia Southern)?

DavidsonCats:  I think Powers is more important to his team than Butts is to his. ASU has other guys who can defend, rebound, and bang. Butts is a force and the ASU guys say that he is in excellent shape. He could be a double-double machine this season. Powers does so many things well. He scores it, rebounds it, passes it, and is a fine defender. What makes me pick him, though, is that he can be a coach on the floor. GSU has a team of young guys with more talent than discipline. Powers can help them develop and teach them to win.

MocsMania: I am a big believer in Butts. Last year, with Sims, the Mountaineers finished third in the North. Many people expect them to win the division this year, without Sims. How is that possible? It's because Butts is back. He is a big body for the Mountaineers and instantly becomes one of the best big men in the league. Powers is great, and could win POY if the Eagles have a breakout year. But I am not convinced that Powers makes as much difference as Butts does to the Eagles.

TheSportsArsenal: Ike Butts could conceivably help Appalachian State win the league if everything breaks right for the Mountaineers. No matter what Willie Powers does, Georgia Southern isn’t winning the league. I think Powers is a more valuable player for his team, but Butts is a bigger impact in terms of the league as a whole.

UNCGBasketballFan: Powers, hand down. Adding an experienced player to that team makes them dangerous to really have a break out season.

Indiana Preview: It's Go Time

Time: 5:00 Eastern
TV: Big Ten Network
Line: Indiana -15

The Mocs head to Bloomington, Indiana, to take on the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers have already played one game, a 30 point blowout over Stony Brook on Friday night.

One of the big questions in this game is how the Hoosiers will respond having less than 48 hours between the two games. Will the quick turnaround hurt the Hoosiers? Or will they be better prepared since they already have one game under their belts and the Mocs do not?

It's an interesting question for the Mocs. Will they be ready to play? Will they be the fresher team? How will that compensate for playing a talented Hoosiers team?

Indiana shot 65.4% against Stony Brook, which is good for first in the country to this point. They also outrebounded them, 31-23, while forcing 16 turnovers and only committing 14. They shot 50% from three point range, and nearly 88% from the free throw line.

In other words, Indiana was nearly perfect in their opening game win over the Seawolves.

Freshman Cody Zeller is the new BMOC. He is listed at 6-11, 220 pounds. He is a load for anyone to handle. He scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds in the opener. He has already become Indiana's best player, and he is the one that the Hoosiers are pinning their championship hopes on.
Christian Watford only scored in single digits three times last year. He also was a big time rebounder for the Hoosiers. But in the opener, he went 2 for 7 from the floor, had seven points, and just two rebounds. His 6-9, 230 frame will be tough for the Mocs interior to deal with, but there is a chance that he feels a little underappreciated with all the attention being paid to Zeller. Was he pouting in the first game? Or was it just a bad game? He is coming back from an injury, so maybe that played a role.

Verdell Jones III had seven assists to lead the team. Jordan Hulls had six assists. Victor Oladipo, who shot nearly 55% from the floor last year, scored 16 in the opener, matching Zeller for the team high. He was also second to Zeller in rebounds, with six.
Coach Shulman has been fairly close to the vest and a little mystic about who the starters would be. The other day, he was quoted as saying that Ricky Taylor and Chris Early did not like being on the second team, behind Lance Stokes and Rico White. If that is indeed true, then there could be a big surprise early in the game for Moc fans. Given that everyone has assumed for the last twelve months pretty much that the starting lineup opening night this year would be Keegan Bell, Omar Wattad, Taylor, Early, and Drazen Zlovaric. Everyone but Zlovaric is a returning starter  and a senior. If Stokes and White have cracked the starting lineup, that is impressive.

White and Stokes are two of the freshman that need to produce. Combine those two with the starting five and Burroughs coming off the bench, and already the team looks fairly solid for the Mocs.

Zlovaric (the Georgia transer) is 6-9, 225. His ability to control Zeller or Watford will be key. The second key will be that if that happens, that someone is able to defend the other one. Burroughs was a decent defender last year and looked good against Tennessee Wesleyan in the exhibition. Early has never been known as a great defender, but has been receiving praise for his willingness to get more physical this preseason. Can Early hold his own defensively against Watford or Zeller? That will be a big match-up.

Last year, the Mocs started off ice cold shooting from the floor. Wattad couldn't hit anything in his first couple of games, before turning into a very good shooter. Bell has failed to show up against some of the better teams on the schedule in the past. Bell will need to play under control, which he struggled with at times last year. If Wattad shoots well, that would be big for the Mocs. He did not play in the exhibition due to his injured back, but he should b fine healthwise in this game.

KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. The Mocs need to hold their own on the boards. If you read this blog last year, you know that I always think this is a key. If you listen to Shulman, you know that he thinks this is one of the most important things as well.
--How will Bell perform? He is a very good point guard- probably one of the better ones on any mid-major team. He needs to play his game. He has to keep the Mocs calm and be a calming influence on the court.
--White had a huge exhibition game. Can he carry it over into a real game against a Big Ten team?
--How do the Mocs match up with Zeller and Watford? Can they control their offense?
--Can Early create a mismatch by playing more outside in than they are used to guarding?
--How will the Mocs respond to adversity? It is certainly true that in the past, the Mocs have lost some control in games, and let a game really get away from them. Will they respond like a senior-laden team should to a little adversity?
--Turnovers. Can't have 25 turnovers and expect to win this game.

LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Indiana fans will come away impressed by Bell and Wattad.
--Zeller and Watford will combine for 40 points and 20 rebounds.
--White will struggle in his freshman debut.
--The Mocs will hang tough for the entire first half, having the Bloomington crowd  muttering at halftime.
--Indiana 82, Mocs 68.

GO MOCS!

SoCon Monster Game of the Week Recap: VMI 103, The Citadel 100

The game did not tip off until 12:32 AM Eastern time. So, I did not see much of this game. I saw about half of the first half.

VMI was dominating. They were running and gunning. The Citadel looking like they couldn't keep up. But the beauty of basketball is that you just have to maintain contact.

The Keydets jumped ahead 32-17, but the Bulldogs bounced back and trimmed the lead to 32-29. The lead was 52-46 for VMI at the half. The Bulldogs trailed 100-89 with just about two minutes left, and cut the lead to 102-100 with twelve seconds left. After a VMI free throw, a missed three pointer at the buzzer lead to VMI holding on for a 103-100 win.

The Bulldogs Mike Groselle scored 25 points, and was the only starter in double figures. Ashton Moore still looks like he is going to be a star on this team. He played 32 minutes and scored 12 points. Marshall Harris lead the team with nine assists. Groselle lead the team with twelve rebounds.

What does this mean for The Citadel? Well, it's hard to know how they bounce back from the late night, the tough loss, and the altitude to come out and play Army tonight in the third place game of the All Military Classic. But in the long run, the Bulldogs do not look like the worst team in the SoCon at this point. They look like a downright decent basketball team. They may not win the South, but they may be far more competitive than people orginally thought. This looks like a team capable of pulling some surprises in the SoCon this year. They looked good even early when they were trailing- they just couldn't keep up with VMI's pace. They eventually figured the pace out and really did well by themselves.

It's Back!

Tip-off is tonight!

I've been watching some basketball tonight, and it is such a nice feeling to be watching the round ball again.

The only thing missing is the Mocs playing tonight. I wish they were. Instead, they will be playing on Sunday, and I have to wait patiently and satisfy myself by watching other games.

It's been a disappointing start for the SoCon so far. South Carolina hammered Western Carolina, and Tennessee destroyed UNCG, both games that I thought the SoCon had a chance to win. Appalachian State, Furman, and Davidson all look very much like they are going to beat non-D1 teams that they are playing. Charleston is playing well against Holy Cross, and Wofford and Georgia are playing close right now. Georgia Southern is struggling with Valparaiso. Elon-Massachusetts and The Citadel-VMI are both not playing yet.

Indiana beat Stony Brook 96-66. That means that the Mocs coule be in some trouble when they go there on Sunday. The good news is that it will be the Hoosiers second game in three days, while the bad news is that Indiana looked really impressive. Indiana shot over 65% from the field.

So, here we are again. Embarking on another season. I'm ready for it.

GO MOCS!

Double Dribbles-11-11-11

1) An early bracket from Joe Lunardi is out. Jerry Palm has one out too. In both Davidson is picked as the SoCon champ. Lunardi has Davidson as a 14 seed battling Wisconsin in Round 1. Palm has Davidson as a 13 seed battling Louisville in Round 1. Wait...is that Round 2? Well, whatever- you get the point. I guess Davidson fans should probably not book their flight quite yet to either of these sites. Still, this year could be a special year for the Wildcats. Palm and Lunardi are jumping on the bandwagon. A 13 seed for the SoCon champ would not be a bad draw this year. Davidson opens the season against Guilford today.

2) It's unusual that a two time reigning champ gets as little attention as Wofford is getting this preseason. That is particularly true when the projected starting line-up contains three seniors. But only one is a returning starter. Brad Loesing is the lone returning starter. Kevin Giltner and Drew Crowell are the other projected starters that are seniors. They combined to average 13.8 points per game last year. Domas Rinksalis is a redshirt sophomore that did not play last year. He is projected to start, and played in nine games and scored 1.1 points per game two years ago. Freshman Jarrell Byrd is the other projected starter. Mike Young has proven to be a solid coach- this year will test him. This is a completely different team from last year. The Terriers open at Georgia on ESPN3.com tonight.

SoCon Monster Game of the Week Preview: The Citadel vs. VMI

Spread: VMI -10
Time: Midnight, Eastern
TV: CBS Sports

VMI and The Citadel last played in 2003. The Keydets won, 58-49.

The Keydets averaged scoring nearly 88 points per game last year.

For VMI, Stan Okoye and Keith Gabriel, who both averaged in double digits return. Rodney Glascow and DJ Covington also highlight the team. Covington is the team's tallest player. He is 6-9. Okoye is just 6-5, but he led the team in rebounding last year, with eight rebounds per game. Covington averaged 6.5 rebounds. Covington is one of the few players that did not throw up a bunch of threes. Okoye did- 35.4% on 96 three pointers. Gabriel and Glascow shot way more threes than that, and Glascow made 38%. He also lead the team in assists, with 117 a year ago.

For those that have never watched VMI play, they get up and down the floor more than just about any team you have ever watched. They don't turn the ball over an inordinate amount, either. It is just the fastest playing team you will ever see. They will miss Austin Kenon, who lead the team in scoring, and shooting.

Ironically, The Citadel wants to play the opposite. Chuck Driesell wants to play at a more slow pace- not a terribly slow price, but a slower pace. This year's freshman class is full of eight new faces. That means that no one knows exactly what this team will look like come Friday night.

Mike Groselle is probably the best returning player for the Bulldogs. He is a top flight rebounder, and a good scoring option. Cosmo Morrabi made two of four on threes in the exhibition game. As the Bulldogs lone senior, he will be relied on to provide not only a calming presence, but to become the type of shooter that many think he can be. CJ Bray, DeVontae Wright, and Bo Holston rounded out the starting five in the exhibition game. However, Ashton Moore wound up playing the most minutes (30) and scoring the most points (21). He was 6 of 10 from three point range.

This is not a team that wants to play quite as up tempo as VMI- but they do want to run some. Look for the young Bulldogs to get into the running game with the Keydets. If they can just slow down the VMI offense then they will have a chance late in the game.

KEYS TO THE GAME:
--Groselle needs to stay on the floor.
--The Bulldogs need to shoot the ball well from three point range to open up Grosselle more down low.
--VMI needs to find their shooters. Kenon shot over 40 percent from three point range a year ago. No one else on the team did. Someone needs to become that kind of shooter.
--Groselle's rebounding vs. Okoye and Covington on the boards could be a major difference.

LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG:
--Groselle will not be able to play more than 28 minutes.
--VMI will jack up more than thirty threes.
--This game will be more high scoring than their last showdown.
--VMI 93, The Citadel 84. The Keydets find a way to get the offense going, and the Bulldogs just are too young to pull off a season opener like this one. Okoye and Covington will be very good on the inside, while Glascow will make just enough threes to give the Keydets the win.

November Preview: Thankful For November

Count me as one person that is thankful that November is here and the college basketball season is back upon us. Make no mistake- I love college football with a passion, but few things get me quite as fired up as Mocs basketball.

And so we begin. As we embark on another season, November is a bit of a critical month this year for the Mocs. They have a couple of tough road games, followed by four home games. The Mocs need to make sure that they take care of business, get off to a good start, and get the fanbase excited about a team that should be one of the best in recent years for the Mocs.

Schedule
November 13 at Indiana (Hoosier Classic)
November 15 at Butler (Hoosier Classic)
November 18 Kennesaw State
November 21 Warren Wilson College
November 25 Savannah State (Hoosier Classic)
November 27 Gardner-Webb (Hoosier Classic)

Toughest Game: at Butler, November 15. This is kind of a toss up for the Mocs between the Indiana game on November 13 and Butler on November 15. Which one is tougher? Neither will be easy. Butler is a bit down from the last two years, when they were the national runners-up. Indiana should be better than recent years. However, Butler is still ahead of Indiana. Plus, the Mocs will be playing Butler just two days after playing at Indiana. That makes this a particularly tough game. Bouncing back from playing the Hoosiers (win or lose) to battle Butler two days late will not be an easy task.

Easiest Game: Warren Wilson College, November 21. Who? No one has ever heard of this school. That's not to say anything negative about WWC. But the Mocs should be able to handle this team if they are sleep walking, honestly. This will be a good confidence booster for the Mocs after the key stretch of the month. It's a little bit deceiving to say that this one will be much of a challenge.

Most Important Game: Kennesaw State, November 18. The Owls nearly beat the Mocs last year at their place. The Mocs could be coming home 0-2 easily. This game will be critical to keeping any of the positive momentum formed by the offseason going. The home opener is always key for that. Of course, if the Mocs beat either/both of Indiana and Butler then this game becomes critical to  maintaining that momentum at home. The Owls could be better this year, and the Mocs need to win their home opener to get the positive energy going.

Predicted Record: 4-2. I'm calling for losses to Indiana and Butler, followed by four home wins. That would be very good for the Mocs. If the Mocs do that, and play admirably against Indiana and Butler, then there will be a positive vibe around the program heading into December, which will bring the first big conference games of the season. Getting off to a 4-2 start is critical to the Mocs having the kind of season that we all think and hope is possible. A better start would be even better.

GO MOCS!

Farad Cobb Inks Letter of Intent

Farad Cobb, the #49 point guard in the country, signed a National Letter of Intent to play with the Mocs in 2012-13. This was the most important commitment of the Mocs so far this year. This was a huge signee.

The Mocs are desperate to find a point guard for next year. Keegan Bell graduates, and Dontay Hampton, while having done an excellent job as a back-up, is still a walk-on. Cobb could come in and contend immediately for the starting job at point guard. He was one of the Mocs main targets during recruiting season.

He also had his visit the same weekend as Joshu'a Warren, and they really hit it off. They became fast friends, so this really bodes well for the Mocs. These two connected off the court, and they will attempt to continue to connect on the court in the future.

As the GoMocs article noted, the 47, 48, and 50 point guards were signed by Boston College of the ACC, the two time reigning national runners-up Butler, and TCU newly of the Big 12. So the Mocs are in good company with who they signed to play point guard today.

He is clearly extremely talented, and the Mocs should be very excited to get him. I know all Moc fans should be thrilled.

GO MOCS!

Double Dribbles-11-10-11

1) The Citadel is expected to finish last in the SoCon by many prognosticators this year. They have eight freshman coming in this year. The youth movement that was talked about yesterday in the SoCon is even more alive and well for the Bulldogs than most places. Some of their fans are saying that they don't even know most of the players names. That is all part of why the Bulldogs are viewed in such a negative light in many predictions. Cameron Wells is also gone. The Bulldogs recruits could improve the team though. You never know how young players will react. Probably this is a year of teaching and growing. But the Bulldogs are probably about two years from being really good again.

2) If The Citadel is going to be the worst team in the league, it is beginning to look more and more like they will have to beat Samford to the punch. With Gregg Wooten out for the year with a torn achilles, and the team already looking like they were going to rely on a lot of freshman, the Bulldogs are in bad shape. Combine that with the apparently tougher North division, and suddenly this Bulldogs team could be in big trouble, especially since they seem to lag so far behind any of the other North teams. That being said, Samford was dominant last night against Berry in an 87-47 exhibition win. They also reportedly came up with several dunks- a far cry from previous years. Maybe the youth movement will also involve athleticism- and put the Bulldogs in better shape than I imagine right now. They go to Kentucky on December 20 on ESPN2. The Bulldogs and Bulldogs battle just once this year- on January 7 in Charleston.

2012 Recruit: Joshua Warren

Joshua Warren has sent in his National Letter Of Intent and will play for the Mocs in 2012-13. He is currently at Fishburne Military Academy, which has eleven guys on the roster that are going to play D-1 basketball.

He has not played basketball for long, so he is a real work in progress. He did not play much in high school, but Fishburne came across him and thought that he looked really athletic. So they signed him, and then Coach Rick Cabrera came across him at a practice.

He is wildly athletic, at least he seems to be. He will be well coached.

Anyone that has seen his dunk is bound to be a little impressed as well.

GO MOCS!

Consistency is the Key

The Mocs have a lot of keys as they head into the regular season. The expectations are higher than they have been in a while for a Mocs team that seems to have plenty of talented experience, and plenty of very athletic new guys who will be learning on the job.

Yet, there is still a feeling that the Mocs will wind up disappointing. Many around the program seem to be feeling that way. Why?

Well, quite simply, it is because even if the Mocs come out and beat Indiana on opening night (a stretch for sure, but not an impossibility), they are just as likely to show up in a couple of weeks to get beat by 35 by Mercer on the road.

The Mocs have been wildly inconsistent in recent years. They lose to Furman by 30 points, then beat the Paladins at home by 30 points. Two days later after they beat Furman by 30, they lose to Wofford by 30 at home. What is going on here?

It has been a very curious thing that the Mocs have dealt with in recent years. It has been partly going on throughout the Shulman era, but especially in recent years.

What are we looking for this year with the Mocs? How about a little consistency? If the same Mocs show up every night, then this team has a chance to be special. Very special. If the Mocs that beat CofC last year and but got humiliated by Austin Peay show up, then this will be a frustrating year to Mocs fans again.

Part of the problem may be Coach Shulman. He puts a heavy emphasis on winning the SoCon Tournament, which he should. Sometimes that means that regular season games get overlooked or ignored. That creates a feeling among the fans (and to the RPI) that the Mocs may not be quite as good as they could be. They also have thrown in the towel more than a few times when the score starts to get out of hand.

The mental toughness to hang in there and the consistency to play the same way every night are the keys this year for the Mocs. If they can put those two intangible pieces with the talent that is in place, then the Mocs could have a huge season. If not, then odds are that we are sitting here next preseason wondering if this will be the year the Mocs start showing some consistency.

GO MOCS!

Double Dribbles-11-9-11

1) There is a strong influx of talent in the SoCon this year. The youth movement is alive and well. There is an extra bit of excitement around the conference this year, and it is because everyone is excited about their incoming freshman. Of course, the headliner is Baru at College of Charleston, but The Citadel, Appalachian State, Chattanooga, and Georgia Southern all are excited as well. That doesn't even include people from Wofford and Davidson, who have plenty to look forward to as well. This is really a great crop of freshman coming into the conference this year.

2) Appalachian State is considered one of the preseason favorites in the North Division. This despite losing Donald Sims to graduation. Omar Carter is the preseason Player of the Year, but he played second fiddle last year to Sims. How he handles the new found role of being the "go to guy" will be critical to this team's success. The biggest thing is that Isaac Butts is coming back from injury and playing this year. At 6-10, he is a beast. If he can stay healthy all year long, the Mountaineers are dangerous. Consider me one of those that is in wait and see mode with Appalachian State. I'm just not convinced that Carter can carry the whole load yet or that Butts can stay healthy.

OOC Opponents

Every other Tuesday, we will look at each of the Mocs out of conference opponents, how they have done in the previous two weeks and where they stand. This week, we are looking at how each team is predicted to do in the upcoming season.

Indiana- On CBSSports.com, Indiana is picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten. Cody Zeller is a 6-11 freshman that is expected to provide instant dividends. This will be a tough spot for the Mocs. The Hoosier fan base is ready to see a winner and are very positive about the coming seasons. It's Zeller's first game. That will make it tough. But the Hoosiers on the whole are probably an average Big Ten team at best- and maybe slightly below that. These are not your older brother's (much less your father's) Hoosiers.

Butler- According to the Horizon League media, the two time reigning national runners-up are picked to win the league again. They have lost a lot of what has made them such a solid team. Andrew Smith was second team All Horizon. Chase Stigall and Ronald Nored both have starting experience. Why is this team picked to win the Horizon? Because they have done it before. They would be a little bit lower if any other team had lost this much from any other conference. Still, this is not someone anyone really wants to play.

Kennesaw State- The Owls are picked to finish seventh in the ten team Atlantic Sun. Markeith Cummings was picked as the Preseason Player of the Year. Lewis Preston is the new head coach and he could help the program turn a corner. The Owls upset Georgia Tech last season, but lost to the Mocs in the next game. This is the home opener for the Mocs, and a potential trap game for sure.

Warren Wilson- Let's put it this way- remember Virginia Intermont? Chattanooga beat them back in the 2009 opener 107-62. Warren Wilson got beat 89-57 earlier this year by Virginia Intermont. Ouch. Warren Wilson looks like a very interesting university that is very focused on the outdoors. People should take a look, because they really are interesting. But this should be an easy win for the Mocs.

Savannah State- Savannah State was upset by D-II Benedict recently. Of course, Benedict is one of the Top Ten teams in D-II, and the two teams were old rivals. They are picked to finish eleventh out of thirteen teams in the MEAC this season. They are very excited about getting Georgia Tech at home on December 10. They visit Georgetown this Saturday night. There is only one home game between now and the Georgia Tech game, with Jacksonville at home on November 23. Chattanooga will be their third game in the Hoosier Classic, with Gardner-Webb in Chattanooga the following night. Savannah State won ten of eleven to finish the year last year. That included a win over The Citadel, and a win over Longwood, along with Texas A&M-Corpus Cristi. Their only loss was to Longwood during that stretch. (Yes, they played the Lancers twice.)

Gardner-Webb- The Bulldogs were picked to finish tenth out of eleven teams in the Big South. But don't forget, this is the team that hammered Kentucky in Lexington back in 2007-08. Jason Dawson has caused some excitement around the team. They are returning four starters, though. This team should be improved over last year, and has been a bit of a team on the rise ever since they beat Kentucky. They have failed to capitalize on that.

Mercer- The Bears are picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Sun. They lost their top three returning scorers, but return Langston Hall, who averaged 8.2 points per game. They are very young. They battle Samford and Furman before the Mocs come calling. They'll be looking to build some confidence heading into trips to Seton Hall, Georgia, and Georgia Tech, all of which come in the two weeks following the Mocs visit. They also will have already visited Belmont.

Spalding- Coached by Mocs Hall of Famer, Kevin Gray, this team competes in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They are in the second year in the conference and were ineligible to play in the tournament last year, but tied for the conference title in the regular season. Dewhon McAfee won the Player of the Year last year and is back for his senior year.

Kentucky- The Wildcats are picked to finish second in the country, and to win the SEC. They are lead by Terrance Jones, Darius Miller, and a host of freshman. This one is clearly the toughest game on the schedule as Kentucky will probably dominate quite a few teams over the course of the season. Again, this won't be easy. This team is a real force.

Hiwassee- We'll know more about Hiwassee by the next time we write about OOC opponents. They visit Tennessee Wesleyan Wednesday, November 9. That will tell us more about how good this team is. They have a new coach in Rodney Nelson, who was previously an assistant at Maryville College and a Hiwassee graduate.

Longwood- The Lancers were 12-19 last year, but return four senior starters (just like the Mocs) this year. Wonder why Navy isn't playing in the All Military Classic? Because they are playing Longwood on Friday night. Antwan Carter was the Independent Player of the Year last year, averaging over 18 points per game. This is a talented team- quite possibly the best Lancers team that they have ever had. The Mocs struggled to get by Longwood a couple of years ago, so this will not be an easy win for the Mocs in the first round of the Dr Pepper Classic.

Utah Valley State (potential Dr Pepper Classic opponent)- The Wolverines went 19-11 a year ago and won the regular season title of the Great West Conference, going 11-1. Of course, the Great West does not get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament yet, and the Wolverines did not win the tournament- North Dakota did. They return four starters, including Newcomer of the Year last year, Isiah Williams. The Wolverines are picked to win the Great West in the preseason again this year, with five of the six first place votes.

Hampton (potential Dr Pepper Classic opponent)- The Pirates were in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, and are picked to finish second in the MEAC this year, behind Morgan State. Darrion Pellum, the reigning first team All-MEAC player and MEAC Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, returns. Kwame Morgan had offseason surgery to his leg, and may not play. He was a 2nd team All-MEAC performer last year. They play William & Mary this week, before participating in the Cancun Challenge, against Rutgers and Richmond, before going to Cancun to face Sacred Heart, and either Lipscomb or SIU-Edwardsville.

Tennessee- The Vols are picked to finish eleventh in the twelve team SEC. Cameron Tatum and Skylar McBee are the top returning players for the Vols. McBee averaged just over three points per game. The recruiting class did not have anyone rated higher than a 90 by ESPN.com, which is not a high rankings for a major conference team. This is not an impossible game for the Mocs at all, if they play their game.

GO MOCS!

Double Dribbles

A daily look at news, notes, and opinions on the SoCon.

1. According to the preseason polls, Elon should not be a tremendous basketball team this year, even though most people think they can contend if everything breaks right. However, things are looking up for them. Richmond played the Phoenix in a secret scrimmage this weekend and the Spiders coaches (secretly) said that they were very impressed. Matt Matheny is a former Davidson assistant, and his teams are quickly taking on the physical nature of the Wildcats. There seem to be some missing parts looking at them on paper, and they are clearly not as athletic as many of the other teams, but they are hard working, well coached, and a physical team. The trip to Massachusetts this weekend is a very real opportunity for the SoCon to pick up a nice win against a quality opponent.

2. Will the SoCon come up with some upsets this week against a BCS conference opponent? Tennessee (UNCG), South Carolina (Western Carolina), and Georgia (Wofford) are all on the schedule for Friday night for the SoCon teams. The best chance is likely Tennessee, but South Carolina is not out of the question either. Wofford is so young, that they probably won't be able to pull off an upset against Georgia. It would be very good for the SoCon to come up with some upset wins here early in the season. Both of those games are televised. It is must see action for SoCon fans Friday night.

Great Expectations

As always, this blog is Mocs-centric. It's been fun and all that I've been talking about the SoCon a lot over the last couple of days, and that will continue to happen throughout the year. But in the end, it all comes back to the Mocs on this blog.

The pressure is mounting as the season nears. What should the expectations be for the Mocs this year?

Let's get into what some of the expectations should be for the Mocs this coming season.

For a baseline, the Mocs should expect to win 20 games. This is not unreasonable given the schedule. If they can win the same number of SoCon games as last year, that would give them 12 wins, and then if they win all their out of conference games (which they will probably be favored to win all of them), that would put them at 20 regular season wins. Not unreasonable at all.

The Mocs should also expect to at least get a bye in the North- if not win the North. They are as good as any team in the North, even though there are about five teams that can contend for the North championship. The Mocs need to get that bye and, considering the returning talent, should win the North title.

A couple of extra little regular season expectations that I believe the Mocs can set for themselves are the regular season SoCon title and clinch a postseason bid in the NIT at least. Davidson and College of Charleston are good, but there is no reason that the Mocs can not have the best record in the conferencec if they play up to their capabilities.

Also, the Mocs could certainly win one of their big four games- Indiana, Butler, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Kentucky is almost impossible (catch that halftime score tonight?) to think that the Mocs will be able to win that game. But Indiana and Tennessee are picked to finish in the bottom half of their conferences (some even pick Tennessee to be at the very bottom). This would do wonders for Shulman- and for the Mocs RPI, and their potential NCAA seed if they get that far.

They should also expect to advance to at least the SoCon Championship Game. Anything can happen in a one game tournament, but if the Mocs can get to the Championship Game, that will be an accomplishment. Follow that up with a win, and this will be a memorable season.

If the Mocs could somehow follow that up with a couple of NCAA Tournament wins, then this season will be nothing but a success. They could do that.

But let's start with first things first. They need to win as many regular season games as possible.  This is not a year to say that all that matters is the SoCon Tournament. The regular season matters....and it all starts Sunday.

GO MOCS!

Double Dribbles

A daily look at news, notes, and thoughts from around the SoCon.

1) Baru at College of Charleston struggled in his second exhibition. He went 4 of 13 from the field. Clearly, Baru has some jitters going on. As a freshman that may be expected. He will be good- no questions asked. There is some doubt as to how he will produce this year. Fortunately for the Cougars, the key for CofC is for Baru to be ready by SoCon Tourney time. Unfortunately for the Cougars, they open with Holy Cross, Morehead State, Clemson, and the Battle for Atlantis, before playing their first two SoCon games, followed by Tennessee. Not an easy way for a freshman to work out his jitters. He will be one of the most watched storylines of the early season.

2) This week, we'll  know nothing about Davidson or Chattanooga. The Mocs do not play until Sunday against Indiana, which will tell us plenty,and then they battle Butler. The Wildcats play Guilford this Friday. They play Richmond and Duke the following week. So the two teams that are favored to win their divisions will have huge weeks next week, but have almost nothing on the line this week. That makes for an interesting kick off to the year for the SoCon. Next week will be very telling though- for both teams.

Socon Monster Game of the Week: The Citadel vs. VMI

Each week, I will be selecting a game for the SoCon Monster Game of the Week. The day before the game, I will preview the game. I will try to select the biggest game, but I also will try to hit each team at least once during the season- other than Chattanooga, since I will be previewing each of the Mocs games anyway. It will be my choice- not based on the rest of the rest of the guys from the Scanning the SoCon write up.

This week, The Citadel vs. VMI in the All Military Classic on Friday night has been selected. I want to make sure that The Citadel gets a game on here this year, and this looks like as good of an opportunity as any. Yes, they may have opportunities later on, but most people aren't expecting much from the Bulldogs and I want to be sure they get there game in.

Plus- let's face it. Everyone loves watching Army-Navy or any of the military schools clashing, and this is a tournament where four military schools are playing. Can't beat that.

This will be an interesting showdown and a real chance for The Citadel to show that they are not going to be the punching bag for the SoCon this year. This one should be fun. An in-depth preview will be up Thursday night.

Scanning the SoCon- Week One

We are pleased to introduce our first "Scanning the SoCon." Each week, these four SoCon fans will answer questions and provide power rankings to keep a pulse on the Southern Conference. Let's get to the four writers and the sites they provide with their coverage.

DavidsonCats- Covers the Davidson Wildcats.
MocsMania- Covers the Chattanooga Mocs.
TheSportsArsenal- Covers The Citadel Bulldogs.
UNCGBasketballFan- Covers the UNC-Greensboro Spartans.

So without further ado, let's get to it!

Schedule for the week of November 6, 2011:

Friday, November 11

UNC-Greensboro at Tennessee (Maui Invitational) 7:00 (Fox Sports South)

Valparaiso at Georgia Southern 7:00

Lees-McRae College at Appalachian State 7:00

Holy Cross at College of Charleston 7:00
Western Carolina at South Carolina 7:00 (SportSouth)

Roanoke College at Furman 7:30

Guilford at Davidson 8:00

Wofford at Georgia 8:30

Elon at Massachusetts 9:00

VMI vs. The Citadel in Colorado Springs, CO (All Military Classic) 12:00 (CBS Sports)

Saturday, November 12

Youngstown State at Samford 8:00
The Citadel in All Military Classic in Colorado Springs, CO (CBS Sports)

POWER RANKINGS (first place votes in parentheses):
1) Davidson 48 (4)
2) Chattanooga 44
3) Western Carolina 37
4) College of Charleston 35
5) Appalachian State 34
6) UNC-Greensboro 29
7) Georgia Southern 25
8) Elon 19
9t) Furman 12
9t) Wofford 12
11t) Samford 7
11t) The Citadel 7

QUESTIONS:

Sum up your team in 150 words.

DavidsonCats:  Here is what John Kilgo writes about Davidson in his season preview:   ‘This is Bob McKillop’s 23rd season serving as Davidson’s head coach. His outlook is almost always optimistic but maybe more so than usual this year. He has a veteran team, one with exceptional depth as well as the versatility to put all kinds of different combinations on the court.  Scouting the Wildcats could be a daunting task for opponents. “We quite possibly could play a big lineup, a four-guard lineup, or even a lineup featuring three point guards,” McKillop said. “Playing time will be up for grabs as there are as many as 10 players who could earn double-digit minutes.”  … “We must do a better job of limiting transition points than we did a year ago,” McKillop said. “We must contest every shot and eliminate excessive fouling.”

MocsMania: The Mocs return four starters. DeAntre Jefferson and Jeremy Saffore are gone, but Drazen Zlovaric, Z Mason and some of the freshman have made the team a lot more athletic. Shulman has focused offensively on getting better shots and pounding the ball inside. Keegan Bell and Omar Wattad both have really spent a lot of time and energy getting into better shape this offseason and look like different guys. The home out of conference schedule is light, but the road schedule is not easy. The December SoCon games are two road games against Georgia Southern and College of Charleston, which is not exactly the easiest road to travel in the SoCon this year. That will tell a lot about this team. The Mocs are the favorites in the North, but it is not by a wide margin.

TheSportsArsenal:  The Citadel’s basketball team this season is very young. Second-year coach Chuck Driesell brought in eight freshmen, and several of them will see significant playing time. Mike Groselle is back with his efficient (and occasionally underappreciated) offensive game. So is lone senior Cosmo Morabbi, who is a decent bet to have a nice comeback season after last year’s injury-plagued campaign. Last season’s team struggled to adapt to Chuck Driesell’s system, never settling into an offensive identity and faring even worse defensively. Now Driesell has almost a full roster of players athletic enough for his style of play. A deeper rotation may alleviate the traditional problem The Citadel has had with players tiring down the stretch of a long season. I also expect this edition of the Bulldogs to be more athletic than usual. That said, expectations for this team are decidedly modest.

UNCGBasketballFan: Honestly, it’s time for G to crap or get off the pot. Up until now, they’ve been recruiting well and playing this tough schedule to prepare them for down the road. Well, this year the schedule is manageable and the players are mostly upper classmen. That’s a really long way of saying that I don’t have a clue what we’ll see out of G.  From what I’ve been told, the big men are in better shape and will be a solid tandem inside. A healthy Trev Simpson can probably be an all conference performer. Plus, everyone thinks we’ve found a gem in freshman shooter Nick Paulos. But they haven’t shown the ability to win consistently since Kyle Hines left. So I guess how good they can be is still TBD. At least UNCG isn’t playing the whole ACC this year. That should help.

What game (other than the ones your team is playing in) are you most looking forward to this week?

DavidsonCats:  I’m looking forward to seeing if our conference can get some OOC road wins this week.  I’ll be very interested in UNCG at UTK and Elon at UMass.

MocsMania: I’m not exactly high on The Citadel this year, but it probably does not get much better than the All Military Classic. The Bulldogs have a chance to go at least 1-1 out in Colorado Springs against VMI and then either Army or Air Force. The rivalry that exists between the four teams (since they are military schools) will make the competition fierce. It should be a lot of fun.

TheSportsArsenal: UNC-Greensboro is playing Tennessee in a neutral-site game. Tennessee is trying to recover from the Bruce Pearl debacle, while UNCG’s OOC schedule from last season should have its squad well-prepared to play an SEC team. 

UNCGBasketballFan: It looks like a weak slate this week. It’s a toss up for me between Charleston-Holy Cross and GSU-Valpo. I guess I’ll go with seeing how the Cougars look after losing so much from last season. Everyone is just loving on Baru, but I just wonder how they’ll replace losing their top 4 scorers (with Hall now out). That’s the reason I have them ranked that low on my list. There are too many question marks right now. A home game against a mid major picked to finish high in their league could answer some of the questions.

Who do you think will be the Player of the Year?

DavidsonCats:  If he’s fully recovered, I’ll go with Willie Powers.  He’s a very versatile player.  Smart, good shooter, good scorer, good defender, good leader, and his team is filled with young, undisciplined guys who could really benefit from his presence on the court.

MocsMania: Omar Carter from Appalachian State has to be considered the early favorite. I’m not expecting as much from the Mountaineers as some, so if I’m right that may hurt him. Still, who else is there right now? I’ll probably have a better feel for this after a couple of weeks. Someone will emerge from a team I expect bigger things from. We’ll see. Until proven otherwise, I guess I’ll stick with Carter.

TheSportsArsenal: Jake Cohen of Davidson is my pick to win the Player of the Year. I think he is probably going to be the best player on the league’s best team. He also leads all returning league players in Offensive Rating (not that it will be a factor in voting).

UNCGBasketballFan: Omar Carter (App State) – That guy absolutely killed UNCG at the Greensboro Coliseum last year. I turned to someone at halftime and said, “Carter will be POY in the SoCon next season.” I guess for now, I will stick with that prediction.

Which team do you think has the best chance to be the biggest surprise this year? Why?

DavidsonCats:  I’ll go with Elon.  The coaches picked them 5^th in the North.  I think they are better than that.  They get Josh Bonney back this year and have brought in a  nice freshman class.  Last year’s freshmen were playing well at the end of the season.  They took a European trip this year.  When Coach Matheny’s Davidson teams went to Europe, they followed it up with very successful seasons.  I think Elon will be better than 5^th in the North and will be a tough out in March.

MocsMania: I’m very high on both Georgia Southern and UNC-Greensboro. I know that a lot of people are high on the Eagles, and one reason may be looking at the rest of the South.  But UNCG seems to be getting lost in the shuffle a little bit. The Spartans schedule is more manageable this year than previous years. I really saw this team come on down the stretch last year, including the upset of Davidson in the first round of the SoCon Tournament. I really think this team will be a major player in the bye race this year in the North and it would not surprise me if they won the whole division.

TheSportsArsenal: I lean slightly to UNCG being the league’s “surprise team” because it had a respectable finish to the season last year after a terrible start and has nine of its top ten players back, including Trevis Simpson.

UNCGBasketballFan: The bias in me says UNCG. They lost one player and return a huge nucleus of upper classmen. However, for that same reason I’m going to say Georgia Southern. As bad as they’ve been the last few years, Coach Young can recruit. He’s managed to get quite a few higher rated players to Statesboro. I think they should be improved.

What are your thoughts on and expectations for Adjehi Baru at College of Charleston?

DavidsonCats:  He’s the highest-regarded freshman to enter the conference in my memory.  One publication rates him among the top 10 double-double guys in college basketball.  Especially with the loss of Willis Hall this season, there will be tons of minutes for Baru.  He’s certainly the leader for FOY in our league and may make a national splash.  Can’t wait to see him play.

MocsMania: Baru is the most highly anticipated player to enter the SoCon in a long time. If the hype is right, he could win the Player of the Year this year. He’s a big man with huge upside, which is unusual in the SoCon. Early reports say he needs to fine tune his offense a bit, but the team with the best individual player is always a threat in the SoCon Tournament. Can he produce? He better. With graduation and injuries, CofC really needs him to make a run in the South. I think he’ll fall a little short of expectations this year, but he’ll be a good one/ He is nothing but good for the SoCon on the whole. He is bringing a little bit of extra hype to the conference.

TheSportsArsenal: Baru is going to be interesting to watch. I’ve read great things about him, but I don’t know how skilled he is right now. I’m also unsure about his physical strength, which may be the determining factor of how well he does in his freshman campaign. I’ve seen him compared to Adonal Foyle, but the SoCon is generally a more athletic conference than the Patriot League.

UNCGBasketballFan: Well, he definitely is already carrying a ton of hype. The problem is that he’s not a guard. He is going to have to depend on someone to get him the ball in scoring position. I’m sure Coach Cremins will make getting him the ball a priority. Plus, the SoCon isn’t known for having many skilled big men. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect him to average double figures in both points and rebounds. I may be in the minority here, but I don’t expect him to dominate the SoCon just yet.

Heat-O-Meter: Cooler Times May Be Ahead

Coach Shulman has been on the hot seat. All offseason has focused on just how long he will be the head coach. Many people feel he should be gone already.

But the good news for the Shulman is that no matter how hot his seat is right now, he can quiet a lot of critics with a bunch of wins this year. The schedule is set up for a reasonably big year.

They need to get a bunch of wins to help cool off Shulman's seat. One of the biggest problems Shulman has had in recent years is that the Mocs just don't play consistently good basketball. His team has not won over 20 games since his first year. That is the thing that makes people feel like he is not an acceptable coach at this time.

The people predicting 15-18 wins better not be calling for his head if the Mocs exceed that, because they will have exceeded their expectations. If the people calling for 20+ wins are not upset if the team wins 15-18 (barring truly unusual situations, such as injuries/suspensions), then there is something wrong there too.

That being said, I believe that Shulman deserves a break at this point. They tied for the North title last year and the team is positioned for a huge year. I am more than willing to cut him some slack as we head into this year. I think the Mocs will have a solid year, and Shulman will deserve credit for that.

HEAT-O-METER: 7.5. To say that Shulman is feeling no pressure is a misnomer. There is definitely pressure to win this year. Assuming the Mocs can find consistency and win games this season, there are better times ahead for the Mocs. That means that there are cooler times ahead for Shulman. Then again, if Pomeroy is right- ouch.

GO MOCS!

Letting Go

I remember it well.
It happened last March. The Mocs were down by one against Furman in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament. The Paladins had started off red hot, but the Mocs had gotten back into the game. Ricky Taylor was streaking down the court for an uncontested dunk/layup that would have given the Mocs the lead.

The crowd jumped to their feet.

And Taylor missed the layup.

Furman went on a run and effectively ended the game.

Sure, the Mocs were able to fight back several times and get close. Sure, the Mocs were in the game in the second half. But that moment is still the moment I remember from that game as explaining as much as anything that it just wasn't the Mocs night.

After that game, I said, "For now, I'm just letting it sting for a little while."

It took a while, but I'm finally over it. The sting has subsided. It lasted most of the offseason. The bitter taste is still in my mouth a little bit, but it is starting to subside.

I hope the sting burned all offseason inside of Taylor, Keegan Bell, Omar Wattad, Chris Early, Dontay Hampton and Jahmal Burroughs. I hope that it pushed them on the extra mile. As Bell said in his preseason press conference, "It's lonely on the extra mile." I hope that all of them have let that sting drive them.

But it is time to let go of that sting. The bitter taste can stay. The taste can stay and be a driving force all season long. But the sting- that needs to go away. Taylor played like he wasn't haunted by the missed layup in the exhibition game, which was one of my biggest fears heading into this season. He played like a guy who realizes that he can atone for it this year if he plays within himself and the way he is capable of playing.

So it is with this post that I officially claim that I am over last year....for now. We'll see what this year brings. It is sure to bring excitement, and more than a few ups and downs. If in the end, the ups outnumber the downs,the maybe we can call that a successful season- and maybe, just maybe, we'll be calling the Mocs "SoCon Champs."

GO MOCS!

Mocs 82, Tennessee Wesleyan 64

Far from perfect. That's the best way to describe this performance.

The Mocs outrebounded TWC by 10, 34-24. They made 62.5% of their threes, and shot almost 52% for the game.

The bad news is that the Mocs shot 24 threes on 56 total shots. That means that nearly 43% of their shots were threes. That has to be more than what Shulman intended when he said he wanted to pound the ball inside.

TWC shot 50% from the floor. The Mocs turned the ball over twelve times, which is not good either.

That being said, the Mocs won the game and won it reasonably handily. Syracuse and Tennessee are two well known teams that have lost exhibition games in recent years. So the Mocs winning should count for something.

The Mocs absolutely have to work on defense before they play Indiana. The Hoosiers are likely to destroy the Mocs with their offense if there is not vast improvement.

Rico White looks like he is ready to play. He made a lot of smooth shoots from long range. He also had five assists without a turnover.

I am slightly disturbed by Zlovaric only playing 15 minutes. I expected him to play a lot more and when you look at the minutes played. I was surprised by this. He had six points and three rebounds. He needs to be a very solid player.

That being said, Early only played 19 minutes, so maybe I am reading too much into that.

Keegan Bell played 32 minutes (leading all Mocs) and scored a team leading 21 points, with four assists and two turnovers. He made seven threes. He needs to keep on working on getting to the basket. I want Bell to be the distributor and the guy getting to the basket. I like that player.

Ricky Taylor scored 17 points, getting to the basket some. He also lead the team in rebounds with seven.

Jahmal Burroughs played very well. Is he going to develop as a senior into a solid contributor? He sure played like it tonight.

Jared Bryant and Lance Stokes both played well as well. Z Mason was not quite as impressive. He had four rebounds but failed to score. Z will have to improve to be a major contributor on this team.

Omar Wattad did not play due to his back injury. He'll be OK, and be back by Indiana more than likely. Not sure what happened to Dontay Hampton, but he was injured too it appeared.

For those worried about Drew Baker- he played three minutes.

I did not get to see the game, since the game was not available via MocsVision like I believed it would be. But I did get to listen to the game.

There is a ways to go. But this is an OK start. They need to improve a lot in the coming twelve days before they play Indiana. Hopefully, they get back to work tomorrow.

GO MOCS!

TWC Preview: Exhibition To Work Out

Seeing as there are a minimum of 32 games ahead on the schedule and hopefully up to 40 games, this will not be an in-depth preview. It's only an exhibition game, and The Citadel hammered Tennessee Wesleyan by 29 points over the weekend. The Mocs should do something similar.

But this is going to be an interesting game. Omar Wattad may not play due to his sore back, though it is apparently not too serious and he might have played if this game counted. But we don't need to see Wattad, Keegan Bell, Chris Early, or Ricky Taylor. We need to see the new guys and how they can be integrated into the offense.

So, instead of picks and analysis, let's look at the things I'm interested in seeing.

THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING:

--Zlovaric. Can he be an overpowering force on the inside?
--Can the Mocs pound the ball inside? Shulman says this is a focus this year. If the Mocs can't get the ball inside against TWC, who can they get the ball inside against?
--Mason- let's see what he's got.
--The freshman- who is ready to go? Who is not? Who should redshirt? Who shouldn't?
--How does Bell look now that he is in "the best shape of his life?"

So we'll see. I'm looking forward to it. It's time for the Mocs to get this party started.

GO MOCS!

New Features on MocsMania in 2011-12!

As we prepare for the 2011-12 Mocs basketball season, I have spent a lot of the offseason trying to think up ways to improve this blog and make it more enjoyable for everyone who reads it. It's easy for me to post opinions on what is going on, and even to hit the news of what's going on. But that doesn't seem to be enough.

So, I am trying to add some distinguishing features that will help to add something to the experience of being a Mocs fan. Without further ado, let's talk about the new features.

--More statistical analysis. These stats will be provided after every game. Want to know how the Mocs performed in the Four Factors? What about how each Moc is performing using the ESPN Player Rater formula? (Pts + Reb + 1.4*Ast + Stl + 1.4*Blk -.7*TO + FGM + .5*TGM -.8*(FGA-FGM) + .25*FTM - .8*(FTA-FTM)) After each game, I will provide each of these stats which will give even more reason for the Mocs wins and losses, and help to define which Mocs players are performing the best.

--Scanning the SoCon. I have arranged with four fans of different schools around the SoCon to answer some questions each Sunday regarding the previous week of the SoCon and looking forward to the future week. This will be published each Sunday on each of the different blogs and message boards that these fans represent. I am very excited about this development, personally. I think it will provide a lot of extra coverage to the SoCon. That will begin next Sunday (less than a week before the first game for every team in the conference, outside of the Mocs, who open a week from Sunday). The four teams represented will be the Mocs, UNC-Greensboro, Davidson, and The Citadel- two from the North and two from the South. There will be weekly questions, and weekly power rankings voted on by the four.

--Sagarin's Ratings. While RPI Rankings, and KenPom's rankings were listed on the blog last year. Sagarin was not on here. However, now his rankings will be included as well to provide an extra piece to the blog.

--Double Dribbles. Last spring in the weeks leading up to the SoCon Tourney, I included a feature called "Three Poing Play." Now, that has been turned into a daily feature called "Double Dribbles." We will have two notes on SoCon teams each day, Monday through Friday. This could be about the Mocs, or any other SoCon team. Hopefully, this too will help to provide even more coverage of the SoCon for all fans around the conference. This will begin on Monday, November 7.

Obviously, all the old feature will still be included. We will still have preview of each game and reviews of each game, along with the Heat-O-Meter monthly, a monthly review, a monthly preview, every other week we will look at the out of conference opponents and see how they are performing, the Battle of North vs. South, and have a preview of the SoCon Monster Game of the Week.

That means that this blog will be providing some solid coverage of the SoCon on a daily basis, some significant coverage on a weekly basis, and hopefully continue to provide as much coverage as possible of Mocs basketball, while adding some elements of statistical analysis to help us in analyzing the games.

Should be a great year and we can't wait! Should at least be a tremendous amount of fun. Hope you enjoy it!

GO MOCS!

SoCon Media Poll

The Media poll is now out. The Mocs were picked to win the North, and the standings were the same in the North Division as the Coaches Poll. The South was slightly different. Georgia Southern was picked to finish fifth, while Wofford was third and Furman was fourth.

Georgia Southern actually got a first place vote, along with Wofford. The Terriers are more surprising to me than the Eagles, even though Wofford is the two time reigning champ. Georgia Southern is a good basketball team this year. Wofford is still the two time reigning champs, so until they are out of the race, they have to be considered a threat. They'll be an even bigger threat come the SoCon Tournament.

Basketball season is coming. The excitement is getting tangible now.

North DivisionTeam (1^st Place Votes) Total
1. Chattanooga (24) 172
2. Appalachian State (3) 136
3. Western Carolina (2) 123
4. UNCG (1) 90
5. Elon 76
6. Samford 36

South Division
Team (1^st Place Votes) Total
1. Davidson (18) 165      
2. College of Charleston (10) 156
3. Wofford (1) 105
4. Furman 80
5. Georgia Southern (1) 76
6. The Citadel 48

SoCon Coaches Speak Out

The SoCon Coaches have spoken- and you have to like what they said if you are a Mocs fan. The Mocs were the favorite to the win the North, with Appalachian State second, Western Carolina third, UNC-Greensboro fourth, Elon fifth, and Samford was last. Omar Wattad and Keegan Bell were pegged for the All-SoCon team. This is all really positive stuff for the Mocs.

We all know that preseason predictions mean next to nothing, but still, this puts a little bit of extra pressure on the Mocs this year. That may not be such a bad thing. With expectations comes the bullseye, and the Mocs I think are ready to wear that bullseye.

We'll find out in two and a half weeks when the Mocs head to Bloomington. I'm ready....

SoCon Men's Basketball Predicted Order of Finish

North Division

Team (1^st Place Votes) Total
1. Chattanooga (9) 64
2. Appalachian State (2) 51
3. Western Carolina (1) 44
4. UNCG 42
5. Elon 29
6. Samford 16

Team (1^st Place Votes) Total
South Division
1. Davidson (10) 65
2. College of Charleston (2) 56
3. Georgia Southern 42
4. Furman 34
5. Wofford 32
6. The Citadel 17

2011-12 Preseason All-Conference Team
Keegan Bell, Chattanooga
Omar Carter, Appalachian State
Jake Cohen, Davidson
JP Kuhlman, Davidson
Willie Powers III, Georgia Southern
Drew Spradlin, Elon
Trey Sumler, Western Carolina
Omar Wattad, Chattanooga
Trent Wiedeman, College of Charleston
Antwaine Wiggins, College of Charleston

2011-12 Preseason Player of the Year
Omar Carter, Appalachian State

Oh Captain, My Captain!

The Mocs have named four captains this year. Keegan Bell, Ricky Taylor, Chris Early, and Dontay Hampton have been named captains on this year's squad. Bell and Taylor are not too surprsing.

However, I'm a little surprised by a couple of things here:

1) Wattad not being named a captain. He is the player that is gaining Player of the Year traction. Normally, we think that means team leader. People must not see it that way. This is why I continue to say that Bell is really the MVP on this team.

2) Early is a captain. He has struggled at times, and been in and out of Shulman's doghouse. Now, he is seen as one of the biggest leaders on this team. This is potentially a really nice touch.

3) Hampton being a captain. He is a walk-on. And now he is a captain. This could show what tremendous leadership skills Hampton has as a person. A walk-on becoming a captain can not be an easy thing. Let's face it- if nothing else, this speaks very well for his future in the work force. I am very proud of Hampton.

Captains are important, of course. They are the players that the guys look to when the times get tough, or when they need to go the extra mile. This team needs strong leaders. We're all hoping that Early, Hampton, Taylor, and Bell can provide that leadership.

GO MOCS!

Shulman Gets It? Or Have I Been Wrong All Along?

"Do I want Keegan and Omar to shoot the ball? That's no doubt...can they shoot it? No doubt. But they are going to get much better shots later in the shot clock than the ones we were taking. You shoot it quick, you have to defend longer. We got worn out defending. Time of possession is not a stat in basketball, it should be. Throwing the ball inside in basketball is the equivalent to running the football. We never ran the ball last year. We have to establish our running game which is throwing the ball inside."

This is a quote from Shulman.

If you asked me a question like that, then I would pretty much have said the same thing. This is something that I have said many times. I said a lot of times that the Mocs needed to shoot more two pointers than three pointers, and they did not shoot enough twos. They needed to pound the ball inside to Jefferson and Saffore, and even Early, to get more easy looks and more free throws.

Yet, the Mocs didn't do it nearly often enough for my preference.

But what were the problems? Well, everyone knows them by now. Jefferson struggled to catch the ball down low- and Saffore really struggled catching the ball (not to mention getting his arms over his head).

Now, with Mason, Zlovaric, Early, and the freshman give the Mocs plenty of inside options. Bell has always been an excellent passer. If he can get the ball inside to those guys, then this team could be completely different. It sounds like the Mocs are going to play that way this year.

So is this what Shulman has always wanted? Is this what his plan has always been, but he just hasn't had the inside presence to accomplish it? Now that he has the players, we may see a completely different style out of Shulman this year.

The key will be their offensive contributions. Doaks and Hartwell were a decent inside presence, but Hartwell was not much of an inside presence. If Mason, Zlovaric, and Early can play inside offensively, and if Taylor, Bell, and Wattad can continue to light it up from outside, then the Mocs could be special offensively.

The Mocs players (especially Wattad and Bell) have lost a lot of weight and everyone has been dedicated to getting into excellent shape. This team could be really special.

I am very excited about finding out how this team will perform. Indiana and Butler will lead off the season, which is going to be tough. Let's hope the Mocs can keep them entertaining...

GO MOCS!

Mocs Announce Schedule for 2011-12

Let's put the schedule out there.

November 1 Tennessee Wesleyan 7:00 (exhibition)
November 13 at Indiana 5:00 (Hoosier Classic)
November 15 at Butler 7:00 (Hoosier Classic)
November 19 Kennesaw State 7:00
November 21 Warren Wilson College 7:00
November 25 Savannah State 7:00 (Hoosier Classic)
November 27 Gardner-Webb 7:00 (Hoosier Classic)
December 1 at Georgia Southern 7:00
December 3 at College of Charleston 4:00
December 10 at Mercer 7:00
December 13 Spalding 7:00
December 17 at Kentucky 8:00
December 21 Hiwassee 12:00
December 29 Longwood 7:00 (Dr Pepper Classic)
December 30 Hampton/Utah Valley State 4:30/7:00 (Dr Pepper Classic)
January 2 at Tennessee TBA
January 5 Western Carolina 7:00
January 7 Appalachian State 7:00
January 12 Wofford 7:00
January 14 at Samford 4:00
January 19 at UNC-Greensboro 7:00
January 21 at Elon 7:00
January 26 Davidson 7:00
January 28 Georgia Southern 7:30
February 2 at Western Carolina 7:00
February 4 at Davidson 4:00
February 9 Elon 7:00
February 11 UNC-Greensboro 7:30
February 15 at Appalachian State 7:00
February 18 The Citadel 7:00
February 23 at Furman 7:00
February 25 Samford 7:30
March 2-5 SoCon Tournament (at Asheville) TBA

The out of conference schedule leaves something to desire, particularly the home schedule.

A schedule featuring Kennesaw State, Warren Wilson, Savannah State, Gardner-Webb, Spalding, Hiwassee, Longwood and either Hampton or Utah Valley does not exactly sell a ton of tickets.

That being said, the Mocs play 17 home games this year, which matches the most the Mocs have ever played. The Mocs could put up a good mark just by winning their home games.

This year, more than ever, they critically need to protect their home floor.

The Mocs have a real shot to get to 20 wins this year. Think about it- even with losing to the big four (Indiana, Butler, Kentucky, and Tennessee) and one more (maybe Mercer? Kennesaw State? Hampton?), the Mocs would win 8 games out of conference. Follow that up with the SoCon schedule, and say that the Mocs match last year's mark (even though they probably should be better) of 12-6, and the Mocs go 20-11. That is far from an outlandish prediction.

The Mocs should have some really high hopes here....

There is plenty of skepticism, which is to be expected. But the Mocs can put a big winner on the floor this year. Now they just have to go do it.

The expectations are there- and the Mocs need to deliver with consistent effort throughout the year.

The toughest game is at Kentucky, but Butler, Indiana, and Tennessee all will be breaking in new faces. The Mocs could surprise one of them easily.

The magic carpet ride is coming...I'm ready for it...

GO MOCS!

The Point of All This (aka a Mission Statement)

Look- I know that a Mission Statement on a blog is a little, um, unusual. But I think that for everyone to understand why I do what I do in this blog might be a nice little excercise.

I figure that my reasons are threefold.

1) The Selfish Reason. I love the Mocs message board. It's fun to talk Mocs basketball on there. But sometimes I feel like I shouldn't say everything I want to say. No one wants to read my diatribes on there. However, people can choose to come to the blog or not. So, I can write however much I feel like, and people can read it or not. Whatever. No big deal. Therefore, it is completely selfish of me to do this blog. It gives me an outlet for all of my thoughts, excitement, and frustration. It's perfect.

2) The Information Reason. A few years ago, before I started this blog, I would sit around on gamedays, nervously waiting for the game. I would check out the opponents stats, and probably would have watched at least a game or two of them prior to the Mocs game with them. I would read the Times Free Press gameday article, the GoMocs.com article, the opposing schools articles in their newspaper and on their website (if there was one), and I would wish for more. I wished that I could find more information about the Mocs. I would wish that there was more coverage. This idea started forming in my mind. I kept on wishing that there were blogs out there about the Mocs to read on a daily basis- just that one or two more articles about the Mocs each day to help satisfy my hunger to read more about the Mocs. It didn't need to be chock full of pertinent information- it just needed to be about the Mocs, have opinions on the Mocs, have any news on the Mocs, and have previews and reviews. Finally, I decided that I should go out and try to be part of the solution to that problem rather than wish that someone else would be part of the solution. It only partially solves my problem of wanting more information, but hopeully it can help maybe satisfy someone else- if just a little bit.

3) The Helpful Reason. Before anyone thinks that I am placing way too much importance on my blog, let me say, I get it. It's not that big of a deal. In this Information Age that we live in, it is important for schools to have embraced the new media. Recruits want their families and friends to be able to follow their performance in their games. It helps to have games on TV. It helps to have the games broadcast on the internet, and things like MocsVision really helps. Message boards help. School websites that are up to date, and newspaper articles help. People tweeting and Faceboook feeds help. I believe that blogs also play a small role in that. Consider this- if two schools and coaching staffs are even in a recruits mind, and one has better coverage of them for the families to cover than the other one (including all forms of media, not just a blog) then maybe that sways the recruit toward that school in the end. It probably does not make a huge difference. But it can help some. It is for this ever so slight bump that I felt that there needed to be just a little bit more coverage of the Mocs out there. This blog is to try to provide that touch more coverage for families and friends of the players to follow the team, and for any fans of the Mocs to follow the team a little bit closer, from anywhere around the world.

Those are my goals. Obviously, this does not mean that I will never be harsh to the people surrounding Mocs basketball. It also doesn't mean that I will not praise to the people surrounding Mocs baskebtall. I try to tell it as I see it, and cover the Mocs the best way I know how.

I've always loved to write. And I thoroughly enjoy writing this blog. I hope you all out there enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Thanks for reading.

GO MOCS!

I got a rock....

The schedule has to be coming any day now, right? That's what we're waiting for so patiently.

It is hard to believe. I've been patiently waiting on the schedule every day for a month now. Every day I wake up, hopeful that today will be the day. Like a kid who only gets coal in his stocking at Christmas, or Linus, who gets rocks in Halloween bag, I end the day disappointed.

It has to be coming soon.

Here's what we basically know. Indiana, Butler, Kentucky, and Tennessee will all be road games. The Mocs will play all four. Right out of the gate, Indiana and Butler will be played. Kentucky comes in mid-December. Tennessee follows in early January. There's a trip to Mercer, and home dates with Kennesaw State, Gardner-Webb, and Savannah State.

In other news, the Mocs were picked to finish first in a couple of preseason magazines. They are picked to win the North Division. It looks like this is probably how the conference will be prognosticated in the preseason.

That sets the table for an article on what the Mocs goals should be for this season. That's coming up in a few days.

Now if we could just get that schedule released....

GO MOCS!