Daily Dribbles- 1/15/14

--Here's the SoCon This Week. 

--White Out coming to Western Carolina. These sorts of things are fun and good for the home team, and create a decent environment fior the road team to come into. Of course, they are doing it for Davidson.

--AppHoops went to see the Mountaineers play in Belk Arena on Saturday night. He writes his ode to Davidson here. Or something like that.
--Lee Skinner of Wofford won Player of the Week. Given that last Monday's games were included last week (which helped Z Mason win last week), this was not a bad choice.

--More App News. The Perils of Every Week Existence. It truly is the Perils right now for T-Dog.

SoCon This Week- Week Three

Feature Article: Last Shot at Davidson
SoCon Schedule- Week Three
SoCon Weekly Release
Scanning the SoCon- Week Eleven
SoCon Monster Game of the Week: Elon at Davidson
Thursday SoCon Previews
Saturday SoCon Previews
Monday SoCon Preview
Thursday SoCon Review
Saturday SoCon Review
Monday SoCon Review

SoCon Monday Preview: 1-20-14

A daily preview of each SoCon game.

Monday Thought

Only one game. But it's a big one. Wofford absolutely must come up with at least one win in their two game homestand against Chattanooga and Western Carolina if they want to get a bye. UNCG, Chattanooga and Georgia Southern all will be very interested in the outcome of this one in relation to the bye race. Elon and Davidson will be interested in relation to their race for the conference title. That assumes that you buy into the current tier ranking (Tier One is Elon, Davidson, and Western Carolina, Tier Two is Chattanooga, Georgia Southern, UNCG and Wofford and Tier Three is Appalachian State, Furman and The Citadel).

Western Carolina at Wofford, 7:00 PM (CSS)

With the Catamounts sitting 3-0 right now, and having played a difficult schedule so far, this one shapes up as yet another challenge for the Catamounts. With Samford at home on Saturday, WCU is expected to be 4-0 heading into this one. This will be an intriguing match-up between Tawaski King and Lee Skinner. I'm really interested to watch both of those guys play in this one. The Terriers will be looking for another big home win. If they can sweep these two games with the Mocs and the Catamounts, they can get right back in the SoCon race. If they lose both, they will be in real trouble for a bye. This is a huge three days for the Terriers. They get it done at home. Terriers 67, Catmounts 66.

Daily Dribbles- 1/14/13

--Scanning the SoCon is here.

--Elon is feeling good about beating The Citadel on Saturday night. They are about to get to play Davidson on Thursday. Everyone ready?

--Yes, Davidson-Elon is the best game on Thursday. The other three all feature winless SoCon teams against teams with a combined 7-2 conference record. But one of those features the better record team on the road. The Mocs should be careful in Boone against Appalachian State- just like UNCG needed to be careful there last Thursday. Yes, the Spartans won, but it was an escape.

--Saturday is a much better day. Only one game looks non-competitive based on current SoCon records- Samford at Western Carolina. Georgia Southern is taking the dangerous trip to Boone. Furman at The Citadel is two winless teams, which means it will be competitive. Chattanooga's trip to Wofford and Davidson's trip to UNCG should both be good games.

SoCon Thursday Previews: 1-16-14

A daily preview of each SoCon game.

Thursday Thought

Elon-Davidson may be the most anticipated game of the entire SoCon season. Teams that haven't won a SoCon game yet need to start winning if they even want to think about getting a bye in the conference tournament. I think nine or ten wins is what is needed for a bye. That means it's go time on Thursday night for Furman, Appalachian State and The Citadel if they want to even get into the ballpark.

Furman at Georgia Southern, 7:00 PM

The Paladins are desperate to come up with a SoCon win. They have been close on a couple of occassions, but have not been able to come up with a win. The Paladins still have Stephen Croone, one of the best players in the SoCon. But Croone will be challenged by the Eagles very good backcourt. Jelani Hewitt and Tre Bussey will present significant challenges to Furman on both ends of the floor. Furman is good enough to pull off the upset if the Eagles don't come out ready to play. But in the long run, the Eagles are just a better team. Eagles 72, Paladins 64.

Chattanooga at Appalachian State, 7:00 PM

The Mocs are eager to come up with a fifth win and get off to a 5-0 SoCon start. Going to Boone will be difficult. The two best rebounders in the conference will be on display as Z Mason will go against Michael Obacha. Jay Canty has been very good since coming back from injury. The Mocs have done a good job of at least slowing down the other team's top option lately. Can the Mocs slow down Canty? If so, who do the Mountaineers answer with? Tab Hamilton? Tevin Baskin? This is going to be a war in Boone. But the Mocs come up with yet another close win. Mocs 77, Mountaineers 74.

The Citadel at UNCG, 7:00 PM

The Spartans turn the ball over a lot. The Bulldogs have not been forcing turnovers much. Something has to give. The Bulldogs have been getting close to coming up with a SoCon win, but just haven't been able to pull it off yet. Will they finally get over the hump in Greensboro? With PJ Horgan back and Brian White, the Bulldogs may be able to compete inside with Kyle Cain and Kayel Locke. Still, if the Spartans aren't committing turnovers, they are very tough to stop- even by the Bulldogs, who have been doing a great job in conference containing other teams offense in terms of shooting percentages. Should be closer than Spartan fans want, but UNCG still comes up with the win. UNCG 76, The Citadel 68.

Elon at Davidson, 7:00 PM

Quite simply, it is one of the biggest games in Elon basketball history. This game is all about how Elon plays. Do they play loose? If so, this could be a barn burner. If they play like the weight of all the expectations are on their shoulders, they could get drilled. I think DeMon Brooks against Lucas Troutman is a very interesting match-up inside. This is the SoCon Monster Game of the Week, so there is coverage and breakdowns elsewhere. That being said, simply put, I think Elon plays tight and Davidson comes up with a demoralizing win, Wildcats 81, Phoenix 67.

SoCon Monster Game of the Week: Elon at Davidson

This is the most anticipated game of the SoCon season. Elon has Matt Matheny as head coach. He
used to sit on the Davidson bench. He modeled his program after the Wildcats. Davidson has continued to dominate the SoCon. Then, in the preseason, the Phoenix were picked to win the SoCon over Davidson. Now, they meet just two more times in the regular season. Elon has to prove that they truly are in position to win the SoCon title. To be the best, you have to beat the best. That's what they are going for on Thursday evening. Of course, Davidson is trying to prove that the whole thing is premature and that their demise has been greatly exaggerated. With Elon already having a conference loss, a Davidson win here would be very damaging to the Phoenix, possibly even starting to call into question whether or not they can obtain a bye in the SoCon Tournament. This is a huge game to both of these teams.

Elon is going to rely heavily on Lucas Troutman. He leads the team with 15.3 points per game, 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest. The 6-10 big man should be a dominant force in the SoCon. He's avearging 15.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest in the three SoCon games. He will need to continue playing that well.

The Phoenix have been heavily reliant on the three point shot this year. When they shoot well from long range, they seem to win. When they don't, they seem to struggle. Sebastian Koch has made 51 of 111 threes for 45.9% this year. He also averages three assists per game, while averaging 13.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Tanner Samson has made 48 of 107 for 44.9% from three point range. That goes along with 10.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Those two need to be hot from three point range for the Phoenix to contend on the road against Davidson.

Ryler Beaumont is also averaging 10.4 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. He is due a big game, after scoring 16 against Appalachian State but in the single digits in the other two SoCon games. He's an interesting player for the Phoenix. The 6-7 senior likes to shoot threes, but mostly needs to be inside the paint scoring. He's only shooting 25% from three point range.

Elon is a solid defensive rebounding team, ranking 92nd in DR%. They rank 342nd in OR%. Of course, their eFG% ranks 54th in the country. That's enough to make up for a lot of other flaws offensively.

The Wilcats have been a very difficult team to beat since DeMon Brooks came back from an injury. Brooks may not win SoCon Player of the Year due to missing six games earlier this year, though he may still get back into the race. Brooks is averaging 16.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest. He is such a force in the paint. It will be interesting to see how he and Troutman match up.

Brian Sullivan is averaging 12.2 points per game. He's made 39 threes, most on the team. But, he's only making 32.8% of his three point shots. Sullivan has not been quite as good as advertised to this point. He's only averaging 5.0 points per game in SoCon play. He's only shooting 33.3% from the floor in those three games.

Tom Droney has also not been playing quite as well recently, though he is still third on the team in scoring. He's averaging 11.6 points per game and four rebounds per game. He's good at driving the ball to the basket, and was relied on heavily when Brooks was out. Now with Brooks back, he seems to still be searching for his role a little bit.

Tyler Kalinoski is shooting 48.1% from three point range and leads the team in assists with 3.4. Chris Czerapowickz was supposed to be the three point shooting specialist, but is only shooting 26.2% from long range on the year.

This Davidson team has struggled to keep teams from making shots out of conference. But in SoCon play, they lead the conference in eFG%. But they rank dead last in OR% in conference games. This team needs to do a better job rebounding...or keep on making shots.

PREDICTION

In some ways, this is the biggest game in Elon history. The Phoenix are looking to establish themselves as SoCon favorites against the bully of the conference. I'm not sure it gets much bigger than this for Elon. With that kind of pressure, how does this team come out and play? Do they play loose? Or do they play tight like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders? The Phoenix will experience some tight rims against the Wildcats improved defense, particularly on the road. They will not respond well to the pressure of the game. After all, they did not particularly respond well to the pressure of a big conference road game against Western Carolina a couple of weeks ago. The Wildcats will score plenty and Brooks will shut down Troutman. Davidson 81, Elon 67.

Mocs Thin Margins

The Mocs are winning. They have won six straight. They are 4-0 in SoCon play.

But one thing is clearly obvious so far. The Mocs are winning, but their margin for error is razor thin.

The Mocs play hard. They've been doing that all year long. That is not changing. It truly looks like Coach Will Wade has this team playing as hard as they can, which is something that the Mocs desperately needed to do. That alone does not lead to wins, but it leads to being in a lot of basketball games.

So how do you go from playing hard to winning games? Well- the easiest way is talent. The Mocs have some talent. Make no mistake, Rico White, Gee McGhee, Casey Jones and Z Mason all have talent. The rest of the Mocs are not untalented. But, the Mocs are not the most talented team in the SoCon. They really are probably more middle of the road in terms of talent. The Mocs talent will improve as Wade gets more time to recruit specifically to his style.

That was how it seems the early part of the season went. The Mocs lacked the talent necessary to come up with the hard fought wins. They were staying close, but couldn't close the deal.

If not talent, the Mocs need a schematic advantage. They did not go out and hire Charlie Weiss to coach basketball, though his schematic advantage may be more useful in basketball than football. It may be worth a try. Regardless, Wade's Chaos system has started to sink in and take hold. Then, Wade took a gamble on a faltering defense. He went zone out of the press. It started working. They have now gone back and forth between the two, creating some added confusion for opposing teams. The Mocs effort and energy, combined with their talent, and then throwing in the adjusting defense, and suddenly the Mocs are winning basketball games.

But they are winning the games by thin margins and they have a razor thin margin of error if they want to continue winning games. The margin of error is tiny. They will have to keep on fighting hard each and every possession. Wade and the staff will have to come up with the best possible gameplans to maximize their ability against each opponent.

I'm not sure how long the Mocs can stay unbeaten in SoCon play. But I do have confidence that Wade will have the team prepared on most nights. They will win some more games over the remainder of the year and may even get a bye in the tournament. They may even find a way to win the SoCon Tournament. But I can guarantee one thing- there will not be many nights where the Mocs win by 20 points. They simply are not enough better than most of their opponents to do it. Expect a lot of really tight games.

Expect it to continue this Thursday in Boone. No reason to expect anything but a close game.

GO MOCS!

Daily Dribbles- 1/13/14

--Dash has his most recent update on Thursday's win for the Spartans over the Mountaineers.

--There are three unbeatens remaining in conference play- Western Carolina, Davidson and Chattanooga. The Catamounts and Mocs each survived by one point on Saturday night while the Wildcats dominated Appalachian State.

--There are also three winless teams in conference play- Fur\man, The Citadel and Appalachian State. Furman was up late against Samford on Saturday night before falling. The Citadel has been playing people close in conference play- they just haven't learned to win. Appalachian State has been looking better with Jay Canty back, but has had a very difficult schedule so far in conference play with UNCG, Elon and Davidson.

--Thursday night is still a few days away and that's when SoCon teams will be back in action.

Scanning the SoCon- Week Eleven

Each week, bloggers and fans from around the SoCon vote on weekly awards and answer questions about the conference. This is the third year of Scanning the SoCon and hopefully our best year yet.

SCHEDULE

Thursday

Furman at Georgia Southern
Chattanooga at Appalachian State
The Citadel at UNCG
Elon at Davidson

Saturday

Samford at Western Carolina
Georgia Southern at Appalachian State
Davidson at UNCG
Furman at The Citadel
Massachusetts at Elon
Chattanooga at Wofford

POWER RANKINGS

1)      Davidson 97 (7)

2)      Western Carolina 91 (2)

3)      Elon 80

4)      Chattanooga 67

5)      Georgia Southern 60

6)      UNCG 58

7)      Wofford 51

8)      Samford 33

9)      Furman 22

10)  Appalachian State 19

11)  The Citadel 16

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Z Mason, Chattanooga- 5 votes

Others Receiving Votes- Lee Skinner, Wofford- 2, DeMon Brooks, Davidson- 1.5, Chris Czerapowicz, Davidson- .5

GAME OF THE WEEK

Elon at Davidson- 8 votes

Others Receiving Votes- Massachusetts at Elon- 1

QUESTIONS

Sum up your team.

Georgia Southern- It's going to be nice having both Eric Ferguson and Trent Weideman on the floor next year, but the thought of "what if" has to be going through every GSU fan's mind right now.  If Eric Ferguson was healthy I think GSU could win the SoCon this year.  The frontcourt hasn't been nearly as big of a liability in conference play as it was in out of conference play, but the Eagles are still getting very little offensively from the post players.  Kyle Doyle is a freshman who is getting better every week and if he can continue that he could be a big part of GSU's plans come conference tournament time.  Angel Matias is incredibly undersized playing the power forward position at 6'4 but he's a very good rebounder, averaging 7 rebounds a game.  As a JUCO I think it took him a little bit of time to get used to division 1 basketball, but he looks a lot more comfortable now than he did at the beginning of the year.  Jelani Hewitt and Tre Bussey continue to carry the team offensively and that's not going to be changing.  What does have to change is GSU's poor free throw shooting.  It cost the Eagles the game against Western Carolina and that wasn't just a one time thing as the Eagles are 9th in the league in free throw shooting.

Samford- I'll keep it short and sweet, Samford is struggling to find an identity, leadership and purpose.  Perhaps it is just a matter of taste, but our style of play is ugly.  Maybe it is supposed to be ugly, but ineffective is ugly's intimate companion and the offspring is losing.  The faithful hope it is still the by-product of switching from the Princeton to whatever it is we are trying to do now, the hopeful hope it is just youth, the pessimist are looking forward to baseball season.  Whatever the reality is, we just aren't very good right now. 

 

The Citadel- The Citadel continues to lose games. “We’re close,” said Chuck Driesell after the OT loss at Wofford. Close doesn’t count, though. It is true that in three SoCon matchups, the Bulldogs have been respectable. However, they blew double-digit second half leads in two of the three games and have not yet demonstrated an ability to put things together in a way that would lead to wins. The Citadel’s struggles on the road have been so acute it’s a wonder Jeff Bzdelik isn’t the coach. In a little over a week, the Bulldogs host Furman and Appalachian State. They need to win both games.

Western Carolina- The Catamounts start off the season 3-0, with a very tough road win at Georgia Southern.  The Eagles are certainly playing better than their preseason pick of number nine.  The Cats have wins over preseason favorite Elon and a very good UNCG team.  The Cats will not play again until next Saturday, when they will take on Samford in Cullowhee.  WCU is on a four game win streak, and have won five of their last six games. 

Who is the most overrated player in the SoCon?

Georgia Southern- This is a tough one, but I'd probably have to say Karl Cochran.  Not that he's a bad player by any means, but he puts up a decent amount of points on a lot of shots.

Samford- Right now, I hate to say it, but Samford’s own Raijon Kelly. He has not lived up to all conference honors. He isn’t even in the starting lineup. He needs a healthy dose of confidence to get back to last season’s form. A shot at the buzzer to beat Furman may be the confidence boost he needs, but Kelly is struggling. He has far more potential than we have seen thus far.

The Citadel- I don’t know if you can say any player in a league like the SoCon is overrated, especially this early in the conference season. There aren’t many people out there rating the SoCon at all. Last year, the most overrated player in the league was probably Karl Cochran of Wofford. He appears to be playing a little better this season so far, though not really at an all-conference level.

Western Carolina- Jack Isenbarger (Elon) -  Selected as a preseason all conference selection, Isenbarger is only averaging 6.9 ppg and has a 36.4% field goal average.  He just hasn't played to expectations.

 
What record do you think a SoCon team will need to secure a bye in the conference tournament?

Georgia Southern- I think ten wins definitely gets a bye but I could see 9-7 or 8-8 getting that last bye as well.

Samford- Considering that five teams get a first round bye, it won’t take much. There is a lot of parity in the middle of the SoCon pack. Parity combined with mediocrity means that there will be a lot of teams playing around .500 ball and tie breakers are likely to be the deciding factor between places 5 and 7. I’m going to go out on a limb and say someone sneaks in at 8-8.

The Citadel- I have no idea. If I had to guess, 9-7 might win a tiebreaker.

Western Carolina- Five teams get a bye out of 11 team, that means six team play in the first round.  To get that number 5 bye, I think a team will have to have at least a 11-5 conference record out of the 16 conference games each team will play.  I think that the top three finish with three or less conference losses, and four and five finish with 4 or 5 losses. 

Dean Keener wrote, “When you add in all these factors across different campuses, there is very little a conference office can do in terms of scheduling.” Agree or disagree?

Georgia Southern- I agree. I’ve seen first hand how tough it is to get schools to come to Statesboro, Georgia and play in Hanner Fieldhouse. It’s not an easy thing to do. But I do like the idea of limiting how many non-D1 games you can play. I think the SoCon should also try and pair up with another conference to play a “challenge” which would help out these smaller conferences with home D1 games.

Samford- Nobody knows the trouble these coaches have seen. Cry me a river. If all these mid-major coaches are having such trouble, why not schedule each other instead of non-D1s? I’m not buying it. It is tough all over. They are supposed to be D1 conferences, the conference offices can broker deals with other mid-major conferences to play a certain number of inter-conference games to fill out quality schedules. They can also severely restrict of even prohibit non-D1 games. These are D1 teams. It only makes sense, if you are D1, that you in fact play a D1 schedule. Playing NAIA and D2 games is a fraud on the game and the fans.

The Citadel- It’s entirely on the league office for not enforcing a rules about playing so many non-D1 teams. Exactly why was Dave Odom hired again? How about the SoCon office helping place more league teams in exempt tournaments? How about the league office helping teams put together non-conference TV matchups? How about the league office doing anything?

Western Carolina- I think there is a lot the conference office could do, but only with the agreement of a majority of the conference members, which the conference will not get. I think about the only thing the conference office can really do is encourage better scheduling. This is not a basketball centered conference. As long as football is the center of the universe of the SoCon, basketball will not greatly improve overall, conference wide.

Feature Article: Last Shot at Davidson

Davidson announced this past spring that they were leaving the SoCon, and instantly the team that has dominated the last decade of SoCon hoops was gone.

All that did was gear people up for one last run at the SoCon champs.

So far, the Wildcats are 3-0 in SoCon play, but they are about to battle the preseason league favorite and a team that thinks they can be a SoCon contender this year in the span of about 48 hours. Those 48 hours will tell us all exactly where Davidson really stands.

The Phoenix have been itching for this opportunity for a while. Elon hired Matt Matheny from Bob McKillop's staff with an eye of turning their program into another Davidson. They copied their style of play. Now, they have a team that they think can win the SoCon. This is their shot at Davidson at their own gym this year. They've been gunning for them all offseason. To be the best, you've got to beat the best.

The UNCG Spartans are upstarts this year to some degree. Last year was supposed to be their year to make a run. Now, without Darrell Armstrong and Trevis Simpson, the Spartans have improved. Their fanbase is hungry for a win to validate their program. A home game against the champs? Yes, please. This is their chance to prove to the world that they belong among the SoCon elite.

The Wildcats struggled mightily out of SoCon play against a difficult schedule. Now, they can get back to the NCAA Tournament by winning the SoCon. They have been inconsistent this year. But they have a chance to get on a real positive roll here if they can win these two games.

Time is running out for the rest of the SoCon to catch the Wildcats. This is the last shot at the Wildcats. Two teams take their best shots at Davidson this week. Will it lead to validation of those programs? Or will it lead to the re-establishment that Davidson is the team to beat?

We'll find out. This week.

Team to Watch This Week- Davidson

Obviously. Did you just read the article? The Davidson Wildcats play two huge games against two good SoCon teams this week. We'll learn a lot about whether or not Davidson will walk or run through this conference.

Thing You May Not Know.... But Should

Strength of schedule matters this early in conference play. Below is a chart of each team's SoCon record and in parentheses, their opponents record and winning percentage. The teams are ranked in terms of opponents winning percentage. Note: If Team A beat Team B, Team B's record minus one loss was added to Team A's total. That way Team A beating Team B does not count in the strength of schedule factor.

1) Western Carolina 3-0 (5-0, 1.000)
2) Appalachian State 0-3 (4-2, .667)
3) The Citadel 0-3 (5-3, .625)
4) Wofford 2-2 (6-4, .600)
4) Georgia Southern 1-1 (3-2, .600)
4) Furman 0-4 (6-4, .600)
7) Samford 1-3 (4-6, .400)
8) Elon 2-1 (2-4, .333)
9) UNCG 2-1 (2-5, .286)
10) Chattanooga 4-0 (3-8, .273)
11) Davidson 3-0 (2-6,. .250)

That makes what Western Carolina has done even more impressive. No team they have played has lost a conference game if it wasn't too the Catamounts. That's impressive. Chattanooga has gotten a lot of press for playing an easy schedule, but Davidson has not been mentioned too much for playing an easy schedule. Not too surprising- the Wildcats have earned the right for a pass, while the Mocs have not in recent years.

SoCon Schedule- January 15-21

Thursday

Furman at Georgia Southern, 7:00 PM
The Paladins have been so close so far, but have not gotten over the hump yet. The Eagles need to win to maintain their current momentum.

Chattanooga at Appalachian State, 7:00 PM
The Mocs haven't lost a conference game. The Mountaineers haven't won one. But since when has Boone been an easy place for the Mocs to win? The Mocs have a very thin margin of error.

The Citadel at UNCG, 7:00 PM
The Bulldogs are getting closer and closer each and every game. The Spartans want to be considered contenders? Go beat The Citadel before hosting Davidson.

Elon at Davidson, 7:00 PM
The SoCon Monster Game of the Week. Elon and Davidson are so much alike. To be the best, you have to beat the best. That's Elon's mantra. THIS is the game they have been waiting for.

Saturday

Samford at Western Carolina, 2:00 PM
Can Western Carolina stay focused and come up with a conference win over a team they should beat? Or was the Bulldogs thrilling win over Furman be a confidence boost and propel them to an upset?

Georgia Southern at Appalachian State, 2:00 PM
Appalachian State is playing better. Georgia Southern needs to win on the road against a team like the Mountaineers. These two teams are both leaving the SoCon, but we'll call this a Sun Belt preview.

Davidson at UNCG, 5:00 PM
I know Elon-Davidson is the Game of the Week, but this is Game of the Week 1A. If the Spartans beat The Citadel at home on Thursday , this may be the biggest game for UNCG in a long time.

Furman at The Citadel, 7:00 PM
These two teams are both winless heading into the week. They have each being playing well enough to not be winless. At least one of them will have a win after this one.

Chattanooga at Wofford, 7:00 PM
The Mocs and Terriers just played on Saturday. The Mocs won a heart stopper by one, and now travel to Spartanburg for the return trip. In the battle for the bye, this one could loom large.

Monday

Western Carolina at Wofford, 7:00 PM (CSS)
So maybe Western Carolina gets a bit of a break by playing Samford for Saturday, but it is right back to playing teams considered among the best on the SoCon, and this time on the road. This one will be a battle.

SoCon Saturday Review- 1-11-14

Western Carolina 68, Georgia Southern 67

Key Stat: Georgia Southern 2 of 15 from three point range. Georgia Southern is a team that likes to score a lot of points from three point range. But on this day, they did not do it. They made a mere 2 of 15 from long range, both of those late, one of them coming on the final shot of the game after the Catamounts were already up by four. The Eagles needed to be hot from three point range, and the Catamounts shut them down.

Player of the Game: Brandon Boggs. Boggs did not have a huge game, but he scored 13 points and made a huge three pointer in the second half. He also collected seven critical rebounds and two assists. Boggs made 6 of 12 from the floor for the game.

What It All Means: Western Carolina is now 3-0 having played Elon, UNCG and Georgia Southern. Those are three good SoCon teams. Sitting in that position continues to make them one of the SoCon favorites. They still have to play Davidson (not to mention Chattanooga and Wofford), but at this point it's hard to deny that this team is no worse than the second best team in the SoCon given who they have beaten. Georgia Southern drops to 1-1 in SoCon play. That doesn't mean that they can't still get a bye in the SoCon, but it means that they may not quite be ready to win the SoCon Tournament at this point in the year. That's fine, of course, because they don't need to win it until March. They shot poorly from three point range and from the free throw line. That probably won't happen too many times this year. They were right there with one of the conference favorites despite that. There's really no reason to panic right now.

Chattanooga 70, Wofford 69

Key Stat: Mocs seven blocks. Z Mason came up with four blocks. Lance Stokes came up with three. The Mocs needed all of them to keep the Terriers from scoring. The Mocs are the best shot blocking team in the SoCon and Mason is the best shot blocker in the SoCon. That really helps the Mocs defense step up and be more effective.

Player of the Game: Casey Jones. Jones came up with 19 second half points, 23 points overall and eight rebounds. He made 9 of 12 from the floor and 5 of 6 from the free throw line. Casey Jones continues to develop, just like he did at the end of last year, and continues to improve to the point that he is becoming one of the SoCon's better players.

What It All Means: The Terriers find themselves 2-2 in SoCon play and now have a week to lick their wounds. They play, ironically, Chattanooga at home next Saturday. That will be critical to them in their quest to get back into the SoCon race. They shouldn't be too disappointed at this point. They have lost to two unbeaten SoCon teams at this point. The Mocs are 4-0, but have barely survived a couple of games. Of course, all four have been in the last eight days. I think SoCon teams will need nine or ten wins to get a bye in the SoCon Tournament. That means the Mocs need another five or six wins to get there. That's not going to be easy. But it can be done.

Davidson 78, Appalachian State 66

Key Stat: Davidson eFG of 63.3%. The Wildcats really could not miss on Saturday evening. They made 28 of 49 from the floor and 6 of 11 from three point range. When they shoot the ball that well, the Wildcats are going to be almost impossible to beat. Appalachian State's defense has been struggling all year, but this really made Davidson look very good.

Player of the Game: DeMon Brooks. Brooks collected 19 points on 7 of 8 shooting from the floor and also came up with six rebounds. He was very hot in this one. He obviously just missed one shot. If he is on like that, I don't know who stops him.

What It All Means: Appalachian State is now 0-3 in SoCon play. They jumped out to a ten point lead in this one, but then couldn't hold on. Jason Capel is in trouble. That being said, the Mountaineers have looked better with Jay Canty back. When will they come up with their first D1 win? Could be next week against Chattanooga or Georgia Southern at home. Davidson is 3-0 in SoCon play. They were untested this week. They have two huge games this week. They play UNCG and Elon this week. This is going to be a huge week for them. The Wildcats have looked very good in SoCon play so far.

Elon 74, The Citadel 65

Key Stat: Elon four turnovers. The Phoenix only committed four turnovers. The Citadel shot 50% from the floor. Elon shot 40.3% from the floor and made just 9 of 31 from three point range. They did not dominate the boards. However Elon won because they protected the ball and only had four turnovers compared to the Bulldogs eleven. That was the difference in this game.

Player of the Game: Lucas Troutman. Troutman came up with 19 points and nine rebounds. He also went to the free throw line eight times and made seven. He had four offensive rebounds and five defensive rebounds. He had two blocks in the game as well. Troutman showed up as a monster in this game and he needed to, because The Citadel continues to hang around.

What It All Means: The Citadel is 0-3 now, but have been right in every SoCon game. The Bulldogs will win some SoCon games eventually. They may even be able to get out of the last place spot in the SoCon or even up to the ninth spot. Who knows? This team deserves credit for how they are playing right now. Elon is 2-1 in SoCon play now. They have the game that has been circled on their calendar all year coming up- a trip to Davidson. That game is huge to the Phoenix, because if they want to prove they are a SoCon contender, they need to beat the best. We'll see what develops this week and learn a lot about this Elon team.

Furman Samford

Key Stat: Samford 21 of 25 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs made 84% of their free throws, and Furman made 78.6%, but just 11 of 14. That is a ten point difference, and that is how the Bulldogs were able to win a game where they only shot 34.8% from the floor. They also played better defense tonight. Those are the two keys to the Bulldogs winning this one.

Player of the Game: Raijon Kelly. No one had a big game for Samford, but the Bulldogs won the game by two. Kelly scored a three point play with twelve seconds left to put the Bulldogs up two. That big shot and free throw are the reason the Bulldogs won, so, despite the fact that he had just six points, he gets the award in this one.

What It All Means: Furman seemed to have the game in hand, but then blew it at Samford. Now the Paladins fall to 0-4 in SoCon play. I'll say it again- this is a really dangerous time for Niko Medved's team. They have been playing well, and haven't been bad in SoCon play, but haven't gotten a win, and now the team has to start questioning everything. Medved will have to do a lot of his best work to keep this team together. Samford is now up to 1-3 and maybe this starts to turn things around for the Bulldogs as they try to get back into the bye race after losing three games. A comeback win like this is just what the Bulldogs needed to get things going. We'll see if this gets things going.

Mocs 70, Terriers 69

That was a survival. I'm not sure if it should count as a win in the standings or not, but as a survival. Yes, the Mocs won, and for 39 and a half minutes, they had earned the win. Good for them they had done enough in those first 39 minutes 48 seconds to make the last twelve not matter a whole lot.

With the Mocs up six with 12 seconds left, there is no reason the Mocs should get into a situation where they might lose. Yet, the Terriers had a free throw with a chance to tied it just four seconds later. After avoiding that near disaster, the Mocs missed two free throws, and Greg Pryor had to take a charge with a second left for the Mocs to avoid losing the game.

It was a pehnomenal game. It was very exciting, but this seems to be becoming a bit of a habit for the Mocs. They seem to have games put away with about a minute or so left and then suddenly, they start to struggle and have to kind of survive a late scare. This is clearly the biggest scare they have had in this situation, and they did survive, but it is becoming an uncomfortable thing for me as a Mocs fan.

That being said, the Mocs came up with their sixth straight win and are now 4-0 in SoCon play. It's really impossible to complain about that on the whole. The Mocs are now 10-8 overall, and 7-8 against D1 teams on the year. This from a team that fourteen days ago had exactly one D1 win. Impressive.

Z Mason scored 17 points with 7 rebounds and four blocks. That's not a double-double. After six straight double-doubles, that has to be a bit of a disappointment. But Mason again was very good. He continues to have a tremendously positive impact on the Mocs. Casey Jones wound up with a career high 23 points and eight rebounds. Jones collected 19 points in the second half. Lance Stokes had eight rebounds as well and Rico White again scored in double digits off the bench with fifteen points. Stokes contributed an additional three blocks.

The game was played at the Terriers pace for most of the night, but the Mocs effort and energy for a large chunk of the second half again won the day. The Mocs built an eleven point lead before letting it getting taken away in the final couple of minutes. The trip to Wofford next week will be a significant challenge for this club. The trip to an improving Appalachian State team won't be exactly easy. I think that 9-7 will be enough to get no worse than a tie for the bye. That means the Mocs need to go 5-7 or 6-6 the rest of the way to get a bye in my opinion. With the parity in the SoCon, I think any team with a bye will have a shot (some shot) at winning the SoCon Tournament.

The Mocs need to learn how to close out games well. But at 4-0, it's hard to really complain.

GO MOCS!

Four Factors: Wofford

eFG%
Terriers- 46.7%
Mocs- 47.4%
Advantage- Mocs

TO%
Terriers- 16.9%
Mocs- 16.6%
Advantage- Mocs

OR%
Terriers- 40.5%
Mocs- 37.8%
Advantage- Terriers

FTRate
Terriers- 31.7%
Mocs- 45.6%
Advantage- Mocs

Steals
Terriers- 6
Mocs- 5
Advantage- Terriers

3P%
Terriers- 22.2%
Mocs- 25.0%
Advantage- Mocs

Possessions: 66

Wofford Preview: Now Things Get Real

The Mocs are 3-0! It's nothing short of a surprising start in SoCon play. There was a time that I was
concerned the Mocs might not win five more games all year...now they have won five straight.

Admittedly, the Mocs have not played a SoCon team with a conference win yet. It's early in the year, so it's hard to judge that. But the Mocs won two road games in that stretch and beat a Samford team that many expected to finishi third or fourth in the SoCon in the preseason.

Now, things change. Wofford is one of the teams people think can win or contend in the SoCon. If the Mocs beat Wofford, it will be impossible to say that the Mocs haven't beaten anyone during this stretch. Are they ready for this kind of challenge? This is a serious challenge. It is also a serious opportunity. Enthusiasm hasn't been this high in years for Mocs basketball games. This game could be a springboard to bigger and better things- or proof that the Mocs aren't quite ready for primetime.

While the Mocs are 3-0 in SoCon play, Wofford is 2-1. They lost to Davidson. They beat Furman and The Citadel, two of the teams the Mocs have beaten. The Terriers won in overtime against The Citadel and was lucky to win in a lot of ways, as the best free throw shooting team in the SoCon only shot 9 of 19 from the charity stripe.

The Terriers are lead by two shooters, and boy do they shoot. Spencer Collins and Karl Cochran each are big time shooters. Cochran is taking just 11.5 shots per game, down from 16.3 shots per game a year ago. He is also averaging just 12.2 points per game, down from 15.6 points per game. In truth, this is good for the Terriers. Cochran shot 36.1% from the floor this year, and is up to 37.6% this year. That's still not good. But since he is taking a lower percentage of the shots, the Terriers are performing better. He is a 35% three point shooter, so that's not bad.

Collins also has his shots down from a year ago. Last year, he took 11.6 shots per game and now he is taking 10.5 shots per game. A year ago, he shot 37.6% from the floor. This year, he is up to 43.7% shooting. He still takes nearly three three pointers per game. He is shooting just 33.3% per game. He's averaging 13.6 points per game.

The most important Terrier may be Lee Skinner. He is undersized at 6-6. He is shooting 47.8% from the floor. He is coming up with eight rebounds per game and 1.9 assists. He is averaging 11.6 points per game. After scoring just seven against Samford, he has scored 50 points against Davidson and The Citadel and 22 rebounds. Skinner is a phenomenal player. He can make a huge difference in this one. He is a lot like Z Mason is for the Mocs. He is undersized for this position, but works hard for rebounds and is the energy on the team.

Cochran averages 2.7 assists per game and 1.6 steals. Indiana Faithfull averages 2.5 assists per game, while Eric Garcia averages 2.0. Cochran is also second on the team in rebounding, with 5.5 per contest. Garcia and Jaylen Allen each shoot just over 40.0% from three point range.

This is a team that forces turnovers at a high rate. They rank 77th in the country in TO%. They also rank 123rd in the country in DR%. Opponents are shooting 53.3% from two point range, which is 302nd in the country. They play decent defense. They are also one of the worst offensive teams in the country. They are not good on the offensive end generally. When Cochran is hot, the Terriers offense is really good.

The Mocs defense is not particularly good, but it has been getting better lately. The Terriers are the slowest paced team in the conference, while the Mocs are the second fastest paced. The contrast in styles should be interesting. How the Terriers defend Z Mason will be very interesting. Also, it will be interesting to see if Rico White can keep on scoring.

PREDICTION

Mason is so good. Watching him and Skinner go against each other, should be interesting. Another key to the game will Casey Jones. He and Mason will be battling Skinner and 6-7 starter CJ Neumann. Neumann only averages 3.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest. Still the Mocs need to be dominating on the offensive end in the paint. Mason and Jones are critical in this one. The Mocs defense then will be relied on heavily to prevent Cochran and Skinner from going off. This should be a very interesting game. I think Wofford travelling after an overtime game will not be easy, and I think that will be the difference in the long run. I'm changing my score pick from earlier in the week. Mocs 75, Terrier 68.

Daily Dribbles- 1/10/14

--Thursday SoCon reviews here.

--Previews of Saturday's games here.

--Purple & Gold has a preview of the Georgia Southen-Western Carolina game coming up this Saturday. Should be a great game.

--The Georgia Southern-Western Carolina game is the SoCon Game of the Week.

--Wofford's trip to Chatanooga is also deeply intriguing on Saturday night. The Terriers are 2-1 in SoCon play, while the Mocs are 3-0. Neither team has beaten a team with a SoCon win yet. Both have beaten Samford. Both have beaten The Citadel. Wofford lost to Davidson. Chattanooga beat Furman. This should be a very interesting game for both teams.

--Samford and Furman are each 0-3 and are doing battle on Saturday as well. One will come away with a win. It's a really dangerous time for both teams. They each need a win very badly. The loser basically can kiss away their chances of getting a SoCon Tournament bye.

Mocs 90, Bulldogs 81

The Mocs played a near flawless first half and were up by 19 points at one point and were up 15 at the half. In the end, the Mocs had survive a last couple of minutes rally by Samford and hold on for a nine point win.

Z Mason was not himself on Thursday night. He made just 2 of 8 shots from the floor, with one of those being a three pointer. That was good for five points. But he made 11 of 14 from the free throw line and scored 16 points to go along with ten rebounds. That shows two things. First of all, it shows the Mocs can win a game without Mason dominating from the floor. Secondly, it shows that Mason knows how to be a contributor even if he isn't making shots from the floor. He has to to be able to get to the free throw in situations like that- and he did just that. He also came up with five blocks and three steals. He has become a block machine. He's only 6-6 people! A 6-6 guy should not be leading the SoCon in blocks and really becoming more and more dominant each and every game in the paint.

Five Mocs wound up in double figures. Mason had 16. Rico White finished with 28 off the bench, including 12 of 12 from the free throw line. White has been a revelation since he came back from injury. He has always been a hot shooter, and he has stepped up in a huge way. The Mocs needed another scorer. They have one in White. He has opened up the offense for guys like Martynas Bareika, Gee McGhee and Casey Jones- all of whom scored in double figures on Thursday night. Jones made 7 of 7 from the field, and he is one of the leaders in the conference in field goal percentage. McGhee came up with nine rebounds and four assists to go along with 7 of 10 from the free throw line. Bareika, who use to be pretty much just a shooter, but he has developed an ability to get to the basket. He made two threes and five shots from the floor.

Yes, the Mocs gave up 81 points. A full 48 of those were in the second half. The Bulldogs shot 47.5% in the second half from the floor. They shot just 42.3% in the first half and the Mocs shot 51.5%. The Mocs were really good in the first half offensively, and were not bad defensively. Tim Williams scored 15 points with seven rebounds and five blocks, but he was under control for much of the game. That was a very important piece to the puzzle as well.

The Mocs have not beaten a team with a SoCon win yet. On Saturday night, that can change. Wofford is 2-1 in SoCon play and comes in with a lot of expectations. People like Ken Pomeroy expects the Terriers to go 10-6 in SoCon play and come up with the fourth seed in the conference tournament. That means that Saturday is a big game. Wofford was playing in Spartanburg on Thursday night and was taken to overtime by The Citadel before winning. Should be a big night. Hopefully, a big crowd will show up, even though it is opposite an NFL playoff game (Indianapolis at New England).

GO MOCS!

Four Factors: Samford

eFG%
Bulldogs- 50.8%
Mocs- 54.6%
Advantage- Mocs

TO%
Bulldogs- 17.3%
Mocs-  19.6%
Advantage- Bulldogs

OR%
Bulldogs- 36.8%
Mocs- 36.4%
Advantage- Bulldogs

FTRate
Bulldogs- 31.8%
Mocs- 75.9%
Advantage- Mocs

Steals
Bulldogs- 5
Mocs- 9
Advantage- Mocs

3P%
Bulldogs- 28.0%
Mocs- 47.4%
Advantage- Mocs

Possessions: 76

SoCon In Review- 1/9/14

UNCG 66, Appalachian State 60

Key Stat: Appalachian State 34.5% from the field. The Spartans turned it over 21 times, which should have been more than enough for the Mountaineers to win this one. But in the end, the Spartans wound up winning by six. That was because the Mountaineers couldn't shoot the ball from the floor at all. Tevin Baskin went 4 of 13, Tab Hamilton 6 of 15 and Mike Neal 1 of 7. That simply wasn't good enough for the Mountaineers.

Player of the Game: Kyle Cain. He scored 12 points while collecting 14 rebounds. He made 6 of 11 shots from the floor. Fourteen rebounds is a huge game. The 6-7 junior stepped up in a big way in this one that the Spartans really needed to have.

What It All Means: The Spartans are now 2-1 in SoCon play and have a day off before battling The Citadel at home. They have won back-to-back games now. This is a team that can contend in the SoCon. They did not look great against the Mountaineers, but they came up with the win, and that was very important in this one. The Mountaineers still have not won a D1 game. They go to Davidson this weekend. The Mountaineers are just 0-2 in SoCon play, and Jay Canty again showed that he is a very solid player, scoring 15 points and six rebounds. Canty will guide them to some SoCon wins eventually. When that will be is the only question.

Wofford 79, The Citadel 75 (OT)

Key Stat: The Citadel 9 of 19 from the free throw line. In a game that went to overtime, the Bulldogs shot under 50% from the free throw line. The best free throw shooting team in the SoCon couldn't make a big free throw in this one. They made 56% from the floor, 67% from three point range and under 50% from the free throw line. The Bulldogs just can't buy a win right now.

Player of the Game: Lee Skinner. If Skinner is going to play like that, the Terriers are going to be nearly impossible to beat. He scored 27 points on 11 of 17 shooting from the floor. He collected twelve rebounds. He also had four assists and a block. If the 6-6 big man is going to be a presence like that, the Terriers are going to win a ton of SoCon games.

What It All Means: The Bulldogs nearly beat the Mocs and the Terriers in the last two games, but haven't made enough big plays at the end of games to come up with a win yet. The Citadel is now 0-2 in SoCon play. They need to learn to win. If they ever win a close game, they will probably string together a series of them. This team is close. Unfortunately for them, their next two games are at Elon and at UNCG. The Terriers are up to 2-1 in SoCon play now. Their next two games are against Chattanooga, the first in the Scenic City. The Terriers have been reliant on Cochran and Collins but tonight they shot just 9 of 25 for 26 total points. Cochran collected seven rebounds and six assists despite not shooting well. Skinner's performance is huge for the Terriers chances to win the SoCon.

Davidson 73, Furman 56

Key Stat: Furman 21 turnovers. The Paladins committed too many turnovers. You are not going to beat one of the best teams in the SoCon by committing 21 turnovers. Eleven of them came in the second half, while the Wilcats busted the game open.

Player of the Game: DeMon Brooks. Czerapowicz or Brooks? Hmmm...I'll take the guy who collected nine rebounds and three blocks. That would be Brooks. Yes, Czerapowicz collected 21 points. Brooks knocked down 2 of 3 from three point range, came up with eighteen points, and those rebounds and blocks. He deserves the Player of the Game yet again.

What It All Means: Furman is now 0-3 in SoCon play, with two of those games coming at home. Now, they head on the road to take on Samford, Georgia Southern and The Citadel. Those may be slightly easier games. This is a really dangerous time for Niko Medved in his first year. He risks losing his team if they can't win a game soon. The Wildcats are now 2-0 in SoCon play. They have won two road games to start things off. The time is coming when we'll find out more about what this team is made of, but they have not been seriously challenged in two road SoCon games. That's a really good sign for the Wildcats.

Chattanooga 90, Samford 81

Key Stat: Mocs 31 of 41 from the free throw line. The Mocs shot a full twenty more free throws than the Bulldogs in this one, and wound up making 31 of them, which is the reason the Mocs were able to hold on. After jumping out to a 19 point first half lead, the Bulldogs were never able to make it truly close because the Mocs kept right on knocking down their free throws. Gee McGhee went 7 of 10, Rico White went 12 of 12 and Z Mason went 11 of 14. They made 30 of 36, good for 83.3% from the line. The rest of the team only went 1 of 5.

Player of the Game: Rico White. White scored 28 points, 6 of 10 from the field and 4 of 6 from three point range. He also had four assists. It was his season high in points. He is a scorer and he has played very well since he came back from injury. His 28 points off the bench were the difference in this one.

What It All Means: Samford dropped to 0-3 in SoCon play. It is a critical game for the Bulldogs against the Paladins on Saturday. If either team wants to get anywhere close to a bye, they need to win that game. The Bulldogs were expected to get a bye preseason. Now is the time to start winning. They played OK in the second half, but dug too big of a hole in the first half. The Mocs are now 3-0 in SoCon play with Wofford coming to town on Saturday evening. The Mocs have the best record in the SoCon and they played really well in the first half. The second half was mediocre. The Mocs are looking like a team that can at least contend for a bye. They need to win these games early. They have not beaten a team that has won a SoCon game yet. Their game against Wofford on Saturday will be a day to try to validate themselves.

Daily Dribbles- 1/9/14

--A preview of Thursday's games for the SoCon. 

--Appalachian State's Michael Obacha is launching a shoe drive for Nigeria. Read the story. It's nice to hear of a college basketball player doing good.

--In the SoCon Weekly Release, there was an interesting note that I have not noticed. The SoCon has gone 6-13 in games decided by one possession or in overtime. That has really hurt the SoCon overall. You would expect the conference to be closer to .500 in those games. Three or four more wins would put the conference very close to .500 in those games. That would have probably pushed the SoCon up at least one spot in the conference RPI if not two or three spots. Oh well.

--An interesting day is ahead for the SoCon. Appalachian State hosts UNCG and Samford goes to Chattanooga in the two best games.

Samford Preview: Home Again

The Mocs head home, having won back-to-back road games against The Citadel and Furman and 
getting to 2-0 in the SoCon. It is only the second time they have gone 2-0 on a road trip this century. Samford lost to Wofford at home and then lost a two point game at Georgia Southern and are sitting 0-2 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs desperately need to get a conference win or risk falling out of the bye race. As a team that was expected to be a darkhorse for the SoCon title preseason, that is shocking. The Mocs are trying to prove that they belong in the SoCon race by winning their conference home opener.

The best match-up in this game is Tim Williams vs. Z Mason. Both were considered preseason Player of the Year candidates. While Williams has been very good, to the tune of 17.6 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 62.4% from the floor, Mason has been even better in recent weeks, averaging 19.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.  Williams is 6-8 and Mason is only 6-6, but Mason has been so dominant in the paint, that the size difference does not matter. This will be one of the most compelling one on one match-ups in the SoCon all year long. This should be tremendously fun.

The Mocs may have some real trouble guarding Tyler Hood inside. He's averaging 8.8 points per game and 3.4 rebounds. At 6-6, he will be a tough handle for anyone else to guard. Can Lance Stokes or Casey Jones handle Hood? It's going to be a significant challenge. At 6-10, Michael Bradley will have a homecoming of sorts. He's from Chattanooga, and playing just over twelve minutes per game. He is second on the team in rebounding with four per game, but is averaging just 2.9 points.  However, he played just five minutes in the last four games combined. That was all against Georgia Southern, when he came up with two points and no rebounds.

Raijon Kelly is 6-4. He's averaging 9.8 points per game, with 2.9 assists per contest. Kelly is not a good three point shooter, shooting 28.6% from long distance. But he is one of the better driving guards in the SoCon, which can cause problems for the Mocs. Then again, they contained Stephen Croone of Furman last Saturday, and he is the best driving guard in the league.

Isaiah Williams has been a revelation for the Bulldogs as a freshman. He is 6-1, and has made 22 threes on the year on 37.6% shooting. He is averaging 12.0 points per game and 3.3 assists. In two SoCon games, he's averaged 10.5 points and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 22.2% from three point range. Connor Miller is shooting 42.2% from three point range and has made 27 threes. He's only averaging 6.6 points per game, but he is the Bulldogs best three point shooter.

Russell Wilson actually leads the team in assists with 3.4 per game and only 3.7 points per game. He's only played 21 minutes in two SoCon games, but has come up with three assists in each game and two points in each contest.

This is a team that used to pride themselves on defense. Not anymore. They are not a good defensive team this year. The offense has been relatively effective, making 52.2% of their two point shots (thanks largely to Tim Williams). Nearly 58% of their points come from two point range, which ranks 37th in the country. Only 19% of their points come from the free throw line, which is 307th in the country. They score twos, but don't get fouled. The Mocs have shown their conditioning as of late, with Z Mason playing a ton of minutes. If he is not in foul trouble, he should be able to stay on the floor for most of this one. On the other hand, the Samford defense has been bad. Opponents are shooting 54.7% from two point range, which ranks 327th in the country.

The Bulldogs rank 310th in the country in OR% and 297th in the country in DR%. They are not a good rebounding team, despite the fact that they have a little bit of height. The Mocs have recently been dominating the offensive glass. That's how they overcome their weak offensive numbers- getting second chance points. That will be one of the main keys in this one. If Samford keeps the Mocs off the glass, the Mocs offense will have a tough time keeping up.

PREDICTION

The Mocs are playing better basketball and with more confidence right now than Samford is. The Mocs can still not afford to take anyone lightly. They have to bring their best effort each and every night for them to win. They have limited margin of error. Williams against Mason is compelling. So is how Casey Jones, Rico White, Gee McGhee, Greg Pryor, Lance Stokes and Martynas Bareika perform in trying to contain the rest of the Bulldogs. My bet is that Mason takes control in this one, while Jones contributes in a big way. This will not be easy and will be a war until the end. But the Mocs eek out another one. Mocs 78, Bulldogs 71.

Daily Dribbles- 1/8/14

--SoCon This Week, Week Two is out there and ready for consumption. Enjoy.

--Dash has another good breakdown of the Furman game, including analyzing the key stat in how the Spartans perform.

--T-Dog is truly living the Perils of Everyweek Existence right now as an Appalachian State fan. It's hard to deny.

--Hey- I don't want this to be an App-centric post, but I can't help myself when there are two posts up within 24 hours of each other on App-centric blogs. AppHoops talks about the keys moving forward.

--Here's a look at the SoCon that was down on Friday for the Elon Pendulum. Some factual errors (which is typical of Pendulum articles looking around the SoCon), but not a bad overall look.

--Z Mason of Chattanooga won SoCon Player of the Week. He should have. He was a force last week for the Mocs, including 30 against The Citadel on Monday night.

SoCon This Week- Week of 1/7/14

Feature Article- Parity or Bad Basketball?
 SoCon Schedule- Week Two
SoCon Weekly Release
Scanning the SoCon- Week Ten
SoCon Monster Game of the Week-               Western Carolina at Georgia Southern
Thursday SoCon Previews
Saturday SoCon Previews
Thursday SoCon Reviews
Saturday SoCon Reviews

SoCon Saturday, 1/11/14

A daily preview of each game.

Saturday Thought

This is the first day with a full slate of games. Five SoCon games will happen on Saturday night. Wofford's trip to Chattanooga and Western Carolina's trip to Georgia Southern could both have long lasting effects on the conference race. That's the most important part of this day. Furman, The Citadel and Appalachian State all have to go on the road and try to find a way to come up with upsets.

Western Carolina at Georgia Southern, 2:00 PM

Trey Sumler. Tre Bussey. Jelani Hewitt. Three names that everyone should know in the SoCon battle it out in this one. The Catamounts were so impressive against Elon and UNCG that they have become a very trendy pick to win the SoCon.  The Catamounts will need someone other than Sumler to step up. They need Tom Tankelwicz and Tawaski King to step up on the road. Georgia Southern is so guard-oriented and are the shortest team in the SoCon. They are a solid team that is trying to prove that they belong in the SoCon championship discussion. This is their chance to prove how far they've come. Still, something just tells me that Western Carolina is playing so well right now that they find a way on the road. Western Carolina 71, Georgia Southern 70.

Furman at Samford, 7:00 PM

The Paladins and Bulldogs both have an aversion to defense. How will the Bulldogs contain Stephen Croone? I'm not sure. Croone is something else and very tough to contain for any defense. One of the underrated battles in the SoCon will be Kendrec Ferrara of Furman against Tim Williams of Samford. Those are both solid performers and should be entertaining. Williams is very good. That being said, Raijon Kelly and Tyler Hood should be too much for the Paladins to handle. Croone vs. Kelly? That should also be a very intriguing match-up. Bulldogs 79, Paladins 74.

Wofford at Chattanooga, 7:00 PM

This is going to be a battle. The Terriers defense is very good and they will challenge the Mocs, who are offensively challenged. The key may be how the Mocs do on the offensive boards compared to the Terriers on the defensive boards. The Mocs rank 100th in the country in OR% and the Terriers rank 138th in DR%. That will be a key in the game, as the Mocs are unlikely to score much otherwise. Can Lee Skinner or CJ Neumann contain Z Mason? Karl Cochran and Spencer Collins, as I've said repeatedly, like to shoot. If they're on, they'll be tough to defend. But they are not the type of offensive skill players that have been giving the Mocs problems this year. Neither team will score much and the Mocs eek out a home win. Mocs 60, Terriers 59.

The Citadel at Elon, 7:00 PM

The Bulldogs will need to come up with a way to slow down the Phoenix. How do they stop them? They are bigger and more physical. One of the few ways they can win this game is for the Bulldogs to try to control the offensive glass. They are a decent offensive rebounding team, while the Phoenix are a good defensive rebounding team, but a terrible offensive rebounding team. If they can score on some put backs and get some easy baskets, maybe they can get this one somehow. That being said Lucas Troutman at 6-10 should completely dominate this one. The Bulldogs have no answer. Phoenix 76, Bulldogs 56.

Appalachian State at Davidson, 7:00 PM

I know that I think Jay Canty can make a difference for the Mountaineers. But to expect Canty to make a difference in Belk Arena would be something else. Yes, the Mountaineers have played well in Belk before, but this team is not a particularly good collection of talent. If the Mountaineers lose to UNCG on Thursday and lose this one, there is a chance Capel is fired by Monday. Davidson will need to maintain focus and not show up in a bad state of mind. They have done that sometimes this year. If they are focused and ready to go, it's hard to come up with a way that the Mountaineers stop DeMon Brooks or Tom Droney. Wildcats 85, Mountaineers 68.