And the close calls go on.
How many of these can the Mocs pull out? They are now 6-0 in SoCon play, and five of them have been by six points or less. Hmmm...
The good news? The Mocs are, as mentioned before, 6-0 in SoCon play. They are now back to 8-8 in D1 play, which is huge. This is the first time they have been at .500 against D1 teams since beating Marshall back in early November to get to 2-2.
Remember how high I was on DeAntre Jefferson just about two weeks ago? Suddenly things are kind of falling apart for him. He didn't score and had three rebounds (all in the second half). That was not a good performance by Jefferson. He continues to puzzle since the calendar turned to 2011. Maybe he'll get back to the way he had been playing. The Mocs need him to get back to those performances. Yes, he's been shooting free throws better- but he has not been scoring from the field.
But who has stepped up? How about Ricky Taylor? It seems like Taylor has been making big play after big play in virtually every game in recent weeks. Tonight, Taylor came up with 11 rebounds, and scored 16 points. He made some big free throws and some big shots to keep the Mocs in the game. He also came up with some big rebounds. Great job by Taylor.
Chris Early poured home 17 points and had eight rebounds. That included a big five points in the final couple of minutes- a three and two free throws. He made the big shot. He needs to keep on playing at that level. He is capable of always playing at that level. The other night I questioned whether or not he was in Shulman's doghouse having played just eleven minutes. If he was in it at the start of the night, he is out of it now with this performance.
Omar Wattad did what Omar Wattad does. He scored 17 points, with five three pointers. Wattad had some excellent shots at key moments. The problem? Wattad missed two free throws in the final minute that nearly saw the Mocs collapse. The lead was five when he stepped to the line. He missed both free throws and Samford came down and scored to make it a three point game. Those misses were big by Wattad. He is supposed to be the Mocs best free throw shooter, but he has consistently missed them in the clutch, it seems like. That's an area for improvement for Wattad.
Keegan Bell had nine assists. He was in control of this game, and he played very well, even though he scored just nine points.
The Mocs committed just ten turnovers, after committing just seven the other night against The Citadel. The Mocs seem to have the turnovers under control at this moment. That's good news.
The Mocs also held Samford to just 38.8% shooting on the night. They played good defense tonight. They did not shoot well, shooting just over 32%. If they had shot a little better, this would have been a big win for the Mocs. They were outrebounded in the first half, but dominated the boards in the second half. They did not do a great job guarding Josh Bedwell, who scored 21 points, and had five three pointers. Jeffrey Merritt and Josh Davis both scored ten points, while Merritt had ten rebounds, and Davis had eight rebounds.
The most disturbing thing about this game may be that the Mocs jumped out to a 13-0 lead and then never were able to deliver a knockout punch after that. The Bulldogs took the lead several teams, but the Mocs never let them have the ball and have the lead. That was important. Every time the Bulldogs took the lead, the Mocs answered right away. But they were never able to deliver the knockout punch that I was hoping to see when the score got to be 13-0. I was hoping the Mocs would eventually come up with about a big double digit win, and I thought they might in this game with the way it started. But it wasn't to be.
But- the Mocs are 6-0 in the SoCon. They have beaten every single North team so far. They are up by two games on first place in the North, and are up by three games for the bye, which is critical. The Mocs are in very good shape right now. A very tough week lies ahead- College of Charleston on Monday, at Wofford on Thursday, at Furman on Saturday. Toughest week of the year. We'll know a lot more about where the Mocs really stand next Saturday at this time.
GO MOCS!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
SoCon Standings
NORTH
1) Chattanooga 6-0
2) Western Carolina 4-2
3) Appalachian State 3-3
4) Samford 2-3
5) Elon 2-4
6) UNC-Greensboro 1-5
SOUTH
1) College of Charleston 5-0
2) Wofford 5-1
3) Furman 4-2
4) Davidson 2-4
5) The Citadel 1-5
6) Georgia Southern 0-6
1) Chattanooga 6-0
2) Western Carolina 4-2
3) Appalachian State 3-3
4) Samford 2-3
5) Elon 2-4
6) UNC-Greensboro 1-5
SOUTH
1) College of Charleston 5-0
2) Wofford 5-1
3) Furman 4-2
4) Davidson 2-4
5) The Citadel 1-5
6) Georgia Southern 0-6
SoCon Saturday
Western Carolina 79, Appalachian State 78
College of Charleston 87, The Citadel 66
Furman 74, Georgia Southern 56
Chattanooga 65, Samford 60
Wofford 69, Davidson 64
College of Charleston 87, The Citadel 66
Furman 74, Georgia Southern 56
Chattanooga 65, Samford 60
Wofford 69, Davidson 64
Friday, January 14, 2011
Samford Preview: You Can Come Home Again
The Mocs were threatened to be run out of town and not allowed to return nearly two weeks ago, when the Mocs were destroyed at Austin Peay by 32 points. If they had returned to play a home game right after that, no one may have showed up for the game. It could have been ugly.
But now the Mocs have won back-to-back games (on a road trip that I predicted them to go 1-2 on, they went 2-1), and there is some positive energy surrounding theit 5-0 SoCon start. But can they carry that momentum home and beat rival Samford?
The Citadel and Samford play very similar styles of offense. That may or may not bode well for the Mocs. There are plenty of backcuts and the Bulldogs slow the game down to a snail's pace. The Mocs are used to the snail's pace after playing The Citadel, but those Bulldogs shot 50% from the floor against the Mocs defense. The Mocs will need to play better defense than that against Samford.
Samford ranks 301st in the nation in scoring, but is 187th in shooting percentage. They are also 97th in assists, which tells you just how efficiently they run their offense. They also rank 338th out of 345 teams in rebounding, averaging just 28.7 boards per game. According to KenPom and offensive rebounding percentage, they are the second worst offensive rebounding team in the country, and rank 260th on the defensive end. So this is a very poor rebounding team, going against the Mocs solid rebounding team- who ranks 18th in the country in rebounding, and ranks in the top 30 on the defensive end. Samford will not come up with many offensive rebounds in this game.
Jeffrey Merritt is shooting 51.2% from the field, while leading the team in scoring with 10.9 points per game. He also is one of the leading rebounders in the SoCon, with 7.2 per game. That is basically a fourth of the team's rebounds per game. He is absolutely critical to the team's success.
Gregory Wooten is shooting just 58.9% from the free throw line, but is averaging 8.6 points per game, and is another critical player to the Bulldogs success. Josh Davis is a tremendous free throw shooter, making 94.4% from the free throw line. He is scoring 10.3 points per game.
No one that plays a lot is a particularly great three point shooter, but the whole team will shoot them, and the Bulldogs are shooting 38.2% from three point range. The Mocs will have to make sure they get out and cover all of the Bulldogs beyond the arc, because all of them are capable of shooting from anywhere on the floor.
Josh Bedwell is the best three point shooter, making 28 on the year, and shooting 44% from three point range. So the Mocs will have to make sure they locate him.
Drew Windler is the only player over 6'7 that plays with any consistency. John Peterson is 6'7. And everyone else is 6'6 or shorter that plays very much. The Mocs will have a size advantage.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. Dominate the boards. The Mocs are the best rebounding team in the SoCon, and Samford the worst. The Mocs should be able to utterly dominate the boards.
--Keegan Bell. Bell leads the SoCon in assists, and also in assists/turnover margin. He will need to control the tempo of the game.
--Pace. The Mocs will want to get Samford running.
--Guard the full 35 seconds. The Mocs have to guard every cut and screen by the Bulldogs. This seems typical. But Samford could easily use 25 seconds every time down. The Mocs have to guard for all of it. They have not shown great talent at this so far.
--Burroughs, Early, Saffore, and Jefferson need to have monster games. This is a real chance to dominate against the Samford bigs.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS WIN
--Celebrate! 6-0!
--Wonder when the next win will come....
--Be relieved to have beaten Samford again.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS LOSE
--Wonder when the next win will come...
--Hope that the Mocs can hold onto the North Division lead over the next critical week.
--Throw something in frustration.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Wattad will score over 20 points again.
--Jefferson, Burroughs, Early, and Saffore will combine for 30+ points and 20+ rebounds.
--The game will be very low scoring.
--Taylor will make a couple of big shots.
--The Mocs will win the battle of boards by ten or more over Samford.
--Mocs 72, Samford 66. Given that the Mocs can't seem to win a game by a wide margin, they should be relieved to win at all. With College of Charleston on Monday, followed by road trips to Wofford and Furman in the next week, the Mocs desperately need this one to stay on the right track. The Mocs will dominate down low, and if they can just play decent defense, then they should come up with the home win.
GO MOCS!
But now the Mocs have won back-to-back games (on a road trip that I predicted them to go 1-2 on, they went 2-1), and there is some positive energy surrounding theit 5-0 SoCon start. But can they carry that momentum home and beat rival Samford?
The Citadel and Samford play very similar styles of offense. That may or may not bode well for the Mocs. There are plenty of backcuts and the Bulldogs slow the game down to a snail's pace. The Mocs are used to the snail's pace after playing The Citadel, but those Bulldogs shot 50% from the floor against the Mocs defense. The Mocs will need to play better defense than that against Samford.
Samford ranks 301st in the nation in scoring, but is 187th in shooting percentage. They are also 97th in assists, which tells you just how efficiently they run their offense. They also rank 338th out of 345 teams in rebounding, averaging just 28.7 boards per game. According to KenPom and offensive rebounding percentage, they are the second worst offensive rebounding team in the country, and rank 260th on the defensive end. So this is a very poor rebounding team, going against the Mocs solid rebounding team- who ranks 18th in the country in rebounding, and ranks in the top 30 on the defensive end. Samford will not come up with many offensive rebounds in this game.
Jeffrey Merritt is shooting 51.2% from the field, while leading the team in scoring with 10.9 points per game. He also is one of the leading rebounders in the SoCon, with 7.2 per game. That is basically a fourth of the team's rebounds per game. He is absolutely critical to the team's success.
Gregory Wooten is shooting just 58.9% from the free throw line, but is averaging 8.6 points per game, and is another critical player to the Bulldogs success. Josh Davis is a tremendous free throw shooter, making 94.4% from the free throw line. He is scoring 10.3 points per game.
No one that plays a lot is a particularly great three point shooter, but the whole team will shoot them, and the Bulldogs are shooting 38.2% from three point range. The Mocs will have to make sure they get out and cover all of the Bulldogs beyond the arc, because all of them are capable of shooting from anywhere on the floor.
Josh Bedwell is the best three point shooter, making 28 on the year, and shooting 44% from three point range. So the Mocs will have to make sure they locate him.
Drew Windler is the only player over 6'7 that plays with any consistency. John Peterson is 6'7. And everyone else is 6'6 or shorter that plays very much. The Mocs will have a size advantage.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. Dominate the boards. The Mocs are the best rebounding team in the SoCon, and Samford the worst. The Mocs should be able to utterly dominate the boards.
--Keegan Bell. Bell leads the SoCon in assists, and also in assists/turnover margin. He will need to control the tempo of the game.
--Pace. The Mocs will want to get Samford running.
--Guard the full 35 seconds. The Mocs have to guard every cut and screen by the Bulldogs. This seems typical. But Samford could easily use 25 seconds every time down. The Mocs have to guard for all of it. They have not shown great talent at this so far.
--Burroughs, Early, Saffore, and Jefferson need to have monster games. This is a real chance to dominate against the Samford bigs.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS WIN
--Celebrate! 6-0!
--Wonder when the next win will come....
--Be relieved to have beaten Samford again.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS LOSE
--Wonder when the next win will come...
--Hope that the Mocs can hold onto the North Division lead over the next critical week.
--Throw something in frustration.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Wattad will score over 20 points again.
--Jefferson, Burroughs, Early, and Saffore will combine for 30+ points and 20+ rebounds.
--The game will be very low scoring.
--Taylor will make a couple of big shots.
--The Mocs will win the battle of boards by ten or more over Samford.
--Mocs 72, Samford 66. Given that the Mocs can't seem to win a game by a wide margin, they should be relieved to win at all. With College of Charleston on Monday, followed by road trips to Wofford and Furman in the next week, the Mocs desperately need this one to stay on the right track. The Mocs will dominate down low, and if they can just play decent defense, then they should come up with the home win.
GO MOCS!
SoCon Monster Game of the Week: Appalachian State at Western Carolina
WHY IT MATTERS
After the Mountaineers surprising home loss to UNCG on Thursday night, both Appalachian State and Western Carolina find themselves 3-2 in SoCon play and two games behind the Mocs in the SoCon North race. The winner will be in the lead for the second bye out of the North. The loser will still be third to fifth in the North, and will be two or three games behind the Mocs in the standings. This rivalry game becomes quite important for that reason.
BREAKDOWN
The Mountaineers are lead by Donald Sims, one of the top players in the SoCon. He is averaging nearly 22 points per game for a team that is number 65 in the country in points per game. He is shooting just 33.6% from three point range, while shooting 84.2% from the free throw line. Sims has been wildly inconsistent, and that is why the Mountaineers have been inconsistent.
Omar Carter is averaging 15.9 points per game. He is shooting over 43 percent from three point range, and that is why he is scoring so well. The attention that has to be paid to Sims gives Carter a lot of open looks and that is what happens when the Mountaineers are playing well.
Western Carolina has been inconsistent too, but has won three straight over Georgia Southern, Davidson, and Elon. Mike Williams is a nominee for the Bob Cousy Award. He is averaging 15.2 points per game, and 3.8 assists per game. Richie Gordon leads the team in rebounding with 5.3 rebounds per game, and Harouna Mutombo is averaging 4.5 rebounds per game.
Western is a pretty good rebounding team. They are just outside of the Top 100 in the country in rebounding.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Sims and Carter will combine for half of the Mountaineers points.
--The Catamounts will play good defense on the rest of the Appalachian State offensive threats.
--Appalachian State is the better team- barely. Their loss to UNCG on Thursday made this almost a must win for the Mountaineers at this early point in the season.
--Western Carolina 74, Appalachian State 70. The Mountaineers have got to be struggling from lack of confidence right now. The Catamounts come up with the win. Yes, Appalachian State lost to King College last year and then wound up in the SoCon Championship Game- but the Catamounts barely sneak out with a win.
After the Mountaineers surprising home loss to UNCG on Thursday night, both Appalachian State and Western Carolina find themselves 3-2 in SoCon play and two games behind the Mocs in the SoCon North race. The winner will be in the lead for the second bye out of the North. The loser will still be third to fifth in the North, and will be two or three games behind the Mocs in the standings. This rivalry game becomes quite important for that reason.
BREAKDOWN
The Mountaineers are lead by Donald Sims, one of the top players in the SoCon. He is averaging nearly 22 points per game for a team that is number 65 in the country in points per game. He is shooting just 33.6% from three point range, while shooting 84.2% from the free throw line. Sims has been wildly inconsistent, and that is why the Mountaineers have been inconsistent.
Omar Carter is averaging 15.9 points per game. He is shooting over 43 percent from three point range, and that is why he is scoring so well. The attention that has to be paid to Sims gives Carter a lot of open looks and that is what happens when the Mountaineers are playing well.
Western Carolina has been inconsistent too, but has won three straight over Georgia Southern, Davidson, and Elon. Mike Williams is a nominee for the Bob Cousy Award. He is averaging 15.2 points per game, and 3.8 assists per game. Richie Gordon leads the team in rebounding with 5.3 rebounds per game, and Harouna Mutombo is averaging 4.5 rebounds per game.
Western is a pretty good rebounding team. They are just outside of the Top 100 in the country in rebounding.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Sims and Carter will combine for half of the Mountaineers points.
--The Catamounts will play good defense on the rest of the Appalachian State offensive threats.
--Appalachian State is the better team- barely. Their loss to UNCG on Thursday made this almost a must win for the Mountaineers at this early point in the season.
--Western Carolina 74, Appalachian State 70. The Mountaineers have got to be struggling from lack of confidence right now. The Catamounts come up with the win. Yes, Appalachian State lost to King College last year and then wound up in the SoCon Championship Game- but the Catamounts barely sneak out with a win.
KenPom Standings
According to KenPom.com:
1) College of Charleston 98
2) Furman 128
3) Davidson 140
4) Wofford 141
5) Appalachian State 209
6) Western Carolina 214
7) Elon 227
8) Samford 242
9) Chattanooga 264
10) UNC-Greensboro 289
11) The Citadel 293
12) Georgia Southern 323
SoCon Rank: 19
Predicted SoCon Record: 9-9
Predicted Overall Record: 14-17
1) College of Charleston 98
2) Furman 128
3) Davidson 140
4) Wofford 141
5) Appalachian State 209
6) Western Carolina 214
7) Elon 227
8) Samford 242
9) Chattanooga 264
10) UNC-Greensboro 289
11) The Citadel 293
12) Georgia Southern 323
SoCon Rank: 19
Predicted SoCon Record: 9-9
Predicted Overall Record: 14-17
RPI Standings
According to RealTimeRPI.com, through Thursday:
1) College of Charleston 64
2) Furman 125
3) Davidson 133
4) Chattanooga 195
5) Wofford 198
6) Appalachian State 209
7) Western Carolina 223
8) Samford 224
9) Elon 226
10) UNC-Greensboro 288
11) The Citadel 298
12) Georgia Southern 341
SoCon Rank: 21
Predicted SoCon Record: 12-6
Predicted Overall Record: 16-15
GO MOCS!
1) College of Charleston 64
2) Furman 125
3) Davidson 133
4) Chattanooga 195
5) Wofford 198
6) Appalachian State 209
7) Western Carolina 223
8) Samford 224
9) Elon 226
10) UNC-Greensboro 288
11) The Citadel 298
12) Georgia Southern 341
SoCon Rank: 21
Predicted SoCon Record: 12-6
Predicted Overall Record: 16-15
GO MOCS!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Mocs 69, The Citadel 68
Whew. That's called sweating one out.
Keegan Bell didn't sound quite like himself, with just nine points and five assists. But he did play 36 minutes. There should be no complaining from the peanut gallery about this. And the peanut gallery includes me. That was a gutsy performance.
So what do we expect from the rest of the team when one of the stars is struggling? We expect people to step it up. Omar Wattad did. He scored a career high 30 points, including eight three pointers. He came up huge in every way. He had four assists, three rebounds, and only one turnover. He was brilliant.
Ricky Taylor also knocked down some huge shots, including a three late in the game that gave the Mocs a three point lead late in the game. He scored ten points. Taylor also had five rebounds, and four assists.
Taylor and Wattad clearly stepped it up huge with Bell not feeling good. That was very important for the Mocs. Without those two, the Mocs would not have a shot to win this road contest.
DeAntre Jefferson scored ten points and collected eight huge rebounds. He made 8 of 9 from the free throw line, which was great. Unfortunately, he missed a key front end of a one and one with just four seconds left and the Mocs clinging to a one point lead. That was bad time to miss the first free throw. Regardless, Jefferson's free throw shooting has gotten so much better, and the Mocs will need him to continue that trend.
The Mocs outrebounded The Citadel, though they did not get a lot of rebounds. They held The Citadel to just six offensive rebounds, though, which was critical.
Chris Early played just eleven minutes. He had three fouls, so that contributed to some of the problem. Jahmal Burroughs had 26 minutes, and collected four points, four rebounds, and two assists. Burroughs has developed into a very nice role player. My fear is that Early may be getting into the Shulman doghouse. I hope that doesn't happen. We'll see what happens with Early on Saturday against Samford. Burroughs has been providing a bunch of energy off the bench. He is very good in that role. Let's keep him there.
The biggest problem the Mocs had? How about defense. The Bulldogs are one of the worst shooting teams in the country, and they managed to shoot 51% from the field. That is not a good omen for the Mocs. They have got to play better defense than that as they move forward. Too many teams are shooting the ball too well against the Mocs lately. They desperately need to improve on that end of the floor.
But for tonight, with the stunning Appalachian State home loss to UNC-Greensboro, the Mocs have gained a two game advantage in the North. And the Mocs are coming home for a big homestand. So, I'll try to keep the negatives to a minimum for now.
5-0 sure feels good!
GO MOCS!
Keegan Bell didn't sound quite like himself, with just nine points and five assists. But he did play 36 minutes. There should be no complaining from the peanut gallery about this. And the peanut gallery includes me. That was a gutsy performance.
So what do we expect from the rest of the team when one of the stars is struggling? We expect people to step it up. Omar Wattad did. He scored a career high 30 points, including eight three pointers. He came up huge in every way. He had four assists, three rebounds, and only one turnover. He was brilliant.
Ricky Taylor also knocked down some huge shots, including a three late in the game that gave the Mocs a three point lead late in the game. He scored ten points. Taylor also had five rebounds, and four assists.
Taylor and Wattad clearly stepped it up huge with Bell not feeling good. That was very important for the Mocs. Without those two, the Mocs would not have a shot to win this road contest.
DeAntre Jefferson scored ten points and collected eight huge rebounds. He made 8 of 9 from the free throw line, which was great. Unfortunately, he missed a key front end of a one and one with just four seconds left and the Mocs clinging to a one point lead. That was bad time to miss the first free throw. Regardless, Jefferson's free throw shooting has gotten so much better, and the Mocs will need him to continue that trend.
The Mocs outrebounded The Citadel, though they did not get a lot of rebounds. They held The Citadel to just six offensive rebounds, though, which was critical.
Chris Early played just eleven minutes. He had three fouls, so that contributed to some of the problem. Jahmal Burroughs had 26 minutes, and collected four points, four rebounds, and two assists. Burroughs has developed into a very nice role player. My fear is that Early may be getting into the Shulman doghouse. I hope that doesn't happen. We'll see what happens with Early on Saturday against Samford. Burroughs has been providing a bunch of energy off the bench. He is very good in that role. Let's keep him there.
The biggest problem the Mocs had? How about defense. The Bulldogs are one of the worst shooting teams in the country, and they managed to shoot 51% from the field. That is not a good omen for the Mocs. They have got to play better defense than that as they move forward. Too many teams are shooting the ball too well against the Mocs lately. They desperately need to improve on that end of the floor.
But for tonight, with the stunning Appalachian State home loss to UNC-Greensboro, the Mocs have gained a two game advantage in the North. And the Mocs are coming home for a big homestand. So, I'll try to keep the negatives to a minimum for now.
5-0 sure feels good!
GO MOCS!
SoCon Standings
NORTH
1) Chattanooga 5-0
2) Appalachian State 3-2
2) Western Carolina 3-2
4) Samford 2-2
5) Elon 2-4
6) UNC-Greensboro 1-5
SOUTH
1) College of Charleston 4-0
2) Wofford 4-1
3) Furman 3-2
4) Davidson 2-3
5) The Citadel 1-4
6) Georgia Southern 0-5
TIES: Only tie in the conference right now is Appalachian State and Western Carolina. They are both 1-2 in North Division play. So there is no way to break the tie at the moment. However the two teams do play on Saturday. The winner will move into second all by themselves in the North.
GO MOCS!
1) Chattanooga 5-0
2) Appalachian State 3-2
2) Western Carolina 3-2
4) Samford 2-2
5) Elon 2-4
6) UNC-Greensboro 1-5
SOUTH
1) College of Charleston 4-0
2) Wofford 4-1
3) Furman 3-2
4) Davidson 2-3
5) The Citadel 1-4
6) Georgia Southern 0-5
TIES: Only tie in the conference right now is Appalachian State and Western Carolina. They are both 1-2 in North Division play. So there is no way to break the tie at the moment. However the two teams do play on Saturday. The winner will move into second all by themselves in the North.
GO MOCS!
Battle of North vs. South
NORTH vs. SOUTH
North 3, South 2
SOUTH vs. NORTH
South 2, North 2
NORTH vs. SOUTH
North 5, South 4
GO MOCS!
North 3, South 2
SOUTH vs. NORTH
South 2, North 2
NORTH vs. SOUTH
North 5, South 4
GO MOCS!
SoCon Thursday
Chattanooga 69, The Citadel 68
UNC-Greensboro 75, Appalachian State 74
Western Carolina 70, Elon 63
GO MOCS!
UNC-Greensboro 75, Appalachian State 74
Western Carolina 70, Elon 63
GO MOCS!
Bell Out?
Keegan Bell has been battling a stomach bug, and is questionable for tonight's game. He has been receiving IV fluids.
What does this mean? Dontay Hampton will get more playing time regardless, I would believe. If Bell can't go, Hampton will see the majority of the minutes, with Omar Wattad getting the remainder of the minutes at the point guard spot. Hampton is clearly the best remaining option.
Josh Odem would have gotten a chunk of these minutes at point if he were still on the team, but he is not, so the Mocs do not have him to turn to.
Hampton has been good this year- better than expected to some degree. Of course, part of that has been that he has not been heavily relied on to be the star. He has done a nice job in key spots making big plays when necessary as a role player. Tonight will be his night to step up and make a big difference in a game.
Let's hope that his conditioning is up to par and that he can give 25+ solid minutes tonight if Bell is out. If Bell plays, the Mocs will still need to see more of Hampton because Bell is likely exhausted from his stomach bug.
Dontay Hampton just became the most important player in this game. The Mocs need this game. And Hampton could be one of the main reasons the Mocs win or lose.
GO MOCS!
What does this mean? Dontay Hampton will get more playing time regardless, I would believe. If Bell can't go, Hampton will see the majority of the minutes, with Omar Wattad getting the remainder of the minutes at the point guard spot. Hampton is clearly the best remaining option.
Josh Odem would have gotten a chunk of these minutes at point if he were still on the team, but he is not, so the Mocs do not have him to turn to.
Hampton has been good this year- better than expected to some degree. Of course, part of that has been that he has not been heavily relied on to be the star. He has done a nice job in key spots making big plays when necessary as a role player. Tonight will be his night to step up and make a big difference in a game.
Let's hope that his conditioning is up to par and that he can give 25+ solid minutes tonight if Bell is out. If Bell plays, the Mocs will still need to see more of Hampton because Bell is likely exhausted from his stomach bug.
Dontay Hampton just became the most important player in this game. The Mocs need this game. And Hampton could be one of the main reasons the Mocs win or lose.
GO MOCS!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Citadel Preview: The Point Is....
Let's face it- in SoCon basketball, it doesn't get much better than this at point guard. Cameron Wells and Keegan Bell are two of the four SoCon players on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List, along with Brendan McKillop (Davidson) and Mike Williams (Western Carolina). Wells and Bell are the two I would take out of those four players. So you could make a solid argument that these are the top two point guards in the conference.
Cameron Wells is as good as they come. He is averaging 15.1 points per game, best on the team. He leads the team with 4.2 assists per game. He also averaged 5.1 rebounds per game, good for third on the team. He shoots less than 30% from three point range, so he is not a great outside shooter. But he is a great player. Keegan Bell will have his hands full guarding Wells.
Zach Urbanus is the team's second leading scorer, averaging 10.8 points per game, and is also second in assists, with 3.0 per game. He shoots about 35% from three point range. So this backcourt is very difficult to contain for any team. This is a tough challenge for the Mocs defense.
Mike Groselle is 6'8 center, and only plays twenty minutes a game. He averages 10 points per game despite that small number of minutes. He also averages 5.7 rebounds per game, which is second on the team. He is shooting 56.1% from the field.
Bryan Streeter is leading the team in rebounding with 5.8 rebounds per game, while averaging just 6.3 points per game. Streeter is a very good offensive rebound, with nearly half of his rebounds coming on the offensive end.
Austin Dahn is the Bulldog other than Urbanus and Wells to average over 30 minutes per game. He has not gotten to double figures in six games, since the New Mexico game on December 19. He is averaging 9.7 points per game, which tells how well he played early in the year. He has really cooled off lately.
The Bulldogs have lost three conference games, a 15 point loss at home against Davidson, a 18 point loss at Wofford, and a 21 point loss at Furman. They won by 13 at home against Georgia Southern. They have won two D1 games this year, an eight point win over High Point on November 23, and a ten point win over South Carolina State on December 22.
The Citadel is shooting 29.3% from three point range, which is not good at all. They are shooting 67.3% from free throw range, while shooting 39.5% from the field. The Bulldogs have really struggled shooting. They are 313th in the country in field goal percentage. They are 317th in points per game, with 61.2 points per game. The Bulldogs are 89th in the country in rebounding, averaging 37.4 boards per game.
The Mocs can combat that with 41.1 rebounds per game- good for 13th in the country, which is a very positive statistic. They are 99th in the country in assists per game, with 14.4. They are not a good shooting team, being 284th in shooting, but they play so fast they are 124th in scoring despite that.
The key for the Mocs seems to be holding teams to under 70 points. They are 8-0 when holding teams under 70, while they are 0-8 when teams score more than 70. The Citadel is only averaging 61 points per game, so this may bode well. Then again, it may not, as teams like FIU, Austin Peay, Georgia State, and Jackson State have shot lights out from the field, while other teams have struggled.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebound. These are two of the best rebounding teams in the SoCon. The team that wins the battle of the boards will have a huge edge.
--Pace. The Mocs are 34th in the country according to Adjusted Tempo on KenPom.com. That means that they play at the fastest tempo in the whole conference. The Citadel are 308th in the country in Adjusted Tempo. That is the second slowest tempo in the conference (faster than only Samford). The team that does both of 1) getting the other team to play at their pace the most often and 2) suceeding while playing at the other team's tempo.
--Groselle vs. Jefferson/Saffore. These two have been awful over the last two games. They need to play much better, and Groselle is good enough to dominate them if they don't play better.
--Fouls. It's not a Saturday, so the refs may be better than they were Saturday, but the Mocs desperately need to not get in foul trouble.
--Cage, Burroughs, and Saffore. The Mocs desperately need these three to play well to provide them some depth. Burroughs did a very good job the other night before fouling night. If he can play like that again, and Cage can provide some depth, then they should produce.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS WIN
--Celebrate 5-0 in the SoCon!
--Hope that the trip home isn't too much to play again 48 hours later against Samford at home.
--Try to keep my expectations under control.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS LOSE
--Hope that the trip home isn't too much to play again 48 hours later against Samford at home.
--Wonder if we are 4-0 because the North is weak.
--Sigh, take a deep breath, go to bed, and remember that tomorrow is another day.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Wattad will score twenty plus points.
--Bell and Taylor will have good nights.
--Wells, Groselle and Streeter will have a good night.
--The Bulldogs will not shoot well, but may still get close to 70 points.
--Jefferson will play better. He almost has to.
--Mocs 69, The Citadel 63. The Mocs have won one game by more than six points, and that was against Appalachian State. This does not look like an exception. But The Citadel's offensive prowess is not quite good enough for them to be able to score. The Mocs will play a bad twenty minutes and a good twenty minutes, as has become typical. Their good twenty will be just enough to come away with the win.
GO MOCS!
Cameron Wells is as good as they come. He is averaging 15.1 points per game, best on the team. He leads the team with 4.2 assists per game. He also averaged 5.1 rebounds per game, good for third on the team. He shoots less than 30% from three point range, so he is not a great outside shooter. But he is a great player. Keegan Bell will have his hands full guarding Wells.
Zach Urbanus is the team's second leading scorer, averaging 10.8 points per game, and is also second in assists, with 3.0 per game. He shoots about 35% from three point range. So this backcourt is very difficult to contain for any team. This is a tough challenge for the Mocs defense.
Mike Groselle is 6'8 center, and only plays twenty minutes a game. He averages 10 points per game despite that small number of minutes. He also averages 5.7 rebounds per game, which is second on the team. He is shooting 56.1% from the field.
Bryan Streeter is leading the team in rebounding with 5.8 rebounds per game, while averaging just 6.3 points per game. Streeter is a very good offensive rebound, with nearly half of his rebounds coming on the offensive end.
Austin Dahn is the Bulldog other than Urbanus and Wells to average over 30 minutes per game. He has not gotten to double figures in six games, since the New Mexico game on December 19. He is averaging 9.7 points per game, which tells how well he played early in the year. He has really cooled off lately.
The Bulldogs have lost three conference games, a 15 point loss at home against Davidson, a 18 point loss at Wofford, and a 21 point loss at Furman. They won by 13 at home against Georgia Southern. They have won two D1 games this year, an eight point win over High Point on November 23, and a ten point win over South Carolina State on December 22.
The Citadel is shooting 29.3% from three point range, which is not good at all. They are shooting 67.3% from free throw range, while shooting 39.5% from the field. The Bulldogs have really struggled shooting. They are 313th in the country in field goal percentage. They are 317th in points per game, with 61.2 points per game. The Bulldogs are 89th in the country in rebounding, averaging 37.4 boards per game.
The Mocs can combat that with 41.1 rebounds per game- good for 13th in the country, which is a very positive statistic. They are 99th in the country in assists per game, with 14.4. They are not a good shooting team, being 284th in shooting, but they play so fast they are 124th in scoring despite that.
The key for the Mocs seems to be holding teams to under 70 points. They are 8-0 when holding teams under 70, while they are 0-8 when teams score more than 70. The Citadel is only averaging 61 points per game, so this may bode well. Then again, it may not, as teams like FIU, Austin Peay, Georgia State, and Jackson State have shot lights out from the field, while other teams have struggled.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebound. These are two of the best rebounding teams in the SoCon. The team that wins the battle of the boards will have a huge edge.
--Pace. The Mocs are 34th in the country according to Adjusted Tempo on KenPom.com. That means that they play at the fastest tempo in the whole conference. The Citadel are 308th in the country in Adjusted Tempo. That is the second slowest tempo in the conference (faster than only Samford). The team that does both of 1) getting the other team to play at their pace the most often and 2) suceeding while playing at the other team's tempo.
--Groselle vs. Jefferson/Saffore. These two have been awful over the last two games. They need to play much better, and Groselle is good enough to dominate them if they don't play better.
--Fouls. It's not a Saturday, so the refs may be better than they were Saturday, but the Mocs desperately need to not get in foul trouble.
--Cage, Burroughs, and Saffore. The Mocs desperately need these three to play well to provide them some depth. Burroughs did a very good job the other night before fouling night. If he can play like that again, and Cage can provide some depth, then they should produce.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS WIN
--Celebrate 5-0 in the SoCon!
--Hope that the trip home isn't too much to play again 48 hours later against Samford at home.
--Try to keep my expectations under control.
WHAT I'LL DO IF THE MOCS LOSE
--Hope that the trip home isn't too much to play again 48 hours later against Samford at home.
--Wonder if we are 4-0 because the North is weak.
--Sigh, take a deep breath, go to bed, and remember that tomorrow is another day.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Wattad will score twenty plus points.
--Bell and Taylor will have good nights.
--Wells, Groselle and Streeter will have a good night.
--The Bulldogs will not shoot well, but may still get close to 70 points.
--Jefferson will play better. He almost has to.
--Mocs 69, The Citadel 63. The Mocs have won one game by more than six points, and that was against Appalachian State. This does not look like an exception. But The Citadel's offensive prowess is not quite good enough for them to be able to score. The Mocs will play a bad twenty minutes and a good twenty minutes, as has become typical. Their good twenty will be just enough to come away with the win.
GO MOCS!
SoCon South Standings
Through Wednesday (no North update since there were no North games since our last update):
1) College of Charleston 4-0
2) Wofford 4-1
3) Furman 3-2
4) Davidson 2-3
5) The Citadel 1-3
6) Georgia Southern 0-5
GO MOCS!
1) College of Charleston 4-0
2) Wofford 4-1
3) Furman 3-2
4) Davidson 2-3
5) The Citadel 1-3
6) Georgia Southern 0-5
GO MOCS!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Out of Conference Opponents
AT A GLANCE
RPI is according to RealTimeRPI.com. Records through Monday vs. D1 opponents.
Tennessee- 10-5 25
Austin Peay- 10-6 93
Kennessaw State- 2-12 330
Marshall- 10-4 55
Louisville- 13-2 41
Jackson State 6-8 138
Florida International- 6-7 259
Murray State- 8-5 103
Georgia State- 10-6 227
Georgia Tech- 7-7 175
IN DEPTH
Tennessee- The Vols are struggling a bit without Bruce Pearl, but are still a Top 25 team according to the RPI. Some of their bad losses could hurt them come NCAA selection time, and they probably need to get to 9 or 10 SEC wins to get into the dance. They are not playing good basketball right now, particularly, and lost to College of Charleston on New Year's Eve. They also lost their first conference game at Arkansas.
Austin Peay- The Governors ended Murray State's 25 game home winning streak on Saturday, and are 6-0 in OVC play. It is beginning to look like Austin Peay may be the best team in the OVC. The Mocs lost to them twice, and the second was a pathetic performance, but they are actualy helping the Mocs RPI right now a lot. They have been a pleasant surprise on the Mocs schedule.
Kennessaw State- Seriously, how do you beat Georgia Tech in your first game against a D1 opponent, and then go 1-12 after that? The Owls have not been good since they beat Georgia Tech, though they played well against the Mocs that night. This team has wound up hurting the Mocs RPI more than any other team on the schedule to this point. At 1-4 in conference play, the Owls are showing any signs of getting it going in the Atlantic Sun, either.
Marshall- This is the highest quality win on the Mocs schedule so far. The Thundering Herd actually have a better RPI than any team left on the Mocs schedule too, so anyone that thinks there is no way that this team can compete with the best in the SoCon need to nly look at this game for proof that they can. Marshall hammered a good Southern Miss team on Saturday, but lost at UCF by seven points on Wednesday. With a trip to Memphis this Saturday, the Thundering Herd could make a real claim to a possible at large bid.
Louisville- The Cardinals is 2-0 in Big East play and 13-2 overall. Their only losses are to Drexel and Kentucky. Their two conference wins are over Seton Hall and South Florida, which was not an amazing set of wins. The trip to Villanova this weekend is the toughest test on the schedule for a while, but there will be plenty of tests remaining in Big East play.
Jackson State- Jackson State is 4-0 in SWAC play, and the early favorite to win the conference. They are still just 6-8 against D1 opponents, but they continue to impress in conference play. Their toughest remaining road game (at least according to RPI) is a trip to Texas Southern, who has an RPI of 159. They have an outside shot of running the table in the SWAC. They are clearly the best team in the conference.
Florida International- It's a good thing Isaiah Thompson has taken over. It's always good when an NBA legend with a name that is easy to get wrong that has an obsession with the New York Knicks can get his team off to a 3-0 start in the Sun Belt Conference. They are still not a great team, having beaten three of the lesser teams in the Sun Belt. Then again, they were considered one of the lesser teams in the Sun Belt until then. They may be able to compete this year, and they seem to be improving, and they could be a threat with a good seed in the SBC Tourney, to make a run and get an automatic bid to the dance.
Murray State- Surprisingly, the Racers have not dominated the OVC. They have two conference losses already to Morehead State and Austin Peay. They should roll now in conference play until their trip to Austin Peay on February 5. The Racers could get it going and get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. But the at large bid that was rumored to be possible when the season began is probably out the window at this stage.
Georgia State- The Panthers loss to UNC-Wilmington was not good overall, but they are 3-1 in the CAA, which is a tough conference. They have beaten James Madison and VCU in conference play already, two of the conference heavyweights. This team has been on a tear lately, and it really got going in Chattanooga when they won the Dr Pepper Classic. This team is a sneaky good team, that seems to be just streaky enough shooting that they could get hot in the CAA Tournament and win the whole thing.
Georgia Tech- The Yellow Jackets got beat by Kennesaw State, but have beaten Richmond and UTEP, two RPI Top 100 teams. They lost to Boston College in their first ACC game, and are expected to be one of the lesser ACC teams. The Mocs have a shot to beat them, but will need to play one of their best games to win on the road. Will they be prepared to win this between a huge trip to Appalachian State and the home dates with Wofford and Furman? The good news is that this game happens right around the time of Bracketbusters. The Mocs will not be in that, but this game will help prepare them just as well as any game that they could play in that. The Yellow Jackets RPI will probably hover right around 150 for most of the remainder of the year, and the Mocs will not be hurt by playing them, I don't expect.
SUMMING IT UP
The losses have come to teams that are a combined 21-4 in conference play so far, and 18-2 if you look at mid-majors and take out their performances against each other. The wins came over teams that are a combined 2-5, but Marshall is a really good team in a good conference. That win over Marshall may wind up being one of the top wins in the SoCon this whole year.
All in all, the OOC schedule has not been bad, and with the Georgia Tech game as the only game played during a nine day stretch, the Mocs can focus on that one without worrying too much about conference games. And the Mocs could sure use a big win late in the year. They need to show up in that game in a big way. Can they beat an ACC team?
This has turned into a decent schedule. The Mocs schedule is not great, but if they had more wins it would not have been a solid schedule.
GO MOCS!
RPI is according to RealTimeRPI.com. Records through Monday vs. D1 opponents.
Tennessee- 10-5 25
Austin Peay- 10-6 93
Kennessaw State- 2-12 330
Marshall- 10-4 55
Louisville- 13-2 41
Jackson State 6-8 138
Florida International- 6-7 259
Murray State- 8-5 103
Georgia State- 10-6 227
Georgia Tech- 7-7 175
IN DEPTH
Tennessee- The Vols are struggling a bit without Bruce Pearl, but are still a Top 25 team according to the RPI. Some of their bad losses could hurt them come NCAA selection time, and they probably need to get to 9 or 10 SEC wins to get into the dance. They are not playing good basketball right now, particularly, and lost to College of Charleston on New Year's Eve. They also lost their first conference game at Arkansas.
Austin Peay- The Governors ended Murray State's 25 game home winning streak on Saturday, and are 6-0 in OVC play. It is beginning to look like Austin Peay may be the best team in the OVC. The Mocs lost to them twice, and the second was a pathetic performance, but they are actualy helping the Mocs RPI right now a lot. They have been a pleasant surprise on the Mocs schedule.
Kennessaw State- Seriously, how do you beat Georgia Tech in your first game against a D1 opponent, and then go 1-12 after that? The Owls have not been good since they beat Georgia Tech, though they played well against the Mocs that night. This team has wound up hurting the Mocs RPI more than any other team on the schedule to this point. At 1-4 in conference play, the Owls are showing any signs of getting it going in the Atlantic Sun, either.
Marshall- This is the highest quality win on the Mocs schedule so far. The Thundering Herd actually have a better RPI than any team left on the Mocs schedule too, so anyone that thinks there is no way that this team can compete with the best in the SoCon need to nly look at this game for proof that they can. Marshall hammered a good Southern Miss team on Saturday, but lost at UCF by seven points on Wednesday. With a trip to Memphis this Saturday, the Thundering Herd could make a real claim to a possible at large bid.
Louisville- The Cardinals is 2-0 in Big East play and 13-2 overall. Their only losses are to Drexel and Kentucky. Their two conference wins are over Seton Hall and South Florida, which was not an amazing set of wins. The trip to Villanova this weekend is the toughest test on the schedule for a while, but there will be plenty of tests remaining in Big East play.
Jackson State- Jackson State is 4-0 in SWAC play, and the early favorite to win the conference. They are still just 6-8 against D1 opponents, but they continue to impress in conference play. Their toughest remaining road game (at least according to RPI) is a trip to Texas Southern, who has an RPI of 159. They have an outside shot of running the table in the SWAC. They are clearly the best team in the conference.
Florida International- It's a good thing Isaiah Thompson has taken over. It's always good when an NBA legend with a name that is easy to get wrong that has an obsession with the New York Knicks can get his team off to a 3-0 start in the Sun Belt Conference. They are still not a great team, having beaten three of the lesser teams in the Sun Belt. Then again, they were considered one of the lesser teams in the Sun Belt until then. They may be able to compete this year, and they seem to be improving, and they could be a threat with a good seed in the SBC Tourney, to make a run and get an automatic bid to the dance.
Murray State- Surprisingly, the Racers have not dominated the OVC. They have two conference losses already to Morehead State and Austin Peay. They should roll now in conference play until their trip to Austin Peay on February 5. The Racers could get it going and get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. But the at large bid that was rumored to be possible when the season began is probably out the window at this stage.
Georgia State- The Panthers loss to UNC-Wilmington was not good overall, but they are 3-1 in the CAA, which is a tough conference. They have beaten James Madison and VCU in conference play already, two of the conference heavyweights. This team has been on a tear lately, and it really got going in Chattanooga when they won the Dr Pepper Classic. This team is a sneaky good team, that seems to be just streaky enough shooting that they could get hot in the CAA Tournament and win the whole thing.
Georgia Tech- The Yellow Jackets got beat by Kennesaw State, but have beaten Richmond and UTEP, two RPI Top 100 teams. They lost to Boston College in their first ACC game, and are expected to be one of the lesser ACC teams. The Mocs have a shot to beat them, but will need to play one of their best games to win on the road. Will they be prepared to win this between a huge trip to Appalachian State and the home dates with Wofford and Furman? The good news is that this game happens right around the time of Bracketbusters. The Mocs will not be in that, but this game will help prepare them just as well as any game that they could play in that. The Yellow Jackets RPI will probably hover right around 150 for most of the remainder of the year, and the Mocs will not be hurt by playing them, I don't expect.
SUMMING IT UP
The losses have come to teams that are a combined 21-4 in conference play so far, and 18-2 if you look at mid-majors and take out their performances against each other. The wins came over teams that are a combined 2-5, but Marshall is a really good team in a good conference. That win over Marshall may wind up being one of the top wins in the SoCon this whole year.
All in all, the OOC schedule has not been bad, and with the Georgia Tech game as the only game played during a nine day stretch, the Mocs can focus on that one without worrying too much about conference games. And the Mocs could sure use a big win late in the year. They need to show up in that game in a big way. Can they beat an ACC team?
This has turned into a decent schedule. The Mocs schedule is not great, but if they had more wins it would not have been a solid schedule.
GO MOCS!
SoCon Tournament Tickets
Buy your tickets here!
This is the Mocs site to buy the tickets. If you want your Southern Conference Men's (and Women's) Tournament tickets, just click the above link, scroll down to "SoCon Basketball Tournament" and click on Purchase.
GO MOCS!
This is the Mocs site to buy the tickets. If you want your Southern Conference Men's (and Women's) Tournament tickets, just click the above link, scroll down to "SoCon Basketball Tournament" and click on Purchase.
GO MOCS!
KenPom Rankings
According to KenPom.com through Monday's games:
1) College of Charleston 100
2) Furman 120
3) Wofford 132
4) Davidson 153
5) Appalachian State 192
6) Elon 216
7) Western Carolina 219
8) Samford 242
9) Chattanooga 259
10) The Citadel 292
11) UNC-Greensboro 295
12) Georgia Southern 326
SoCon Rank: 19
Overall Predicted Record: 13-18
SoCon Predicted Record: 9-9
GO MOCS!
1) College of Charleston 100
2) Furman 120
3) Wofford 132
4) Davidson 153
5) Appalachian State 192
6) Elon 216
7) Western Carolina 219
8) Samford 242
9) Chattanooga 259
10) The Citadel 292
11) UNC-Greensboro 295
12) Georgia Southern 326
SoCon Rank: 19
Overall Predicted Record: 13-18
SoCon Predicted Record: 9-9
GO MOCS!
RPI Rankings
According to RealTimeRPI.com through Monday's games:
1) College of Charleston 69
2) Furman 114
3) Davidson 146
4) Appalachian State 154
5) Chattanooga 194
6) Wofford 198
7) Elon 204
8) Samford 222
9) Western Carolina 233
10) The Citadel 294
11) UNC-Greensboro 304
12) Georgia Southern 340
SoCon Rank: 21
Overall Predicted Record: 15-16
SoCon Predicted Record: 11-7
GO MOCS!
1) College of Charleston 69
2) Furman 114
3) Davidson 146
4) Appalachian State 154
5) Chattanooga 194
6) Wofford 198
7) Elon 204
8) Samford 222
9) Western Carolina 233
10) The Citadel 294
11) UNC-Greensboro 304
12) Georgia Southern 340
SoCon Rank: 21
Overall Predicted Record: 15-16
SoCon Predicted Record: 11-7
GO MOCS!
Trying To Get Over .500....
The Mocs are trying to get over .500 for the second time in the last few weeks against The Citadel on Thursday night. They were over .500 ever so briefly back in December after beating Montreat. They were 7-6. That was followed by losses to Georgia State and Austin Peay.
The Mocs are still two games under .500 on the season against D1 teams. They need to beat both The Citadel and Samford this week to get back to .500 for the first time since beating Marshall and being 2-2.
The Mocs have not been over .500 against D1 competition all season long so far. They need to win their next three games to get there. That would include a very affirming win over College of Charleston a week from today. Can the Mocs possible win all three? I suppose.
This is a tough two week stretch coming up for the Mocs. The trip to The Citadel, followed by home dates with Samford and College of Charleston and trips to Furman and Wofford are coming up. This is a huge stretch for the Mocs.
GO MOCS!
The Mocs are still two games under .500 on the season against D1 teams. They need to beat both The Citadel and Samford this week to get back to .500 for the first time since beating Marshall and being 2-2.
The Mocs have not been over .500 against D1 competition all season long so far. They need to win their next three games to get there. That would include a very affirming win over College of Charleston a week from today. Can the Mocs possible win all three? I suppose.
This is a tough two week stretch coming up for the Mocs. The trip to The Citadel, followed by home dates with Samford and College of Charleston and trips to Furman and Wofford are coming up. This is a huge stretch for the Mocs.
GO MOCS!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)