1) Georgia Southern-College of Charleston on Saturday night should be one of the most interesting games in the SoCon all year long. Should be absolutely tremendous. The Eagles and Cougars are battling for a bye out of the South. Wofford is in the race too. The fact is that Davidson has run away with the South division title. But the race for the second bye spot is really interesting. No team has the advantage right now. The Cougars have a slight edge since they have played tough road games. But the Eagles could really position themselves well with a win on Saturday. This is the biggest home game in a long time for Georgia Southern. This should be a great game.
2) Elon and Western Carolina are 3-3 in the North. Chattanooga, Appalachian State, and UNC-Greensboro are 3-4. Samford is 2-4. That means that in the North, all six teams are separated by one game. There is no telling what is going to happen from here. The Mocs are probably the most talented team, but they can not win a road game apparently. We'll figure out more on Saturday. UNCG hosts Samford, Elon hosts Chattanooga, and Western Carolina heads to Appalachian State. Saturday will provide a little bit more clarity in the North. This race is getting bizarre.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
UNCG Analysis Tomorrow
Full story analysis of the Spartans win over the Mocs tomorrow. Just can't get to it tonight. Too tired. Too disappointed.
GO MOCS!
GO MOCS!
SoCon Monster Game of the Week- Davidson 87, College of Charleston 69
It may be overly simplistic to say it, but Jake Cohen is a monster. He has been the model of consistency throughout his career until recently. At least, that is how he has struck this outsider that is watching the Wildcats from afar. Like I said- until recently.
Now, Cohen has become a monster. A point scoring, rebounding, play-making monster. He scored 29 points and had 14 rebounds in this match-up. He was 9 of 17 from the floor and made 9 of 9 from the free throw line. (For those nervous about it, Nik Cochran made 8 of 9 from the free throw line.)
Speaking of Cochran, he turned the ball over seven times. Ouch. Seven out of the ten Wildcats turnovers? Not good.
But the Cougars scored four points off the bench. Trent Wiedeman and Adejhi Baru scored 15 points and had 8 rebounds in 58 minutes. That's not pleasant. The Cougars need much more production from their two big men and their bench if they are going to go far.
With the Cougars depth issues and sometimes poor shot selection, this team is going to struggle to win a bunch of games down the stretch. Honestly, their starting five is as talented (if not more talented) than any team in the entire SoCon. But unless Anthony Stitt returns from injury before the tournament, how does this team plan on winning three games in three days? They just don't have the depth.
Antwaine Wiggins is good enough to help the Cougars over the hump, but he can't do it completely on his own.
Davidson has virtually put the division away at this point. The Wildcats are up three games on every team and have beaten all three of the teams that are tied for second in the division.
Charleston is tied with Wofford and Georgia Southern for second in the division. A loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday would be huge to the Cougars. Things are going to be very interesting. It's going to be a huge game on Saturday, because both teams need a win so badly. Should be a very interesting weekend.
Now, Cohen has become a monster. A point scoring, rebounding, play-making monster. He scored 29 points and had 14 rebounds in this match-up. He was 9 of 17 from the floor and made 9 of 9 from the free throw line. (For those nervous about it, Nik Cochran made 8 of 9 from the free throw line.)
Speaking of Cochran, he turned the ball over seven times. Ouch. Seven out of the ten Wildcats turnovers? Not good.
But the Cougars scored four points off the bench. Trent Wiedeman and Adejhi Baru scored 15 points and had 8 rebounds in 58 minutes. That's not pleasant. The Cougars need much more production from their two big men and their bench if they are going to go far.
With the Cougars depth issues and sometimes poor shot selection, this team is going to struggle to win a bunch of games down the stretch. Honestly, their starting five is as talented (if not more talented) than any team in the entire SoCon. But unless Anthony Stitt returns from injury before the tournament, how does this team plan on winning three games in three days? They just don't have the depth.
Antwaine Wiggins is good enough to help the Cougars over the hump, but he can't do it completely on his own.
Davidson has virtually put the division away at this point. The Wildcats are up three games on every team and have beaten all three of the teams that are tied for second in the division.
Charleston is tied with Wofford and Georgia Southern for second in the division. A loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday would be huge to the Cougars. Things are going to be very interesting. It's going to be a huge game on Saturday, because both teams need a win so badly. Should be a very interesting weekend.
Battle of North vs. South- 1-19-12
Thursday's Scores
Appalachian State (N) 61
Wofford (S) 73
at North
North- 4
South- 4
at South
North- 3
South- 8
Overall
North- 7
South- 12
ANALYSIS
Wofford's win over Appalachian State was expected, particularly since it was at Wofford. The South has played three more home games than the North and lead by five games. That could narrow the gap. Of course, the South is tied with the North in their home games, so maybe that would not help as much as I think it could. We'll have to wait and see how this plays out in the coming weeks. The South is the better division probably.
Appalachian State (N) 61
Wofford (S) 73
at North
North- 4
South- 4
at South
North- 3
South- 8
Overall
North- 7
South- 12
ANALYSIS
Wofford's win over Appalachian State was expected, particularly since it was at Wofford. The South has played three more home games than the North and lead by five games. That could narrow the gap. Of course, the South is tied with the North in their home games, so maybe that would not help as much as I think it could. We'll have to wait and see how this plays out in the coming weeks. The South is the better division probably.
Double Dribbles-1-19-12
1) What a great Thursday this should be? Appalachian State's trip to Wofford will be great basketball. Ike Butts played like a man possessed against Davidson. He will need to play an equally huge game against the Terriers. The Terriers on the other hand are right in the mix for a bye out of the South and need to keep on winning. This is a massive game for both teams as they compete for byes out of the North and South. Which team will go the distance here?
2) What about Samford? Can they get back into the North race? After the Bulldogs upset of Chattanooga last Saturday, they are worth a second look. After all, they have not been blown out in any game. Elon on the other hand is struggling, with only a win over The Citadel in their last seven games. Could Samford actually pull the upset over Elon? It seems unlikely at this point. Then again, last week at this time, Samford was not expected to beat Chattanooga, and UNCG was certainly not expected to win at College of Charleston last Thursday. So, who knows? This may wind up being an interesting game.
2) What about Samford? Can they get back into the North race? After the Bulldogs upset of Chattanooga last Saturday, they are worth a second look. After all, they have not been blown out in any game. Elon on the other hand is struggling, with only a win over The Citadel in their last seven games. Could Samford actually pull the upset over Elon? It seems unlikely at this point. Then again, last week at this time, Samford was not expected to beat Chattanooga, and UNCG was certainly not expected to win at College of Charleston last Thursday. So, who knows? This may wind up being an interesting game.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
UNC-Greensboro Preview: On The Road Again
The Mocs have been bad on the road this year. They're 0-8 on the road this year, including losing their last game at Samford- a SoCon bottom dweller.
Ironically, the Spartans have struggled at home this year. They are 0-5 at home this year against D-1 competition. But they turned two last week in Charleston, stunning College of Charleston last Thursday before slipping past The Citadel on Saturday evening to make things very interesting in the SoCon North race for UNCG. A win by the Spartans would throw them right into the North bye race. But they have to prove they can win at home and that last weekend was not a fluke.
Trevis Simpson has turned into one of the top players in the entire SoCon. He is averaging 16.5 points per game, while being third on the team in rebounding with 3.9 rebounds per game. Simpson takes an inordinate number of threes (103 on the season already) and is shooting 31.1% from behind the arc on the season. His 36 point outburst against Miami kept them in the game. He is averaging 17.7 points per game in SoCon play, along with four rebounds.
No other Spartan is in double figures in scoring. Drew Parker leads the team in three point shooting with 52% from behind the arc. He also leads the team in assists with 2.6 per game. David Williams leads the team in rebounding with 4.7 rebounds per game, and Aaron Brackett has 4.6 boards per game. Derrell Armstrong is second on the team in scoring with 7.9 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 1.9 assists per game. Korey Van Dussen is averaging 7.2 points and 1.8 assists. This is a team that shoots 38.7% from the field.
The Spartans average 16 turnovers per game. They are a team that really struggles shooting the ball. They rank 327th in the country in shooting. They are not a great rebounding team.
The Mocs need Keegan Bell to snap out of his slump. But the more important thing will be how the Mocs play on the defensive end. They have been a great defensive team- though they struggled against Samford last Saturday. They have held opponents to 38.6% shooting on the year. They also are a good rebounding team, that will rely heavily on Drazen Zlovaric, Z Mason, Jahmal Burroughs, and Jared Bryant to dominate on the boards. Omar Wattad and Ricky Taylor are the Mocs two leading scorers, while the big guys down low have been playing well lately. Bell has been struggling big time in the last three games. If he lets the game come to him and relazes a bit, the odds are he will snap out of it on against the Spartans.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. The Mocs need to dominate on the boards to be able to beat the Spartans.
--Shooting. It sounds so simplistic, but the Spartans shot better against the Cougars and the Bulldogs...and they won. They are playing one of the better defenses in the SoCon. Will they be able to bring the offense home with them?
--Bell's play. Bell has really been struggling in both shooting, and turning the ball over. Will this be the game that he turns it around a bit?
--Zlovaric. Can the Spartans slow him down? He's been playing well- prior to the Samford game.
--Home court. Can the Spartans finally win at home? Can the Mocs finally win on the road? Something's got to give.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Some Spartan is going to go off from three point range. Doesn't it happen every time the Mocs play the Spartans? Seems like this is an unwritten law.
--Simpson will impress plenty of Mocs fans.
--Bell will play his best game in a couple of weeks.
--Mocs 68, UNCG 63. Wattad and Taylor will make a couple of big shots. Zlovaric and Mason will be too much to handle down low. The biggest difference will be that the Mocs defense is playing well and the Spartans won't be able to play the same disciplined offense that Samford played. UNCG can't keep on shooting this well. They will bring the effort to keep it close, but it won't be quite enough. Should be a great game.
GO MOCS!
Ironically, the Spartans have struggled at home this year. They are 0-5 at home this year against D-1 competition. But they turned two last week in Charleston, stunning College of Charleston last Thursday before slipping past The Citadel on Saturday evening to make things very interesting in the SoCon North race for UNCG. A win by the Spartans would throw them right into the North bye race. But they have to prove they can win at home and that last weekend was not a fluke.
Trevis Simpson has turned into one of the top players in the entire SoCon. He is averaging 16.5 points per game, while being third on the team in rebounding with 3.9 rebounds per game. Simpson takes an inordinate number of threes (103 on the season already) and is shooting 31.1% from behind the arc on the season. His 36 point outburst against Miami kept them in the game. He is averaging 17.7 points per game in SoCon play, along with four rebounds.
No other Spartan is in double figures in scoring. Drew Parker leads the team in three point shooting with 52% from behind the arc. He also leads the team in assists with 2.6 per game. David Williams leads the team in rebounding with 4.7 rebounds per game, and Aaron Brackett has 4.6 boards per game. Derrell Armstrong is second on the team in scoring with 7.9 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 1.9 assists per game. Korey Van Dussen is averaging 7.2 points and 1.8 assists. This is a team that shoots 38.7% from the field.
The Spartans average 16 turnovers per game. They are a team that really struggles shooting the ball. They rank 327th in the country in shooting. They are not a great rebounding team.
The Mocs need Keegan Bell to snap out of his slump. But the more important thing will be how the Mocs play on the defensive end. They have been a great defensive team- though they struggled against Samford last Saturday. They have held opponents to 38.6% shooting on the year. They also are a good rebounding team, that will rely heavily on Drazen Zlovaric, Z Mason, Jahmal Burroughs, and Jared Bryant to dominate on the boards. Omar Wattad and Ricky Taylor are the Mocs two leading scorers, while the big guys down low have been playing well lately. Bell has been struggling big time in the last three games. If he lets the game come to him and relazes a bit, the odds are he will snap out of it on against the Spartans.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. The Mocs need to dominate on the boards to be able to beat the Spartans.
--Shooting. It sounds so simplistic, but the Spartans shot better against the Cougars and the Bulldogs...and they won. They are playing one of the better defenses in the SoCon. Will they be able to bring the offense home with them?
--Bell's play. Bell has really been struggling in both shooting, and turning the ball over. Will this be the game that he turns it around a bit?
--Zlovaric. Can the Spartans slow him down? He's been playing well- prior to the Samford game.
--Home court. Can the Spartans finally win at home? Can the Mocs finally win on the road? Something's got to give.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Some Spartan is going to go off from three point range. Doesn't it happen every time the Mocs play the Spartans? Seems like this is an unwritten law.
--Simpson will impress plenty of Mocs fans.
--Bell will play his best game in a couple of weeks.
--Mocs 68, UNCG 63. Wattad and Taylor will make a couple of big shots. Zlovaric and Mason will be too much to handle down low. The biggest difference will be that the Mocs defense is playing well and the Spartans won't be able to play the same disciplined offense that Samford played. UNCG can't keep on shooting this well. They will bring the effort to keep it close, but it won't be quite enough. Should be a great game.
GO MOCS!
SoCon Monster Game of the Week Preview: College of Charleston at Davidson
This game will be televised on ESPN3 and it's a shame that more people around the SoCon will not be watching due to their teams playing at the same time. I advise everyone around the SoCon to catch it on replay if they possibly can. This should absolutely be a fun game.
After all, these two teams have been at the top of the standings in our Scanning the SoCon rankings each week. These teams are each very good.
This game is huge. Davidson is already up two games on Georgia Southern and College of Charleston in the South Division. If the Wildcats win, they will be up three games on the Cougars, and if Georgia Southern also loses at Furman on Thursday night, they will be up a full three games for the division title. In other words, they could virtually locked up the division title by mid-January with a win over the Cougars and a Georgia Southern loss. They also are still on the fringe of the at large discussion for an NCAA bid. They really need to maintain their unbeaten record in the SoCon for a while to get into the discussion.
For the Cougars it is even bigger. After all, a loss puts them three games back of Davidson, and could put them a game back for the bye of Georgia Southern if the Eagles beat Furman. They head to Statesboro on Saturday. Wofford is also hot on their tail as well. The Cougars need to get the bye in the SoCon Tournament. They can't afford to come up with too many more losses to get there.
Davidson's Jake Cohen has won the Player of the Week three times this week. He is shooting 40.5% from three point range. He's tied for third in three pointers made on the team and has the second best three point percentage. He is the two time reigning Player of the Week. He leads the team in rebounding with 6.1 rebounds per game, and averages 1.4 blocks per game to lead the team. He is averaging 13.8 points per game.
Four other Wildcats average in double figures. De'Mon Brooks leads the way with 15.6 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game. He is shooting nearly 52% from the field. JP Kuhlman averages 11.7 points per game. Nik Cochran leads the team with 3.1 assists per game and also averaged 11.7 points. Cochran is making 41.8% from three point range, and was the nation's leader in free throw shooting just a few weeks ago. Chris Czerapowicz is averaging 10.1 points per game. He is making 35.6% from three point range and leads the team in three pointers made. Clint Mann may not be available for this game. He ws injured in the Wildcats win last Saturday, with an apparent head injury. They are 18th in the country in scoring overall.
The Cougars Antwaine Wiggins leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game. He is also second on the team in rebounding with 6.4 rebounds per game. He has developed into one of the best players in the conference. He is in the race for the SoCon Player of the Year. He has a tendency to take poor shots, but is still the Cougars best weapon.
Trent Wiedeman and Adejhi Baru are the two inside weapons. Wiedeman is averaging 11 points and eight rebounds per game. Baru is averaging 8.9 points per game and 6.1 rebounds. Baru has a tendency to get into foul trouble, and that can obviously create problems. Wiedeman and Baru combine for 1.7 blocks per game. Andrwew Lawrence is the best three point shooter, shooting about 37% from three, and scoring 12.4 points per game. He also leads the team in assists with 5.1 per game.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Baru's foul trouble. Can he stay out of foul trouble? There's not much depth behind him.
--Mann's injury. The Wildcats can survive without Mann for sure, but would be better served if he was there to provide at least a few minutes off the bench.
--Slowing down Cohen. He has been dominant lately- can the Cougars slow him down?
--Wiggins shot selection. The Cougars shot selection is bad at times, and Wiggins is the ring leader on that. He needs to have very good shot selection for the Cougars to have a chance.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Lawrence will score plenty.
--The Cougars and Wildcats will be relatively equal in rebounding.
--Brooks will make the difference.
--Davidson 81, College of Charleston 72. Home court advantage will be a huge difference as well. The Wildcats have been playing great at home. This is going to be a very tough win for the Cougars. They will be as good as anyone this year at Davidson in SoCon play.
After all, these two teams have been at the top of the standings in our Scanning the SoCon rankings each week. These teams are each very good.
This game is huge. Davidson is already up two games on Georgia Southern and College of Charleston in the South Division. If the Wildcats win, they will be up three games on the Cougars, and if Georgia Southern also loses at Furman on Thursday night, they will be up a full three games for the division title. In other words, they could virtually locked up the division title by mid-January with a win over the Cougars and a Georgia Southern loss. They also are still on the fringe of the at large discussion for an NCAA bid. They really need to maintain their unbeaten record in the SoCon for a while to get into the discussion.
For the Cougars it is even bigger. After all, a loss puts them three games back of Davidson, and could put them a game back for the bye of Georgia Southern if the Eagles beat Furman. They head to Statesboro on Saturday. Wofford is also hot on their tail as well. The Cougars need to get the bye in the SoCon Tournament. They can't afford to come up with too many more losses to get there.
Davidson's Jake Cohen has won the Player of the Week three times this week. He is shooting 40.5% from three point range. He's tied for third in three pointers made on the team and has the second best three point percentage. He is the two time reigning Player of the Week. He leads the team in rebounding with 6.1 rebounds per game, and averages 1.4 blocks per game to lead the team. He is averaging 13.8 points per game.
Four other Wildcats average in double figures. De'Mon Brooks leads the way with 15.6 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game. He is shooting nearly 52% from the field. JP Kuhlman averages 11.7 points per game. Nik Cochran leads the team with 3.1 assists per game and also averaged 11.7 points. Cochran is making 41.8% from three point range, and was the nation's leader in free throw shooting just a few weeks ago. Chris Czerapowicz is averaging 10.1 points per game. He is making 35.6% from three point range and leads the team in three pointers made. Clint Mann may not be available for this game. He ws injured in the Wildcats win last Saturday, with an apparent head injury. They are 18th in the country in scoring overall.
The Cougars Antwaine Wiggins leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game. He is also second on the team in rebounding with 6.4 rebounds per game. He has developed into one of the best players in the conference. He is in the race for the SoCon Player of the Year. He has a tendency to take poor shots, but is still the Cougars best weapon.
Trent Wiedeman and Adejhi Baru are the two inside weapons. Wiedeman is averaging 11 points and eight rebounds per game. Baru is averaging 8.9 points per game and 6.1 rebounds. Baru has a tendency to get into foul trouble, and that can obviously create problems. Wiedeman and Baru combine for 1.7 blocks per game. Andrwew Lawrence is the best three point shooter, shooting about 37% from three, and scoring 12.4 points per game. He also leads the team in assists with 5.1 per game.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Baru's foul trouble. Can he stay out of foul trouble? There's not much depth behind him.
--Mann's injury. The Wildcats can survive without Mann for sure, but would be better served if he was there to provide at least a few minutes off the bench.
--Slowing down Cohen. He has been dominant lately- can the Cougars slow him down?
--Wiggins shot selection. The Cougars shot selection is bad at times, and Wiggins is the ring leader on that. He needs to have very good shot selection for the Cougars to have a chance.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Lawrence will score plenty.
--The Cougars and Wildcats will be relatively equal in rebounding.
--Brooks will make the difference.
--Davidson 81, College of Charleston 72. Home court advantage will be a huge difference as well. The Wildcats have been playing great at home. This is going to be a very tough win for the Cougars. They will be as good as anyone this year at Davidson in SoCon play.
Rankings- 1-18-12
RPI
1) Davidson 45
2) College of Charleston 89
3) Elon 184
4) Western Carolina 187
5) Wofford 203
6) Appalachian State 238
7) Furman 252
8) UNC-Greensboro 254
9) Georgia Southern 256
10) Chattanooga 278
11) Samford 327
12) The Citadel 337
SoCon Rank: 22
Sagarin
1) Davidson 59
2) College of Charleston 113
3) Wofford 193
4) Western Carolina 224
5) Furman 232
6) Appalachian State 237
7) Chattanooga 241
8) Elon 251
9) Georgia Southen 262
10) UNC-Greensboro 296
11) Samford 304
12) The Citadel 334
SoCon Rank: 23
Pomeroy
1) Davidson 72
2) College of Charleston 121
3) Wofford 183
4) Chattanooga 214
5) Appalachian State 227
6) Furman 234
7) Western Carolina 238
8) Elon 257
9) Georgia Southern 268
10) UNC-Greensboro 284
11) Samford 292
12) The Citadel 332
ANALYSIS
Looks like it's Davidson and College of Charleston at the top. Anyone else ready for their match-up at Davidson on Thursday night? It seems to me that Wofford has become the third best team, as only the RPI is not ranking them there. The Terriers are still light years away from the Cougars in these rankings- I'm not sure that they really are that far away in reality. If the Terriers when the two games this week and the Cougars lose both games, could Wofford jump to second?
1) Davidson 45
2) College of Charleston 89
3) Elon 184
4) Western Carolina 187
5) Wofford 203
6) Appalachian State 238
7) Furman 252
8) UNC-Greensboro 254
9) Georgia Southern 256
10) Chattanooga 278
11) Samford 327
12) The Citadel 337
SoCon Rank: 22
Sagarin
1) Davidson 59
2) College of Charleston 113
3) Wofford 193
4) Western Carolina 224
5) Furman 232
6) Appalachian State 237
7) Chattanooga 241
8) Elon 251
9) Georgia Southen 262
10) UNC-Greensboro 296
11) Samford 304
12) The Citadel 334
SoCon Rank: 23
Pomeroy
1) Davidson 72
2) College of Charleston 121
3) Wofford 183
4) Chattanooga 214
5) Appalachian State 227
6) Furman 234
7) Western Carolina 238
8) Elon 257
9) Georgia Southern 268
10) UNC-Greensboro 284
11) Samford 292
12) The Citadel 332
ANALYSIS
Looks like it's Davidson and College of Charleston at the top. Anyone else ready for their match-up at Davidson on Thursday night? It seems to me that Wofford has become the third best team, as only the RPI is not ranking them there. The Terriers are still light years away from the Cougars in these rankings- I'm not sure that they really are that far away in reality. If the Terriers when the two games this week and the Cougars lose both games, could Wofford jump to second?
Double Dribbles- 1-18-12
1) Ummm...thanks for showing up Toccoa Falls. Western Carolina hammered them by the score of 141-39. That's right- by 102 points. Sure, it was supposed to be an easy win for the Catamounts- but 102 poins is 102 points. That's an unbelievable spread. Western Carolina fans should be very satisfied to come up with the win, and should feel like their team is ready to come up with a solid performance against Appalachian State on Saturday. Should be good.
2) Jake Cohen of Davidson once again won the SoCon Player of the Week. He averaged 23.5 points per game last week. He shot 67% from the floor. He added five assists, five blocks and a steal on the week. He scored Davidson's first 13 points against Western Carolina to join the 1000 point club. A couple of weeks ago, three out of four writers named De'Mon Brooks as Player of the Year in the SoCon. After the way Cohen has played the last couple of weeks, it is looking more and more like the other writer may have been right- Cohen might just be Player of the Year.
2) Jake Cohen of Davidson once again won the SoCon Player of the Week. He averaged 23.5 points per game last week. He shot 67% from the floor. He added five assists, five blocks and a steal on the week. He scored Davidson's first 13 points against Western Carolina to join the 1000 point club. A couple of weeks ago, three out of four writers named De'Mon Brooks as Player of the Year in the SoCon. After the way Cohen has played the last couple of weeks, it is looking more and more like the other writer may have been right- Cohen might just be Player of the Year.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Keegan Bell and The Slump
Keegan Bell is in a slump. No one should question that or doubt that. He's struggling a bit with his shot and even with his passing right now.
It really all started the night Omar Wattad was out and Ricky Taylor's wrist was acting up. The Mocs needed someone to step up and Bell knew it. So he tried to force things.
He went 1 for 13 from the floor, and 1 for 10 from three point range, and scored just three points that night against Appalachian State. But he did have seven assists and just one turnover.
Since then, the pressure seems to have continued mounting on Bell. He went 4 for 19 from the floor (21%) in his next two games. He had five turnovers in both games, which means ten total. He had a combined six assists in the two games.
That's not good. Not for someone averaging nearly eight assists per game prior to those two games.
Bell seems to be pressing a bit right now- and that's fine. Even if he does not get his shot falling, he needs to focus on what he does best for this team. That means getting the ball to his teammates in positions to score.
Will he break out of his slump this weekend? I don't know. But if the Mocs are going to come up with one or two road wins this weekend, then he needs to snap out of it now. This is the time for him to snap out of it.
GO MOCS!
It really all started the night Omar Wattad was out and Ricky Taylor's wrist was acting up. The Mocs needed someone to step up and Bell knew it. So he tried to force things.
He went 1 for 13 from the floor, and 1 for 10 from three point range, and scored just three points that night against Appalachian State. But he did have seven assists and just one turnover.
Since then, the pressure seems to have continued mounting on Bell. He went 4 for 19 from the floor (21%) in his next two games. He had five turnovers in both games, which means ten total. He had a combined six assists in the two games.
That's not good. Not for someone averaging nearly eight assists per game prior to those two games.
Bell seems to be pressing a bit right now- and that's fine. Even if he does not get his shot falling, he needs to focus on what he does best for this team. That means getting the ball to his teammates in positions to score.
Will he break out of his slump this weekend? I don't know. But if the Mocs are going to come up with one or two road wins this weekend, then he needs to snap out of it now. This is the time for him to snap out of it.
GO MOCS!
Double Dribbles- 1-17-12
1) Western Carolina gets a home date with Toccoa Falls tonight and so will end the SoCon's battles against the non-D1 teams. This is good news for the SoCon. Western should have no problem in this one, but they will not play on Thursday. This is the Catamounts last game before their huge rivalry match-up with Appalachian State that is going to play a large role in how the North race will be shaped heading into the next week.
2) Thursday's biggest game is College of Charleston's trip to Davidson. However, the most interesting game may just be Georgia Southern's trip to Furman. The Eagles have been a pleasant surprise so far, but have struggled on the road. In the mean time, Furman is fresh off an upset on the road against Western Carolina. The Paladins are hoping to get out of the fifth hole in the South. In the mean time, Georgia Southern is trying to stay in a strong position for a bye in the South. With a sweep this week over Furman and College of Charleston at home, and a Davidson home win over the Cougars, the Eagles can find themselves in a much different position in the South this week. This is a huge game for both teams, and I expect it to be one of the best games of the whole week. The Paladins can't match the Eagles athletically, but that certainly does not mean they can not win.
2) Thursday's biggest game is College of Charleston's trip to Davidson. However, the most interesting game may just be Georgia Southern's trip to Furman. The Eagles have been a pleasant surprise so far, but have struggled on the road. In the mean time, Furman is fresh off an upset on the road against Western Carolina. The Paladins are hoping to get out of the fifth hole in the South. In the mean time, Georgia Southern is trying to stay in a strong position for a bye in the South. With a sweep this week over Furman and College of Charleston at home, and a Davidson home win over the Cougars, the Eagles can find themselves in a much different position in the South this week. This is a huge game for both teams, and I expect it to be one of the best games of the whole week. The Paladins can't match the Eagles athletically, but that certainly does not mean they can not win.
Monday, January 16, 2012
On The Road Again
The Mocs have struggled on the road this year. They are a shocking 0-8 on the road. Losses to Butler, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee was expected in the preseason. But the losses to College of Charleston, Georgia Southern, Mercer, and Samford were not completely expected. The Mocs should have won at least two of those, honestly.
This is not good. The loss to College of Charleston and Mercer could be explained by how well those teams had played up until then. The Georgia Southern loss was not good, but is not a bad team. The loss to Samford was not good, though.
The problem for the Mocs is that they go on the road for two games this weekend. This is not going to be easy. UNCG is improving rapidly. They won two road games last week, beating College of Charleston and The Citadel. For the Mocs to beat the Spartans, they will have to play their best road game of the year. That may or may not happen. Saturday, the Mocs travel to Elon. The Phoenix are bumbling a bit right now, but are still leading the North. Going to that tiny gym is not easy and the Mocs struggle there. The Mocs will need to play a great game to win up there.
Two huge games. The Mocs need to come up with at worst a split on this two game road swing if not win them both. After seeing the performance on Saturday, that seems like a big reach for this team. Can they pull it off? We'll just have to wait and see.
GO MOCS!
This is not good. The loss to College of Charleston and Mercer could be explained by how well those teams had played up until then. The Georgia Southern loss was not good, but is not a bad team. The loss to Samford was not good, though.
The problem for the Mocs is that they go on the road for two games this weekend. This is not going to be easy. UNCG is improving rapidly. They won two road games last week, beating College of Charleston and The Citadel. For the Mocs to beat the Spartans, they will have to play their best road game of the year. That may or may not happen. Saturday, the Mocs travel to Elon. The Phoenix are bumbling a bit right now, but are still leading the North. Going to that tiny gym is not easy and the Mocs struggle there. The Mocs will need to play a great game to win up there.
Two huge games. The Mocs need to come up with at worst a split on this two game road swing if not win them both. After seeing the performance on Saturday, that seems like a big reach for this team. Can they pull it off? We'll just have to wait and see.
GO MOCS!
Double Dribbles- 1-16-12
1) After a solid weekend full of games, it is now safe to say that there is no telling what is about to happen in the SoCon North. Elon is in first, Appalachian State, Western Carolina, and Chattanooga are tied for second, one half game out of first, and UNC-Greensboro (the late charging Spartans) are only a game behind them. Samford is only a half game behind them. That means, top to bottom, the North is separated by two games. It appears that the Mocs, Catamounts, and Mountaineers are the best teams at the moment, but the Mocs and Catamounts both had very disappointing performances on Saturday night. This week will sort it out some more, but call it a hunch that this race will come down to the end.
2) Georgia Southern has a huge week coming up. After a loss to Wofford that hurt the Eagles, and showing off their road struggles, the Eagles head to Furman on Thursday. They will need to come up with the win there to maintain any momentum heading into Saturday's huge showdown against College of Charleston. That home battle will be gigantic in helping figure out if the Eagles can really get a bye out of the South or not. This will be an interesting week for the Eagles. A loss to Furman would hurt them- but it would really help the Paladins get back into the race for a bye or at least to get out of the fifth place hole they appear to be buried in at the moment. Their win over Western Carolina made people sit up and take notice. They can go even further with a win over Georgia Southern.
2) Georgia Southern has a huge week coming up. After a loss to Wofford that hurt the Eagles, and showing off their road struggles, the Eagles head to Furman on Thursday. They will need to come up with the win there to maintain any momentum heading into Saturday's huge showdown against College of Charleston. That home battle will be gigantic in helping figure out if the Eagles can really get a bye out of the South or not. This will be an interesting week for the Eagles. A loss to Furman would hurt them- but it would really help the Paladins get back into the race for a bye or at least to get out of the fifth place hole they appear to be buried in at the moment. Their win over Western Carolina made people sit up and take notice. They can go even further with a win over Georgia Southern.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
SoCon Monster Game of the Week Preview- College of Charleston at Davidson
The top two teams in the SoCon will battle in Davidson this Thursday night. It's a shame that it's a Thursday night game and not a game that could gather more of an audience around the league on a Saturday when it was on at a different time from so many other schools. This should be a great game.
With the Cougars already two games behind the Wildcats in the SoCon South race, this game is critical if College of Charleston is looking to grab first place in the South. This is a huge week for the Cougars, who go to Georgia Southern on Saturday. A couple of losses this week for the Cougars, and they could find themselves in huge trouble in the bye race out of the South, even.
So this is a monster week. And it should be a lot of fun. This game looks to be the most interesting and the most fun.
With the Cougars already two games behind the Wildcats in the SoCon South race, this game is critical if College of Charleston is looking to grab first place in the South. This is a huge week for the Cougars, who go to Georgia Southern on Saturday. A couple of losses this week for the Cougars, and they could find themselves in huge trouble in the bye race out of the South, even.
So this is a monster week. And it should be a lot of fun. This game looks to be the most interesting and the most fun.
Scanning the SoCon- Week Eleven
The regulars for the roll call are all here.
DavidsonCats- A fan of the Wildacats.
MocsMania- A fan of the Mocs.
TheSportsArsenal- A fan of the Bulldogs.
UNCGBasketballFan- A fan of the Spartans.
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, January 17
TocCoa Falls at Western Carolina
Thursday, January 19
Samford at Elon
UNC-Greensboro at Chattanooga
Appalachian State at Wofford
College of Charleston at Davidson
Georgia Southern at Furman
Saturday, January 21
Western Carolina at Appalachian State (SoCon Network/ESPN3)
Wofford at Furman
The Citadel at Davidson
Chattanooga at Elon
College of Charleston at Georgia Southern (ESPN3)
POWER RANKINGS
1) Davidson 48 (4)
2) College of Charleston 44
3) Wofford 36
4) Chattanooga 31
5t) Western Carolina 30
5t) Elon 30
7) Appalachian State 27
8) Georgia Southern 25
9) Furman 17
10) UNC-Greensboro 12
11t) Samford 6
11t) The Citadel 6
Sum up your team.
DavidsonCats- 11-4 and 6-0 now after Week 10 wins over WCU and ASU, two teams which beat the Wildcats last year. The ASU win was very difficult. The Wildcats had significant foul trouble, lost a player to injury, and lost the lead for the first time in the game in the last few minutes. And responded with a 10-0 run by two players with 4 fouls, De'Mon Brooks and Jake Cohen. For the two games, Jake had 47 points and 13 rebounds, De'Mon had 27 and 11, and Chris Czerapowicz had 26 and 10. The Wildcats have CofC and The Citadel coming to Davidson this week. The Wildcats split with those two teams last year.
MocsMania- That was an odd week for the Mocs. The Mocs beat Wofford in Chattanooga on Thursday, and appeared to be on the path to a highly successful season. Then, Saturday's disappointing loss at Samford happened, and suddenly there are even more question marks about the Mocs. The Mocs have not won a road game yet this year. Will they be able to this week when they head to UNCG and Elon? They need to get at least one of those if not both of them. On a positive note, Z Mason appears to really be developing into a solid contributor. On the down side, Keegan Bell is in a slump, and the injuries to Omar Wattad and Ricky Taylor are lingering, though not devastating.
TheSportsArsenal- The Citadel followed up a disappointing loss to Elon with a crushing, last-second loss to UNCG. It's hard to lose a game like the latter, especially when opportunities to win are limited. The Bulldogs now must prepare for two road games, including a difficult matchup against Davidson. Mike Groselle has continued to be productive, although he has had to work harder as teams focus on stopping him.
UNCGBasketballFan- UNCG finished off a successful trip to low country by winning a game that they probably shouldn't have over the Citadel. The Spartans blew a 9 point lead to the Bulldogs before making a miraculous alley-oop to Trevis Simpson with .5 seconds left. It was truly one of the best endings to a game in UNCG history. Two nights earlier, the Spartans gave coach Wes Miller his first win at College of Charleston. UNCG went against a season trend and actually seized a win in the last 5 minutes. The common denominator in both wins was very good second half defense. David Williams has really been the ring leader in that department. Also, Aloysius Henry has recently come to life.
What game are you most looking forward to this week other than your own team's games?
DavidsonCats- Can't wait for the rivalry games on Saturday. WCU at ASU, Wofford at Furman, and CofC at GSU. Those teams/schools/fans just don't like each other.
MocsMania- The clear cut game of the week is Charleston's trip to Davidson. These are the two best teams in the conference. If the Wildcats win at home, they will find themselves up three games on the Cougars. That could be a near insurmountable deficit for the Cougars to come back from. The next best game of the week is probably the Cougars trip to Georgia Southern. Do the Eagles want to get a bye from the SoCon South? They need to beat the Cougars on Saturday in Statesboro.
TheSportsArsenal- College of Charleston at Davidson is easily the biggest game on the board this week. If the Cougars have any hopes of winning the South division, they probably have to win this one. That won't be easy.
UNCGBasketballFan- Charleston-Davidson for obvious reasons. It'll be interesting to see which Charleston team shows up.
Why are the Charleston Cougars playing such inconsistent basketball in recent weeks?
DavidsonCats- CofC lost Goudelock, Monroe, Simmons, and Hall from last year's team. They were #1, #2, #3, and #6 respectively in minutes/game and accounted for 57.8 ppg. CofC currently has an RPI of 86 and a Sagarin of 121. That's very impressive and would lead the conference in many years. They are depending on some inexperienced players and are getting better as the season progresses. I'm impressed more by their achievements than by any inconsistency.
MocsMania- To me the inconsistency flows from poor shot selection. They fall in love with the three point shot and don't pound the ball inside nearly enough. I think with Stitt out, the inconsistency could only get worse. Truthfully, they have regressed a bit as the season has progressed, but they set expectations very high with their performance in the first two months. If they come up with a split this week, they'll still be in good shape for a bye.
TheSportsArsenal- I'm not sure inconsistent is really the word to describe the CofC. The three recent losses were to A) a good team (George Mason), B) a team that has Bobby Cremins' number (Wofford), and C) a team that never should have beaten the Cougars. The Stitt injury surely affected that game. The CofC may struggle some going forward, though, with Stitt out. I will say that the Cougars are not a good offensive rebounding team, and when a team that takes as many three-pointers as the CofC isn't making shots, it can be a long night.
UNCGBasketballFan- I think they are playing a little like what I expected of them in the preseason. Replacing so many players, I assumed they would be a little more erratic than they were at the first of the year. I also think they tend to forget how good their inside players can be and fall in love with shooting quick 3 pointers.
This article from the Post and Courier talks about things the SoCon needs to do to improve. What do you think the Commissioner needs to do to help improve the conference?
DavidsonCats- Conference teams currently need to request a waiver to play more than two non-D1s. I'd like to see this changed. How about this-- you can play one non-D1. If you want to play a second one, you submit a request for a waiver and a check for $100,000 to be divided among the schools who schedule zero non-D1 teams. The commish keeps the check, but only grants the waiver if he can't find you a D1 game. What that would mean is that no school would request the waiver. They'd find D1 opponents, even if it meant playing other Southern Conference teams, or just leave a game off of the schedule.
MocsMania- Personally, I think the commissioner needs to help with the scheduling- namely two sets of conference challenges (how about the Big South and the OVC?) and each team plays at home in one, and on the road in the other during the season. Then, the following year, they play return trips. (I stole that one from ChattanoogaMocs on the MocFans message board.) I also think that requiring teams to play in the BracketBuster (with a return trip the following year) will be huge. That would be four games each year out of conference right there. Put those on the Mocs schedule this year, and they would not have had to play a single non-D1. Same is true for everyone else in the conference. But, there also needs to be an influx of money spent on basketball to up recruiting budgets and to hire better coaching staffs. I don't know where that influx of money comes from. But that is where the biggest deal will be.
TheSportsArsenal- I am dubious as to how much the league can emulate the CAA. As the article points out, you're talking about bigger schools with larger arenas, with generally more resources (and in most cases without having to use those resources for football). Improving the league is probably less about adjusting the way teams schedule, but more about hiring better coaches and recruiting better players.
UNCGBasketballFan- I personally like the ideas of needing waivers to play non-D1 opponents. Our conference does it way too many times. I would really like him to get involved in getting A-Sun, OVC, MVC and CAA teams to play our teams in home-and-home games. Also, some kind of mid-major challenge series would be interesting.
Which player from around the conference has surprised you the most with his performance this year?
DavidsonCats- Drew Windler from Samford. He's had a few huge games lately, including a career high in yesterday's win over Chattanooga. He's increased his average from 6.2 ppg last year to 12.8 this year.
MocsMania- I read TheSportsArsenal this preseason, and read the words saying that Mike Groselle would be very good. I believed it to some degree, but he has exceeded my expectations. Groselle is a borderline candidate for SoCon Player of the Year. He would be if the Bulldogs were just a little bit better. Groselle has been a pleasant surprise to me.
TheSportsArsenal- De'Mon Brooks may be the league's biggest surprise, in that.he's a legitimate player-of-the-year candidate. I don't think anyone was expecting that at the beginning of the season.
UNCGBasketballFan- Mike Groselle from the Citadel. That guy has been an absolute beast. If you asked me for my preseason 1st team All-SoCon, I wouldn't have put him on it. But now, I think he is a lock.
DavidsonCats- A fan of the Wildacats.
MocsMania- A fan of the Mocs.
TheSportsArsenal- A fan of the Bulldogs.
UNCGBasketballFan- A fan of the Spartans.
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, January 17
TocCoa Falls at Western Carolina
Thursday, January 19
Samford at Elon
UNC-Greensboro at Chattanooga
Appalachian State at Wofford
College of Charleston at Davidson
Georgia Southern at Furman
Saturday, January 21
Western Carolina at Appalachian State (SoCon Network/ESPN3)
Wofford at Furman
The Citadel at Davidson
Chattanooga at Elon
College of Charleston at Georgia Southern (ESPN3)
POWER RANKINGS
1) Davidson 48 (4)
2) College of Charleston 44
3) Wofford 36
4) Chattanooga 31
5t) Western Carolina 30
5t) Elon 30
7) Appalachian State 27
8) Georgia Southern 25
9) Furman 17
10) UNC-Greensboro 12
11t) Samford 6
11t) The Citadel 6
Sum up your team.
DavidsonCats- 11-4 and 6-0 now after Week 10 wins over WCU and ASU, two teams which beat the Wildcats last year. The ASU win was very difficult. The Wildcats had significant foul trouble, lost a player to injury, and lost the lead for the first time in the game in the last few minutes. And responded with a 10-0 run by two players with 4 fouls, De'Mon Brooks and Jake Cohen. For the two games, Jake had 47 points and 13 rebounds, De'Mon had 27 and 11, and Chris Czerapowicz had 26 and 10. The Wildcats have CofC and The Citadel coming to Davidson this week. The Wildcats split with those two teams last year.
MocsMania- That was an odd week for the Mocs. The Mocs beat Wofford in Chattanooga on Thursday, and appeared to be on the path to a highly successful season. Then, Saturday's disappointing loss at Samford happened, and suddenly there are even more question marks about the Mocs. The Mocs have not won a road game yet this year. Will they be able to this week when they head to UNCG and Elon? They need to get at least one of those if not both of them. On a positive note, Z Mason appears to really be developing into a solid contributor. On the down side, Keegan Bell is in a slump, and the injuries to Omar Wattad and Ricky Taylor are lingering, though not devastating.
TheSportsArsenal- The Citadel followed up a disappointing loss to Elon with a crushing, last-second loss to UNCG. It's hard to lose a game like the latter, especially when opportunities to win are limited. The Bulldogs now must prepare for two road games, including a difficult matchup against Davidson. Mike Groselle has continued to be productive, although he has had to work harder as teams focus on stopping him.
UNCGBasketballFan- UNCG finished off a successful trip to low country by winning a game that they probably shouldn't have over the Citadel. The Spartans blew a 9 point lead to the Bulldogs before making a miraculous alley-oop to Trevis Simpson with .5 seconds left. It was truly one of the best endings to a game in UNCG history. Two nights earlier, the Spartans gave coach Wes Miller his first win at College of Charleston. UNCG went against a season trend and actually seized a win in the last 5 minutes. The common denominator in both wins was very good second half defense. David Williams has really been the ring leader in that department. Also, Aloysius Henry has recently come to life.
What game are you most looking forward to this week other than your own team's games?
DavidsonCats- Can't wait for the rivalry games on Saturday. WCU at ASU, Wofford at Furman, and CofC at GSU. Those teams/schools/fans just don't like each other.
MocsMania- The clear cut game of the week is Charleston's trip to Davidson. These are the two best teams in the conference. If the Wildcats win at home, they will find themselves up three games on the Cougars. That could be a near insurmountable deficit for the Cougars to come back from. The next best game of the week is probably the Cougars trip to Georgia Southern. Do the Eagles want to get a bye from the SoCon South? They need to beat the Cougars on Saturday in Statesboro.
TheSportsArsenal- College of Charleston at Davidson is easily the biggest game on the board this week. If the Cougars have any hopes of winning the South division, they probably have to win this one. That won't be easy.
UNCGBasketballFan- Charleston-Davidson for obvious reasons. It'll be interesting to see which Charleston team shows up.
Why are the Charleston Cougars playing such inconsistent basketball in recent weeks?
DavidsonCats- CofC lost Goudelock, Monroe, Simmons, and Hall from last year's team. They were #1, #2, #3, and #6 respectively in minutes/game and accounted for 57.8 ppg. CofC currently has an RPI of 86 and a Sagarin of 121. That's very impressive and would lead the conference in many years. They are depending on some inexperienced players and are getting better as the season progresses. I'm impressed more by their achievements than by any inconsistency.
MocsMania- To me the inconsistency flows from poor shot selection. They fall in love with the three point shot and don't pound the ball inside nearly enough. I think with Stitt out, the inconsistency could only get worse. Truthfully, they have regressed a bit as the season has progressed, but they set expectations very high with their performance in the first two months. If they come up with a split this week, they'll still be in good shape for a bye.
TheSportsArsenal- I'm not sure inconsistent is really the word to describe the CofC. The three recent losses were to A) a good team (George Mason), B) a team that has Bobby Cremins' number (Wofford), and C) a team that never should have beaten the Cougars. The Stitt injury surely affected that game. The CofC may struggle some going forward, though, with Stitt out. I will say that the Cougars are not a good offensive rebounding team, and when a team that takes as many three-pointers as the CofC isn't making shots, it can be a long night.
UNCGBasketballFan- I think they are playing a little like what I expected of them in the preseason. Replacing so many players, I assumed they would be a little more erratic than they were at the first of the year. I also think they tend to forget how good their inside players can be and fall in love with shooting quick 3 pointers.
This article from the Post and Courier talks about things the SoCon needs to do to improve. What do you think the Commissioner needs to do to help improve the conference?
DavidsonCats- Conference teams currently need to request a waiver to play more than two non-D1s. I'd like to see this changed. How about this-- you can play one non-D1. If you want to play a second one, you submit a request for a waiver and a check for $100,000 to be divided among the schools who schedule zero non-D1 teams. The commish keeps the check, but only grants the waiver if he can't find you a D1 game. What that would mean is that no school would request the waiver. They'd find D1 opponents, even if it meant playing other Southern Conference teams, or just leave a game off of the schedule.
MocsMania- Personally, I think the commissioner needs to help with the scheduling- namely two sets of conference challenges (how about the Big South and the OVC?) and each team plays at home in one, and on the road in the other during the season. Then, the following year, they play return trips. (I stole that one from ChattanoogaMocs on the MocFans message board.) I also think that requiring teams to play in the BracketBuster (with a return trip the following year) will be huge. That would be four games each year out of conference right there. Put those on the Mocs schedule this year, and they would not have had to play a single non-D1. Same is true for everyone else in the conference. But, there also needs to be an influx of money spent on basketball to up recruiting budgets and to hire better coaching staffs. I don't know where that influx of money comes from. But that is where the biggest deal will be.
TheSportsArsenal- I am dubious as to how much the league can emulate the CAA. As the article points out, you're talking about bigger schools with larger arenas, with generally more resources (and in most cases without having to use those resources for football). Improving the league is probably less about adjusting the way teams schedule, but more about hiring better coaches and recruiting better players.
UNCGBasketballFan- I personally like the ideas of needing waivers to play non-D1 opponents. Our conference does it way too many times. I would really like him to get involved in getting A-Sun, OVC, MVC and CAA teams to play our teams in home-and-home games. Also, some kind of mid-major challenge series would be interesting.
Which player from around the conference has surprised you the most with his performance this year?
DavidsonCats- Drew Windler from Samford. He's had a few huge games lately, including a career high in yesterday's win over Chattanooga. He's increased his average from 6.2 ppg last year to 12.8 this year.
MocsMania- I read TheSportsArsenal this preseason, and read the words saying that Mike Groselle would be very good. I believed it to some degree, but he has exceeded my expectations. Groselle is a borderline candidate for SoCon Player of the Year. He would be if the Bulldogs were just a little bit better. Groselle has been a pleasant surprise to me.
TheSportsArsenal- De'Mon Brooks may be the league's biggest surprise, in that.he's a legitimate player-of-the-year candidate. I don't think anyone was expecting that at the beginning of the season.
UNCGBasketballFan- Mike Groselle from the Citadel. That guy has been an absolute beast. If you asked me for my preseason 1st team All-SoCon, I wouldn't have put him on it. But now, I think he is a lock.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Samford 81, Mocs 70
FOUR FACTORS (plus two)
eFG%
Mocs- 43.2%
Samford- 57.8%
Advantage- Samford
TO%
Mocs- 23.4%
Samford- 18.7%
Advantage- Samford
OR%
Mocs- 43.9%
Samford- 32.1%
Advantage- Mocs
FTRate
Mocs- 37.3%
Samford- 47.1%
Advantage- Samford
FT%
Mocs- 86.4%
Samford- 91.7%
Advantage- Samford
3PtRate
Mocs- 55.9%
Samford- 66.7%
PLAYER RATER
Overall
1) Omar Wattad 20.8
2) Dontay Hampton 19.8
3) Z Mason 19.3
4) Ricky Taylor 17.2
5) Keegan Bell 14.4
6) Drazen Zlovaric 9.3
7) Jahmal Burroughs 7.9
8) Jared Bryant 3.0
9) Lance Stokes 0.0
10) Rico White -1.4
Per 40
1) Dontay Hampton 52.8
2) Z Mason 29.6
3) Jahmal Burroughs 26.2
4) Omar Wattad 25.2
5) Ricky Taylor 22.9
6) Keegan Bell 14.4
7) Drazen Zlovaric 13.8
8) Jared Bryant 9.2
9) Lance Stokes 0.0
10) Rico White -18.7
ANALYSIS
Somebody, please explain to me how this team got so impatient. A team that had not been shooting a bunch of threes suddenly shot 56% of their shots from three point range today. Drazen Zlovaric scored six points in 27 minutes. He only took five shots. He did have three turnovers and five fouls, so that had something to do with it, but in 27 minutes, Zlovaric should have had more than five shots.
On the other hand, Z Mason played well again. He had eleven points and eight rebounds. Dontay Hampton also played well, scoring eleven points. Omar Wattad scored 17 points, but only made four shots. This was not a good shooting day for the Mocs. Combine that with one of their worst defensive efforts of the season, and it is not surprising that the Mocs lost.
This was ugly all the way around. The defense got burned consistently. Drew Windler scored 25 points, making 5 of 9 from three point range. Raijon Kelly, who was shooting under 50% from the free throw line, he made 8 out of 8 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs, one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the SoCon, made nearly 92% from the stripe on the game.
There was a certain amount of it just not being the Mocs game. They did some of the little things right. They collected eighteen offensive rebounds. They outrebounded Samford. They were fighting and hustling. But the defense was not great. Samford shot the ball well, though, too. The Bulldogs also made free throws at an extraordinarily high rate for them. Some of this is just bad luck.
That being said, this was probably the easiest road game on the schedule for the Mocs. And the Mocs are still winless in road games. So there is plenty to be concerned about here. Back four games ago, I said the Mocs needed to go 4-1 in their next five games to head into Elon in decent position. They are still 3-1, with a game at UNC-Greensboro next Thursday. Huge game next Thursday.
GO MOCS!
eFG%
Mocs- 43.2%
Samford- 57.8%
Advantage- Samford
TO%
Mocs- 23.4%
Samford- 18.7%
Advantage- Samford
OR%
Mocs- 43.9%
Samford- 32.1%
Advantage- Mocs
FTRate
Mocs- 37.3%
Samford- 47.1%
Advantage- Samford
FT%
Mocs- 86.4%
Samford- 91.7%
Advantage- Samford
3PtRate
Mocs- 55.9%
Samford- 66.7%
PLAYER RATER
Overall
1) Omar Wattad 20.8
2) Dontay Hampton 19.8
3) Z Mason 19.3
4) Ricky Taylor 17.2
5) Keegan Bell 14.4
6) Drazen Zlovaric 9.3
7) Jahmal Burroughs 7.9
8) Jared Bryant 3.0
9) Lance Stokes 0.0
10) Rico White -1.4
Per 40
1) Dontay Hampton 52.8
2) Z Mason 29.6
3) Jahmal Burroughs 26.2
4) Omar Wattad 25.2
5) Ricky Taylor 22.9
6) Keegan Bell 14.4
7) Drazen Zlovaric 13.8
8) Jared Bryant 9.2
9) Lance Stokes 0.0
10) Rico White -18.7
ANALYSIS
Somebody, please explain to me how this team got so impatient. A team that had not been shooting a bunch of threes suddenly shot 56% of their shots from three point range today. Drazen Zlovaric scored six points in 27 minutes. He only took five shots. He did have three turnovers and five fouls, so that had something to do with it, but in 27 minutes, Zlovaric should have had more than five shots.
On the other hand, Z Mason played well again. He had eleven points and eight rebounds. Dontay Hampton also played well, scoring eleven points. Omar Wattad scored 17 points, but only made four shots. This was not a good shooting day for the Mocs. Combine that with one of their worst defensive efforts of the season, and it is not surprising that the Mocs lost.
This was ugly all the way around. The defense got burned consistently. Drew Windler scored 25 points, making 5 of 9 from three point range. Raijon Kelly, who was shooting under 50% from the free throw line, he made 8 out of 8 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs, one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the SoCon, made nearly 92% from the stripe on the game.
There was a certain amount of it just not being the Mocs game. They did some of the little things right. They collected eighteen offensive rebounds. They outrebounded Samford. They were fighting and hustling. But the defense was not great. Samford shot the ball well, though, too. The Bulldogs also made free throws at an extraordinarily high rate for them. Some of this is just bad luck.
That being said, this was probably the easiest road game on the schedule for the Mocs. And the Mocs are still winless in road games. So there is plenty to be concerned about here. Back four games ago, I said the Mocs needed to go 4-1 in their next five games to head into Elon in decent position. They are still 3-1, with a game at UNC-Greensboro next Thursday. Huge game next Thursday.
GO MOCS!
SoCon Monster Game of the Week Recap- College of Charleston 63, Elon 44
Elon's offensive woes continued. Nobody scored more than nine points. Nine points! The starters scored a total of 13 points. THIRTEEN! Of course, Lucas Troutman and Jack Isenbarger were not in the starting lineup tonight. Add their points to the starters points and the points go up to a very respectable 29 points. Wait- that's not really a respectable total for the starters to be scoring. That is especially true when you include seven players as starters. They shot an embarrassing 23.9% from the field.
The Cougars were not brilliant offensively, shooting just 40% from the field. But Adejhi Baru was brilliant, leading all scorers with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He was not outdone by Trent Wiedeman, who had 10 points and 17 rebounds. The Cougars outrebounded Elon 53-34. Incredible.
The dominating performance by the Cougars defensively and the solid performance by the bigs again remind all the rest of the conference that the Cougars are a rock solid team that can win the conference. They have struggled badly on back-to-back Thursdays, but have looked brilliant on back-to-back Saturdays.
As for the Phoenix, they are in a bit of a freefall, but still find themselves in first place in the North, a half game up on Appalachian State, Western Carolina, and Chattanooga, and up one and a half games on UNC-Greensboro. They are lucky to still be hanging around with their recent performance. This is a team facing Samford and Chattanooga at home next week. They need to win both games and get things back in the right direction.
The Cougars were not brilliant offensively, shooting just 40% from the field. But Adejhi Baru was brilliant, leading all scorers with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He was not outdone by Trent Wiedeman, who had 10 points and 17 rebounds. The Cougars outrebounded Elon 53-34. Incredible.
The dominating performance by the Cougars defensively and the solid performance by the bigs again remind all the rest of the conference that the Cougars are a rock solid team that can win the conference. They have struggled badly on back-to-back Thursdays, but have looked brilliant on back-to-back Saturdays.
As for the Phoenix, they are in a bit of a freefall, but still find themselves in first place in the North, a half game up on Appalachian State, Western Carolina, and Chattanooga, and up one and a half games on UNC-Greensboro. They are lucky to still be hanging around with their recent performance. This is a team facing Samford and Chattanooga at home next week. They need to win both games and get things back in the right direction.
Battle of North vs. South- 1-14-12
Saturday's Scores
Davidson (S) 83
Appalachian State (N) 79
Furman (S) 58
Western Carolina (N) 55
Elon (N) 44
College of Charleston (S) 63
UNC-Greensboro (N) 77
The Citadel (S) 76
at North
North- 4
South- 4
at South-
North- 3
South- 7
Overall
North- 7
South- 11
ANALYSIS
The game changer on this day was Furman's upset of Western Carolin. If the Catamounts had won the game, then it would be 10-8 South, which is much closer. Three of the games were very tight. Charlie Reddick's three for Furman was really the shot of the day in this battle.
The North had a banner day on Thursday, but today, the banner went the other way. The South is probably the superior division, but this race is obviously closer than last year. It should be interesting to see how this race continues to develop.
Davidson (S) 83
Appalachian State (N) 79
Furman (S) 58
Western Carolina (N) 55
Elon (N) 44
College of Charleston (S) 63
UNC-Greensboro (N) 77
The Citadel (S) 76
at North
North- 4
South- 4
at South-
North- 3
South- 7
Overall
North- 7
South- 11
ANALYSIS
The game changer on this day was Furman's upset of Western Carolin. If the Catamounts had won the game, then it would be 10-8 South, which is much closer. Three of the games were very tight. Charlie Reddick's three for Furman was really the shot of the day in this battle.
The North had a banner day on Thursday, but today, the banner went the other way. The South is probably the superior division, but this race is obviously closer than last year. It should be interesting to see how this race continues to develop.
Samford Preview: Rivalry Renewed
Samford is the closest school geographically to Chattanooga. The Bulldogs should be the Mocs biggest rival.
The Mocs have played Samford 82 times, and the Mocs lead 47-34. This is just their thirteenth meeting since the Mocs went D1. The Mocs are 5-2 against Samford since the Bulldogs joined the SoCon, three years ago.
This game is a rivalry game for both teams. Sure- it does not get the excitement going like playing College of Charleston or Davidson (for some), but this is a nice rivalry game.
Samford has the lowest RPI of any team in the SoCon. But to say that is not to include how close they have been to winning plenty. For example, they took Mercer to overtime a couple of days before the Mocs were beaten by double digits by the Bears. Samford has not won a SoCon game yet, but they lost their two home games to Western Carolina and Appalachian State by an average of 4.5 points per game, and lost their two road games by an average of 8 points per game to Georgia Southern and The Citadel. The Mocs have not won a road game yet this year, so this is not as easy game for the Mocs at all. This, in fact, could be quite a challenge.
So, while the Bulldogs have been losing, they have been deceptively close to winning games this year. The Mocs, who have played a couple of close games in a row, will be in another battle with the Bulldogs. The Mocs will have to play well in order to win.
Samford is playing at a slightly faster pace this year. They still shoot a large number of threes- 48% of their shots come from behind the arc. Seven players average shooting two or more three pointers per game.
The best player is probably Jeffrey Merritt. He is averaging 8.9 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. He also is averaging 2.8 assists per game. The 6-6 guard leads the team in rebounds and assists. He is third on the team in scoring. He is shooting 41% from three point range.
Drew Windler is averaging 11.9 points per game and is shooting 37.7% from three point range. He leads the team in scoring. He averaged 14.1 points per game after the first three games, after averaging just 3.3 points per game against Youngstown State, Jacksonville State, and Georgia State. In ten of the last twelve games, he has scored in double digits. Against Sam Houston State and UT-San Antonio, he scored in single digits. His high was against Spring Hill with 23 points, and 20 against Western Carolina. The 6-9 center will be matched up with Drazen Zlovaric. This will be a very interesting match-up.
Freshman Tyler Hood is second on the team in scoring. He is averaging 9.3 points per game. Hood has been a definite player that has really helped the Bulldogs.
This is a good passing team that runs their offense pretty efficiently. They play a little slow, and are 249th in the country in scoring. They are also 281st in the country.
The key for the Mocs may be their health. Will Omar Wattad look more like himself in this game? This could be an important part of the game. Another important part of the game is for the Mocs to be patient on defense. The Bulldogs try to play solid offense, waiting for the defense to make a mistake. The Mocs defense has been great this year, though.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. The Mocs dominate on the glass. To win this kind of game, the Mocs will need to be nearly perfect on the defensive glass and get some offensive rebounds and some second chance points to aid the effort.
--Defensive patience. The Mocs will need to play hard for the whole 35 second shot clock on the defensive end of the floor.
--Health of Ricky Taylor and Omar Wattad. Will they be healthy enough to be solid shooters and contribute heavily to the team?
--Windler vs. Zlovaric. Which big man plays the best and comes up with the best performance?
--Keegan Bell. He's been struggling with his shot. He needs to stop pressing so hard and start shooting better, while also making good decisions in the passing game.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Another low scoring, tight battle in conference play for the Mocs.
--Z Mason and Jahmal Burroughs (unmentioned so far) will combine to be a powerful combination in this one, while Zlovaric will neutralize Windler.
--Just so everyone's clear- Windler will also neutralize Zlovaric.
--Samford will make some threes at a higher rate than they have been so far this year.
--Mocs 63, Samford 56. It will feel like a bigger blowout than this. The Mocs will feel like they are in control almost the whole night. Wattad, Taylor, and Bell will have decent games, but the difference will be Mason and Burroughs.
GO MOCS!
The Mocs have played Samford 82 times, and the Mocs lead 47-34. This is just their thirteenth meeting since the Mocs went D1. The Mocs are 5-2 against Samford since the Bulldogs joined the SoCon, three years ago.
This game is a rivalry game for both teams. Sure- it does not get the excitement going like playing College of Charleston or Davidson (for some), but this is a nice rivalry game.
Samford has the lowest RPI of any team in the SoCon. But to say that is not to include how close they have been to winning plenty. For example, they took Mercer to overtime a couple of days before the Mocs were beaten by double digits by the Bears. Samford has not won a SoCon game yet, but they lost their two home games to Western Carolina and Appalachian State by an average of 4.5 points per game, and lost their two road games by an average of 8 points per game to Georgia Southern and The Citadel. The Mocs have not won a road game yet this year, so this is not as easy game for the Mocs at all. This, in fact, could be quite a challenge.
So, while the Bulldogs have been losing, they have been deceptively close to winning games this year. The Mocs, who have played a couple of close games in a row, will be in another battle with the Bulldogs. The Mocs will have to play well in order to win.
Samford is playing at a slightly faster pace this year. They still shoot a large number of threes- 48% of their shots come from behind the arc. Seven players average shooting two or more three pointers per game.
The best player is probably Jeffrey Merritt. He is averaging 8.9 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. He also is averaging 2.8 assists per game. The 6-6 guard leads the team in rebounds and assists. He is third on the team in scoring. He is shooting 41% from three point range.
Drew Windler is averaging 11.9 points per game and is shooting 37.7% from three point range. He leads the team in scoring. He averaged 14.1 points per game after the first three games, after averaging just 3.3 points per game against Youngstown State, Jacksonville State, and Georgia State. In ten of the last twelve games, he has scored in double digits. Against Sam Houston State and UT-San Antonio, he scored in single digits. His high was against Spring Hill with 23 points, and 20 against Western Carolina. The 6-9 center will be matched up with Drazen Zlovaric. This will be a very interesting match-up.
Freshman Tyler Hood is second on the team in scoring. He is averaging 9.3 points per game. Hood has been a definite player that has really helped the Bulldogs.
This is a good passing team that runs their offense pretty efficiently. They play a little slow, and are 249th in the country in scoring. They are also 281st in the country.
The key for the Mocs may be their health. Will Omar Wattad look more like himself in this game? This could be an important part of the game. Another important part of the game is for the Mocs to be patient on defense. The Bulldogs try to play solid offense, waiting for the defense to make a mistake. The Mocs defense has been great this year, though.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. The Mocs dominate on the glass. To win this kind of game, the Mocs will need to be nearly perfect on the defensive glass and get some offensive rebounds and some second chance points to aid the effort.
--Defensive patience. The Mocs will need to play hard for the whole 35 second shot clock on the defensive end of the floor.
--Health of Ricky Taylor and Omar Wattad. Will they be healthy enough to be solid shooters and contribute heavily to the team?
--Windler vs. Zlovaric. Which big man plays the best and comes up with the best performance?
--Keegan Bell. He's been struggling with his shot. He needs to stop pressing so hard and start shooting better, while also making good decisions in the passing game.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Another low scoring, tight battle in conference play for the Mocs.
--Z Mason and Jahmal Burroughs (unmentioned so far) will combine to be a powerful combination in this one, while Zlovaric will neutralize Windler.
--Just so everyone's clear- Windler will also neutralize Zlovaric.
--Samford will make some threes at a higher rate than they have been so far this year.
--Mocs 63, Samford 56. It will feel like a bigger blowout than this. The Mocs will feel like they are in control almost the whole night. Wattad, Taylor, and Bell will have decent games, but the difference will be Mason and Burroughs.
GO MOCS!
Friday, January 13, 2012
SoCon Monster Game of the Week Preview- Elon at College of Charleston
It's funny how things change.
On Wednesday, Elon had lost five straight games and was stumbling, including a home loss to Georgia Southern in SoCon play.
On Wednesday, College of Charleston was 3-1 in SoCon play, having lost last Thursday to Wofford, but had righted the ship on Saturday at Furman.
Two teams- going two opposite directions.
On Thursday, Elon beat The Citadel in Charleston in a fairly convincing 15 point win.
On Thursday, College of Charleston was shocked at home by a UNCG team that previously had won one D1 game all year long. The Cougars also lost Anthony Stitt (possibly for the rest of the year) to a broken hand.
Two teams- going two opposite directions.
It's funny how things change.
If Elon is going to win, they are going to have to slow the game down to a half court game. The Cougars struggle in their half court offensive sets. The irony is that the Cougars are very thin, particularly now with Stitt out. They are not deep- but they like to run. It's a strange phenomena.
The Cougars shoot a lot of threes. But they are best when they pound it inside to Trent Wiedeman and Adejhi Baru. They are most effective getting it inside to those two. Baru is foul plagued, though. With their thin bench, that presents problems.
The Phoenix have Lucas Troutman- the best rebounder and scorer on their team. He can pound the ball inside with the Cougars bigs.
The Cougars Antwaine Wiggins has turned into one of the better players in the SoCon. Sometimes, his shot selection is a bit off, but on the whole, Wiggins is a very solid player.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Tempo. Will the game be played closer to the 80s or the 60s? That will help decide if the Cougars or Phoenix are able to come up with the win.
--Depth. The Cougars without Stitt are not as deep- not that they ever really were. But now they are really thin. Will that make a difference?
--Troutman vs. Wiedeman and Baru. Who can win the battle inside?
--Jack Isenbarger and Drew Spradlin. The Phoenix best shooters have been cold recently. They need to get going.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--The Cougars will look good without Stitt. It will be a good performance.
--The Phoenix will be cold shooting.
--College of Charleston 74, Elon 63. The Cougars are going to find a way to come up with the win without Stitt. Wiggins will have a monster game and be the difference.
On Wednesday, Elon had lost five straight games and was stumbling, including a home loss to Georgia Southern in SoCon play.
On Wednesday, College of Charleston was 3-1 in SoCon play, having lost last Thursday to Wofford, but had righted the ship on Saturday at Furman.
Two teams- going two opposite directions.
On Thursday, Elon beat The Citadel in Charleston in a fairly convincing 15 point win.
On Thursday, College of Charleston was shocked at home by a UNCG team that previously had won one D1 game all year long. The Cougars also lost Anthony Stitt (possibly for the rest of the year) to a broken hand.
Two teams- going two opposite directions.
It's funny how things change.
If Elon is going to win, they are going to have to slow the game down to a half court game. The Cougars struggle in their half court offensive sets. The irony is that the Cougars are very thin, particularly now with Stitt out. They are not deep- but they like to run. It's a strange phenomena.
The Cougars shoot a lot of threes. But they are best when they pound it inside to Trent Wiedeman and Adejhi Baru. They are most effective getting it inside to those two. Baru is foul plagued, though. With their thin bench, that presents problems.
The Phoenix have Lucas Troutman- the best rebounder and scorer on their team. He can pound the ball inside with the Cougars bigs.
The Cougars Antwaine Wiggins has turned into one of the better players in the SoCon. Sometimes, his shot selection is a bit off, but on the whole, Wiggins is a very solid player.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Tempo. Will the game be played closer to the 80s or the 60s? That will help decide if the Cougars or Phoenix are able to come up with the win.
--Depth. The Cougars without Stitt are not as deep- not that they ever really were. But now they are really thin. Will that make a difference?
--Troutman vs. Wiedeman and Baru. Who can win the battle inside?
--Jack Isenbarger and Drew Spradlin. The Phoenix best shooters have been cold recently. They need to get going.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--The Cougars will look good without Stitt. It will be a good performance.
--The Phoenix will be cold shooting.
--College of Charleston 74, Elon 63. The Cougars are going to find a way to come up with the win without Stitt. Wiggins will have a monster game and be the difference.
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