Daily Dribbles- 3/3/14

--Scanning the SoCon- The Awards Edition here. 

--Play the SoCon Tourney Challenge here!

--So we begin our final week of Daily Dribbles. Five more days of getting your daily dose of SoCon hoops. It couldn't be a better week as the SoCon Tournament is this week. The SoCon Tournament is wide open, outside of possibly Davidson. This will be one of the more interesting tournaments in recent years, as games should be close down the stretch.

--Saturday recaps here.

--The SoCon has started a SoCon channel on WatchESPN. To be more specific, ESPN has started a SoCon channel. I am a little unclear on how this will work and what it all means, but you can read the press release here.

SoCon Tournament Central

Scanning the SoCon- The Awards Edition
Scanning the SoCon- The Tournament Edition
SoCon Tournament Challenge!
Where Would Each Team Be Seeded
Every Game is Beautiful
Team Capsules
Friday Previews
Friday Recaps
Saturday Previews
Saturday Recaps
Semifinal Previews
Semifinal Recaps
Championship Preview
Championship Recap

SoCon Tournament Challenge

I invite everyone to join the third annual SoCon Tournament Challenge! There are no prizes. Just pick the entire bracket for the tournament, just like you would the NCAA Tournament.

The point system works as follows:

For each win on:

Friday- 1 point each.
Saturday- 1 point each.
Sunday- 2 points each.
Monday- 3 points.

The tiebreaker will be the final score pick of the championship game. The second tiebreaker will be picking the player to score the most points in the tournament. The third tiebreaker will be how many points you pick the player to score the most points in the tournament to score.

Picks are due by 10:30 AM on Friday morning. Good luck. They can be posted in the comments section or e-mailed to me at MocsBasketball97@yahoo.com

Bracket is here.

Scanning the SoCon- The Awards Edition

Scanning the SoCon is once again putting out their awards for the conference. The votes were  conducted by fans and bloggers from each team around the conference. This is the third year of Scanning the SoCon, and hopefully our best year yet. Tomorrow, we will have a tournament edition, which will feature answers to questions regarding the SoCon Tournament this week.

POWER RANKINGS

1) Davidson 110 (10)
2) Chattanooga 97
3) Wofford 87
4) Elon 85
5) Western Carolina 69
6) UNCG 57
7) Georgia Southern 48
8) Samford 47
9) Appalachian State 28
10) Furman 20
11) The Citadel 12

1st Team All SoCon (Listed Alphabetically by Last Name)

DeMon Brooks, Davidson
Karl Cochran, Wofford
Jelani Hewitt, Georgia Southern
Z Mason, Chattanooga
Trey Sumler, Western Carolina

2nd Team All SoCon (Listed Alphabetically by Last Name)

Kyle Cain, UNCG
Stephen Croone, Furman
Brian Sullivan, Davidson
Lucas Troutman, Elon
Tim Williams, Samford

3rd Team All SoCon (Listed Alphabetically by Last Name)

Tre Bussey, Georgia Southern
Casey Jones, Chattanooga
Tyler Kalinoski, Davidson
Sebastian Koch, Elon
Matt Van Scyoc, The Citadel

Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically by last name): Ryley Beaumont (Elon), Brandon Boggs (Western Carolina), Spencer Collins (Wofford), Tom Droney (Davidson), Kendrec Ferrara (Furman), Tab Hamilton (Appalachian State), Jack Isenbarger (Elon), Gee McGhee (Chattanooga), Conner Miller (Samford), Lee Skinner (Wofford), Tom Spagnolo (Appalachian State), Rico White (Chattanooga), Isaiah Williams (Samford)

COACH OF THE YEAR
Will Wade, Chattanooga- 7.5 votes

Others Receiving Votes- Bob McKillop, Davidson (1.5 votes), Mike Young, Wofford (1 vote)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

DeMon Brooks, Davidson- 6 votes

Others Receiving Votes- Z Mason, Chattanooga (3 votes), Tim Williams, Samford  (1 vote)

BEST FIRST ROUND GAME ON FRIDAY:

Samford vs. Appalachian State (11:00 AM)- 4 votes

Others Receiving Votes- Furman vs. Georgia Southern (1:30) (3 votes), UNCG vs. The Citadel (4:00) (3 votes)

Mocs 63, Mountaineers 44

Now that was defense.

In the second half, the Mocs stepped up and played defense the way it is supposed to be played. They held the Mountaineers to just four made field goals in the half and stretched a five point lead out to a nineteen point win.

It was Senior Night, and with just one senior on the roster, the night was dedicated to him. It was his night. Z Mason played like it. He scored 24 points and collected thirteen rebounds and had six blocks for the game. It was a wonderful night for Mason and a great night to remember all the moments he has provided us over the last three years.

Rico White knocked down a couple of huge first half threes. Gee McGhee played pretty well, and Casey Jones did a lot of the little things, coming up with ten rebounds. This team seems to be playing much more like they did in January than like they did for most February. Everyone has seemed to play their roles and play them well for the last two games. If the Mocs can put together six halves like they did against Appalachian State, they will be right in the championship game all the way until the very end.

The rebounding was thoroughly impressive. They rebounded so well. When the Mocs rebound like that and play defense like that, they are going to be tough for anybody to beat in Asheville.

The energy that the Mocs have brought in the last three games (including the loss to UNCG) creates a real sense of hope for these Mocs. There is not a lot of margin for error with this team. We all know that at this point. But when they play well, they can beat anybody in the SoCon. When they play poorly, they can lose to any team in the SoCon. How things go, beginning next Saturday at 6:00 against either Georgia Southern or Furman, will depend on how they are playing?

Now onto some reflections on Z Mason. I'm truly going to miss him. From the first time he stepped onto the floor as a sophomore, I was thoroughly impressed with the energy he brought to the basketball game. I have loved watching him play and will genuinely miss him next year. I hope that he succeeds at whatever he does next. I would love it if he got a chance in the NBA, and he could, I suppose. I wish him nothing but the best.

GO MOCS!

Four Factors: Appalachian State

eFG%
Mountaineers- 31.6%
Mocs- 43.4%
Advantage- Mocs

TO%
Mountaineers- 12.1%
Mocs- 22.1%
Advantage- Mountaineers

OR%
Mountaineers- 28.6%
Mocs- 50.0%
Advantage- Mocs

FTRate
Mountaineers- 59.2%
Mocs- 50.9%
Advantage- Mountaineers

Steals
Mountaineers- 4
Mocs- 4
Advantage- Even

3P%
Mountaineers- 20.0%
Mocs- 40.0%
Advantage- Mocs

Possessions: 58

SoCon Saturday Review

Davidson 86, Elon 69

Key Stat: Davidson 62% from the floor. Seriously? How in the world is any team going to beat Davidson when they shoot 62% from the field? I don't think many SoCon teams will have a prayer against them when they shoot that well. It's a little embarrasssing for the Phoenix that they couldn't play better defense than that.

Player of the Game: DeMon Brooks. Brooks scored 24 points and had eight rebounds. He made 10 of 12 from the floor. He made 2 of 3 from the free throw line. He made both of his three point attempts. Brooks had one of his best games of the season against the Phoenix on Saturday night.

What It All Means: Davidson avenged their only loss of the season. They also established themselves as the clear SoCon Tournament favorite. The defense was not perfect, but this was the Wildcats best defensive road game in a while. They played very well, and it is starting to look like they have lapped the SoCon field. We'll see how this plays out in Asheville. For Elon, this season can not be termed a disappointment quite yet. If they don't win the SoCon Tournament, it can be. This season was supposed to be the breakthrough, and now the Phoenix have finished fourth in the SoCon regular season. So much for a breakthrough. There was also very little development as the season progressed.

Chattanooga 63, Appalachian State 44

Key Stat: Mocs 50% OR%. The Mocs collected twenty offensive rebounds. The Mountaineers got 20 defensive rebounds. That's not good for the Mountaineers. They could not get pounded on the glass like that. That is the most important thing for the Mocs offense is getting second looks. When they do, they are an efficient offense. When they don't, they are not.

Player of the Game: Z Mason. In Mason's last home game, he scored 24 points and had 13 rebounds. He shot 8 of 15 from the floor and 2 of 3 from three point range. He also came up with six blocks on the defensive end. What an incredible career he has had for the Mocs!

What It All Means: The Mountaineers end up with the nine seed in Asheville. There is plenty of speculation on Capel's job right now. The Mountaineers just could not score in the second half against the Mocs stingy defense. They also did not seem to be able to rebound against the Mocs. If Jay Canty and Mike Neal are still out in Asheville, it's hard to imagine that they have the weapons to hang around for more than one game. The Mocs wound up winning their final two games impressively and may have turned a bit of a corner. They get the two seed in the SoCon Tournament, which means they are opposite Davidson in the bracket, which was critical for this team. The Mocs played with the energy and effort that won them so many games early in SoCon play. We'll have to wait and see if they can win their first game in the SoCon Tournament since 2010.

UNCG 73, Wofford 71

Key Stat: Spartans 61.7% from the floor. The Spartans shot nearly 78% from the floor in the second half. That is an incredible statistic for UNCG. They are not normally an efficient offense, but they were on this night, against one of hte SoCon's best defenses.

Player of the Game: Kayel Locke. Locke scored 17 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the floor. He also made 5 of 6 from the free throw line. Locke has the ability to be a good offensive player when he stays out of foul trouble. He only picked up two fouls in this one.

What It All Means: The Spartans won their second game in seven days against a team receiving a bye in the SoCon Tournament when they upset Wofford on Saturday evening. The Spartans put up a terrible performance against Davidson in-between. Who can figure out these Spartans? No one. That's who. They are the six seed and could lose to The Citadel in the opening round or could make a run to the SoCon Championship Game. This team is a mystery. After sixteen games, I still don't have them figured out. The Terriers did not show up in the second half of a game that they thought they needed to win to lock down a two or three seed. As it turned out, they still got the three seed. The Terriers are a bit of a mystery themselves- at least to me. Sometimes they play great offense- sometimes it's terrible. Sometimes they play great defense- sometimes it's terrible. With the wide open nature of their half of the bracket in Asheville, they can definitely do damage. They may have to go through the Spartans again next Saturday in the final game of the evening.

Samford 93, Western Carolina 86

Key Stat: Samford 33 of 39 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs made 33 free throws in a game they won by seven. Western Carolina made 28 free throws as well, so it was not just free throws that won this game for Samford. But for the Bulldogs to knock down that percentage on their free throws was a huge difference in this one.

Player of the Game: Tim Williams. Williams scored 32 points on 10 of 11 shooting from the floor. He made 12 of 13 from the free throw line line. He came up with six rebounds and three assists. Honestly, it may have been the best single performance by any one player in the SoCon this year. He was unreal.

What It All Means: The Catamounts lost their last two games. This team has underachieved this year in a lot of ways. Still, they have the five seed and are going to be a tough out in Asheville. The defense, which has been so good this year, let them down on Saturday night. Can the Catamounts put the pieces together again in the tournament? The Bulldogs again showed what an enigma they are. They lost to Appalachian State on Thursday and then beat Western Carolina on Saturday. Who can explain that? They also lost to The Citadel on Monday. This team will play Appalachian State again on Friday. If they win that one, they get Davidson. If they play with confidence on Saturday, they can beat Davidson. Of course, the two teams will probably combine for 200 points. But they can beat them if things break right.

The Citadel 80, Georgia Southern 63

Key Stat: Bulldogs 63.2 eFG%. The Citadel made a ton of shots from the floor, but also made 10 of 24 from three point range. They were really hot shooting against the Eagles defense. The Eagles defense will have to be better than that in Asheville.

Player of the Game: Matt Van Scyoc. Van Scyoc scored 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the floor. He made 4 of 8 from three point range. He also came up with six rebounds. If he and Ashton Moore are playing well, they are solid tandem. Throw in Brian White and PJ Horgan and this team has some decent talent.

What It All Means: The Eagles wound up losing a game that could have wrapped up the six seed for them. That was pretty much unacceptable. This was a terrible performance. The Eagles just needed to take care of business against the worst team in the SoCon and could not do it. Now they have to play a kind of dangerous Furman team on Friday just to get to Saturday against Chattanooga. The Mocs could have real trouble with them, but the Eagles have to get there first. The Bulldogs won their second consecutive game after losing 17 in a row. A little bit of confidence goes a long way. No team in the SoCon, outside of Davidson, may be playing with more confidence right now. Does that carry over into Asheville? They will play UNCG on Friday with the winner taking on Wofford. Can the Bulldogs keep the winning streak alive? Again, with guys like Van Scyoc, White, Horgan, Moore and Marshall Harris III, the Bulldogs can stick around in games. We'll see.

Jam Packed Sunday

On Sunday, I'll post:

1) SoCon Saturday in Review
2) Four Factors: Appalachian State
3) Mocs 63, Mountaineers 44 Analysis
4) Scanning the SoCon- The Tournament Edition, Part One

Should be a full Sunday. I apologize for my absence from this blog tonight.

Appalachian State Preview: Zenior Night

Yep- you heard right. It's not Senior Night. It's Zenior Night.

Senior Z Mason has certainly earned a night being named after him. After all, he has been one of the best players to come through Chattanooga in recent years. He will probably be on the All SoCon First Team this year, might win Player of the Year and has ignited the turn around in Mocs basketball fortunes this year. There will be festivities surrounding the lone Mocs senior.

But there is important stuff to tend to on the court as well. The Mocs will be hosting Appalachian State in a game with significant tournament seeding implications for the Mocs. A win over the Mountaineers would lock up the two seed for the Mocs in the upcoming SoCon Tournament. A loss could knock them down to the fourth seed if Wofford beats UNCG and Elon beats Davidson. A loss and a win by just one of those two teams would put the Mocs in at the third seed. A loss by all three would also leave the Mocs in at the two seed.

In other words, this game matters to the Mocs a great deal. While winning a SoCon regular season championship was the ultimate goal, finishing second would be a tremendous step for a team with a new coaching staff, new style, new system and just one senior on the roster that finished in seventh last year in the SoCon.

So it begins for the Mocs as they strive to prove that they can win back-to-back games to close out the year and put together back-to-back solid performances. After a bumbling month of February, they get to start off March attempting to show exactly what they are made of.

Back in the first match-up between the two teams, the Mocs fell behind by double digits early in the game, only to roar out to an eleven point halftime lead and a ten point win to start SoCon play at 5-0. The Mocs were never seriously threatened in the second half. Martynas Bareika scored 16 points, Casey Jones had 14 points and eleven rebounds, and Z Mason contributed 22 and 12 to go along with six blocks. For the Mountaineers, Michael Obacha had one of his best offensive nights, scoring ten points. Jay Canty got 18 points. Tommy Spagnolo scored just five points and had seven rebounds.

Now, Canty is suspended for the second time this year. He was out for Thursday's game against Samford. Mike Neal was also suspended for that game. The school announced that both had violated team rules and would not be playing at Chattanooga either, but no timetable had been set for their return.

The bad news for the Mocs in terms of how the Mountaineers are playing is the rising up of Spagnolo. He has become a really good SoCon player since the last meeting, when he played just twenty minutes and did not start. He is now the Mountaineers best player with Canty out. Spagnolo is a 6-7 and will be tough for the Mocs to handle inside, especially with Obacha also in the middle.

How did Appalachian State beat Samford on Thursday without Neal and Canty, who combined for 34 points against the Mocs in their earlier meeting? Well, one thing they did was feed Spagnolo, who finished with 21 points. The other thing they did was play suffocating defense. Samford did not score for over seven minutes late in the game to turn a comfortable lead into a deficit. The Bulldogs committed 25 turnovers against the Mountaineers, the most by a SoCon team this year. They also got to the free throw line 33 times to the Bulldogs 12.

These are things that should trouble the Mocs. They are a team that goes to the free throw line a huge number of times to make up for lack of shooting ability from the floor. They are a team that has a tendency to commit turnovers in chunks. They could not slow down Samford's offense in two games against them.

There are things to be worried about here. The Mountaineers have seemed to play better without Canty in SoCon action, which seems unthinkable, given his talent level. When he was out with an injury, they won a few games. When he is suspended, they go and win at Samford. Maybe, for some strange reason, this team is better without Canty in the lineup.

The Mocs will likely need to win the rebounding battle and fight and scrap for everything. They are not good enough to just show up and win the basketball game. They are going to have to bring the energy to the game for the full forty minutes. After their performance against Georgia Southern the last time the Mocs played in McKenzie, my bet is that the Mocs decide to show up and bring their best effort. This is their last chance to impress the home crowd this year.

PREDICTION

Think about it. Appalachian State scored 70 points against the Mocs the first time around, and 34 of them were scored by Canty and Neal who will not play in this one. That is a huge chunk to replace, even with Spagnolo playing at such a high level. They will try to do it mostly with defense, but the Mountaineers could not control the Mocs as they drove the ball to the basket the first time around. Gee McGhee should have a great game in this one. Z Mason will play an inspired performance in his final home game. Casey Jones and Rico White will also play big roles. Look for Lance Stokes to bring the energy to the game that is necessary to win. Finally, a guy that I don't always give a ton of credit to, Greg Pryor, will not turn the ball over a lot against the Mountaineers ball hawkers, and the Mocs will come up with a relatively easy win in front of the home crowd. Mocs 77, Mountaineers 64.

Daily Dribbles- 2/28/14

--Thursday recap here.

--Saturday preview here.

--Davidson has locked up the one seed. The Citadel is the eleven seed. Furman is the ten seed. Western Carolina is the five seed. Those are all locked up. If Chattanooga wins, they clinch the two seed. If Georgia Southern beats The Citadel, they will clinch the six seed. Those are the most important seeds on the board.

--Elon hosts Davidson, and the game matters to the Phoenix after losing to Wofford. Are they good enough to beat Davidson? I'm not sure. Should be interesting.

Mocs 83, Catamounts 81

The Mocs won one of their biggest regular season games of the year in Cullowhee and did it in very dramatic fashion. Martynas Bareika drained three in the final ten seconds of regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime. Then, when down four with 35 seconds left in overtime, Rico White drained a three, the Mocs forced a jump ball and gained possession, and then Casey Jones made a shot to give the Mocs the lead.

It was an incredible performance. Thanks to Wofford's upset at Elon, the Mocs are now in a three way tie for second in the SoCon. They hold the tiebreaker over Elon (beat them once head-to-head) and Wofford (beat them twice head-to-head). That means that if the Mocs beat Appalachian State, they will finish second in the SoCon. If Wofford (against UNCG) or Elon (against Davidson) lose on Saturday and the Mocs lose, then the Mocs would still clinch the three seed. If both Wofford and Elon win and the Mocs lose, then the Mocs will get the four seed. If all three lose, the Mocs will clinch the second seed. There is no way for Western Carolina to get anyting except for the five seed.

What is interesting as we look at the season as a whole is that the Mocs are now 5-1 against teams that will receive a bye in the SoCon Tournament. They are a mere 6-3 against teams not getting a bye, but the Mocs have beaten the best teams in the SoCon consistently. Davidson is just 4-1 at this point against teams receiving a bye. If they beat Elon, they will finish up 5-1, which would match the Mocs mark. They are the two best teams against teams that will receive a bye in the SoCon Tournament.

The Mocs brought the energy tonight. There was a play in the second half where Western Carolina was passing it ahead for a breakaway basket. It should have been an easy two. Bareika batted the ball away out of bounds. It is plays like that which make such a huge difference in games like this. Lance Stokes consistently made plays just like throughout the ball game. He tipped the ball out on numerous rebounds. With seven points and five assists, he did a lot of really important things. Gee McGhee with 15 points and six rebounds continued to show a recognition of his role on this team. Casey Jones had plays run for him tonight, and he came up huge with 19 points and seven rebounds. Z Mason fouled out of the game and had 16 points and six rebounds.

The Mocs also got to the free throw line 17 more times than the Catamounts and made fourteen more free throws. That was one of the main differences in this game and one of the ways the Mocs have continually come up with wins in SoCon play.

The Mocs really need to beat Appalachian State and wrap up that two seed on Saturday night. It will be Z Mason's Senior Night, so it should be a good crowd at McKenzie watching the Mocs. It is a huge game for Chattanooga.

How will the Mocs fare in Asheville? That's still too be determined. But with a two or three seed, the Mocs will put themselves in the best position possible to succeed there. Does anyone realize how long it has been since the Mocs have been to the semifinals away from Chattanooga? That's since 2007. I'm really hoping the Mocs can get that far this year. That would be a major step for the program. Getting to the NCAA Tournament would be huge as well, obviously.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's beat Appalachian State on Saturday night and get that two seed.

GO MOCS!

Four Factors: Western Carolina

eFG%
Catamounts- 54.1%
Mocs- 54.0%
Advantage- Catamounts

TO%
Catamounts- 18.2%
Mocs- 21.1%
Advantage- Catamounts

OR%
Catamounts- 36.1%
Mocs- 38.7%
Advantage- Mocs

FTRate
Catamounts- 36.1%
Mocs- 38.7%
Advantage- Mocs

Steals
Catamounts- 3
Mocs- 9
Advantage- Mocs

3P%
Catamounts- 44.4%
Mocs- 50.0%
Advantage- Mocs

Possessions: 71

SoCon Thursday Review

Davidson 79, UNCG 46

Key Stat: Davidson 13 of 27 from threes, UNCG 1 of 12. Holy cow. The Spartans could not make a three to save their lives. Davidson was knocking them down left and right. Davidson is a really good offensive team. They are so dangerous shooting the ball. This team, when they play defense, is very difficult to beat.

Player of the Game: Brian Sullivan. As has become my theory on this Wildcat team, Sullivan is the key to this team. He scored 19 points on 6 of 11 from the floor, including 5 of 8 from three point range. He also collected two rebounds, two assists and one steal. DeMon Brooks had a big night on Senior Night too. He was huge as well.

What It All Means: The Spartans were not just beaten- they were embarrassed. The Spartans have a real chance to wind up in the eight seed at this point in the SoCon Tournament. Of course, that's a disaster, as the Spartans don't want to see Davidson in the quarterfinals. Yikes. A loss by Samford or a win by UNCG would eliminate any chance of that. They can still get the six seed, but the chances look slim, since they close with Wofford. Davidson wrapped up the number one seed in the SoCon Tournament. Now, they get to go seek out revenge for their lone SoCon loss, when they go to Elon. Will this Davidson team playing this hard show up on Saturday night? I think they will since they are looking for revenge. Davidson has held two straight opponents under 50. I've been saying that they are a good defensive team at home, but struggling at defense away from home. We'll see how they play at Elon.

Wofford 63, Elon 59

Key Stat: Elon 3 of 10 from three point range. The Terriers also knocked down seven threes, while the Phoenix only knocked down three. That was the major difference in this one as well. The Terriers played superb defense. They did not play well on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense was very good.

Player of the Game: Karl Cochran. Cochran scored 20 points and collected seven rebounds. Cochran made 7 of 17 from the floor and 6 of 12 from three point range. Cochran's play was impressive and helped the Terriers on the offensive end. He was basically back to the good Cochran after the Davidson game.

What It All Means: Wofford came up with a critical win to finally prove to me that they are for real. That's their second win over a team receiving a bye, and that is the reason that the Terriers win was so important. They really proved how dangerous they can be tonight. I still have concerns because their offense looked mediocre for the second straight game, but this defense is very good and can help them go a long way in Asheville. They have a shot at the two seed. They also could still fall to the fourth seed. The Phoenix did not play particulalry well in this one with so much on the line. That was a lousy way to head into the Davidson game on Saturday night. What happens in Asheville with this team? I'm just not sure. It's too difficult to figure out. This is one tough team to figure out as they head into the SoCon Tournament.

Chattanooga 83, Western Carolina 81 (OT)

Key Stat: Mocs 29 of 38 from the free throw line. Prior to the game, in the preview, I said the Mocs needed to get to the free throw line a lot more than the Catamounts. They went to the line sixteen more times and knocked down fourteen more. They made 76.3% of their free throws, and that was the difference in the game.

Player of the Game: Casey Jones. Jones scored 19 points with seven rebounds and three blocks. He shot 7 of 13 from the field. He made 5 of 5 from the charity stripe. There were specific plays run for Jones and he was converting. He deserves player of the game. Special props to Martynas Bareika, who knocked down a three to tie up the game and also broke up a breakaway basket for the Catamounts that could have been a huge difference in the game.

What It All Means: The Mocs came up with a stunning road win in Cullowhee. It was unexpected, but shows that the Mocs may be back on the right track as they head to Asheville. All they need is to beat Appalachian State on Saturday night and the Mocs will get the two seed. This is a team that when they bring the effort and energy and knock down a few shots can beat anyone in the SoCon. When they don't knock down a few shots or don't bring their best effort and energy, they can lose to anyone in the SoCon. This is another tough team to figure out. The Catamounts continue to fade a bit down the stretch. This was just their second home loss on the year. Western Carolina showed the effort and energy but could not close the deal. I think this team is dangerous in Asheville because of how they have played there in the past, but something seems to be missing from this club. Maybe they are just saving up for the Asheville run. Maybe there is something legitimately wrong. We'll see how they respond on Saturday at Samford. They have locked up the five seed.

Georgia Southern 82, Furman 73

Key Stat: Georgia Southern 31 rebounds, Furman 23. If you are going to beat Georgia Southern, you need to beat them on the boards. Furman did not come close to doing that, and the Eagles came up with the relatively easy road win because of it. They collected ten offensive rebounds as well. That was a big difference in this one, particulalry since the Eagles weren't missing much, shooting well over 50% from the floor.

Player of the Game: Jelani Hewitt. Hewitt poured in 22 points and came up with four steals. Hewitt only made 6 of 14 from the field. He made 3 of 5 from downtown and 7 of 9 from the charity stripe. Hewitt was very good in this one.

What It All Means: The Eagles played one of their best offensive performances in a while. They looked very good on that side. When this team is shooting well, they are really good. They just don't have the big guys in the middle to make the difference and win several games in Asheville. But they will be a tough out for any team that plays them. Furman showed some big flaws in this one. They were beaten at home in a game that the Paladins could have expected to win. I still think this is a dangerous team in Asheville. They are locked in to the ten seed and will play one of four teams on Friday at about 1:30. That may be the best game in the first round. That was Furman's last SoCon game of the regular season.

Appalachian State 63, Samford 57

Key Stat: Samford 25 turnovers. What? How in the world do you commit 25 turnovers? The Mountaineers turned it over 15 times, but the Bulldogs turned it over 25 times. That is absolutely unacceptable for a Bulldog team that has been pretty good on offense this year. The Bulldogs are stumbling down the stretch again, it appears.

Player of the Game: Tommy Spagnolo. Spagnolo scored 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting. He came up with ten rebounds. He had two blocks and two steals as well. Spagnolo has turned into the best Mountaineers player. He can be a force in Asheville.

What It All Means: The Mountaineers went on the road and came up with a really nice win. The win keeps alive their hopes of getting up to the seven seed, which would be huge, because they do not want to be in the 8-9 game, where the winner would play Davidson in the quarters. This team can be dangerous in Asheville, potentially. Spagnolo is turning into a really good player. The Bulldogs simply can't take any positive things to happen to them. The loss to The Citadel could have served as a wake up call. It did not. It was a bad night to be a Bulldog. Can the Bulldogs turn around and beat Western Carolina on Saturday night?

Daily Dribbles-2/27/14

--Thursday previews.

--Western Carolina's tournament information was posted on the Purple & Gold.

--As we head into this final weekend of games, remember that only one seed has been clinched- The Citadel at the eleven seed. All the other seeds are up in the air. I'll have a full breakdown in this space tomorrow of what seeds are clinched and what seeds are not.

--Should be an incredible night of action in the SoCon as the two seed and six seed will come into focus. It should be a thrilling night of basketball. Enjoy it.

Western Carolina Preview: One Final Road Moment

The Mocs hit the road one final time in an absolutely critical game against the Western Carolina Catamounts. If the Mocs win and Elon wins against Wofford, the Mocs will have clinched a two or three seed. If Western Carolina wins, they can not clinch anything, but it will put them in good position to get a two or three seed possibly. This is a huge moment for the Mocs and Catamounts and we'll have to see how they respond to the pressure.

These two teams hooked up just two weeks ago. The Mocs won 83-73 in Chattanooga. On that night, the Mocs outrebounded the Catamounts relatively easily. Western Carolina shot 38.2% from the floor and 16% from three point range. Trey Sumler, Brandon Boggs and James Sinclair shot a combined 2 of 19 from three point range. Boggs did make 8 of 15 from the floor and scored 21 points. Tawaski King scored eight points and had six rebounds. Z Mason scored 23 points and had 8 rebounds, while Gee McGhee had one of his best games of his career. McGhee scored 16 points with 15 rebounds, along with five assists. The Mocs also made 71.4% of their free throws that night.

What has to change in this one?

The Catamounts have a propensity for committing fouls and the Mocs get to the free throw line a lot. So that will be a major key for the Mocs- just like it was the first time around. If the Mocs are to win this game, they need to shoot at least nine more free throws like they did in their first meeting.

For Western Carolina, the Catamounts have to shoot the ball at a better clip. The Mocs do not have a particularly good defense and have been getting pounded defensively in the two games since the Western Carolina game. Sumler, Boggs and Sinclair will absolutely need to shoot the ball at a higher percentage and lead this team. King will need to be a bigger presence in the paint.

Then again, there is something about Western Carolina's style that seemed to match up well for the Mocs the first time around. The Mocs seemed to be able to get out and run and seemed to wear out the Catamounts a bit. The Catamounts did not seem to have someone who could match up with McGhee. Mason and King's match-up will also be one of the most critical in the game.

It should be an interesting showdown as both teams need this one desperately. The game will be available on ESPN3 and should be entertaining.

PREDICTION

The Catamounts are a very good basketball team at home. They are 11-1 at home this year. However, the Mocs went up to Cullowhee and upset the Catamounts in the second to last game of the year a season ago. So they do know how to win up there. The Mocs have the ability to go into the Ramsey Center and come up the upset. But it's impossible to pick the Mocs, who couldn't win in Greensboro, to turn around and beat Western on Thursday at this point. Every game is different. But the Catamounts will shoot better at home and come up with a very important win. Catamounts 77, Mocs 73.

Daily Dribbles- 2/26/14

--SoCon This Week is here. 

--This is T-Dog's recap of Appalachian State last week.

--A preview from Purple & Gold of the Chattanooga-Western Carolina game, which is huge Thursday night.

--A huge night on Thursday night, as the two through five seeds will be battling each other, trying to sort out the logjam. Elon and Western Carolina have the edge over Wofford and Chattanooga because they are at home. Thursday is going to be a huge night.

--Not only that, but Davidson will be going for clinching the one seed on Thursday night. All they have to do is win at home against UNCG. That's all. No big deal. Right? Stranger things have happened than the talented Spartans finally putting together a near perfect game and upsetting the Wildcats. It's possible....but not likely.

SoCon This Week- Week Nine

Schedule
Scanning the SoCon- Week Seventeen
Official SoCon Weekly Release
Game of the Week- Davidson at Elon
Thursday Preview
Saturday Preview
Thursday Review
Saturday Review

SoCon Monster Game of the Week- Davidson at Elon

The Wildcats and Phoenix are currently the top two teams in the league, and could have clinched
those spots by Saturday night's game if both teams win Thursday and Western Carolina beats Chattanooga that night. However, these two teams have budding rivalry going. The Phoenix are the only team to beat Davidson in SoCon play. That came in a furious comeback in Davidson, which they concluded by winning in overtime.

Now, Davidson will be looking for revenge against the Phoenix in their building. Each of these schools is leaving the SoCon next year, so this may be their final meeting for a while. Or it could be their first of two meetings in ten days time, as they could easily meet again in the SoCon Tournament. If both teams have clinched their spots in the tournament, it will be interesting to see what these teams do in terms of gameplan and rotation of players against each other.

Davidson has a couple of flaws that have not been fatal yet that are on full display. They are not a great rebounding team, but a good one. They are a team that struggles defensively away from home at times. If DeMon Brooks gets into foul trouble, they have really struggled at times. The Wildcats are hoping to prove that some of those things are not as much of a flaw as they appear to be. They need to rebound well. They need to play solid defense in a road contest.

The Wildcats obviously rely heavily on Brooks. Brooks is averaging 18.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 58.3% from the floor. He also is coming up with .8 blocks per game. Brooks really leads the Wildcats when he avoids foul trouble. He's come up with four fouls four times in SoCon play and fouled out of one game- against Elon, the lone SoCon loss.

Brian Sullivan has been playing very well lately for the Wildcats. He is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.9 points per game and 2.2 assists. He has knocked down 74 threes so far this for 37.6% from long range. Tyler Kalinoski and Tom Droney have been the two biggest surprises on the team. Kalinoski averages 3.4 assists and Droney 3.3 assists, while each averages 11.1 points per game. Jake Belford is an important player down low for Davidson, as well. When Brooks was in foul trouble in the first half against Wofford and Belford was injured for a moment, Wofford started their big run of the game.

Elon has a talented starting five. Lucas Troutman is averaging 15.7 points per game to go along with 6.4 rebounds per contest. He also averages 1.9 blocks per game. He is shooting 53.5% from the floor. He will be a significant challenge to Brooks in the paint. The two will have a battle down there that should be tremendous.

Ryley Beaumont is the other big for the Phoenix. He is averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Beaumont has been critical during much of this eight game win streak. Sebastian Koch and Tanner Samson are the two best three point shooters. Koch is shooting 44.4% from long range, while Samson is shooting 42.8% from beyond the arc. Jack Isenbarger is the lone remaining starter, and he has been struggling for much of the year. He is averaging 9.5 points per game.

The Phoenix are the best defensive team in the SoCon in eFG%. Opponents have an eFG of 46.1%. They are the second best shooting team in the league, behind the Wildcats. They give up too many rebounds and do not force many turnovers. Elon is a very good team.

PREDICTION

Elon is hungry to prove at home that the first game was no fluke. Then again, Davidson is hoping to avenge their only loss. If everything is already arranged in the seedings, it is a little difficult to know what team will be playing hard and for what purpose. That being said, I'll still hold onto Davidson being the one that wants the win more. Brooks is a great player and the Wildcats show up and come up with a narrow win. Wildcats 77, Phoenix 74.

Schedule- Week Nine

Thursday

Georgia Southern at Furman, 7:00 PM
The Paladins wrap up their SoCon schedule holding onto the chance of moving up to the nine seed. The Eagles are holding out hope for the six seed still.

Chattanooga at Western Carolina, 7:00 PM
This battle will be very important in sorting out the seeds two through five. The Catamounts have been very good at home this year so far, and the Mocs will try to surprise them.

UNCG at Davidson, 7:00 PM
Davidson is going for the SoCon title clincher, while UNCG is trying to earn the six seed in the SoCon Tournament.

Wofford at Elon, 7:00 PM
This game is as big as they get in the battle for the two through five seed. The Terriers have beaten just one team that is receiving a bye, while the Phoenix are hoping against hope that they can keep their slim SoCon championship hopes alive.

Appalachian State at Samford, 8:00 PM
The Mountaineers are trying to avoid the ten seed and have hopes for the seven seed. Beating Samford would serve two purposes- knocking down the Bulldogs a peg and lifitng the Mountaineers one. Big game.

Saturday

Western Carolina at Samford, 7:00 PM
The Catamounts may be in good shape for the two or three seed with a win. They can ill afford a slip up against the Bulldogs. Western Carolina has struggled away from home. Samford's been good at home.

Appalachian State at Chattanooga, 7:00 PM
The Mountaineers will have a shot at the seven seed if they can sweep this week. The Mocs could still have a shot at the two seed, depending on the way the games have fallen until now in the week. They will certainly enter the night with a shot at the all important three seed.

Davidson at Elon, 7:00 PM
This is a rematch of the one game Davidson has lost in SoCon play. The Wildcats may have nothing to play for but pride. Elon will have the two seed wrapped up if they beat Wofford on Thursday and Western Carolina beats Chattanooga and Davidson beats UNCG. So, while this game looks great on paper, it could mean nothing.

UNCG at Wofford, 7:00 PM
The Spartans will almost certainly be battling for the important six seed in this one. Coming up with the win over the Terriers may be easier said than done. Wofford could be fighting it out for the three seeed.

Georgia Southern at The Citadel, 7:00 PM
The Bulldogs gun for their second straight win. The Eagles will be possibly gunning for the six seed. This game could be semi-interesting.

SoCon Saturday Preview

A daily preview of each SoCon game.

Saturday Thought

The final night of SoCon action takes place tonight. Who knows what seeding positions will be on the line? Davidson and Elon will hook up in a rematch of an overtime classic in Davidson which the Phoenix won. Should be an entertaining final day as we find out where teams will be seeded heading into the SoCon Tournament.

Western Carolina at Samford

The Catamounts have struggled away from home this year. Will they show up for a very important game at Samford? The Bulldogs have struggled to put together back-to-back great games. But they have a much better chance of putting that together at home. Tim Williams and Raijon Kelly will need to come up with solid performances. Williams against the Catamounts Tawaski King will be a tremendous match-up. The Bulldogs are a good offensive team, but not a good defensive team. Brandon Boggs is one of the SoCon's more underrated players. Will he have a big game in this one? Possibly. I think Samford comes up with the home upset to close out the regular season. Bulldogs 76, Catamounts 75.

Appalachian State at Chattanooga

The Mocs are struggling right now. Make no mistake about that. However, this is Z Mason's Senior Night and the Mocs will need to show up. The Mountaineers have not been playing great basketball. The Mocs will have a shot at the third seed heading into Saturday night regardless of Thursday's outcomes, and possibly have a shot at the two seed, depending on Thursday's results. Jay Canty had a good game the last time these two teams matched up in Boone. Tommy Spagnolo has stepped up since then. Gee McGhee and Casey Jones seem like the two Mocs most likely to have big games against these Mountaineers in this one. Also, look for Mason to have a huge night as well. The Mocs pull off the home win to wrap up the season. Mocs 78, Mountaineers 69.

Davidson at Elon

The Phoenix beat Davidson in overtime and could possibly be playing for the one seed in this one. They could also be playing for locking down the two seed. Or both teams could have locked the one and two seed positions heading into this one. Can DeMon Brooks stay out of foul trouble this time around? How intense will the game be if both teams have locked up their seeding? Lucas Troutman against DeMon Brooks is almost as good as it gets in the SoCon. Davidson really wants revenge. Elon really wants to come up with the sweep and prove themselves. Davidson will want it just a little more. Wildcats 77, Phoenix 74.

UNCG at Wofford

The Spartans will likely be playing with the six seed on the line. The Terriers will be playing for possibly as high as the two seed. They could fall all the way to the five seed with a loss. The Spartans will need Kayel Locke, RJ White and Kyle Cain to dominate in the paint against the smaller Terriers. However, Tevon Saddler and his ability may be more important in this one. He will be matching up with Karl Cochran and Spencer Collins. That will be very difficult for the Spartans defense to control those two guys. This is a great opportunity for the Spartans, but the Terriers are the favorite in this one. Wofford will play very well in this one, unless their confidence is shot after Elon and Davidson. Terriers 69, Spartans 58.

Georgia Southern at The Citadel

The Eagles have Jelani Hewitt and Tre Bussey. The question is what does Ashton Moore do for the Bulldogs. Moore has been playing so well. Can he keep it up? How much will this game matter to the Bulldogs? Will they get back-to-back wins? Or will the Eagles win as they strive to get all the way up to the six seed? This should be a pretty good game, actually, particularly if The Citadel continues to improve and play with confidence after their win over Samford. That being said, Hewitt and Bussey are really good players and will be too much for the Bulldogs. Eagles 65, Bulldogs 61.