Mike Groselle is the second leading scorer in the SoCon with 16.9 points per game. Mike Groselle is the leading rebounder in the SoCon with 9.3 rebounds per game. Mike Groselle should be one of the most talked about players in the SoCon.
Unfortunately for him, he plays on The Citadel, a team that has just one SoCon win on the year, and just two D1 wins on the year. The Bulldogs have lost eleven straight, though they have not been getting killed. Against Western Carolina on Thursday, they lost by 17. Prior to that, the Bulldogs had not lost by more than 11 in seven games, when they lost to Davidson 80-51 on January 21. So the Bulldogs are playing teams close, but not able to close the deal.
Sound familiar?
The Bulldogs start with Groselle. He should certainly be on most people's All SoCon team, and will probably get some votes for the Player of the Year. He's the only player to score more than 8.3 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game. He is 6-8 and the tallest player. He is also the third leading player in assists on the team with 1.9 assists per game. He shoots 58.4% from the floor.
DeVontae Wright and Ashton Moore are both pretty good players. Moore is averaging 8.3 points per game and Wright is averaging 8.2 points per game and leads the team with 2.5 assists per game. Marshall Harris is tied with Wright for assists lead.
The Citadel was completely dominated on the boards by Western Carolina on Thursday night. They surrendered 28 offensive rebounds to the Catmounts, while they only got 27 total rebounds. Groselle scored 17 points, while Lawrence Miller scored 14. He scored four total points in the previous two games. But in the two games prior to that he had scored fifteen apiece. He had only three double digit games prior to that. In other words, Miller is hot right now. He can be a major help to Groselle.
The Mocs Drazen Zlovaric should be an interesting match-up for Groselle. He is going to have a tough time guarding Groselle one on one. So, this might be a perfect game to use the "Fire" defense that so many Moc fans loathe. The only other option is to let Groselle get his points, and stop everyone else. Not sure which one is the better choice.
Where will the Mocs be mentally? After benching all five starters for the last fifteen minutes of the game against Appalachian State and watching the Mocs have some success, what happens now? Surely, Omar Wattad, Keegan Bell, Ricky Taylor, and Jahmal Burroughs along with Zlovaric will get more minutes. But Dontay Hampton and Rico White played so well against the Mountaineers, they have earned a lot more playing time. Jared Bryant continued to show why he can be a solid contributor. Finally, will Z Mason be back? He was supposed to play Wednesday, but did not. He should be back for this one. Hampton also had some breathing issues after the Appalachian State game, but is rumored to be fine and will play on Saturday night.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. Western Carolina dominated the boards on The Citadel. The Mocs (with Burroughs, Zlovaric, Bryant, and Mason all playing) did the same thing to the Catamounts earlier this year. That means the Mocs should completely dominate the boards on these Bulldogs if those guys are healthy. If the Mocs do that, they should be able to win.
--Controlling Groselle or shutting down everyone else? I'm not sure what the proper strategy is in this situation. I guarantee that Fire will implemented in this game, because other than Ike Butts when he is playing well and Jake Cohen, there is no one else in the SoCon that deserves this treatment more than Groselle, and they may deserve less because of the quality of their surrounding talent. Could Groselle be shut down? Possibly, but will someone else (such as Miller) catch fire? If so, the Mocs could get burned by Fire again.
--Zlovaric on offense. If he can make Groselle work on the defensive end, that would be good for the Mocs. It would possibly wear him out a bit on that end of the floor. Groselle has not had to guard too many guys as offensively active as Zlovaric this year.
--Mental state of both teams. How will these two teams respond to what may have been their worst performances of the year in their last games (to teams not named Davidson)? Which team comes in ready to play? Does the Mocs benching their starters for the last fifteen minutes change their attitude? Does the Bulldogs playing in Cullowhee on Thursday and then turning around and coming to Chattanooga on Saturday?
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--The Mocs will dominate the boards.
--Groselle will score 20 points.
--There will be at least one other Bulldog in double digits.
--The Mocs starters will respond well and play hard.
--Mocs 76, The Citadel 69. The Mocs will play hard. Assuming they do that, they will win this game. They should win this game. Burroughs, Zlovaric, and Bryant need to have huge games, and if they do, the Mocs will win.
GO MOCS!
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