The Week Ahead: Appalachian State

Courtesy Replayphotos.com

Western Carolina renews its rivalry with Appalachian State today when they travel to Boone.

The Mountaineers (7-10, 3-4) have lost 3 of their last 4 games with the most recent loss a 73-61 setback on the road at Wofford. Poor shot defense could be attributed in the loss, as ASU allowed the Terriers to shoot better than 50% from the floor. In fact, in its previous loss, App St allowed Davidson to shoot better than 50% as well.

The Mountaineers have 3 players in double figure scoring led by Omar Carter, Preseason SOCON Player of the Year, with 12.8. Jamaal Trice and Andre Williamson join Carter in scoring with 10.5 and 10.5 respectively.

On the other hand, the Catamounts boast 4 players in double figure scoring lead by Horouna Mutombo with 13.8, Trey Sumler with 11.7, Keaton Cole with 11.3, and Brandon Boggs 10.4.

Boggs had success as a freshman last year against the the Mountaineers scoring 30 combined points in both contests while shooting 62%.

WCU swept ASU last year with a 79-78 win, on a last second shot, and a 80-75 road victory in Boone. The Catamounts trail in the overall series with the Mountaineers 66-110.

The Cats, currently. are tied for 1st in the North Division with Elon and can secure an outright lead with a win in Boone and an Elon loss.

With that here are the Keys to the Game:


-Guard Omar Carter: There is a reason he was named SOCON Preseason Player of the Year. Don't let his down numbers fool you, 12.8ppg, he can flat out shoot the rock. He dropped 21 points on UNC. Shutting him down and making his teammates score will be imperative.

-Dominate the paint: The Cats have to control the boards and get offensive rebounds. They also need to limit second chance points for the Mountaineers. ASU likes to run, so limiting long misses will be important.

-Stay Poised: The Catamounts are facing their arch-rival. Its going to be loud. If ASU decides to make a run  Western has to stayed poised and not get rattled. Long runs could easily turn a close game into a rout.

SOCON Game of the Week

*College of Charleston (12-5, 4-2) @ Davidson (12-4, 6-0): Pitting the best two teams in the conference this game should be a dandy for the fans. The Cougars and the Wildcats have the two highest scoring offenses in the SOCON. Davidson recently has scored above 80 points in its last four contests and has scored above 90 in two outings of the four. College of Charleston hasn't put up numbers like that recently. In fact, the Cougars haven't scored over 80 points in 9 games, so the key for Charleston will be to play tough defense and make every possession count. If Davidson can get to the line their chances of winning are pretty good.

Result: Davidson 79 Charleston 72

Fearless Forecast Week 11

So far on the year I'm 10-1 on the picks. Here goes Week 11:

*Chattanooga (9-10, 3-3) @ UNCG (4-14, 2-4) 7PM: Chattanooga comes into tonight's contest with a 3-3 mark in conference play. The Mocs had previously won 3 straight conference games, including a home win over Wofford, before dropping a game at Samford. With UNCG on the schedule this evening one would think Chattanooga would get back on track until you see what the Spartans accomplished last week. Wes Miller's troop went on the road, into Charleston, and pulled off an upset over the Cougars. Two nights later the Spartans won on a last second alley-oop. The Spartans have grit and that could bode dangerous for the Mocs.
Result: UNCG 72 Chattanooga 65

*Samford (4-12, 1-4) @ Elon (8-8, 3-2): As of late, these two teams look like mirror images of another. Both have recently won to end long losing streaks. Samford hadn't won a game since beating Spring Hill on Dec. 17 until upsetting Chattanooga at home on Saturday. On the other hand, Elon hadn't won a game since beating Lynchburg until beating the Citadel last Thursday. Samford relies on the 3-ball to fall and Elon is the 2nd best 3pt defensive team in the socon. If the Bulldogs don't hit from downtown their in trouble.
Result: Elon 66 Samford 60

*Appalachian State (8-10, 3-3) @ Wofford (10-8, 3-3): Since beating Wake Forest and Charleston in back to back games Wofford has faltered in losing 2 out of 3 games. This team looked poised to make a run to the top of the South Division, however, has been mediocre, at best, since. Appalachian State is a team on the rise with a home win last week over Furman and a heartbreaking loss against Davidson. That game proved that the Mountaineers can play with anyone if they so choose to. I know ASU is the hotter in this one but I cannot doubt Mike Young's preparation at home.
Result: Wofford 68 Appalachian State 61

Power Rankings: Week 11

Gut-check time for some teams in the SOCON this week. Here are the power rankings:

1) Davidson (12-4, 6-0): The only team unblemished in SOCON play out played the Catamounts on Thursday to win by 21. The Wildcats survived a scare on the road at Appalachian State winning by only 4. They will fight it out against College of Charleston this Thursday. If the Wildcats win that one they will establish themselves as the class of the SOCON.

2) College of Charleston (12-5, 4-2): The Cougars had a head-scratching loss against UNCG at home earlier in the week but rebounded nicely against North Division leading Elon winning by 19. Charleston can reclaim some respect tonight with a victory tonight in Davidson.

3) Chattanooga (9-10, 3-3): The Mocs recorded a quality win over Wofford at home by 3 points. However, Chattanooga lost on the road to bottom-dweller Samford this week. They need to turn things around with two straight road games looming with an improving UNCG team and the Elon Phoenix.

4) Wofford (10-8, 3-3): Mike Young's squad is probably glad to be leaving the High Country of the Appalachian Mountains with two straight losses to Chattanooga and Western. The Terriers turned things around by beating the breaks off visiting Georgia Southern by a whooping 25 points.

5) Appalachian State (7-9, 3-3): Making their Top 5 debut the Mountaineers defeated Furman on Thursday but suffered a heart breaker to Davidson. ASU took the lead on a 3-pointer with 4:48 left but The Wildcats responded with a 10-0 run to essentially ice the game. Appalachian State will have a tough road ahead this week play at Wofford on Thursday before facing arch-rival Western on Saturday.

6) Western Carolina (9-10, 3-3): WCU has been in the spotlight this week with its 141-39 shellacking over Toccoa Falls on Tuesday. The victory is ranked as the third largest margin of victory in D-1 basketball history. The game was a good confidence booster, albeit against an NCCAA team, for a Catamount squad that had suffered back-to-back losses last week including a 58-55 loss to Furman on a last second 3-pointer. WCU travels to App St. on Saturday.

7) Elon (8-8, 3-2): The Phoenix split their road game series this week 1-1 with a win over the Citadel. This was Phoenix's first victory in over a month. Despite not winning in over 30 days they still lead the North by a half game and can further their lead this week with two home games against Samford and Chattanooga.

8) Georgia Southern (6-10, 4-2): This Eagles team is hard to figure out. They are in the tops of South Division along with Davidson and Charleston, however, they lost to Wofford and Davison by more than 20 points. Maybe GSU true colors are starting to show. The next home stand should prove where this belongs as the Eagles play Charleston and the Citadel.

9) Furman (8-8, 2-4): Furman started its Appalachian tour as they faced App St and WCU this past week splitting both games. The Paladins cut a 9 point Mountaineer lead to 2 points with 2:35 left but ASU scored the final points to stall the comeback attempt. In Cullowhee, the Paladins stole a win on the road on a last second 3-pointer and ending WCU's late game surge to win the game. Furman's lone game this week is against Wofford on Saturday.

10) UNCG (4-14, 2-4): The award for the biggest Surprise of the Week goes to UNCG. Wes Miller's club went into Charleston and walked away with a 7 point victory. If that wasn't dramatic enough for Spartan fans the next game sure wouldn't disappoint. Down 1 with less than 2 seconds remaining UNCG converted an inbounds alley-oop to provide a 67-66 victory at the Citadel. The most impressive thing about the victories? They were on the road.

11) Samford (4-12, 1-4): The Bulldogs notched their first conference victory over the season with a 81-70 defeat of Chattanooga. Samford is a team that is much like UNCG: improving. They played Georgia Southern close losing only by 5 points on the road. While these teams may not win the SOCON, they definitely can play the role of spoiler. However, it is still early in the season.

12) Citadel (4-13, 1-5): The Bulldogs suffered a 15 point drubbing from Elon and a heartbreaker against UNCG. Things won't get any easier with the trip to Davidson. Even though it's still early in conference play the Bulldogs seem to headed for last this season.

Catamounts Bury Eagles

Cullowhee, NC - When the Catamounts took the floor Tuesday night nobody in the Ramsey Center could have predicted what was about to take place.

James Sinclair recorded career best
16 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's
 win over Toccoa Falls
(Courtesy Mark Hasket/Catamountsports.com)

Granted, Toccoa Falls, a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, was an over-matched opponent but to lose by a record-setting 102 points is simply unheard of. The victory over the Eagles currently ranks 3rd in NCAA D-1 history.  

The Catamounts (9-10) would break four more records on the historic night as WCU dominated visiting Toccoa Falls (3-6) for a 141-39 win.

Western would set the tone early with great defense as they raced out to 16-0 lead on two Preston Ross free throws before the first media time-out. With the score 20-4 at the 13:58 mark in the first half the Catamounts launched into another 16-0 run to blow the game completely open en route to 36-4 lead with 11:50 remaining in the first half on a Keaton Cole 3-pointer. The Cats would continue to pour it on, while subbing out multiple players, for a 72-17 halftime lead.

The 72 points is the most points a WCU team has scored in a single half.

At the intermission WCU had 35 bench points, 25 points off turnovers, and 18 second chance points while shooting a blazing 61%. The Catamounts also had two players in double figures by halftime with Trey Sumler and Preston Ross with 10 apiece.

After the break the race to 100 was on. The Catamounts opened the half with a 26-9 run to get with two points of hitting the century mark with 11:59 remaing in the contest. 29 seconds later and with a 74 point lead WCU eclipsed 100 on a Ishmael Hollis lay-up. The Catamounts would outscore the Eagles 41-13 the rest of the way to set school records for most points in a game at 141 and largest margin of victory with 102.

The previous record for most points in a game was 133, ironically enough, against Toccoa Falls on 11/26/01 and the largest margin of victory was 75 on the same night.  

Sumler led all scorers and a school record nine WCU players in double figures with 18 points. James Sinclair recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 boards, Keaton Cole and Sam Smithson finished with 14, Ishmael Hollis with 13, and Tom Tankelewicz with 11. Tawaski King, Preston Ross, and Kenneth Hall finished with 10 apiece.

Toccoa Falls was led by Josh Barrett, the lone double-digit scorer, with 17.

The Catamounts will return to action Saturday when they travel to arch-rival Appalachian State (7-9). Tip-off from the Holmes Convocation Center is set for 3PM. The game will be available on ESPN3.com and the Catamount Sports Network.

The Week Ahead: Toccoa Falls

The Catamounts experienced a tough time last week and will look to get back on the winning track tonight in the Ramsey Center against Toccoa Falls.

Things look bright for Western as they will face a team from the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). The Eagles are 3-5 so far on the year with their last game a 73-70 win over Piedmont College. Another glaring contrast between the Catamounts and Eagles is the Toccoa Falls' roster features no player of 6'5''. The Catamounts' tallest guard Brandon Boggs is 6'5''.

With that here's the Key's to the Game: 
-Rebounds: There is no reason WCU shouldn't win the battle of boards. With four players 6'7'' or taller the Cats should dominate the boards by at least 20.

-Take Care of the Rock: Against Furman, the Cats turned the ball of 16 times. That may be acceptable tonight against a sub par opponent, but Coach Hunter will be looking for a better effort from his team in all phases of the game.

-Play with some Enthusiasm: The Cats have look flat in their last two losses. Hopefully tonight they can get back on the winning track and put this game to bed early and have fun doing so.

Prediction: WCU 105 Toccoa Falls 58

Current Blog Updates

Fellow followers,

I would like to take this time to apologize to you for the recent neglect of the blog. As some of you may know we recently began the spring semester this week. I will resume my normal schedule with the blog following the Furman game.

Thank you for your patience,

Tyler Johnson