Dr. Pepper Classic: Chattanooga Mocs vs. Longwood Lancers

CHATTANOOGA, TENN--The Chattanooga Mocs will begin play in the 21st Dr. Pepper Classic against Longwood this evening.

The matchup between the Mocs and Lancers will highlight a contest between a pair of 4-8 squads, as both teams struggled out of the gates in the 2011-12 season.

Chattanooga entered the campaign as the preseason favorite to take the North Division title, but the Mocs have gone 0-2 in Southern Conference play.

The Lancers will be in action for the first time in 10 days, coming off back-to-back losses—an 87-61 setback at Seton Hall back on Dec. 23 and a 99-71 loss at Vanderbilt on Dec. 19.

The Mocs were last in action back on Dec. 21, getting a 95-41 win over Hiwassee College.

Chattanooga head coach John Shulman is in his eighth season at the helm of the Chattanooga Mocs program. He has led the Mocs to a 125-114 overall record (66-60 in SoCon) and a pair of SoCon Tournament titles (2005 and 2009), which yielded a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.

Shulman has also led the Mocs to four North Division titles in his eight seasons at the helm in the Scenic City.

The Mocs began hosting the tournament at the McKenzie Arena back in 1990, when they captured the first of their 13 Dr. Pepper Classic titles, with wins over the University of San Francisco (92-79) and UC Irvine (88-68).

Thursday night's matchup between the Mocs and Lancers marks just the second all-time meeting between the two programs. The Mocs won the previous matchup 74-70 back on Nov. 28, 2009.

The winner tonight will face the winner of this afternoon's first game between Utah Valley and Hampton. That game is slated to tip off at 4:30 p.m.

Chattanooga (4-8, 0-2 SoCon) vs. Longwood (4-8)

A Look At The Lancers

Longwood looks to bounce back from back-to-back losses.

Located in Farmville, Va., the school has produced wins over Prairie View A&M (70-67), Virginia Intermont (91-73), VMI (110-89) and South Carolina State (92-81).

The Lancers have won just once way from home, which was a neutral-court win over Prairie View A&M in the Chicago Invitational. 

Longwood comes into tonight's matchup being led by senior center Antwan Carter (17.1 PPG, 9.0 RPG). Carter posted a season-high 21 points in an 87-83 loss to Canisius back on Nov. 15. Though undersized for a center at just 6'6", Carter has posted an impressive 31 career double-doubles. 

Jan Van Der Kooij (7.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG) will join Carter in the paint. Van Der Kooij enjoyed his best outing of the season the last time out against Seton Hall, posting 19 points in the loss. Van Der Kooij has the ability to step out and hit the perimeter shot and is fundamentally sound with his post moves.

The Lancers will utilize a three-guard backcourt, which will be comprised of Jeremiah Bowman (13.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 5.6 APG), Martiz Washington (9.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG) and Tristan Carey (11.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG).

Bowman and Carey can score in a variety of different ways and both are off to solid starts this season. Bowman posted a career-high 27 points against Canisius, while Carey posted a career-best 30 points in the win over VMI.

Washington will be one of the most-experienced players on the floor for the Lancers, having made 45 career starts.

The top players coming off the bench for the Lancers are David Robinson (5.8 PPG, 1.3 RPG) and Mark Parker (4.4 PPG, 0.6 RPG).

Both of Robinson's double-figure scoring performances have come in wins this season, posting 13 points against Virginia Intermont and 11 points against VMI. Parker, on the other hand, recorded his lone double-figure scoring effort in a road loss to Nevada, posting 10 points in the 80-78. 

As a team, the Lancers enter the first-round contest averaging 74.3 PPG, while opponents are posting 84.3 PPG against the Lancers this season.

Longwood is shooting the basketball at a 44.4 percent clip from the field, including 37.0 percent from three-point range. Opponents have connected on a blistering 49.7 percent of shots from the field against the Lancers and are shooting 42.2 percent from three-point range.

A Look At The Mocs

Chattanooga enters the tournament with an RPI of 310 in the nation, and have just a 1-8 record against NCAA Division I opponents this season.

Many are growing weary of waiting for this team, which was favored to win the North Division, get its act together this season. Two wins in this tournament could go a long way in deciding how the rest of the season will go for the Mocs.

Like Longwood, the Mocs will start a trio of guards—seniors Keegan Bell (7.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 6.9 APG), Ricky Taylor (12.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG) and Omar Wattad (11.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG).

Bell's 6.9 assists-per-game leads the Southern Conference, and the senior point guard is already the school's all-time assists leader. He ranks eighth nationally in assists.

Wattad is leading the Mocs in scoring for the second-straight season, and the 6'5" guard will be a tough matchup for the Lancers. He can drive to the basket and score with his athleticism—though his most dangerous attribute is his ability to shoot from the perimeter. Wattad has hit a team-best 31 triples this season and is shooting 37.3 percent% from beyond the three-point arc.

Though perhaps known as the Mocs' best "lock-down" defender, Taylor can score in bunches, as he did the last time out, posting 21 points in just 18 minutes of play against Hiwassee College.

The Mocs have been a bit under-manned in the front court since the indefinite suspension to forward Chris Early.

Set to start underneath the basket will be Z. Mason (3.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG) and Drazen Zlovaric (9.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG). Both have a physical presence in the paint, with Mason, having transferred in from the Ole Miss' football team, possessing a football body. Zlovaric had 15 points and nine boards in the loss to No. 3 Kentucky—one of his best performances as a Moc.

The top players coming off the bench for Shulman are guards Ronrico White (4.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG) and Dontay Hampton (6.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG). Lance Stokes (3.1 PPG, 1.0 RPG) is one of the most-utilized players off the bench in the front court.

As a team, the Mocs are averaging 71.4 PPG, while opponents are posting 65.8 PPG.

The Mocs are shooting the basketball at a 42.0 percent clip, and are connecting on 37.6 percent from three-point range. Opponents are shooting 40.3 percent from the field, but only 30.0 percent from three-point land.

Final Score Prediction: 82-70 Mocs