Chattanooga forward Casey Jones (24) eyes the basket between the defense of Kennesaw State guard Orlando Coleman (24) and forward Nigel Pruitt (1), at Kennesaw State University's Convocation Center, in Kennesaw, Ga., on Saturday.KENNESAW, Ga. - Observations from another road loss for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team:
1. The Mocs took a step back: You had to think there was going to be an improvement, after the steps made during the Thanksgiving holiday with the wins over Robert Morris and Coastal Carolina. But the Mocs actually took a step back. The intensity was lacking from the opening tip, and Kennesaw came into the game ready to play. It was a day trip for the Mocs, so an early start with a noon tip could have been a factor.
2. Overall, I watched some ugly basketball: I don't say that just about UTC; Kennesaw was just the better "bad" team in its 77-69 win Saturday. The teams combined to shoot 73 free throws, with Kennesaw making nearly twice as many free throws (34) as field goals (19). There were a total of nine assists between the two teams, and overall, the game just lacked a natural flow.
3. The Mocs' defense wasn't there: This kind of goes with point No. 1, but when you allow 51 points in a half -- a season high for UTC -- you're not going to win a lot of games. And almost half of those points were at the free-throw line, meaning that although one could point to an officiating crew that seemed to lose control late in the game, a good percentage of the fouls were legit. Yonel Brown was a thorn in the Mocs' side, and aside from a stretch midway through the first half, he had his way, drawing a lot of his fouls in the backcourt. UTC couldn't stay in front of him.
4. Who's the guy? The Mocs need a leader. Guessing here, but Casey Jones could be the guy ready to assume the role. In three games this past week, he averaged 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds -- pretty good for a 6-foot-5 forward. If not him, it could be Rico White, who has averaged 18 points in the past two games. Somebody -- anybody -- will be needed to fill that role soon because ...
5. Now Georgia comes to town: Don't ask me what to expect. I've seen the Mocs play live five times this year: twice on the road and three times at home. Within McKenzie Arena, they have a flow and an energy that could make Tuesday's game against the Bulldogs a fun one, especially considering a large crowd is expected. But I've also just saw the Mocs fall behind by nearly 20 to a Kennesaw team that, aside from its guards, is OK at best. Tuesday could be either a great scene or a horrendous nightmare, and for a team trying to wade through with a rotation that's still a work in progress, it'll be around 9 Tuesday night before we can tell which one it was.