Completing four stages in four days of a climb to the Southern Conference basketball mountaintop never has been accomplished.
The College of Charleston came close last year only to run out of air against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the men's championship game in McKenzie Arena. Elon won three games the year before and lost in the fourth. Furman had the same fortune in 2002.
"It's tough, but it's doable," Charleston coach Bobby Cremins said.
That's what UTC's Mocs must do to repeat their 2009 tournament championship.
Ridge crest crucial
The diameter of the rims shrink, legs tighten up and shots that seemed to fall during the regular season just miss the mark during the tournament. The Mocs' offensive plan is simple: Get the ball inside.
That makes junior forward Ridge McKeither UTC's most consistently important player over four days.
"I don't know about carrying us, but it's going to be a big help to play inside out," McKeither said. "I know my team needs me on the court. We need each other to be successful."
McKeither has scored at least 10 points in seven of his last 10 games.
"I don't know who's going to step up," UTC coach John Shulman said. "I do know that Ridge has to step up for us to be a good team."
Revenge awaits
Should the Mocs beat GSU on Friday, they'll face a College of Charleston team that executed some revenge from the 2009 title game by winning 90-66 in McKenzie Arena and leading by 29 points in the second half at Charleston.
"That doesn't matter," Shulman said. "What will the score be at the beginning of that game if we get there? Zero-zero.
"I think the team that has played a game, no doubt in my mind, has an advantage in the first half. Then what's the score at half? Can you have a big enough advantage?"
Clutch coaching
Tournament preparation may be Shulman's biggest advantage heading into the weekend in Charlotte.
Shulman is 9-3 in the tournament as the head coach and 4-2 as an assistant under Jeff Lebo. That's a .722 winning percentage with five appearances in the championship game.
"There is no more exciting time than tournament time," Shulman said. "I think it's good preparation, and our philosophy helps us."
David Paschall is a sports writer for the Times Free Press. He started at the Chattanooga Free Press in 1990 and was part of the Times Free Press when the paper started in 1999. David covers University of Georgia football, as well as SEC football recruiting, SEC basketball, Chattanooga Lookouts baseball and other sports stories. He is a Chattanooga native and graduate of the Baylor School and Auburn University. David has received numerous honors for ...
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