University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball coach John Shulman is still a little ill. But there's nothing team or family doctors can do to cure what ails him.
Only a win would make him feel better.
His Mocs tumbled hard and fast after beating Southern Conference power College of Charleston last Monday. They were walloped 88-56 at Wofford on Thursday and smacked 85-59 at Furman on Saturday.
"After watching it, I don't feel much different than how it felt the first time," Shulman said Monday. "We took two days off. And we have a home game Thursday [against UNC Greensboro], so it's time to do what we do."
That means, as Shulman described, playing defense and playing in a panic, with a backs-against-the-wall attitude. The Mocs have played their best basketball when they were underdogs, scrappers, the team that held opponents to fewer than 70 points.
Then the victory over Charleston alerted all of the SoCon that UTC needs to be taken seriously -- the Mocs are good.
They didn't like that roll of favorite.
"We played seven games in an absolute panic," Shulman said. "We didn't know if we were going to be any good. Then we beat Charleston and 'Phew, boy we're good,' and we relaxed.
"It's great to have confidence, but you can never relax. We were relaxed and fatigued at Wofford and Furman, and that's not a good combination."
It turned out to be a toxic concoction.
"We have to play with urgency and panic, and if not you've seen what happens," Shulman said. "We're not cool guys. We can't play cool. We have to defend. We have to play with a chip on our shoulder."
It's an attitude the Mocs will have to adopt after making themselves a big target. They are 7-2 in the league and own a 2 1/2-game lead over second-place Western Carolina at the midpoint of their SoCon season.
It's a position Shulman will gladly accept.
"If you'd have told me that we'd be in first place after our Wofford and Furman swing, I'd take it," Shulman said. "Every team goes through bumps and learns lessons."
The lessons of the last weekend need to be applied beginning Tuesday at practice and again Thursday against the Spartans, who have won their last three games after starting the season 0-15 against one of the most difficult schedules in the country.
"We have to refocus our energy and we have to act like our backs are against the wall," point guard Keegan Bell said Saturday. "If we want to hold on to first and get a good seed [in the SoCon tournament], then we have to take care of business.
"Greensboro is talented and they have good tools, and now they've won. They're dangerous."
That's enough to keep Shulman ill until at least Thursday night -- or the Mocs' next victory.
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