Southern Conference men’s basketball coaches talked Tuesday about how this will be an exciting tournament.
They spoke of how No. 6 seeds UNC Greensboro and Georgia Southern could upset a team or two. And they spoke with conviction when saying those words.
For an upset to happen, an underdog would need to win a close game at the free-throw line or by hitting a dramatic buzzer-beater.
“In order to win titles you have to win close ones,” University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach John Shulman said. “You have to make free throws, and we’ve shown we can do that. To win tight ones, you have to defend, rebound and take care of the ball.”
That’s all cool with his Mocs, who are among the favorites after earning a first-round bye with a 12-6 SoCon record. Only teams with byes have won under this format.