It seems crazy to think a women’s basketball program that just won its fourth consecutive Southern Conference regular-season championship and has appeared in the past three NCAA tournaments could be considered the league’s most surprisingly dangerous team.
But that’s just where the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga stands heading into this week’s SoCon tourney in Asheville, N.C.
The Mocs entered their final three games of the season with home contests against Mercer, Samford and East Tennessee State University, the three other teams that occupied the top half of the SoCon standings.
The Mocs didn’t just win those games. They served notice they’re still a force to be reckoned with.
UTC (21-7), which has won eight straight games, defeated its top three challengers for the league’s regular-season championship by a combined 69 points, which helped it finish with a 12-2 SoCon record and earn a share of its 20th conference championship. Co-champion Mercer needed a late shot Saturday to hold off Furman, but the Bears finished tied with UTC and claimed the top seed for the conference tournament by tiebreaker.