As two friends were leaving McKenzie Arena late Monday evening following the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s basketball victory over Lipscomb, one said to the other, “See you next year.”
Starting Saturday evening against Furman, next year is here both figuratively and literally for second-year coach Will Wade’s Mocs, much as it is for almost every other low-to-mid-major college basketball team.
Yes, that 8-6 record UTC has built to this point matters. Especially its lone Southern Conference test to date, which produced a 67-48 win at The Citadel on Dec. 11.
Throw in solid non-conference victories over Coastal Carolina, Northern Kentucky, UAB and Lipscomb and it’s easy to argue that this year’s Mocs are noticeably better than last year’s Mocs, which finished 18-15. They’re also on an uptick, having now won five of their last six since a humbling loss to Georgia on Dec. 2.
But one-bid leagues like the SoCon also require more focus in conference play, seedings in the league tourney often the difference between settling for the NIT or reaching March Madness.
“We’re more confident,” was sophomore point guard Greg Pryor’s take on what’s changed between the Dawg disaster and now. “Our practices have gotten a lot better since Georgia. Intensity has picked up a lot.”
Added Eric Robertson, who scored 20 points against Lipscomb while knocking down 5 of 9 3-pointers: “Just as a team, we’re really focusing on the (scouting reports) the coaches give us. And we’re starting to hit 3’s. Plus, we’re starting to have good starts to games.”
In one of those unrehearsed examples of unity and chemistry, Wade agreed completely, though he was nowhere near the players when they spoke.
“Every practice before Christmas since school let out we’ve gotten better,” Wade said. “Our toughness has improved. Team cohesiveness has improved. Our halfcourt defense has improved.”
But it’s what happened after he gave the Mocs a few days off for the holidays that most surprised him.
“Usually that first practice back from a Christmas break is terrible,” said Wade. “But our first practice back was pretty good. I thought, ‘Hey, we’ve still got it.'”
And while foul problems to UTC starters allowed Lipscomb to erase a 12-point first-half deficit and even take a 4-point lead early in the final period, the Mocs’ toughness and cohesiveness never waivered as they eventually rolled to a 78-60 win.
Yet if there’s an easily visible reason for UTC’s improvement it harkens back to something Wade said when he was first hired in the spring of 2013, when the former assistant at Virginia Commonwealth, Harvard and Clemson said, “I like shooters.”
There were times last season when that skill was lacking. In an offense largely predicated on both the threat and reality of the 3-point shot, that can be devastating. But one quick glance at Wade’s veterans shows how much a full year in his system — especially a second summer of work — has made.
After shooting just 29 percent from afar his freshman season, Robertson improved to 41 percent last year and a glittering 53 percent this season. Pryor, now a sophomore, has jumped from 18 percent last year to 39 percent this season. Even senior Ronrico White — who’s hit 35 percent or better from the 3-point line each of his first three seasons — is bagging almost 40 percent of his triples this year.
Yet Wade also knows that it takes five guys working as one if those shots are to be both easier to take and makes.
“As good a year as Eric’s having, he’s not as good without a post player like (transfer) Justin Tuoyo to worry about. He’s not as good without Pryor’s development at point. It all works together.”
Nor does Wade expect opposing defenses to continue to let Robertson come off the bench to beat them from afar.
“People aren’t going to help off him now. They’ll make someone else beat them. So we’ll drive it more.”
The ability to adapt, to change, to weather the storm is what separates good teams from great ones, NIT participants from NCAA tourney invitees.
Wade won’t go there yet. Not with 17 regular-season SoCon games left to play, as well as the league tourney in Asheville, N.C., he must win if UTC is to reach the Big Dance for the first time since 2009.
“But we’ve been good at hanging in there,” he said. “There’s no sense of panic with this team.”
That’s the mark of a quality second-year coach blessed with at least seven veterans who’ve played important minutes in the past. It’s also what might send a sense of panic into future Moc opponents when they read this next quote from Wade.
“There are some things we haven’t shown yet,” he said, “that we hope to spring on people.”
As next year turns to this year, those yet unseen things just might be what sends UTC to its first NCAA tournament in six years.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com