The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team will complete its first round of games against Southern Conference opponents today when the Lady Mocs host Western Carolina.
The Lady Mocs (12-6, 7-2) have a narrow lead in the SoCon standings after nine games, but as the midpoint of the conference slate approaches one thing is clear: the conference title is very much up for grabs. Davidson (8-8, 6-2) and the College of Charleston (11-5, 6-2) are tied for second and Samford (12-6, 6-3) is very much a threat in third.
“I definitely think the league is very competitive this year, but once again Chattanooga is back there at the top just like they always are,” College of Charleston coach Nancy Wilson said. “They keep figuring out how to win.”
Unlike past seasons when the gap between the top and the bottom of the SoCon was Grand Canyon-like, that doesn’t appear to be the case this season. One of UTC’s two losses came at Elon, which has won just two league games. The Lady Mocs’ other loss was a 22-point defeat at Samford, which looked invincible in that game but has since lost to middle-of-the-pack teams Furman and UNC-Greensboro.
“I’m not just blowing smoke or coach talk, there’s no doubt in my mind that anyone in our league is capable of beating us if we don’t show up, if we don’t play well,” UTC coach Wes Moore said. “On the other hand, if we put 40 minutes together, we can compete with anybody in the league, as well.”