Chris Early of UTC controls the ball during a November game against Tennessee Wesleyan.The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coaching staff took a unique approach to its pregame scouting for Samford.
Coach John Shulman didn’t care so much about the players.
He concentrated on the Samford system, which is stacked with players possessing similar skills who operate coach Jimmy Tillette’s slow, back-cutting, and 3-point shooting system with precision.
Shulman’s approach worked as the Mocs held on for a 65-60 win over the Bulldogs on Saturday to remain undefeated in Southern Conference competition.
“There wasn’t one guy we should key on because the offense is so fluent,” said UTC forward Chris Early, who had 17 points against the Bulldogs. “Everybody touches the ball and we had to play defense as a team. The thing that’s going to be different [tonight] is that there are certain people we have to key on and worry about.”
UTC’s scouting plans and team meeting flipped 180-degrees Sunday from the same setting Friday.
The Mocs will face the most individually talented SoCon team — including the nation’s fifth-leading scorer in Andrew Goudelock — tonight at 7 when the College of Charleston rolls into McKenzie Arena.
“We’re going to have a change of mentality and a change of game-plan,” UTC point guard Keegan Bell said. “When you have talent versus talent, it’s the little things that make a difference. It’s a basketball game, and we can’t make it a pick-up game.”
The Mocs versus Cougars is a matchup of the two SoCon division leaders who will meet only once during the regular season.
“It’s a big game because it’s our next game,” Early said of the contest that will be shown on CSS. “It’s big, but we’re not going to make it into the biggest game of the year. It would help us if we win.”
The Mocs are 6-0 in the North Division, the Cougars are 5-0 in the South Division. The only other time they could meet would be in the SoCon tournament which will be held in McKenzie Arena.
“We can’t make this game into the Super Bowl,” Bell said. “It’s just as important as our game as at The Citadel.
“It is exciting that they’re 5-0, and we’re 6-0.”
The Cougars have reached that mark in large part to a special senior guard.
Goudelock doesn’t play exactly the same as former Davidson guard Stephen Curry, but he is similar to Curry in the way he can take over a game from not just the 3-point line but well beyond it, and with the ability to occasionally drive and lay up a shot off the glass for two points.
“You can’t guard him with one human,” Shulman said. “The problem is that if you try to guard him with two humans and the rest of the team kills it. If you put [point guard Donovan] Monroe on any other team in the league and he’s their superstar.
“You talk about weapons, wow. It’s not a shock and surprise that they beat Tennessee and they’re doing what they’re doing.”
Goudelock averages 23.5 points per game. The shooting guard has scored at least 17 points in all but one game this season on the strength of shooting 43 percent from the 3-point line.
Goudelock scored 27 points at Maryland, 28 points at North Carolina, 33 against Davidson, 31 at Tennessee — in a 91-78 win that the Cougars dominated — 31 again at Furman, and 29 points in his last outing at The Citadel.
“With Samford, you’re worried about a system — and we talked very little about personnel — and it’s like assignment-football,” Shulman said. “With Charleston, you have to know the players. In theory, it’s much easier to prepare for Charleston, but equally difficult to defend.
“I hope it’s a big game for our fans because I’d love to have a big crowd, Charleston is a big game regardless, but we have to approach it as if it’s our next game.”
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6484. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.