Nine weeks from today, Will Wade and his University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team hope to be sitting in a room together, waiting for an announcement as to what regional they’ll be headed to as part of the 68-team NCAA tournament.
They Mocs are 12-7 overall and tied for second with a 5-1 record in the Southern Conference, and they have a win over Coastal Carolina, which currently is projected to make the field.
But to dance, they likely will need at least three wins in the SoCon tournament, as it’s highly improbable that an at-large team from the SoCon will earn a bid.
Taking a look at nine things the Mocs will have to do to win the conference:
1. Take care of the boards: The Mocs are 9-0 this season when they’ve outrebounded their opponents. The record when they lose the battle of the boards is 2-7, with both of those wins coming in the last 10 days (Western Carolina, at East Tennessee State). Still, for a team that led the conference in rebounding last season, they are fifth this season.
2. Winning the close ones: Early in the season, the Mocs were dominant in their wins, as their first nine came by 11 points or more. They were 0-6 in games decided by 10 or fewer, but like the rebounding stat, they’ve improved in that category, as their last three wins have been single-digit victories that have included some sort of adversity along the way.
“Easy games are easy on the legs, but I wouldn’t trade games like tonight for games like those,” forward Casey Jones said after the Samford win. “A competitive guy wouldn’t do that.”
3. Limit the big game: In each of the Mocs’ seven losses, one of the key factors has been guards having career-highlight types of nights, including Tennessee Tech’s Torrance Rowe (18 points, with nine in the final 7:40), Kennesaw State’s Yonel Brown (32), Middle Tennessee State’s Giddy Potts (16) and Wofford’s Karl Cochran (33) with career highs at the time.
(Side note: Northern Kentucky’s Tayler Persons had 30 when the Mocs won 93-81 on Dec. 16.)
In addition, Butler’s Kellen Dunham (26) and Georgia’s Kenny Gaines (25) had standout nights in their wins over the Mocs. The last two were lopsided games in favor of the opposition, but in the other four, the Mocs either led or were in the game until late.
4. Keep getting production from the 4: There is not a more diverse position on the Mocs than the 4, as each of the four players at the position possesses a skill set unlike the others. The four — Martynas Bareika, Chuck Ester, Duke Ethridge and Lance Stokes — each has started at least one game this season and collectively average 13.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Bareika, who missed the first semester, has provided a spark at the position and has been inserted in the starting lineup the past three games.
5. Stay versatile in how they win: The Mocs have lit up some opponents, topping double digits in 3-pointers against Montreat, Northern Kentucky, Lipscomb and ETSU. They’ve had to grind out wins against Western Carolina, Robert Morris and Coastal Carolina. Most recently, they showed resolve in rallying from a double-digit deficit to defeat Samford on the road. The more ways they can win games, the better the team will be down the stretch.
6. Somebody unexpected has to contribute: This could just be the “Eric Robertson” stat, as the 6-foot-4 junior has two 20-point games this season coming off the bench. Yet when the Mocs have won, it’s because somebody other than the “Big 4” of Casey Jones, Justin Tuoyo, Ronrico White and Greg Pryor have stepped up with either big plays or big games. That’s a trend that must continue.
7. Progress of the juco transfers: Chuck Ester and Duke Ethridge have had their ups and downs this season. Neither played in the loss to Wofford, but Ethridge had eight points and four rebounds in the overtime win at ETSU and Ester had 10 points, two rebounds and two assists in the win at Samford. If they can contribute to perform well in their roles, they’ll provide more versatility in what the Mocs want to do.
8. Taking pride in the defense: The Mocs lead the SoCon in defense in conference games, averaging 63.8 points per game. Although they allow opponents to shoot 36.8 percent from 3-point range, the more telling stat is that opponents have averaged four made 3s per game, as a point of emphasis for Wade has been conceding the percentages but limiting the production from opponents. Continuing to lock down opponents will be key, especially when the shots aren’t falling.
9. Claim some key wins on the road: This could be higher, but it’s of importance. Early thought is that while the league is deeper, the champion will come down to the Mocs, Wofford, Mercer or ETSU. That makes wins against other teams in the conference important, especially on the road. The Mocs are 3-0 in the conference away from McKenzie Arena, which makes them 8-3 under Wade.
“Coach said that championships are won in games like this,” Jones said after the Samford win. “We lost at Samford last year; we lost to (UNC) Greensboro, and to Georgia Southern at home. Those three are games that the No. 2 team in the conference should win.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.