Maybe the unexpected time off came at the right time.
With its scheduled visit last Saturday to Virginia Military Institute called off because of a fierce winter storm in Virginia, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team took to the practice floor and got some needed work done in preparation for a crucial as well as gruesome stretch of competition.
The Mocs will play seven games in 15 days beginning Saturday at Samford in Birmingham.
The game against VMI has been rescheduled for Feb. 29 - four days before the start of the Southern Conference tournament in Asheville, N.C. The Mocs and Keydets play in Chattanooga on Feb. 18.
UTC returned home from UNC Greensboro last Friday evening and had practices Saturday and Sunday before taking the next two days off. The Mocs will have three days of practice to prepare for Samford's Bulldogs (11-10, 2-6).
UTC coach Matt McCall said Tuesday that the top priority during the unexpected time off was fine-tuning some things while making sure the players get their work in and "nobody gets hurt."
The Mocs allowed UNCG to shoot 57 percent from the floor in the first half but only 33 percent in the second half of the 73-60 win.
"We have to continue to work on different things in our half-court defense," McCall said. "Not just for the seven games in 15 days, but we're going to have to be prepared to win three in three days in March. We're not going to be able to press every single possession; we're going to have to rely on our half-court defense, our pick-and-roll coverage, be better with guarding screens. All are really really important with our team."
The Mocs will be home for three games next week - Monday against The Citadel, Thursday against Wofford and Saturday against Furman - before hitting the road again the following week for games at Mercer, Western Carolina and East Tennessee State.
On three separate occasions this season, UTC is playing three conference games in a week. That is something McCall would like to see discussed after the season ends.
"It's a challenge, and something our league has to look at," McCall said. "I can't imagine there's a lot of other schools in our league that are playing three times a week multiple times.
"It's something our league needs to look at, what's best for our league and our student-athletes going forward from a scheduling standpoint. Do we play in December? Do we play two times a week for nine weeks? It's something to talk about in the league meetings in the spring."
Mocs ticket plans
The UTC athletic department is offering February ticket mini-plans for the remaining home conference games on both the men's and women's basketball schedules.
Packages for the remaining six men's games are $60, while the five women's games are available for $40. Fans interested in the package can order on GoMocs.com or call the ticket office at 423-266-MOCS.
In addition, UTC is offering a "Mocs Win, You Win" ticket for $30 for the final six men's games. The Mocs are 8-0 this season and 35-4 at McKenzie Arena since the 2013-14 season, so the athletic department is offering a plan for one ticket in non-Mocs Club sections that is good until the men lose at home.
As long as the Mocs win, fans with this ticket will get one to the next game.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.