Even though the Lady Mocs lost only one SoCon game in the regular season, they can't afford another one this week in the conference tournament, or it will likely doom their Big Dance chance. Said guard Taitanna Jackson,"We all really want to go to the NCAA (tournament), so I think there's no problem with motivating us. Just have to come out and play our game." Said fellow guard Kayla Christopher, "Just the fact that whatever happened in the regular season doesn't matter anymore because anything can happen in the tournament." Added head coach Wes Moore,"We've had success. What we are doing is working. It ain't broke, so let's don't fix it."
The winner of the Southern Conference tournament gets the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. And Chattanooga hasn't won the SoCon tournament since 2010. Said Jackson,"I just approach it. I expect us to come out and play hard, and definitely come out on top in the tournament."
Perhaps the Lady Mocs are confident because they know they have the depth to play three games in three days. Said Moore,"When we go to our bench, it's not necessarily taking a step back. For us, it's a jolt of energy. An adrenaline rush."
Given what's on the line every year in the SoCon tournament, does Coach Moore find it fun? Said Moore laughing,"Depends on who you ask. I don't know. It's definitely fun for the fans. I hope it's fun for the players." Said Christopher,"Yeah, it's a fun time of year. We are playing for NCAA bids, so it doesn't get much better than that."
