Mocs Get Shot at Glory in SoCon Tournament
Even though the Mocs have 18 losses this year, they still have a shot at glory. All they have to do is win the SoCon tournament to clinch an automatic bid to the Big Dance.
Mocs head coach John Shulman has always described the SoCon Tournament as a dog fight. "I've said it before. It's 12 bulldogs going after one bone. On the mid-major level, that's what makes a great tournament."
Shulman has won two SoCon tournament titles, and he's sharing that March Madness euphoria with his team. "We showed them yesterday in a film session. There was five minutes of footage of me after we won our first championship in '05. Just the raw emotion. I know what the NCAA Tournament tastes like. I know what the Diet Cokes taste like at the NCAA Tournament. How fluffy the pillows are. How great everything is there. Our kids don't."
UTC will likely play four freshmen, so they have to have that do or die mentality. Said Shulman,"If you don't play with desperation at tournament time, you are done. You are out. You can not play a normal game. So I do want our freshmen to understand that sense of urgency. I want the kids to understand that this is what you play for. This is the important time of the year."
The Mocs open against Greensboro on Friday at 6pm in Asheville, North Carolina. The last time these two played, the Spartans hit twenty 3-pointers against UTC. Said Shulman,"We just played Greensboro, and they embarrassed and humiliated us at home. So I think that pain is on the front of our brain, which is a good thing."
