SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico ? The temperature here isn?t too hot. And it?s not as cold as it is in Chattanooga.
About 82 degrees is just right.
Just right describes the field the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men?s basketball team will see in the San Juan Shootout over the next three days.
There?s no powerhouse teams like Duke, Kentucky or Indiana. Nor are there any patsies ? except for the host Puerto Rico-Mayaguez ? like Virginia Intermont, Milligan and Asbury.
The Mocs open at noon today against perennial postseason competitor Holy Cross. A win would likely result in a matchup against Clemson, who plays the tournament hosts. Then UTC could find itself in a rematch with Mississippi State or face Akron on Wednesday.
"I was on the road in July when we got the draw, and I was like, ?Oh, my goodness,?" Mocs coach John Shulman said. "I think us and Holy Cross have the toughest draws."
Here, the wins and losses aren?t as important as team progression.
"I?m not interested in handicapping the field. I look at this as an opportunity for us to get better," Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard said. "We play who they say we play. We don?t care who it is.
"This tournament is about getting your team better, especially as you approach the conference season." Holy Cross (4-4) has been to either the NCAA or NIT tournament in four of the last five seasons. Last year, the Crusaders beat Notre Dame in the first round of the NIT.
The Crusaders? tradition is not lost on UTC players who have seen Holy Cross on TV the last few Marches "They?re always playing in the postseason," junior guard Casey Long said. "It?s like playing Creighton."
Unlike when the Mocs last faced the Bluejays, Holy Cross will have its best shooter on the floor. Junior forward Keith Simmons has hit 45 percent of his 3-pointers and leads the team with an average of 16 points per game.
"Simmons had a really good sophomore year, and he?s had a good junior year," Willard said. "He shoots the 3 very well. He?s unselfish and goes to the offensive glass."
Fortunately for UTC, the Crusaders are shooting only 29.8 percent from outside. Also in UTC?s favor is the fact that the 3-point line has been moved back a few inches.
That should make the Mocs? inside traps more effective and the 3-point shot a little more difficult for opponents. Offensively, Long said, the longer 3-point line shouldn?t be a problem.
"It?s not going to affect our sets," he said. "We have to be more conscious of where we are."
About 82 degrees is just right.
Just right describes the field the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men?s basketball team will see in the San Juan Shootout over the next three days.
There?s no powerhouse teams like Duke, Kentucky or Indiana. Nor are there any patsies ? except for the host Puerto Rico-Mayaguez ? like Virginia Intermont, Milligan and Asbury.
The Mocs open at noon today against perennial postseason competitor Holy Cross. A win would likely result in a matchup against Clemson, who plays the tournament hosts. Then UTC could find itself in a rematch with Mississippi State or face Akron on Wednesday.
"I was on the road in July when we got the draw, and I was like, ?Oh, my goodness,?" Mocs coach John Shulman said. "I think us and Holy Cross have the toughest draws."
Here, the wins and losses aren?t as important as team progression.
"I?m not interested in handicapping the field. I look at this as an opportunity for us to get better," Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard said. "We play who they say we play. We don?t care who it is.
"This tournament is about getting your team better, especially as you approach the conference season." Holy Cross (4-4) has been to either the NCAA or NIT tournament in four of the last five seasons. Last year, the Crusaders beat Notre Dame in the first round of the NIT.
The Crusaders? tradition is not lost on UTC players who have seen Holy Cross on TV the last few Marches "They?re always playing in the postseason," junior guard Casey Long said. "It?s like playing Creighton."
Unlike when the Mocs last faced the Bluejays, Holy Cross will have its best shooter on the floor. Junior forward Keith Simmons has hit 45 percent of his 3-pointers and leads the team with an average of 16 points per game.
"Simmons had a really good sophomore year, and he?s had a good junior year," Willard said. "He shoots the 3 very well. He?s unselfish and goes to the offensive glass."
Fortunately for UTC, the Crusaders are shooting only 29.8 percent from outside. Also in UTC?s favor is the fact that the 3-point line has been moved back a few inches.
That should make the Mocs? inside traps more effective and the 3-point shot a little more difficult for opponents. Offensively, Long said, the longer 3-point line shouldn?t be a problem.
"It?s not going to affect our sets," he said. "We have to be more conscious of where we are."
