Catamounts vs. Terriers (for all the marbles)

In the Southern Conference tournament championship game to be played on Monday night in Asheville, the two teams playing arrived at the championship matchup traveling two very different paths, and facing very dissimilar opponents.

Wofford's path to the SoCon tournament championship game: in the quarterfinal on Saturday, they faced last place The Citadel, in the semifinal Sunday, they faced number 7 seed Georgia Southern.

Western Carolina's path to the championship game:  in the quarterfinal the Cats faced preseason favorite and number 4 seed Elon, then in the semifinals, it was the regular season champions and overall number 1 seed Davidson that stood between the Catamounts and Monday night's game.

The number three seed Wofford Terriers easily handled their opponents, winning over The Citadel by 17 points, and  by 14 points over Georgia Southern, while the Catamount faced much stiffer competition with the final outcome in doubt until the final seconds of each game.

How much of a factor will the quality of the competition the two teams faced to arrive at the championship contest be in tonight final game?  It can be assumed that the Terriers will be more rested than the emotionally drained Catamounts that are coming off an over time game with Davidson.   Will the Catamount seniors not be denied the championship and trip to the NCAA basketball tournament they've chased for the last four years?

Make your way to the U.S. Cellular Center tonight to find out which path led to the Southern Conference Tournament Championship.  Let's color Asheville purple & gold.

Join the conversation and leave a comment below