The UT Spartans have held their own in the 2013-2014 season with an overall of eleven wins and five losses, with a And 4-3 scoring record in conference play. The Spartans opened the season slowly with two losses but later picked up the slack with two back-to-back wins. This sequence was interrupted by a loss but recovered with a final win before the Eckerd Tournament began in November.
“Our first goal is always to win conference championship,” said Coach Richard Schmidt. “Our players are really dedicated to become a real team.”
The Spartans started off with two consecutive wins during the Eckerd Tournament but fell short as the last two games ended in losses. The Eckerd Tournament was followed by the Tampa Classic, where the Spartans won both of the games they played in and went on to have another two consecutive wins in the regular season.
The last game of the Tampa Classic against Pfeiffer began with the Spartans at on an 8-0 run while scoring 50 percent from the field all the while keeping their opponents at 37 percent. UT was able to end the half up by five, but during the second half, Pfeiffer was able shoot 57 percent from behind the arc, for three points a shot drawing them ever closer to the Spartans. Despite the numerous three-pointers, the Spartans were able to defend every inch of the court to ensure the game was theirs. The defense buckled down and led the way to a close 75-74 victory.
The Spartans continued their winning streak as they went up against Rollins College as they started the game off scoring the first five points in the first five minutes of the game. “We don’t have anyone on our team of 14 men that is any kind of problem for us,” Coach Schmidt said as the Spartans continued to dominate on the court and rack up the victories.
The Spartans had another close call as they went up against the Saint Leo Lions. After scoring the first two baskets of the game, they Spartans were shut down by multiple defensive plans set up by the Lions, the early lead was quickly turned around by the Lions as they ended the and the first period ended with the Spartans down by five. Things didn’t look good as the Lions pulled away during the second period leading with 12 points.
However, the Spartans roared back to tie the game with 5:28 remaining. Eventually Ryan Kidd was able to tie the game up at the 5:28 mark. However The Lions responded by retaking the were able to regain their lead with the Spartans trailing behind by no more than two points. With 50 seconds to go, Tampa began fighting for the advantage and was able to take the lead with less than 20 seconds remaining. A block by Eric Moraes was able to end the game at the four second mark that helped solidify the with a victory for the Spartans.
After the victory against Eckerd, Coach Schmidt won his 600th game with the program. Some of college basketball’s best coaches have not achieved such a high mark in their careers. With the season coming to a close in March, the Spartans still have a lot to work towards in the coming months in order to stay on top of their game. With a strong defense and an aggressive offense, the Spartans may still yet have a chance at placing high in SSC Tournament this March.
Grant Pawlak can be reached at grant.pawlak@spartans.ut.edu.