Wofford Bares Teeth, Earns 1st NCAA Tourney Berth
Back in 1995, the Wofford Terriers were flying high. Their transition from the NAIA to Division II had been a great success. In seven seasons since the switch, the team was 126-65 (.660), and they had just announced that they would be making the jump again, this time to Division I.
Ten years later, all that success was starting to fade. The team had shown progress, finishing the regular season with a record above .500 for the first time (14-13), but a team that had averaged 18 wins in D-II was now averaging that many losses at the next level.
Last year it looked like the top of the heap was within sight, as the Terriers almost knocked off Georgia and Navy on the road, then posted their first winning record in the Southern Conference. This year's success was still a surprise, though.
Wofford opened the season by losing 63-60 to Pitt, and followed that up with a road win against Georgia. It was looking like the usual year by the end of '09, though, as a couple of close losses had the Terriers 8-7 overall and 0-2 in conference play on New Years Day.
Then the Terriers caught fire, losing only once in their last 16 games to claim the regular season Southern Conference South Division title. There was still some question as to their tournament hopes, however, since the two best teams from the North division - Western Carolina and Appalachian State - hadn't played Wofford since December, and had both won then.
No sweat. Wofford went to their conference tournament and dominated Western Carolina 77-58. They followed that by opening last night's championship game against Appy State with a 21-5 run, then held on for a 56-51 win that gives them their first ever NCAA Tournament berth.
The Terriers are no slouch, either. As they showed early in the season against Pitt and Georgia, they aren't intimidated by their opponent, no matter their reputation. They could be a legitimate threat to win a game or two when the brackets are finally announced.
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