Greetings from the Freeman Center! It's really hard to believe: Another regular season has come and gone for the CNU men's basketball program, and the postseason is upon us. Now we get down to gut-check time, and one of the most exciting times of the year in sports.
 
Your 2012-2013 Captains surely provided another regular season full of memories, capped by winning our second straight USA South Conference regular season championship. Our 76-52 victory at Ferrum College last Sunday clinched the championship and a #1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. This also ended an up-and-down month of basketball for us.
 
We snapped out of a short losing streak last week with an impressive Senior Night victory over North Carolina Wesleyan in front of a great home crowd. This is all a part of the normal ebb and flow of the season, especially when it comes to a squad as young as ours. However, it's always a huge plus to be executing well and playing together as a team late in the season. We recaptured this form in our recent stretch of games.
 
Winning a regular season conference championship is never an easy task, and requires a team to execute at a high level over the course of several months and fight through low periods. Along the way we've certainly battled our share of adversity and sometimes underwhelming play, but the guys have really pushed through all the roadblocks and responded over the last couple of weeks with some very good basketball. Now the mission is to continue playing at a high level during the three-day gauntlet that is the USA South conference tournament.
 
Postseason play in college basketball is as intense and exhilarating as it comes. Teams are literally fighting for their seasons. 95% of Division III teams that lose this week during conference tournaments will not get at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament.  Faced with this reality, every team comes out swinging with their best shot. This “win or go home” environment raises the stakes and makes each possession during the game crucial. You have to be ready to play, right from the get-go.
 
This year the USA South tournament is being held at a neutral site in Fayetteville, NC. With no home court advantage for the higher seeds, everyone is on an equal footing. Anything can happen in this type of setting, and as the top seed in our last USA South tournament there is no doubt we have a target on our back. However, that is to be expected, and we wouldn't have it any other way. The key is to focus on the game at-hand and stay true to the principles and fundamentals that have gotten us this far.
 
Ultimately, this time of the year is what makes the college basketball season so magical. Every team has a chance, and the teams who continue to move on in the journey will be the ones who earn it the most on the court over the next few days. What more could you ask for?
 
We certainly have the ability to be a part of the group that makes it to the next stop of the season's journey, but it comes down to getting the job done over these next three days. It may sound like a lot of pressure, but that is precisely why we work so hard and put in so many hours of intense practice – to be ready for moments like these. We have a close-knit, competitive group of guys who have been playing with focus and passion. I am confident that they will be ready when their moment comes.
 
For those of you who can't make the trek down to Fayetteville, I hope you'll follow along as we try to bring another championship home. All of our games will be streamed live at CNUsports.com/LIVE and can be seen on any computer or mobile device. It will be a challenging task, but it is an opportunity that we live for as coaches and players. The support we've received from the fans and home crowds this season has been uplifting, and we are so appreciative of it. We are nearing the end, but (hopefully) aren't quite there yet. Come along for this part of the ride. Go Captains!