Heading into February, the Spartans appeared in classic form, with an 8-2 conference record and the North Division lead, having just turned back the Bucs, 77-67, in Greensboro.
Then, the calendar turned, and coach Fran McCaffery’s bunch was only able to manage a 3-4 record from there on, the nadir coming Saturday with an embarrassing 63-58 defeat at Western Carolina, the worst team in the league.
Still, the Spartans finished second in the division and third overall in the league, and earned a first-round bye. The impetus behind this success was the troika of Courtney Eldredge, David Schuck and Jay Joseph, the seventh, eighth and ninth-best scorers in the SoCon.
If the Catamounts are able to pull off another upset over Citadel today, an ominous rematch with Western Carolina will be set up for the Spartans Friday.

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