Lady Mocs looking thin at post

The NCAA women's basketball tournament brackets won't be released until tonight, but Michelle Davis is already a bit nervous about her first trip to the big dance.

"I've always dreamed about playing in the NCAA tournament, so I'm already nervous just thinking about it," the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga redshirt freshman said.

The 6-foot-2 forward from Cleveland played a major role in getting the Lady Mocs (24-8) to this point. Davis averaged 14.7 points and 6.0 rebounds a game during UTC's run through the Southern Conference tournament and was named to the all-tournament second team.

In the championship game against Samford, Davis started in place of senior Megan Rollins, who was lost for the season with a hand injury two minutes into UTC's semifinal win over Georgia Southern. Davis scored 16 points in the final, hitting four 3-pointers, including two in the final 3:04 as the Lady Mocs rallied for their eighth tournament title in the past 10 seasons.

"Just being able to play, that was incredible for me," Davis said of her SoCon tournament experience. "I had some lucky shots and had some bad defensive plays, but all in all I enjoyed it just because I've never played in that situation before."

Those defensive lapses earned her some time on the bench in the final, with fellow freshman Erin Helton taking her place in the lineup. Due to Rollins' injury, the Lady Mocs are left with just three post players -- Davis, Helton and two-time SoCon player of the year Shanara Hollinquest -- heading into the NCAA tournament. The brackets will be released tonight at 7 on ESPN.

Rollins, who started 27 games, didn't contribute that much statistically -- she averaged 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds a game during the regular season -- but stats weren't the reason coach Wes Moore had her in the starting lineup.

"Obviously I liked having Megan, a senior, start the game and give us a little stability (before) bringing the freshmen in off the bench," he said. "I thought Michelle Davis could give us a lift off the bench, so we lose that.

"There's definitely some downside, but we don't have any choice."

Whether it's Davis, who's averaging 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds, starting and playing well at both ends of the floor or the 6-2 Helton (5.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg) providing valuable minutes off the bench, the freshmen post players know they have to raise their games in the tournament.

Both players have shown this season that they're capable of big-time performances. Davis has six games with 16 or more points, highlighted by a 20-point, 19-rebound games against Elon. Helton, meanwhile, had 17 points and nine rebounds against Samford in the season finale with the top seed in the SoCon tournament on the line.

"We know that with three posts obviously it's going to be a lot tougher," Helton said. "Megan was a big key to our team, so we're having to fill a big pair of shoes for her -- but we know what we have to do to get to where we want to go."