Every team runs into a little adversity at some point during the season and it can be temporary or sometimes that lingers.
There was a point this season when The College of New Jersey men's basketball team, the preseason favorite to win the league, were on the brink of falling out of the playoff chase.
But the Lions regrouped and have won six of the last seven and put themselves back not only in the playoff chase, but in the hunt for a regular-season title.
TCNJ (17-5, 10-5 NJAC) begins the final three game stretch of the season when it travels to Rowan (12-10, 9-6 NJAC) on Wednesday night for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
The Lions are tied for third with Ramapo and Kean and a game behind Montclair State and Stockton at 11-4 in the NJAC.
"The message remains one game at a time,'' said TCNJ coach Matt Goldsmith "We are lucky enough to be playing meaningful basketball games in February. Embrace the pressure and focus on tonight and this game only.''
Thankfully, all the adversity is in the past.
"During a point of the season, when adversity hit, we seemed to allow the adversity to break us down rather than fighting it back,'' said leading scorer Nick Koch. "Even though the results of some of the games didn't go our way, as a team we didn't use that as a failure, we used it as a lesson to build off of. Every little detail from each game, even off wins, allows us to build off of that and become better than we were last game.''
Koch, who is on the Bevo Francis Watch List and a recent 1,000 point scorer, is one of the leaders but it's been a team effort.
"Every single person on this roster has put in a great amount of hard-work on and off the court which is why the team is how it is now,'' declared Koch. "Now, when we see adversity, we dive headfirst straight into it. I'm very proud of every single guy on this team, and each of them carries a weight to helping the team stay afloat. TCNJ is a team to remember, as our work is far from over.''
The Lions have New Jersey City and Montclair State after Rowan and it's going to make for an exciting finish.
"We are more than confident that we can compete with any team in the country, and for us another game is just another opportunity to prove to ourselves who we are and what we are made of,'' said Koch. "Being behind Coach Goldsmith and the togetherness of the team, we are capable of beating anybody. With that being said, we are more than excited to get more opportunities these next three games.''
Koch averages 19.7 points a game and is second in the conference in assists with 4.3 a game.
Matthew Okorie averages 13.4 points a game, David Alexandre adds 11.3, Matt Solomon has an 11.1 average and Jack Vreeswyk scores at a 10.8 clip.
Solomon is close to averaging a double-double and leads the NJAC in rebounding with 9.9 caroms a game.
It was a few games ago against Ramapo that Koch, who is an avid pickleball player, went over the 1,000 plateau in points.
"Scoring 1,000 points means a lot to me,'' said Koch. "Being around this environment with my teammates, coaches, and fans who come to support our games, I couldn't have asked for much more. To bonding with every teammate off the court, to being pushed to my best capability in practice, and then to competing in the games, I am extremely grateful for the environment God has lead me to. I wasn't sure how far off I was from 1,000 points, but I knew it was coming up. As soon as I scored my 1,000th point, I heard the announcers announce it, and I felt a sense of accomplishment and excitement.''