LINKS
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MEDIA AVAILABILITY
TV: SEC Network +. It can be viewed on the WatchESPN app and ESPN3.com. Jeff Dantzler (play-by-play) and Jarvis Hayes (analysis) provide commentary.
LINKS: Access links for video, audio and live stats on the men's basketball schedule page on GoMocs.com.
RADIO: The Mocs Sports Network flagship station is 96.1 the Legend FM in Chattanooga. Jim Reynolds is in his 36th year as the play-by-play "Voice of the Mocs".
PROMOTIONS: N/A.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow the action on Twitter @GoMocsMBB. Get interactive using the hashtags GoMocs and ReptheC.
 
NEXT UP
Chattanooga returns home to host Hiwassee on Monday, Nov. 16. They hit the road for five in a row starting at Illinois (in Springfield) on Nov. 21 followed by a trip to No. 7 Iowa State on Nov. 23. The Fighting Illini contest is on the Big 10 Network, while the top 10 matchup is online at Cyclones.TV.
 
OPENING TIPS
- Chattanooga returns four starters and nine total letter winners from last season's squad.
- The Mocs have 10 upperclassmen (juniors/senior) with eight returning (all 4 starters) and two additions in senior Dee Oldham (UT Martin transfer) and junior college guard Johnathan Burroughs-Cook.
- UTC is 28-10 during the DI era in season openers. That mark includes 22-0 at home, 2-9 away and 4-1 on a neutral floor.
- Chattanooga's probable lineup includes two seniors and three juniors. There are four returning starters (Casey Jones, Tre' McLean, Greg Pryor & Justin Tuoyo) from last season along with valued sixth man Eric Robertson. Jones has started 69 consecutive games and 80 of his 83 career appearances. Pryor has started every one of his 63 appearances since signing late in the spring of 2013 with the Mocs. Tuoyo opened all but one contest a year ago sitting for senior Lance Stokes on senior night, while McLean made 15 starts in his first year with the program. Robertson was the team's sixth man last season, but he's started three times (all in 2014-15).
- Matt McCall makes his bench debut Friday after spending the last four years (10 total) alongside Billy Donovan at the University of Florida. The previous six head coaches openers: Murray Arnold, 12/1/80, Tennessee Wesleyan (84-76), Mack McCarthy, 11/25/86, Georgia College (107-61), Henry Dickerson, 11/15/97, Wofford (82-65), Jeff Lebo, 11/22/02, at Samford (68-66), John Shulman, 11/20/04, Toccoa Falls, 113-52 and Will Wade, 11/8/13, Covenant (119-56). Only Lebo opened on the road and none began with a team that participated in the previous year's NCAA Tournament.
- The Mocs are 5-28 against Georgia. That includes a 2-5 mark since the program moved to DI in 1977-78. The two wins came in the 1984 NIT (74-69 OT) and 1997 NCAA Tournament (73-70). See page three for more series info.
- UTC's last win over an SEC program was December 5, 2004 at Tennessee, 69-68. It was in Shulman's initial campaign.
- Chattanooga is 24-112 all-time against the SEC: Alabama 3-13, Arkansas 0-1, Auburn 2-2, Florida 0-1, Georgia 5-28, Kentucky 0-8, LSU 0-1, Ole Miss 2-6, Mississippi State 4-6, Missouri 0-4, South Carolina 0-1, Tennessee 5-28, Vanderbilt 3-13. Texas A&M is the only SEC member the Mocs have not faced.
- Six of the 10 Southern Conference teams begin the season Friday. Check page six for the schedule.
- The Mocs play six of its first seven contests, seven of nine, away from the friendly confines of McKenzie Arena.
 
HEAD COACH MATT MCCALL
- Head Coach Matt McCall is 0-0 in his first season as a head coach. He comes to Chattanooga from Florida where he was an assistant to Billy Donovan over the last four years. The Gators were 4-1 against UGA over that span.
- McCall is a 2004 graduate of Florida. He spent 10 seasons with Billy Donovan working as a student manager (2003-06), director of basketball ops (2006-08) and assistant coach (2011-15). He spent three seasons as an assistant to Mike Jarvis at Florida Atlantic (2008-11) culminating with a school-best 21-11 mark in 2010-11.
- McCall's staff includes a former head coach, Reggie Witherspoon (Buffalo, 1999-2013), fellow former FAU assistant Peter Gash and Jesse Bopp, a former prep school head coach that most recently served as director of basketball ops for Shaka Smart at VCU. Former Gator SEC Legend Eddie Shannon is the director of basketball ops, while Jacob Kurtz is video coordinator after completing his playing career in 2015 at UF. Jordan Clark returns as graduate manager.
 
FOR STARTERS          
- Chattanooga comes off a 22-10 campaign with a second-place finish in the Southern Conference at 15-3.
- First 20-win season since 2004-05. It's the first time since 1993-94 that the squad clinched 20 wins in the regular season.
- The program returns four starters:  Casey Jones (14.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 51.9% FG), Greg Pryor (11.3 ppg, 2.5 apg, 37.9% 3pt), Justin Tuoyo (10.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.3 bpg, 53.8% FG) and Tre' McLean (4.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg). Also back are top sixth man Eric Robertson (8.8 ppg, 46.8% 3pt), Duke Ethridge (5.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg), Chuck Ester (3.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg), Alex Bran (1.6 ppg) and K.J. Bates (0.3 ppg).
- There were no non-graduation roster losses in the transition after McCall's hiring.
- Returning production: 78.4% points, 85.5% rebounding, 67.4% assists, 80.0% steals and 95.1% blocks.
 
OLD FACES
- Senior Casey Jones is a two-time All-SoCon pick. He was a first team pick a season ago and second team in 2014.
- Jones is on CollegeInsider.com's watch list for the Lou Henson Award given to the Mid-Major Player of the Year.
- Jones is the preseason SoCon Player of the Year.
- Jones was a three-time SoCon Player of the Week (Dec. 2, Feb. 3, Feb. 17) and two-time Player of the Month (Jan. & Feb.) last season. The three Player of the Week mentions was a school season record, while the back-to-back POM's in same season were the league's first since NBA MVP Stephen Curry at Davidson in 2008-09.
- Junior Justin Tuoyo was the 2015 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year. He also was an All-SoCon pick (1st team coaches/2nd team media).
- Tuoyo tallied a school-record 104 blocks in his first season in the Scenic City.
- Tuoyo led the SoCon and ranked 4th nationally with 3.3 blocks per game.
- Tuoyo's 104 blocks were more than 153 DI TEAMS.
- Junior Greg Pryor has started all 63 of his career appearances at the 1. He was a 2015 All-SoCon third team selection.
- Pryor improved his shooting percentage from 31.5 percent as a freshman to 45.5 percent in 2014-15. His 3pt shooting jumped from 17.5 percent (11-63) to 37.9 percent (44-116).
- Pryor has a 1.76 TOs per game average in his career.
- Senior Eric Robertson played the role of sixth man in 2014-15. He led the SoCon in 3pt shooting at 46.8 percent (65-139).
- Robertson is a 41.9 percent shooter for his career, 44.9 percent (96-214) over the past two campaigns.
- Robertson shot 50 percent or better in 18 of 32 contests in 2014-15.
- Junior Tre' McLean started 15 of 32 appearances in 2014-15. The Mocs were 11-4 in those contests. He developed a reputation for his play on the defensive end.
- Senior Duke Ethridge and junior Chuck Ester each started six games at the four a season ago.
- Senior Alex Bran and sophomore K.J. Bates return providing depth in the backcourt.
 
NEW FACES    
- Dee Oldham: 6-4 guard/forward originally from Wilson Central High School in Lebanon, Tenn. Oldham was a mid-season transfer from UT Martin in 2014-15. Oldham, who prepped at Wilson County H.S., in Lebanon, Tenn., started 18 games in his two-and-a-half years at UTM. He is eligible from the jump and is a senior.
- Johnathan Burroughs-Cook: 6-2 guard from Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis. Burroughs-Cook began his collegiate career at College of Charleston in 2013-14 starting six of 24 appearances. Last season playing for Jerry Nichols at SWTCC, he averaged 13.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. High school teammate of Greg Pryor (Ridgeway).
- Rich Kalina: 6'11" post from North Cobb Christian (GA). Played for Greg Matta, brother of Ohio State coach Thad Matta. A three-star prospect per future150.com, he ranked No. 37 nationally at his position, 11th-best overall in Georgia. He chose Chattanooga after visits to La Salle, App State and Liberty.
- ZaQwaun Matthews: 6'4" combo guard from Myers Park High School (Charlotte, N.C.). Very athletic guard who fits well in up-tempo, full-court attack McCall will deploy. He decided on the Mocs over interest from Richmond, Charlotte and East Carolina. - Peyton Woods: 6'4" shooting guard from Wayne County (Ky.) High School. Played in high school for his father, former UT captain Rodney Woods. His 362 career 3pt made is fourth in the Kentucky high school record books and he is second in WCHS history with 2,467 career points.
 
SCOUTING GEORGIA
- UGA returns three starters and nine letter winners from its 21-12 squad last year.
- The Bulldogs tied for third in the SEC at 11-7 earning an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
- Coach Mark Fox enters his seventh year leading Georgia, 12th overall as a collegiate head coach (Nevada). He is 106-89 in Athens, 229-132 overall.
- Fox is 2-0 against the Mocs winning 87-56 in Athens on Dec. 2, 2013 and 86-55 on Dec. 2, 2014 in Chattanooga.
- Kenny Gaines is the top returning scorer at 11.7 points per game. He had a game-high 25 points making 9-11 from the field, 5-6 3pt, in last year's contest.
- Charles Mann added 11.2 points and is UGA's top returning rebounder at 4.9 per game. He came off the bench last year in Chattanooga for 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.
 
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ABOUT CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL
- The Mocs are by far the most successful program in the Southern Conference since joining the league in 1977-78. The team has won 28 titles with 10 regular season, 10 tournament and eight division.
- 15 NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1961 (DII), 1973 (DII), 1975 (DII), 1976 (DII Runner-up), 1977 (DII National Champs), 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 (Sweet 16), 2005, 2009
- 10 SoCon Tournament Crowns: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2009
- 10 SoCon Regular Season Championships: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
- 8 Division Titles: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011
- The 1997 team went to the NCAA Sweet 16 with wins over Georgia and Illinois.
- 5 SoCon Players of the Year: Willie White (1981-82), Keith Nelson (1991-92), Tim Brooks (1992-93), Chad Copeland (1993-94) and Johnny Taylor (1996-97).
- 2 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year: Z. Mason (2014), Justin Tuoyo (2015).
- 3 SoCon Coaches of the Year: Murray Arnold (1982, '83), Mack McCarthy (1986, '92, '93) and Will Wade (2014).
- 9 NBA Draft Picks: Walter "Moose" McGary (1973 & '74), William Gordon (1977), Wayne Golden (1977), Russ Schoene (1982), Nick Morken (1982), Willie White (1984), Gerald Wilkins (1985, 13 seasons) and Johnny Taylor (1997 1st Round).