GAME NOTES | MEDIA CENTER | ETSU
 
CHATTANOOGA---The Chattanooga Mocs are back in action Saturday at Southern Conference-rival ETSU. The pair is tied for second in the SoCon standings at 6-2 with Furman, just a half-game behind UNCG at 7-2. It's a one-game road run as the Mocs return home next weekend to host the Spartans on Thursday followed by Western Carolina on Saturday.
 
But first up is the Bucs. This is the 81st meeting between the two schools with the game almost always affecting the top of the league standings. Since the Mocs joined the SoCon in 1977-78, the two programs account for 14 regular season (11-Chattanooga/3-ETSU), 12 division (8-Chattanooga/4-ETSU) and 16 tournament (11-Chattanooga/5-ETSU) titles. That's 16 in 39 years meaning one of these two programs have claimed the league's coveted NCAA Tournament automatic bid 41 percent of the time.
 
That's in the past. The current models were picked 1-2 in the SoCon preseason poll and there is little doubt that both are factors as they reach the mid-point of the league slate.
 
The Bucs are led by senior guard T.J. Cromer's 18.4 points per game. He's second to VMI's Q.J. Peterson in the league scoring race. Desonta Bradford adds 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest, while Tevin Glass' 5.4 rebounds per game leads the squad which ranks among the league's top rebounding teams.
 
Chattanooga, which has won five straight in the series, is led by Tre' McLean (14.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Justin Tuoyo (13.2, 7.2). Tuoyo ranks third in the nation in blocks with a league-leading 3.3 per game average. Greg Pryor adds 12.0 points per contest and is coming off a season-best 23-point performance Wednesday night.
 
Game View
Chattanooga (15-5/6-2) at ETSU (16-5/6-2) – 4 p.m. – WatchESPN (ESPN3)
 
5 Notes to Know

• Ranked No. 7 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. UNCG and ETSU are 14th and 15th, respectively, while Furman is receiving votes. New poll released every Monday evening.
• 66 wins since start of 2014-15 season is tied for 10-most in school history over 3-year spread. 36 SoCon wins since 2014-15 is six shy of school-record (42) for 3-year period (1982-84/1992-94).
• 16-7 (.696) on the road under Matt McCall, 9-3 (.750) in the SoCon. Both are the top winning percentages ahead of Jeff Lebo (15-11, .577) overall and Will Wade (.706, 12-5) in league play.
• 18th in the nation in steals per contest (8.5).
• Tre' McLean led last year's series tallying 22.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 3.5 steals per game. He shot 52.4 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3pt range (8-16) and 83.3 percent at the free throw line (15-18).

 
Matt McCall on…
Matchup vs. ETSU:
"Terrific team from top to bottom. It's a good balance of guys coming back who won a lot of games last year and good transfers. The last thing we can do is sulk about Wednesday because they are playing at a high level, and it will be a very difficult environment. With ETSU, it starts with [Desonta] Bradford. He's a terrific player who doesn't get the recognition he deserves. Obviously, [T.J.] Cromer scores an enormous amount of points, but the ball is always in Bradford's hands. The biggest thing with ETSU is when the ball is up on that glass, they have unbelievable athletes chasing it. We have to make sure to block out and rebound the ball. On offense, with the way they pressure and deny, we have to take care of the basketball. You turn it over in that building, and they get out on the break making highlight reel plays, it's going to be a long night."
 
On start of a challenging stretch:
"The regular season title is going to be won or lost in the next two weeks. It's one game at a time. Everyone has difficult stretches during the course of the year. It's our focus-level and edge that we have to keep. We didn't have that Wednesday night. Our guys know that...they understand that. In order to do something bigger than yourself, you have to get out of yourself and understand that it's going to be our focus and our edge, that chip we've always had."
 
The Series

• 81st meeting with ETSU.
• 47-33 series lead – 16-19 in Johnson City.
• 34-18 in regular season SoCon matchups.
• Won last five meetings.
• 7-3 in the last 10.
• McCall is 3-0 vs. the Bucs…1-0 in Johnson City.
• Last year's games: Home | Away | Neutral

 
Stat to Follow
ETSU is tied for second in the league for rebounding margin at +5 per game. The Mocs have a positive rebound margin in seven straight.
 
WATCH the game on the WatchESPN App (ESPN3).
 
LISTEN on Real 96.1 FM in Chattanooga or through the iHeart (search Real 96.1) and TuneIn (search Chattanooga Mocs) radio apps.
 
LINKS to tickets, live stats, video (ESPN3) and audio (Mocs Sports Network) are on GoMocs.com's men's basketball schedule page.
 
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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 30 titles with 11 regular season, 11 tournament and eight division.
- 16 NCAA Tournament Appearances (11 DI): 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, 2016
- 11 SoCon Tournament Crowns: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2009, 2016
- 11 SoCon Regular Season Championships: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2016
- 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).
- 3 SoCon Defensive Players of the Year: Z. Mason (2014), Justin Tuoyo (2015, 2016).
- 4 SoCon Coaches of the Year: Murray Arnold (1982, '83), Mack McCarthy (1986, '92, '93), Will Wade (2014) and Matt McCall (2016).
- 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).