The 2017-18 basketball season is off and running for a youthful Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team. After a tough battle in an opening loss at Wyoming, the Mocs head south to Birmingham for a matchup with UAB.
 
GoMocs.com brings you "5 Things to Know" about the contest...
 
1) Basics
Tipoff: 8 p.m. (EST)
 
TV/Streaming: CUSA.TV – UAB's broadcast crew reports. Access broadcast link on the GoMocs.com basketball schedule page.
 
Radio: Real 96.1 FM in Chattanooga – "Voice of the Mocs" Jim Reynolds has the call. His velvety tones have crossed the Scenic City airwaves for 38 seasons. The game is also available via iHeart (search Real 96.1 FM Chattanooga) and TuneIn (Chattanooga Mocs) radio apps or you can listen on GoMocs.com. You can also access the Mocs Sports Network on the GoMocs.com basketball schedule page.
 
Reading/Viewing Material: Check out the game notes here: Game Notes.
 
Tickets: Tickets are on sale – season, single-game and mini-plans – at all the usual places. You can buy by:
 

• Visiting the Gate 1 Ticket Office at McKenzie Arena during business hours.
• Calling the McKenzie Arena Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627) during business hours.
• Going online via GoMocs.com: Season | Single-Game | Mini-Plan
• Group tickets are available by calling (423) 425-5470 or emailing Barry Kamen or Allison Callari.

 
Social Media: Score updates from Twitter on @GoMocsMBB.
 
2) Details
A little has been written, but a lot has been detailed in the game notes about the relative youth of this year's Mocs squad. Yes, according to a CBS report, we're the youngest team by average age (19.31). Yep, one of just five teams in DI without a senior on the roster. One of just six teams with three upperclassmen (juniors/seniors) or fewer heading into the year and one of five with 12 or fewer career starts.
 
3) History

• 14th meeting with UAB. 3-10 in previous 13 matchups, 0-8 in Birmingham.
• 80-71 all-time vs. current Conference USA membership (UAB 3-10, Charlotte 2-2, FIU 0-1, LA Tech 2-1, Marshall 29-18, Middle Tennessee 32-29, Old Dominion 0-2, Rice 1-0, Southern Miss 9-6 & Western Kentucky 2-2).
• The last meeting between the two schools was an 83-67 win in Chattanooga. Read the game story here.

 
4) Career Night
Junior Nat Dixon had one of what's sure to be several career nights this season in the opener at Wyoming. He set new career highs for points (14), rebounds (7), FG made (6), FT attempts (14) and minutes played (39). The 39 minutes was especially impressive with all the noise about playing at 7,200 feet in elevation.
 
Dixon also tied highs for assists (3), steals (2) and 3pt made (2). His 14 points marked the first double-digit game of his career.
 
5) Three Notes to Notice

1. Good all-around night for sophomore point guard Rodney Chatman. He tallied 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He leads the SoCon (small sample size) in defensive rebounds (9.0/game).
2. Speaking of defensive rebounding, the team recovered 87.9 percent, 29 of 33, of Wyoming's shot attempts allowing just two second chance points. UAB had seven offensive boards against JU, but since the Blazers shot 61.4 percent from the field, nearly 30 percent of its misses were second chances leading to a 1.1 point per offensive board scoring rate.
3. Turnovers are an early story for the Mocs. An 18-6 Wyoming advantage in points off turnovers in a nine-point loss is glaring. UTC made 16 turnovers, but was just a -1 margin (15 for the Cowboys).