GAME NOTES | MEDIA CENTER | ETSU
 
CHATTANOOGA---The Chattanooga Mocs and ETSU are prepared for the 82nd meeting in a long series full of memorable moments. As the Southern Conference became accustomed to over the past 40 years, this one means a lot to the top of the standings.
 
Furman leads the league at 13-2 followed by the Bucs at 11-3 with the Mocs and UNCG hot on their trail at 10-4. The Paladins are at the Spartans Saturday so the top four teams are in action against each other.
 
ETSU held off Chattanooga in the first meeting, 76-71. Since the Bucs returned to the SoCon in 2014, the Mocs captured five of the six meetings. Saturday's game promises to be yet another classic in the rivalries history.
 
Since Chattanooga joined the SoCon in 1977, the two schools own 14 regular season titles (UTC-11/ETSU-3), 12 division crowns (UTC-8/ETSU-4) and 16 tourney championships (UTC-11/ETSU-5). More than 40 percent of the league's NCAA appearances in the last 39 years have gone to either the Mocs or Bucs.
 
A trio of double figure scorers leads the Mocs into McKenzie Arena. Tre' McLean (14.0 ppg), Justin Tuoyo (13.3) and Greg Pryor (12.3) pace the home squad with McLean (19) and Pryor (16) accounting for 35 of the Mocs' 74 points in Wednesday's win at VMI.
 
T.J. Cromer is the Bucs leading scorer at 18.6 points per contest. Desonta Bradford adds 10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, while Tevin Glass is the top rebounder at 5.9 per contest. Glass had 14 points and 12 boards in the first meeting.

The 1977 NCAA Division II National Champion Mocs will be honored at halftime. Coach Ron Shumate is bringing back greats Wayne Golden, William Gordon, Gary Stitch, Darrell Payne, Darryl Yarbrough, Kevin Galbraith and Herbert "Book" McCray along with athletic trainer Danny Adams and managers Ronnie Swafford and George Moody.
 
Tickets are available at the box office and by phone at 266-MOCS (6627). Fans can avoid the ticket and will call lines by purchasing online and printing at home here. General admission seats are just $5 and kids wearing their youth league jersey are admitted free with a paying adult.
 
The game airs on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. It broadcasts over the airwaves on Real 96.1 FM in Chattanooga and worldwide via GoMocs.com as well as the iHeart Radio and TuneIn apps.
 
Game View
ETSU (21-6/11-3) at Chattanooga (19-7/10-4) – WatchESPN (ESPN3)
 
5 Notes to Know

• 40 SoCon wins since 2014-15 is two shy of school-record (42) for 3-year period (1982-84/1992-94). The 40-10 (.800) mark leads Wofford (35-16) by 5.5 games and is seven clear of ETSU (33-17).
• RPI of 82 leads three SoCon schools in the top 100. That's matched only by the Mountain West (4), West Coast (4) and CAA (3) among mid-majors ahead of leagues like the Mo. Valley (2), MAC (1) & C-USA (1).
• A win cements a bye into the quarterfinals of the SoCon Championships and would be the 20th of the season which would mark the 20th time in school history with 20 or more wins including three in a row.
• Justin Tuoyo is 4th all-time in SoCon history with 264 career blocks. He's five behind George Singleton (269, Furman, 1981-84) in 3rd. He has as many or more blocks (83) this season than 159 DI TEAMS.
• Tre' McLean averaged 20.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 3.0 steals per contest over last three regular season meetings with the Bucs. Shooting 60.6 percent (20-33) from the floor including 53.3 percent (8-15) from 3pt range, and 85.7 percent (12-14) from the free throw line over that span.

 
Matt McCall on…
40^th Anniversary of the 1977 NCAA DII National Championship:
"It's ironic. We had our 10-year reunion from our national championship [at Florida] this fall. There was no way I was missing that because when you're able to experience something like that, you're always tied to that school and community in such a positive way. We've always said it's not about the materialistic things that comes with a championship...it's about the relationships you create along the way. Those relationships last a lifetime. To be able to bring back that this week is huge for our players, fans and school to see because it was obviously a very special time for our program and community."
 
Buzz around Chattanooga for this weekend's game with the 1977 team back and a rival on the schedule:
"Any time you are playing against your rival, you know the atmosphere is going to be great. I think our players will appreciate the crowd and hopefully get behind them."
 
The Series

• 82nd meeting.
• 47-34 series lead – 24-8 in Chattanooga.
• 34-19 in regular season SoCon matchups.
• 7-3 in the last 10 meetings…won five of the last six.
• McCall is 3-1 vs. the Bucs…1-0 in Chattanooga.
• Previous Meeting this season: STORY | STATS | NOTES | QUOTES

 
Stat to Follow
Matt McCall mentioned three keys prior to the first meeting in Johnson City: rebounding, taking care of the ball and guarding the 3pt line. The Mocs limited ETSU to five threes (35.7%), but they turned the ball over 16 times (20 pts off TO for ETSU) and gave up 14 offensive boards (14 2nd chance pts).
 
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.
 
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here.
 
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).