GAME NOTES | MEDIA CENTER | SAMFORD
 
CHATTANOOGA---There are three games left in the regular season for the Chattanooga Mocs. They play those three over the next six days with two road contests sandwiching Senior Day festivities Saturday vs. Mercer. But the stretch starts on Wednesday night at Samford.
 
The Mocs travel to Birmingham with a first-round bye in the Southern Conference Championships locked up. Wofford has the inside track to the fifth spot currently with the Bulldogs and Bears vying for the sixth and final slot.
 
Tre' McLean (13.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.7 spg) and Justin Tuoyo (13.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg) lead the Mocs into the Hanna Center. Demetrius Denzel-Dyson paces the Bulldogs at 16.0 points and 5.2 boards per contest. McLean and Denzel-Dyson had quite a duel in the first meeting, an 82-78 Mocs win in McKenzie Arena.
 
McLean score 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Denzel-Dyson posted 22 points and 10 boards. The game went down to the wire which is not a shock in the series. UTC has won six straight and 10 of the past 11, however, the scoring margin over that 11-game span is 5.0.
 
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
Chattanooga (19-8/10-5) at Samford (16-12/7-8) – 8 p.m. (EST) – WatchESPN (ESPN3)
 
5 Notes to Know

• Start of 3-games-in-6-day stretch to close the regular season. Two of those games - tonight at Samford and Monday at The Citadel - sandwiched around Senior Day Saturday vs. Mercer.
• 18-7 (.720) in last 25 SoCon road matchups.
• Looking for 20th win which would be the fourth SoCon school with 20 wins. Power 5 conference you say? There are only four leagues with four or more teams with 20 wins: ACC (5), Big Ten (5), Pac 12 (4) and SEC (4).
• Tre' McLean's SoCon numbers over last two seasons (33 G): 13.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 47.3 FG% (155-328), 39.2 3pt% (47-120) & 78.9 FT% (101-128). Team highs in bold.
• Casey Jones already topped 1,200 points, 600 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 steals. Needs 11 blocks for triple digits there too.

                                                                                                                               
Matt McCall on…
Samford matchup:
"They're a terrific team. They've won a lot of games and been in a lot of close ones. Even the games they've lost, the ball could've bounced better their way and easily won. Just a terrific talent level with two really good point guards. Any time you have two point guards that good and that talented, you're going to win a lot of games."
 
Securing bye in SoCon Championships:
"It's big. You get an extra day's rest and more time to scout and prepare being able to really lock into your opponent throughout the week. It's always a challenge to win three games in three days. It's even bigger if you're trying to win four."
 
The Series

• 94th meeting. Most frequent opponent in school history.
• 57-36 series lead – 17-24 in Birmingham.
• 13-4 in regular season SoCon matchups.
• 9-1 in the last 10 meetings…winners of six straight.
• McCall is 4-0 vs. the Bulldogs…1-0 in Birmingham.
• Previous Meeting this season: STORY | STATS | NOTES | QUOTES | PHOTO GALLERY

 
Stat to Follow
The Mocs are 15-1 this year when committing 13 or less turnovers in a game. The lone outlier is the loss at UNCG on Jan. 2. Samford opponents average 13.0 per contest.
 
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).