GAME NOTES | POSTSEASON GUIDE | ABOUT CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL
 
CHATTANOOGA---March Madness is here. The Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship starts Friday night with two first round matchups. It's the start of four days to see who punches their dance card for the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
 
The Chattanooga Mocs match up with the Samford Bulldogs at 7:30 pm., following The Citadel and VMI at 5 p.m. The Mocs and Bulldogs winner moves on to face ETSU Saturday at 6 p.m. That leads to the semifinals on Sunday with either Furman or Western Carolina at 6:30 p.m. The title tilt is Monday at 9 p.m.
 
UTC and Samford split the season series. Both won at home with the Bulldogs notching a 73-56 advantage in the Hanna Center, while the Mocs held off a late charge in a 78-71 triumph in McKenzie Arena.
 
The latter matchup was notable for more than just the win. Junior Makinde London had a monster performance with 21 points and 19 rebounds. The 19 rebounds were the third-highest total in the DI era by a Moc and the top number in a SoCon regular season contest.
 
Chattanooga's 11 tournament titles are more than any current league members. That's followed by ETSU (7), Furman (6), Wofford (4), VMI (3), UNCG (1) and Western Carolina (1). Samford, The Citadel and Mercer have not won the event to date. The last 16 crowns were claimed by just four schools – Chattanooga, Davidson, ETSU and Wofford.
 
The U.S. Cellular Center hosts the event in downtown Asheville, N.C. There are a number of events planned for the weekend. Here's a quick list, read about them here.
 
Saturday – 9-11:30 a.m. – Downtown Dribble & KidsFest
Saturday – Noon – SoCon Teddy Bear Toss
Sunday – 1:30-3:45 p.m. – Ingles JAMFEST
Monday – 9 p.m. – Hometown Heroes Night
 
THE MATCHUPS
Friday – March 2, 2018 – Asheville, N.C.
Chattanooga vs. Samford, 7:30 p.m.
Media: ESPN3/Real 96.1 FM/GoMocs.com
 
Complete Tournament Schedule here.
 
SERIES HISTORY (Click Postseason Guide link above for complete series info)
Samford
Meeting: 97th
Overall: 58-38
Tournament: 2-0 (1-0 in Asheville)
Last 10: 7-3
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
G - 0-Makale Foreman, 6-1, 185, So., 9.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 37.3% 3pt
G - 1-Rodney Chatman, 6-1, 175, So., 13.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.6 apg
G - 3-David Jean-Baptiste, 6-1, 190, RFr., 5.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg
F - 10-James Lewis, Jr., 6-5, 215, Fr., 7.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 53.9% FG
C - 2-Joshua Phillips, 6-8, 245, Sr., 9.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 57.7% FG
 
3 NOTES TO KNOW

• 2-0 vs. the Bulldogs in tournament play. The first meeting was an 81-70 shootout that sent UTC into the 2009 title game defeating College of Charleston. Stephen McDowell '09 tied Gerald Wilkins' '85 school-record 32 points in a tournament game. The second was the comeback win in the 2016 quarterfinals jump-starting the tourney title run. Postseason records are on pages 39 and 40 of the postseason guide linked above.
• This team made a habit of playing nail-biters during the regular season with 11 games going into the final possession of regulation (4-7) including seven (2-5) in league play. Thirteen contests within a single possession at any point in the final minute (4-9), eight of those against SoCon opposition (2-6). Sixteen matchups were within two possessions in the final two minutes (5-11), 11 in the conference (3-8).
• Joshua Phillips has been quite the basketball collector away from Gig City in February. He's grabbed 10 or more boards in each of the last four road games averaging 12.3 rebounds per contest.

 
FOLLOW ALONG
The games are available online and on the radio. Here's the broadcast info with links available on the men's basketball schedule page:
 
Video Stream: Fans can watch the Mocs games on ESPN3/WatchESPN app. Pete Yanity (play-by-play), Dean Keener (analysis) and Stormy Buonantony (Sideline).
 
Radio: There are several ways to listen. "Voice of the Mocs" Jim Reynolds is over the airwaves on Real 96.1 FM in Chattanooga. Click the 96.1 FM link on the men's basketball schedule to listen online or use the iHeart (search Real 96.1 FM) and TuneIn (search Chattanooga Mocs) radio apps.
 
Live Stats: Access live stats on the men's basketball schedule page.
 
Social Media: Score updates and more on Twitter from @GoMocsMBB.
 
NEXT UP         
Winning four games in four days puts the Mocs in the NCAA Basketball Tournament with a likely berth in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, March 13-14.
 
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