CHATTANOOGA --- After earning a hard-fought 72-64 win at UNCG on Thursday night, the Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team wraps up its Southern Conference road trip against VMI inside Cameron Hall on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
 
Despite turnover issues, Chattanooga (15-4, 5-1 SoCon) came away with a crucial 72-64 victory at UNCG on Thursday night to remain a half-game up on Furman (5-2) atop the league standings. The win marked UTC's first in Greensboro since 2016. Malachi Smith extended his road 20+ point streak to 11 games following a 22-point performance on Thursday.
 
VMI (11-8, 4-3 SoCon) is coming off a 99-80 rout over Samford on its home floor on Thursday night, securing back-to-back wins to pull above .500 in the SoCon regular season title race. The Keydets consecutive wins follow a three-game skid in league play. VMI's Jake Stephens is averaging 18.7 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per contest and has been named the SoCon Player of the Week presented by GEICO three times this season.
 
The game at VMI (11-8, 4-3) will be available LIVE on ESPN+ and can be accessed through the Watch ESPN platform. Fans can also listen LIVE on WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM in Chattanooga as well as the Varsity Network app.
 
RADIO NOTE: WFLI added 96.1 and 100.3 FM to their arsenal of stations. The previous agreement had the Mocs on 97.7 FM and 1070 AM which was a good base of operation. Starting this weekend, 96.1 takes the place of 97.7 while 100.3 is added. The change to 96.1 adds the audio reach by roughly 100,000 homes while 100.3 expands the overall coverage further north of the Tennessee River especially strengthening the signal in Hixson and Soddy-Daisy.
 
Mocs Sports Network is developed by Mocs Sports Properties, the Learfield-owned multimedia rights holder for Mocs athletics. MSN broadcasts every men's and women's basketball and football game as well as "Chat with the Mocs", a weekly coach's show covering all things Mocs.
 
Mocs Sports Network Stations: 96.1 FM, 100.3 FM & 1070 AM. Listen to the dulcet tones of Jim Reynolds there tomorrow from VMI with tip off at 1 p.m., while watching the Mocs women tangle with UNC Greensboro in McKenzie Arena at 2 p.m. Larry Ward's expressive call of the Mocs-Spartans showdown is on alternate stations 95.7 FM and 1480 AM.
 
GAME BASICS
▪ Chattanooga (15-4, 5-1) at VMI (11-8, 4-3)
▪ 1:00 p.m. ET | Cameron Hall (5,029) | Lexington, Va.
▪ WATCH (ESPN+) | LISTEN (WFLI 96.1FM/100.3FM/1070AM) | STATS

GAME NOTES
Chattanooga | VMI | SoCon
 
SERIES HISTORY – 62^nd Meeting
All-Time: 46-15 – Chattanooga
Last: 84-79, VMI – Jan. 2, 2021 (Lexington, Va.)
Home: 23-4 – Chattanooga
Away: 19-9 – Chattanooga
Neutral: 4-3 – Chattanooga
*-UTC has won four of the last five meetings.
 
TIP-OFF
- Chattanooga enters the game with a 15-4 record and a 5-1 mark in SoCon play... half game up in first the SoCon standings (Furman, 5-2)... coming off a 72-64 victory over UNCG on Thursday... defeated the Spartans in Greensboro for the first time since 2016... continued its stay on top of the Southern Conference standings.
 
- Chattanooga has won four of its last five matchups against VMI... last meeting resulted in a 84-79 loss on the road on Jan. 2, 2021... the loss snapped a seve-game road winning streak for UTC... David Jean-Baptiste scored a career-high 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting including a 4-of-11 mark from three... Malachi Smith recorded a double-double with 17 pts and 10 bounds.
 
- VMI enters the matchup with an 11-8 overall record and a 4-3 record inside the league... the Keydets raced past Samford on Thursday night inside Cameron Hall for a 99-80 victory... Jake Stephens paces the team with an 18.7 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game average... VMI has won back-to-back league games after dropping three in-a-row.

BY THE NUMBERS 
- Chattanooga sits at No. 46 in the latest NET Rankings (1/20)... highest team in the SoCon... second highest in state of TN (Tennessee, 12)… VMI comes in at No. 151 in the latest NET Rankings (1/20).
 
- 22 points for Malachi Smith on Thursday... 11 straight road games with 20+ dating back to last season... averaging 23.8 ppg on the road this campaign… Smith's 13th 20pt effort of the season... fifth in a row and eight of last nine... 13 are most since 13 by Z. Mason in 2013-14... DI era record is 22 for a season by Gerald Wilkins in 1984-85... averaging 25.0 points per game over the last 13 with 11 contests scoring 20 or more during the stretch.
 
- Smith leads the Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally with a 21.5 points per game average... 3rd nationally in total points (409)... named to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List.
 
- Chattanooga holds a 46-15 all-time record in its meeting history against SoCon foe VMI... the record includes a 19-9 record on the road... UTC has won four of the last five matchups... lost only meeting last season in Lexington... second meeting was canceled (COVID).

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