CHATTANOOGA --- The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team and first-year head coach Dan Earl will welcome a familiar opponent to McKenzie Arena on Saturday with Southern Conference foe VMI on tap. Tip-off against the Keydets is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Earl, before accepting the UTC job in March of 2022, coached VMI for the past seven seasons and contributed to a historic stretch for the program over the recent years. He led the Keydets to its first winning season since 2013-14 after finishing 13-12 (11-1 at home) while claiming SoCon Coach of the Year honors in 2020-21. That team also made a semifinal appearance for the first time since 2003.
Former VMI stars Jake Stephens and Honor Huff followed coach Earl to the Scenic City via the transfer portal ahead of the 2022-23 season. Stephens, a graduate transfer, currently leads the SoCon in both points (20.4) and rebounds per game (10.3) while Huff must sit out the 22-23 campaign due to intra-conference transfer rules.
Chattanooga (9-7, 1-2 SoCon) is looking to bounce back from a 73-61 loss at UNCG on Wednesday night inside the Greensboro Coliseum. The loss wrapped up a four-game road stretch in which the Mocs went 1-3. Jamal Johnson continues to score at a high rate, scoring 23, 21, 21, and 19 points during the four-game away stretch.
VMI (5-11, 0-3 SoCon) enters Saturday's game looking to snap a five-game skid under first-year head coach Andrew Wilson. The Keydets have dropped conference contests at Furman (85-62), at home against ETSU (64-50) and on the road at Samford (87-78).
Fans can watch the game LIVE on ESPN+ through the Watch ESPN and ESPN App platforms or fans can also listen LIVE on WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/ 1070AM in Chattanooga as well as the Varsity Network app.
GAME INFO
Chattanooga (9-7, 1-2 SoCon) vs. VMI (5-11, 0-3 SoCon)
Saturday, Jan. 7 · 2 p.m. ET · Chattanooga, Tenn. · McKenzie Arena (10,995)
ESPN+ · Listen · Live Stats · Buy Tickets
PROMOTION: Saturday's game will benefit the Hamilton County Care Closet. Fans who donate necessary student items such as: school uniform clothing (polos, khakis, etc.), undergarments, socks, toiletries and other hygiene items, as well as laundry detergent, bookbags, winter wear and more, will receive General Admission tickets for just $5.
GAME NOTES
Chattanooga · VMI · SoCon
SERIES INFO
64th Meeting · Record: 47-16 · Home: 23-5 · Away: 20-9 · Neutral: 4-2
Last Meeting: February 19, 2022 – L, 75-80 – McKenzie Arena (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
LAST TIME OUT
Chattanooga (9-7, 1-2 SoCon) suffered its third loss in its last four games (all on the road) following a 73-61 defeat at UNCG on Wednesday night inside the Greensboro Coliseum. Jamal Johnson continued his hot shooting with his fourth-straight game of 19 or more points, finishing with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting (5-of-11 3PT) in addition to six rebounds. Jake Stephens picked up his ninth double-double of the season after posting 17 points and 13 boards.
JOHNSON CATCHING FIRE
Graduate transfer Jamal Johnson has found his stroke from deep over a recent stretch of games. Johnson has connected on three or more threes in eight-straight games including consecutive 6-of-10 performances against Georgia and The Citadel. He scored a career-high 23 points last week at Georgia before adding 21 points in back-to-back games against The Citadel and Mercer to open the SoCon slate. He scored 19 in Wednesday's loss at UNCG.
THREE STREAK SNAPPED
Chattanooga had connected on 10 or more threes in 10-straight games which continued to set new program highs. The Mocs were the only team this season to knock down 10 or more in 10-straight before only connecting on eight at UNCG, ultimately snapping the historic streak.
JAKE STEPHENS NAMED SOCON PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Jake Stephens was named the SoCon Player of the Month for December, the league office announced on Thursday. Stephens has now won the award twice this season (November/December) and has accumulated four career monthly honors, becoming just the fourth player to do so in SoCon history. He's the first since Fletcher Magee in 2018-19 to win it in back-to-back months.
STEPHENS IN NATIONAL COMPARISON
How does Jake Stephens' hot start compare to others around the country? Stephens is currently the only player in NCAA DI averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. He joins Purdue's Zach Edey as the only two players who are averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per contest. His scoring average of 20.4 points per game ranks 15th in NCAA DI while his 326 total points is ninth most in Division I this season.
ONE OF THE NATION'S TOP DEEP THREATS
Entering NCAA DI action on Friday (1/6), Chattanooga ranks No. 2 in NCAA Division I behind a 12.1 three-pointers per game average. The Mocs were ranked No. 1 the previous two weeks before seeing its average drop slightly.
EARL EFFECT FROM DEEP
Chattanooga (12.1 - 2nd), Cornell (11.7 - 3rd), and Penn State (10.9 - 5th) rank among the nation's top three-point shooting teams. Cornell is led by Dan Earl's younger brother Brian while Penn State is Earl's alma mater (1997).
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