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CHATTANOOGA (Jan. 10, 2024) --- The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team looks to keep its momentum from Saturday night's win with a Thursday night contest against Southern Conference opponent VMI inside McKenzie Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

The SoCon matchup will feature an Academic Night presentation at halftime to celebrate the success of UTC student-athletes. In addition, it's a "Thirsty Thursday" debut inside McKenzie Arena as ALL beverages at available concessions will carry a 50% discount. For tickets, please visit the link here or call the McKenzie Arena Box Office at 423-266-6627 (MOCS) between business hours of 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET. All ticket windows will open 90 minutes before tip-off on game day.
 
Chattanooga (9-6, 1-1 SoCon) is coming off a dominating 73-58 victory over the defending SoCon champion Furman Paladins, a game in which the Mocs led by as much as 28 in the second half. The win snapped a three-game skid for the squad and gave head coach Dan Earl his 100^th career victory following a seven-year stint at… VMI before arriving to UTC.
 
VMI (3-12, 0-2 SoCon) looks to pick up its first SoCon win of the season after dropping its first two league contests. The Keydets fell in an overtime heartbreaker at Wofford, 87-85, in the opener before suffering an 86-64 defeat to Mercer at home on Saturday.
 
Full game preview including coverage links, notes, and more can be found below. For all information on game days inside McKenzie Arena, please visit the GAMEDAY FAQ page.

GAME DETAILS ∙ BUY TICKETS
Thursday, January 11, 2024
Chattanooga (9-6, 1-1 SoCon) vs. VMI (3-12, 0-2 SoCon)
7:02 p.m. ET ∙ McKenzie Arena (Chattanooga, Tenn. ∙ 10,995)
67^th All-Time Meeting ∙ UTC leads 50-16 overall & 24-5 at home.
 
GAME PROMOTION
Academic Night – Halftime Presentation. "Thirsty Thursday" – Half-Off Drinks (yes, adult beverages included).
 
GAME MEDIA COVERAGE
WATCH ∙ ESPN+ (PxP: Chris Goforth, Analyst: Todd Agne)
LISTEN ∙ WFLI 96.1FM, 100.3FM, 1070AM – Varsity Network – GoMocs.com
LIVE STATS ∙ GoMocs.com
FOLLOW ∙ X/Twitter: @GoMocsMBB
 
GAME NOTES
Chattanooga ∙ VMI ∙ SoCon
 
MOCS SNAP SKID, DOMINATE FURMAN IN 73-58 WIN
- Chattanooga (9-6, 1-1 SoCon) snapped a three-game skid with a convincing 73-58 victory over preseason favorite and defending SoCon champion Furman on Saturday night inside McKenzie Arena. The Mocs jumped on the Paladins early which led to a comfortable 43-20 halftime lead before leading by as much 28 in the second half. Five different Mocs reached double figures in scoring with Tyler Millin (16) leading the attack.
 
CHATTANOOGA/VMI HISTORY
- Chattanooga & VMI will meet for the 67th time in the all-time series history with UTC holding a 50-16 overall lead which includes a 24-5 mark at home. The Mocs have won eight of the past 10 meetings against the Keydets including three-straight dating back to an 85-78 home win on January 7, 2023. The last meeting came in the first round of the 2023 SoCon Tournament, a 92-72 UTC victory, on March 3, 2023.
 
EARL HITS THE CENTURY MARK MILESTONE
- Head coach Dan Earl captured his 100th career victory during Saturday's 73-58 victory over Furman. Earl is 27-23 overall at UTC while serving in his second season.
 
HISTORIC THREE-POINT STREAK CONTINUES
- After knocking down seven threes in Saturday's win over Furman, Chattanooga has now made six or more 3PT FGs in 50-straight games which is the longest active streak of its kind in NCAA DI. The current streak, which began in Dan Earl's first game at UTC, is the 11th-longest such streak in NCAA DI history and just one shy of tying North Dakota State (2016-18, 51 games) for 10th-longest. An Earl-led squad has now made five or more 3PT FGs in 82-straight games when factoring in his VMI tenure.
 
DOMINANT DEFENSE KEY TO WIN OVER FURMAN
- After allowing the most points in a three-game stretch since 2013, Chattanooga answered the bell with a dominating defensive effort in Saturday's 73-58 victory over Furman. The Mocs limited the Paladins to a 27.5% (17-69) shooting mark from the floor including a lowly 12.1% (4-33) total from behind the arc. The 58 points allowed were the least surrendered to the Paladins in the series history since 54 on 2/6/2016.
 
RIM PROTECTOR, PAINT PRESENCE
- Sophomore big man Sam Alexis enters the week ninth in NCAA DI hoops in both total blocks (37) and blocks per game (2.5) while sitting 21st in total rebounds (147) and rebounds per game (9.8). Alexis has recorded two or more blocks 10 different times this season while snagging at least five boards in all 15 games. He's currently one of just four players in NCAA DI currently averaging 11p/9.5r/2b per game.
 
BONHAM'S BACK & PRODUCING AT HIGH RATE
- Due to the current two-time NCAA transfer rule suspension, Florida (& VMI) guard Trey Bonham has made an immediate impact since his first action on 12/16 @AAMU. Bonham is averaging 16.0p, 5.2r, & 3.0a through six games & has posted double-digit scoring in five of the six games. He notched a season-high 25-point performance at Milwaukee (12/22) and added a 21-point night at Samford (1/3) in the SoCon opener.

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