GAME NOTES ∙ WATCH (ESPN+) ∙ LISTEN ∙ LIVE STATS
CHATTANOOGA (Jan. 23, 2024) --- The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team aims to complete a perfect three-game road swing with an important Southern Conference match-up at Wofford inside the Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C., on Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Chattanooga (12-7, 4-2 SoCon) enters the midweek contest one of four teams currently tied for third place in the SoCon standings at 4-2, a list that also includes the Terriers. The Mocs are winners of four of its last five games including consecutive road wins at Mercer (W, 74-60) last Wednesday and at ETSU (W, 81-74) on Sunday.
Wofford (11-8, 4-2 SoCon) looks to bounce back from an 82-59 road loss at UNCG on Saturday which marked the team's first SoCon game this season decided by more than four points. All four of the Terriers league victories this year have come in one-possession games with its only other loss being a four-point (L, 66-70) separation at Western Carolina.
Full game preview including coverage links, notes, and more can be found below.
GAME DETAILS
Chattanooga (12-7, 4-2 SoCon) at Wofford (11-8, 4-2 SoCon)
7:02 p.m. ET ∙ Richardson Indoor Stadium (Spartanburg, S.C. ∙ 4,500)
53rd All-Time Meeting ∙ UTC leads 30-22 (last: UTC 74, WOF 62 – 3/5/23)
MEDIA COVERAGE
WATCH ∙ ESPN+/Watch ESPN/ESPN App
LISTEN ∙ WFLI 96.1FM, 100.3FM, 1070AM – Varsity Network – GoMocs.com
LIVE STATS ∙ GoMocs.com
FOLLOW ∙ X/Twitter: @GoMocsMBB
GAME NOTES
Chattanooga ∙ Wofford (currently unavailable) ∙ SoCon
MOCS EARN 81-74 ROAD WIN AT RIVAL ETSU
Chattanooga (12-7, 4-2 SoCon) earned its second-straight win away from home after notching a hard-fought 81-74 victory over in-state rival ETSU in front of a national TV audience (ESPN2) on Sunday. The win marked the Mocs fourth-straight in Johnson City against the Bucs which is the longest stretch for the program after besting the previous mark of three from 1985-87.
Jan Zidek scored a team-high 21 in the win.
CHATTANOOGA/WOFFORD HISTORY
Chattanooga & Wofford will meet for the 53rd time in the all-time series and for the 25th time in Spartanburg. UTC holds a 30-22 edge in the all-time meetings while the two teams are even at 12-12 in games played at Wofford. The Mocs have won five out of the last seven which includes back-to-back wins over the Terriers in the SoCon Tournament semifinals.
WINNING WITH DIFFERENCE
- Chattanooga is one of 21 NCAA DI teams this season that has trotted out seven or more different starting lineups. Of the seven different combos, UTC has notched victories with six of them which makes them one of just 14 NCAA DI teams that have won with five or more different starting lineups.
SHATTERED GLASS
- Despite earning consecutive wins last week, Chattanooga suffered a -9 rebounding margin in Wednesday's win at Mercer and a -10 tally in Sunday's win at ETSU. The combined -19 margin is the greatest disadvantage on the glass in back-to-back wins since -22 in wins over Georgia Southern and Davidson on March 5 and 6, 1994, in the semifinals and title game of the SoCon Tournament.
ROAD RIVALRY FIRST
- In the 99th all-time meeting between longtime SoCon rivals Chattanooga and ETSU on Sunday, UTC came away with an 81-74 victory on the road inside Freedom Hall. The Mocs have now won four-straight on the road at ETSU, the longest streak for the program since a string of three-straight from January 1985 to January 1987.
MAGIC NUMBERS POINT TO WINNING TRENDS
- Following Sunday's 81-74 victory at ETSU, UTC improved to 19-3 in the
Dan Earl era when scoring 80 or more points. In addition, the Mocs improved to 14-0 under Earl when shooting 50.0% or better from the floor and 23-4 when registering a better FG% than its opponent after out-shooting the Bucs, 52.5% (32-61) to 41.9% (26-62).
JAN ZIDEK'S PRODUCTION RETURNS, NEARS NEXT MILESTONES
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Jan Zidek once again showcased his elite scoring ability in Sunday's 81-74 win at ETSU after finishing with a team-high 21 points (17 in the first half) on 8-of-11 shooting including a 4-of-6 mark from deep. Zidek sits just three points shy of the 1,100-point mark & two assists shy of 100 for his career.
NATIONAL EYES STAY ON THE MOCS
- UTC & ETSU battled on Sunday in front of a national audience on ESPN2. The game marked the Mocs third of four national TV contests this season after previous matchups at Auburn (12/30, SECN) and home against UNCG (1/13, CBSSN). The fourth comes on 2/18 at Furman (CBSSN). Factoring in the one remaining contest this season, UTC has played on national TV 15x since the start of the 2021-22, playing to an 8-6 record so far.
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