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CHATTANOOGA (March 17, 2025) --- The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team kicks off 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) action with a first round matchup against in-state foe Middle Tennessee on Tuesday night inside the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
 
The Mocs Club will be hosting a pre-game social for all Mocs fans at The Boulevard Bar & Grille (2154 Middle Tennessee Blvd.) from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. CT before tip-off on Tuesday with the first drink and finger foods covered. Fans can RSVP HERE.

Chattanooga (24-9) and Middle Tennessee (22-11) meet in the Dayton Region of the bracket as the Flyers garnered top-seeding honors among the eight-team region. The winner between UTC and MTSU will await the winner of Dayton and Florida Atlantic in the second round this weekend.
 
The Mocs and the Blue Raiders were both eliminated from conference tournament title contention in the semifinal rounds of their respective SoCon and Conference USA events last week. The two teams meet for the 69th time in the series' history and first time since December 2022, a game that saw UTC walk out of Murfreesboro with an 82-73 victory.
 
Chattanooga is making its fifth NIT appearance and first since 1987 when the program earned four-straight berths into the event from 1984-87. The Mocs are 40 years removed from its memorable 1985 NIT quarterfinal run which featured wins over Clemson and Lamar before the team eventually fell at Louisville.
 
Full game details and notes are below.
 
2025 NIT – First Round (Dayton Region)
Chattanooga (24-9) at (4) Middle Tennessee (22-11)
Date: Tues., March 18 ∙ Time: 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT
Site: Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Murphy Center)
TV: ESPN+ ∙ Radio: Mocs Sports Network (WFLI)
Follow: Live Stats ∙ @GoMocsMBB on X/Twitter
Game Notes: Chattanooga

NIT Info/Brackets
Complete 2025 NIT information is located HERE. The 32-team event will commence on campus sites of the higher seed through the quarterfinal round before turning to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, for the semifinal and championship rounds April 1-3. The field is divided into four, eight-team regions as Dayton, SMU, UC Irvine and San Francisco were selected as the event's top four seeds.

Chattanooga's NIT History
NIT Appearance: 5th (first since four-straight from 1984-87)
NIT Record: 3-4 (.429)
Best NIT Finish: 1985 NIT Quarterfinals
 
All-Time Series vs. Middle Tennessee
Previous Meetings: 68
Last Meeting: UTC 82, at MTSU 73 (12/15/22)
Record: 36-32 (.529)
Record in Murfreesboro: 11-23 (.324)
Record in Chattanooga: 23-9 (.719)
Neutral: 0-2

Story Lines/Notes
CHATTANOOGA SET FOR FIFTH NIT APP.; FIRST SINCE 1987
∙ Chattanooga (24-9) earned an automatic bid into the 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) after claiming the Southern Conference Regular season title & meeting the necessary 'KNIT' scoring metrics (finished 107.1).
∙ The Mocs will be making its fifth NIT appearance in program history after four-straight berths from 1984-87... most appearances among active SoCon members... enters with a 3-4 (.429) record in the event.
 
CHATTANOOGA FALLS IN SOCON SEMIS
∙ Playing as the No. 1 seed, Chattanooga fell in the SoCon Tournament semifinals to No. 5 Furman, 80-77, in OT... No. 6 Wofford claimed the title... UTC finished the regular season slate 15-3... most SoCon wins (15) since 2015-16.
 
HISTORIC WIN STREAK SNAPPED DURING DEFEAT
∙ Chattanooga saw a 12-game win streak snapped during the semifinal loss last Sunday... marked the first loss in 45 days (Jan. 23 - March 9)... second-longest win streak in program history (14).
 
HONOR HUFF DIALIN' UP THE THREE BALL
∙ Honor Huff was named to the All-SoCon Tournament Team after knocking down 11 3FGM over two games... went 8-11 (72.7%) from 3PT in semifinal loss... most 3FGM (8) by a Moc in a SCT game.
∙ Huff has went 112-262 (42.7%) from 3PT this season... 112 3FGM is third most in UTC single season history... passed his own 109 total from 2023-24.
∙ Huff is 221-549 (40.3%) from 3PT in 66 games at UTC... 221 is third most in program history... trails Stephen McDowell (243, 08-09) & David Jean-Baptiste (287, 2018-22)... 3.35 3PT per game career total is second-best in program history (DJB, 3.68).
 
ROAD WARRIORS
∙ The Mocs went 8-1 in SoCon road games... 8-straight wins after dropping the opener at Mercer... program record for consecutive road wins both overall and SoCon only.
∙ Chattanooga is 45-29 (.608) in true road games since 2020... most wins (45) across all of NCAA DI over that span... two clear of UC Irvine (43) in second... three clear of Belmont (42) in third.
∙ UTC went 10-5 on the road in 2024-25... one of 12 NCAA DI teams to win 10+.
 
ALL-SOCON HONORS
∙ Dan Earl was tabbed the 2024-25 SoCon Coach of the Year... second SoCon COTY honor (2020-21 at VMI)... 63-38 (.624) in three seasons at UTC... most wins (63) for a UTC head coach in their first three seasons (DI era).
∙ Honor Huff was named to the All-SoCon First Team... Trey Bonham, Frank Champion & Bash Wieland earned All-SoCon Second Team honors... Champion was voted the SoCon's Newcomer of the Year (grad transfer from North Ga.).
 
DAN EARL(Y) SUCCESS AMONG THE BEST
∙ Dan Earl earned win No. 63 at UTC in his third season... just the third UTC head coach to reach 60+ wins in first three seasons (DI era).
∙ Earl is the first UTC head coach since Mack McCarthy (1985-88) to reach 60 wins in first three seasons... surpassed McCarthy's 62 total wins for most by a UTC head coach during the three-season span.

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