The Chattanooga men's and women’s basketball teams return to the Roundhouse this Thursday for a doubleheader with the women playing at 6 and the men at 8 p.m.
Thursday night’s game between women’s basketball and the Troy Trojans will be available to stream on ESPN+. Additionally, fans can to tune into WFLI or The Varsity app to tune into Will Poindexter’s radio broadcast of the game.
The Mocs are on the back of a dominant, 75-36 road victory over NC Central earlier this week, moving UTC to a 2-1 record to open the year.
Chattanooga has been able to hang its hat on a stout defense through the first three games of 2024-25, as the Mocs actively rank 20th in the nation when it comes to scoring defense (44.3), while also sitting 43rd in field goal percentage defense (.315), 48th in turnovers forced/game (24.0) and 89th in steals/game (11.3). The Mocs have truly spread the wealth offensively, with the team’s newly implemented offense allowing any given player to put together a double-digit scoring performance. With that being said, some of UTC’s individual standouts include Sigrun Olafsdottir, who nearly dropped a triple-double for the Mocs this past Monday going for 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, as well as true freshman Gianna Corbitt, who is coming off a career-high 12-point effort against NC Central. Karsen Murphy (10.0 points/game) and Caia Elisaldez (9.3 points/game) have also been frequent contributors to UTC’s offense.
Despite an 0-3 start to their 2024-25 season, the Troy Trojans will pose a threat to the Mocs on Thursday night in the Roundhouse. The Trojans stand as a very tall lineup, and it shows in the team’s rebounding numbers with Troy currently ranking 11th in the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game (35.0) as well as 15th in the country in total rebounds per game (50.0). The Trojans saw a pair of narrow defeats to open the year, first falling to Buffalo 80-78 before going on to drop a 73-63 result to Montana State. Troy then had the tall task of taking on No. 24 ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa, a game in which the Trojans ultimately fell 94-71. Key players to keep an eye on would be Ashley Baez, a three-point threat that currently leads the team in scoring (13.3 points/game), as well as Fortuna Ngnawo, who is very nearly averaging a double-double on the year (11.7 points/game, 9.7 rebounds/game).
The last time that these two teams met came back on Dec. 9, 2020, when UTC traveled to Troy, Alabama, to take on the Trojans. Troy ended up coming away with a 95-74 victory over the Mocs in that game, moving the all-time series between the two sides to 3-3. Chattanooga’s most recent win over Troy came on Dec. 12, 2002, when the Mocs were able to sneak past the Trojans in a 59-58 win in the Scenic City. Of the six games that have already happened between UTC and Troy, the Mocs are 1-2 when hosting the Trojans.
The UTC men are fresh off its three-game road trip to begin the year, and will open home action against Morehead State on Thursday night inside McKenzie Arena. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Chattanooga (0-3) opened the season with three-straight, true road contests for the first time ever in its Division I era (since 1977-78) and for the first time overall since 1969-70. The trip featured three defeats to three tough opponents in USC, Saint Mary’s (CA) and Austin Peay, as the latter two were receiving votes in the most recent AP Top 25 Poll ahead of tip-off.
In addition to the first time ever starting a season with three true road games, Chattanooga’s 0-3 start also marks a rare occurrence. It’s just the fifth time in the Division I era (since 1977-78) starting a season with three-straight losses with the last coming in 2011-12.
Despite a cold stretch to begin the season, the Mocs have now made 5+ 3PT FG in 71-straight games, every game under Dan Earl. The such streak is the second-longest active streak (Oral Roberts, 128) in Division I and tied for 18th longest all-time.
The typical three-point Dan Earl style offense is still in place, but finding the bottom of the net has been an early struggle. The Mocs are shooting just 22.9% (19-of-83) from 3PT this season which includes an 0-of-19 stretch on its final 19 attempts in Monday’s loss at Austin Peay.
Guard Bash Wieland and forward Collin Mulholland returned Monday after missing the first two games due to injury. The impact was immediately felt as Wieland finished with a team-high 19 points while Mulholland turned in five points, six rebounds, five assists and a block in just 19 minutes during his collegiate debut.