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.
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
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.