Members of the UTC men's basketball team huddle during Tuesday's triple-overtime win over MTSU in the first round of the NIT.
photo by Laura O’Dell/GoMocs.com
Before you read any further, let me first offer this disclaimer: the following comments are the opinions of someone who openly admits to my lifelong allegiance to Chattanooga Mocs basketball for more than 50 years.
Now, with that out of the way, I have a public appeal to make – whatever plans you have for Saturday that does not include being at McKenzie Arena to support the accomplishments of this year’s UTC men’s and women’s basketball teams, you should adjust your schedule.
Coach Dan Earl’s men’s squad kicks off a unique double-dip of postseason action by hosting No. 1 seed Dayton at 11:30 a.m. in a nationally televised second-round National Invitation Tournament contest following a thrilling triple-overtime win over MTSU on Tuesday.
Then at 5 p.m., first-year women’s coach Deandra Schirmer will lead her team in an opening-round Women’s NIT contest against Alabama A&M in the nightcap of the double header.
Hosting a postseason game is a big deal worthy of the support from the community, and having the chance to cheer on both the men’s and women’s teams on the same day is a rare treat.
Chattanooga (25-9) and Dayton (23-10) will meet for the 12th time overall and for the first time since the Mocs walked out of famed UD Arena with a 61-59 victory on December 12, 2015. The contest marks the second-ever meeting held in Chattanooga and the first since the series' inaugural game back on December 17, 1949.
It will also be the first time since March 12, 1987 that local fans will have the chance to watch the Mocs compete in postseason play, and only the fifth such game ever since moving up to Division I in 1977.
That’s 38 years since this opportunity last took place in our community. To offer some perspective, here’s a few events that transpired on that same date:
The iconic musical Les Misérables opened on Broadway, marking the beginning of its legendary run that would captivate audiences for 6,680 performances over the next 16 years....Navy’s David Robinson's scored 50 points in an opening round NCAA Tournament loss to Michigan....The Dow Jones Industrial Average added Coca-Cola and Boeing to its lineup as the index closed at 2,267.34...Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ topped the billboard Hot 100 music charts.
Nearly 6,200 fans showed up at the Roundhouse that day for an opening round NIT win, and there is no reason why a similar number can’t be in attendance on Saturday. Both the men’s and women’s teams are well-deserving of our support for the manner they represent our community.
It’s a special chance to salute the five seniors on the men’s team, most notably Trey Bonham, who chose to bring his talents to UTC in reuniting with his former VMI coach when Earl took the Chattanooga job three years ago. Mocs fans have also been treated with the talents of a quartet of players who chose UTC as the destination for their final year of eligibility in Bash Wieland, Garrison Keeslar, Frank Champion and Jack Kostel.
After losing their first three games, Earl has done a masterful job in juggling injuries and tinkering with the pieces of an overhauled roster to win 16 of the Mocs last 18 games while capturing the Southern Conference regular season crown.
Schirmer has also performed an incredible feat in her inaugural season at the helm, overcoming a plethora of preseason injuries to guide the women’s team to a 16-14 record and a runner-up finish in the SoCon tournament.
Both teams have given Chattanooga memorable seasons that should be recognized by making the effort to spend an afternoon inside McKenzie Arena. UTC has a rich basketball history, and this is a chance to display to a national television audience what makes Mocs hoops a special brand.
So, change your Saturday plans if necessary. Get out and back our hometown teams who have earned our support. Just to make things easier, here are links to purchase tickets to both games:
Men’s tickets: https://gomocstickets.evenue.net/events/NIT
Women’s tickets: https://gomocstickets.evenue.net/events/WNIT
See you at the Roundhouse on Saturday!
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com
Paul Payne
photo by