UTC (18-12, 9-8 SoCon) vs. UNCG (23-7, 13-4)
4:30 p.m. Saturday at McKenzie Arena
Video & radio: ESPN+ & 97.7 FM/1070 AM
Storyline: The interesting part of this matchup is it means virtually nothing – at least concerning next week’s Southern Conference tournament, because both teams’ seeds are locked in. That doesn’t diminish the fact both want to finish the regular season on a strong note, but considering they will face off again in a much more meaningful game next weekend at the league tourney, how much will University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach Lamont Paris and UNC Greensboro counterpart Wes Miller show in this game? Miller’s Spartans won the season series’ first meeting in Greensboro by 20 points after the Mocs went on a six-minute scoreless drought. Star guard Isaiah Miller scored 26 points for UNCG, while the James Dickey-led front line had 12 offensive rebounds, which led to 18 second-chance points. Though UTC is productive when it comes to defensive rebounds, giving up offensive boards has been a problem in recent losses. To win, Ramon Vila, Rod Johnson and Stefan Kenic must play big inside for the Mocs.
What’s at stake? Though their seeding can’t be improved, both teams could move up in the final standings. If the Spartans win, they could tie Furman (24-6, 14-3) for second place, though that scenario also requires the Paladins to lose to The Citadel (6-22, 0-17). The Mocs are in a similar situation. UTC would move into fourth place with a win against UNCG coupled with a loss by Western Carolina (18-10, 1-7) to first-place ETSU (26-4, 15-2) and a loss by Mercer (16-14, 10-7) to Wofford (16-14, 8-9). The Mocs, though, lose any tiebreaker.