The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, fresh off an 8-5 non-conference basketball schedule highlighted by a quality win over Bryant, gets into Southern Conference play Wednesday with a game at Mercer.
The Bears went 7-6 in non-conference play under new head coach Ryan Ridder.
Today we look at five observations about the Mocs after the 13-game non-conference slate:
1. Backcourt is clicking: It took awhile for one of the SoCon’s best backcourts to get going, but senior Trey Bonham and junior Honor Huff are playing at the level both expected and needed in order to compete for the SoCon championship. Each has rebounded from slow starts, as Bonham is averaging 16.0 points and shooting 39% from 3-point range in his last nine games. Huff, who shot 24% from 3-point range in the first nine games of the year, is averaging 19 points and has made 5.5 3-pointers at a 52% clip since then. Their success has helped the Mocs win eight of 10 after an 0-3 start.
2. Depth is quality: It’s unlikely that the Mocs will play an 11-player rotation in league play, but the team was able to stay above water in non-conference play despite only five guys being available for all 13 games, meaning 11 different players are currently averaging at least 10 minutes per contest. It appears that Bonham, Huff and Jack Kostel are locked into the guard positions, while the wings are Bash Wieland and Garrison Keeslar (with Kostel helping out). The bigs are Frank Champion, Sean Cusano, Makai Richards and Collin Mulholland, with the latter three standing at least 6-foot-9. If necessary, sophomore wing Noah Melson and freshman forward Latif Diouf – who started the first nine games – are next up.
3. Age is a good thing: The Mocs found a lot of experienced players in the portal – and not just experience on the court. Kostel and Wieland are each 23 years old, while Champion and Keeslar are 22. Combine that with Bonham and Huff also being 22 and the Mocs have a bunch of older players who, down the stretch in tight games, have made good decisions which aided in wins over Bryant and Evansville.
4. Finally some size!: The Mocs’ system doesn’t need some big bruiser on the interior, but they’ve got some versatility at that position and shown they can compete with top mid-majors. Since returning from injury five games ago, Champion has shown he can compete and has a chance to be a matchup nightmare because of his ball-handling and passing ability. Albeit a freshman, Mulholland’s ability to get a basket inside and his ability to shoot on the perimeter – evidenced by his three consecutive 3-pointers against Evansville – will make him a challenge for opposing teams. Same with Cusano, who has struggled at times offensively but leads the team in rebounding, while Richards has been a surprise, showing an efficiency on the interior that led him to a 19-point performance against St. Mary’s and a 17-point outing against Bryant. Diouf has shown to be a skilled prospect who will help down the road once he gains more muscle.
5. Team still has a ways to go: The Achilles’ heel under coach Dan Earl has been when teams take the fight and the aggression to UTC early. Some of this season’s losses – at USC, at Austin Peay and Lipscomb, to name a few – have come as a result of the Mocs being the less physical team and getting beat up as a result. Some of their SoCon losses last season, most notably the East Tennessee State loss in the SoCon tournament, followed that same script. In every loss aside from the Lipscomb, the opposing team had at least eight offensive rebounds. The early-season injuries are a factor, but the team is settled into what it’s going to be personnel-wise and now it has to prove it’s good enough – and tough enough, because the SoCon, like most seasons, will be a war for the next two months.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.