The numbers suggest that the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Mercer are the two best men’s basketball teams in the Southern Conference so far this season.
UTC has wins over Georgia, Illinois and Dayton, while Mercer owns a victory over Arkansas, and they carry a combined 23-5 record into tonight’s meeting at McKenzie Arena at 7.
The Mocs (12-2) and Mercer’s Bears (11-3) finished second and third in the conference race a season ago, splitting the season series with wins on each other’s home court. The Macon, Ga., school has a big fan following that travels to games, and with the close proximity between the two schools, that likely will be the case tonight.
“They’re a great team, so we know we have to be ready for the game,” UTC center Justin Tuoyo said. “We look forward to it; we know we’re going to bring everything we’ve got to pull this one out.”
With students not set to return until next Monday, UTC distributed $2 tickets to alumni for tonight’s game in hopes of building additional fan support.