‘ East Tennessee State at UTC
‘ McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga
‘ Today at 5
‘ Radio: 96.1 FM
ETSU (11-6, 4-0 SoCon)
Projected Starters: Ht. Pts.
G Petey McClain 6-0 2.3
G T.J. Cromer 6-3 16.0
G Ge’Lawn Guyn 6-2 16.9
F Isaac Banks 6-7 6.4
F Abednago Lufile 6-7 4.1
Key reserves:
G A.J. Merriweather 6-2 8.8
G Deuce Bello 6-4 8.2
UTC (15-3, 4-1)
Projected Starters: Ht. Pts.
G Greg Pryor 6-2 10.7
G Eric Robertson 6-4 8.2
G Tre’ McLean 6-5 10.1
F Chuck Ester 6-7 7.1
C Justin Tuoyo 6-10 10.5
Key reserves:
G Johnathan Burroughs-Cook 6-2 8.5
F Duke Ethridge 6-6 8.2
ETSU report
The Bucs have been up and down at times this season, but they have been primarily up as of late, winning six straight games. New head coach Steve Forbes had to do a lot of mixing and matching with a lot of newcomers, but the team has been led by Cromer and Guyn, two explosive guards. Bello – a Missouri transfer – and Merriweather each have five double-digit scoring performances this season.
Key matchup
The Mocs have done a good job of guarding on the perimeter, and they’ll have to do that against the Bucs, whose offense is oriented to attack from there. On-the-ball defense will be paramount, because getting beat could lead to other players having to help – which could lead to open 3-point attempts for ETSU.
– Gene Henley