University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball vs. Mercer at McKenzie Arena
Time: 8 p.m.
Video/radio: ESPN3.com/96.1 FM
Likely lineups (with heights and scoring averages in parentheses)
UTC (8-10, 3-2 Southern Conference)
Projected starters: F Kevin Easley (6-6, 14.9); G David Jean-Baptiste (6-1, 9.0); G Jerry Johnson Jr. (6-1, 9.9); F Jonathan Scott (6-4, 6.3); F Ramon Vila (6-8, 11.5).
Key reserves: G Donovann Toatley (5-9, 11.7); C Thomas Smallwood (7-0, 6.8).
MERCER (6-11, 1-4)
Projected starters: G Marcus Cohen (6-4, 5.7); G Ross Cummings (6-3, 16.5); F Cory Kilby (6-7, 6.2); G Ethan Stair (6-4, 10.4); G Jaylen Stowe (6-4, 10.7).
Key reserves: G Djordje Dimitrijevic (6-2, 11.9); F Aimaq Fardaws (6-11, 5.4).
MOCS REPORT
UTC is coming off another hot-shooting game, going 31-for-59 (52.5 percent) from the field, including 12-of-24 from 3-point range in Saturday’s 80-75 win against Samford. It was the fifth time in six games the Mocs have shot 50 percent or better overall, and they lead the league in 3-point accuracy in SoCon games, making 41.6 percent, led by Easley’s 61 percent shooting from long range. He has averaged 18.4 points in conference games. Smallwood has provided a deep threat off the bench, hitting eight of his past 10 tries from 3-point range and scoring 24 points in his past three games. Vila leads the SoCon in field-goal percentage (.727) and has shot 50 percent or better in each of his eight games.
BEARS REPORT
While the Mocs are the SoCon’s least experienced team, Mercer is its youngest. After graduating a trio of 1,000-point scorers – Stephen Jelks, Demetre Rivers and Jordan Strawberry – Mercer has played five of its eight freshmen this season. Cummings is the lone returning starter and is coming off a SoCon player of the week honor after scoring 22 points in a close loss to East Tennessee State and 36 versus Western Carolina. Stowe, who leads the team in rebounds with an average of 5.6 per game, has scored in double figures in five of six games and had a double-double in an eight-point loss to Florida. The Bears also have close losses to North Carolina State and Wofford but also lost by 10 to The Citadel.
KEY MATCHUP
Cummings is the clear go-to guy for the Bears and can go on extended hot streaks, so the Mocs will pay extra attention to the Dickson, Tennessee, native. As usual, rebounding is a key for UTC and may be even more so for Mercer, which is 2-9 when outrebounded. Without a lot of size, the Bears normally crowd the lane and force teams to beat them from the outside, which might not be a good strategy against the Mocs.