INDIANAPOLIS — An unseasonably chilly day in northern Indianapolis couldn’t dampen the spirits of the steady stream of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball fans rolling into Brother’s Bar and Grill prior to the Mocs NIT semifinal matchup against Loyola Chicago on Tuesday evening.
Blue and Gold filled the bar area for the Mocs Club pregame social in the Broad Ripple section of town, and the air was buzzing with excitement in advance of perhaps the biggest game for the program since the 1997 run the NCAA Sweet 16.
“This feels like ’97 to me,” said longtime UTC fan Erik Gray. “I worked in the (UTC) athletic department at the time, so this is just kind of recreating that all over again. However, this is something totally different because this is the NIT. This is the beginning of college basketball. The NIT was big before NCAA March Madness.”
For Anthony Miele, Tuesday’s semifinal appearance held both personal and professional significance. As UTC’s assistant athletic director for development, Miele’s job is to keep UTC’s fan base strong and vibrant, and nothing helps his work more than for the team to still be playing basketball in April.
“This is fantastic,” he said. “We almost sold out our allotment of tickets, so it’s fun. This just shows the support we have around the (Chattanooga) community. When you get something with this kind of historic aspect, it’s fantastic.