The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team takes a 6-7 record into Southern Conference play, which starts Thursday at UNC Greensboro.
Before the defending regular-season SoCon champion Mocs move into the 18-game slate, here are five observations from the non-conference portion of the schedule:
› Frison development: It was fair to wonder just how junior point guard Jordan Frison’s style would translate to UTC — not because of his previous stop, as Pittsburg State plays in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, the top Division II conference in the country and not too dissimilar in talent from the SoCon — but because in two seasons with the Gorillas, the 6-foot guard and 2023 Class 4A state tournament Most Outstanding Player at Memphis Overton averaged 5.6 assists, but also 3.6 turnovers per game.
Frison has always played with a high-risk, high-reward style, and there was some question as to his ability to adapt to the UTC style of offense, but any concerns were squashed quickly during the preseason. In 13 games, Frison has become the on-court leader for the Mocs, averaging 15.0 points, 4.1 assists and most importantly, he’s only turning it over 1.5 times per game, with six games of zero giveaways. The 2024-25 MIAA Player of the Year shot 32% from 3-point range in his two seasons at the school, but is making 44% of his tries at UTC. There’s still a lot of questions about the roster, but he’s not one of them.
› Still an incomplete grade: Part of the reason for the questions is due to a rash of injuries that has gutted the roster. The Mocs started the season without freshman wing Zach Bleshoy, who was injured his senior year of high school, then lost junior forward Sean Cusano for the season in early December.