The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga released its men's basketball schedule for the 2019-20 season Wednesday, and Mocs coach Lamont Paris admits it's a tough one.
After a home opener against Tennessee State on Nov. 9 in the teams' first meeting since 2003, UTC's nonconference schedule includes home dates against Sun Belt members South Alabama (Nov. 15) and Troy (Dec. 15).
The Mocs will make trips to Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 5), Florida State (Nov. 20), Tennessee (Nov. 25), Virginia Tech (Dec. 11) and UNC Asheville (Dec. 21), and they'll visit Troy on Nov. 12 as part of the home-and-home set.
"You want to challenge yourself," Paris said in a release announcing the schedule. "You have to give yourself a chance to win games, but you want to play good teams. I think there are four teams on there that not only went to the NCAA tournament but also advanced. Those are big-time challenges. Playing tough games in the nonconference prepares us for the conference games. I think we have at least done that."
UTC MEN’S BASKETBALL 2019-20 SCHEDULE
SoCon games in boldOct. 26 — Covenant (exhibition)Nov. 5 — at Eastern KentuckyNov. 9 — Tennessee StateNov. 12 — at TroyNov. 15 — South AlabamaNov. 20 — at Florida State (Emerald Coast Classic)Nov. 25 — at Tennessee (ECC)Nov. 29-30 — at ECC in Niceville, Fla.Dec. 3 — at Western CarolinaDec. 8 — Tennessee WesleyanDec. 11 — at Virginia TechDec. 15 — TroyDec. 21 — at UNC AshevilleDec. 29 — Cumberland (Tenn.)Jan. 4 — at MercerJan. 8 — FurmanJan. 11 — SamfordJan. 15 — WoffordJan. 18 — at UNCGJan. 22 — The CitadelJan. 25 — at ETSUJan. 29 — at SamfordFeb. 1 — Western CarolinaFeb. 5 — ETSUFeb. 8 — at WoffordFeb. 12 — VMIFeb. 15 — at FurmanFeb. 19 — at The CitadelFeb. 22 — MercerFeb. 26 — at VMIFeb. 29 — UNCGMarch 6-9 — SoCon tournament in Asheville, N.C.
Paris also believes UTC fans will enjoy the regional flavor of the nonconference home slate. The Mocs will host Covenant in an exhibition on Oct. 26 and welcome Tennessee Wesleyan on Dec. 8.
"It's always good to have local teams play," he said. "I've seen it in a lot of places. The biggest aspect is the atmosphere for the fans."
The games against Florida State and Tennessee are part of the Emerald Coast Classic. Those on-campus matchups in Tallahassee and Knoxville come before all eight teams involved in the event travel to Niceville, Florida - just outside of Destin on the Gulf Coast - for third-round and championship-round contests. The Mocs' pod in Niceville will be completed by Alabama State, Chicago State and Jacksonville State.
"It's a very challenging schedule," Paris said. "We've got some high-quality opponents on the road in Tennessee, Florida State and Virginia Tech, along with our like-sized schools. There are a lot of road tests early as well. It'll be good for us, a lot of great experiences for the guys with our upcoming Bahamas trip (Aug. 4-9) and the tournament in Florida."
The Mocs' 18-game Southern Conference schedule starts Dec. 3 with a trip to Western Carolina, then picks up again Jan. 4 at Mercer. The UTC men have four home league games that month, with visits from Furman (Jan. 8), Samford (Jan. 11), Wofford (Jan. 15) and The Citadel (Jan. 22).
The five February games at McKenzie Arena are visits from Western Carolina (Feb. 1), East Tennessee State (Feb. 5), VMI (Feb. 12), Mercer (Feb. 22) and the regular-season finale against UNC Greensboro (Feb. 29).
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.