UTC (16-10, 7-6 SoCon) at FURMAN (21-5, 11-2)
4:30 p.m. Saturday in Greenville, South Carolina
Video & radio: ESPN3 & 97.7 FM/1070 AM
Storyline: The resurgent Mocs, coming off back-to-back wins over Wofford and Virginia Military Institute, head into this matchup confident they should beat the Paladins. Part of that is due to the recent upswing in all-around play for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and part of that is based on this season's first meeting with Furman. The Paladins won 73-66 on Jan. 8 at McKenzie Arena, but the visitors needed a career-high 27 points in 24 minutes from reserve Mike Bothwell to do it. UTC had little trouble getting good shots that night, making 54% from the field for the game and better than 70% in the first half, but 15 turnovers and Bothwell's outburst did the Mocs in. Furman has won six straight games and has four players with double-digit scoring averages - Jordan Lyons (17.4 points per game), Noah Gurley (14.0), Clay Mounce (13.8) and Bothwell (10.1). The matchup inside should be favorable for the Mocs and red-hot redshirt junior Ramon Vila, but guard play is likely to be the deciding factor.
What's at stake? If the Mocs want to really shake up the Southern Conference standings, a win in Greenville would do the trick. Furman and East Tennessee State are tied at the top with 11-2 league records, with UNC Greensboro a game back. UTC is a game behind fourth-place Wofford and tied with Mercer and Western Carolina. A loss isn't going to kill the Mocs' chances of getting into the top four with an eye on seeding for next month's conference tournament, but a win would do wonders for keeping out of the bottom four.
Up next: The Mocs will end a two-game road swing by taking on The Citadel at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.