Mocs Welcome Tennessee State and Bryant for 2024 Coke Classic

UTC sophomore Sean Cusano recorded his first career double-double against Johnson last week

photo: Ray Soldano/GoMocs.com

College basketball fans, ‘Holiday Week’ is approaching. And with that, the Chattanooga Mocs men’s basketball team will host the 2024 Coke Classic at McKenzie Arena Monday through Wednesday, with Tennessee State and Bryant rounding out the event field.


In both games on ESPN+, Chattanooga (3-3) will take on in-state rival Tennessee State (3-3) on Monday night at 7 p.m., followed by a pre-Thanksgiving game against Bryant on Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. will finish the matinee. TSU and Bryant will play. In a neutral site contest on Tuesday, tip-off is set for 4 p.m.

Chattanooga looks for its fourth straight win when it hosts the Tigers on Monday night after picking up its third win with a 72-52 victory over Johnson (TN) last Thursday night at the Roundhouse. Sean Cusano led UTC in Thursday’s win, as the sophomore forward posted his first double-double by setting career highs in both points (16) and rebounds (10).

CHATTANOOGA won its third straight game: Chattanooga (3-3) earned its third straight win following a 72-52 decision against NAIA member Johnson University (TN) on Thursday night at McKenzie Arena. The Mocs were the last team in the Southern Conference not to face a non-DI opponent before Thursday night’s contest against the Royals.



WE ARE APPROACHING 1,200 CAREER POINTS: Chattanooga’s Trey Bonham is approaching 1,200 career points between three different DI stops at VMI, Florida and UTC. Bonham enters Monday’s contest against Tennessee State with 1,181 career points, just 19 shy of the benchmark. Bonham had a bit of a slow start to the 2024-25 season, averaging 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.



SHOOTING EFFICIENCY IS LACK IN THE FIRST WEEKS: Finding the bottom of the net has been a challenge for the Mocs in the early stages of the 2024-25 season. UTC currently ranks last (10th) in the Southern Conference in FG% (41.7) and 3PT% (26.1), while both marks rank 291st and 338th, respectively, across the entire NCAA DI It is located. However, the team has been effective at the free throw line this season, ranking second in the SoCon and 68th nationally with 75.5% shooting.



GOING TO THE EXIT: Despite a low 3-point percentage at the start of the season, the Mocs have made more than 5 3-point field goals in every game under coach Dan Earl in 74 consecutive games. This streak was the second-longest active streak in Division I (Oral Roberts, 130) and the 17th-longest all-time.