SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Oct. 18, 2023) – The ETSU-Chattanooga rivalry will garner a little more attention this year on the hardwood. 
 
The Southern Conference and ESPN announced on Wednesday the five regular-season men's basketball games that will air on ESPN linear channels during the 2023-24 season. The first game to be featured in the ESPN package will be the ETSU-Chattanooga game inside Freedom Hall as it will be broadcast on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. 
 
To broadcast the game in front of a national audience, the date has been moved from Saturday, Jan. 20 to Sunday, Jan. 21 inside Freedom Hall. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. 
 
The game will be the 99th all-time meeting between the two in-state rivals. 
 
The teams split the series last year with ETSU winning in Chattanooga and the Mocs edging the Bucs in Johnson City. Thirty-four of the previous 98 meetings have been decided by five points or less. The teams have combined for 23 NCAA appearances and 54 overall SoCon championships. 
 
Below is the full SoCon ESPN schedule
Sunday, Jan. 21                     Chattanooga at ETSU; 3 p.m. (moving from Jan. 20)
Sunday, Feb. 4                       UNCG at Furman; 2 p.m. (moving from Feb. 3)
Thursday, Feb. 8                    Samford at UNCG; 7 p.m. 
Wednesday, Feb. 14              Western Carolina at Samford; 9 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 28              Furman at Western Carolina; 7 p.m.
 
"The Southern Conference's on-going partnership with ESPN provides the significant benefit of high-level broadcasts and national exposure on their linear networks. The SoCon's national success and the conference's standing in college basketball makes our games compelling for viewers and elevates our institutional brands throughout the season," SoCon Commissioner Michael Cross said. "Showcasing the SoCon on the 'Worldwide Leader in Sports' provides the country an opportunity to see high quality hoops, played by tremendous athletes who are highly committed to their education, and are well coached.  This has been a hallmark of SoCon basketball throughout our history and is what viewers can anticipate seeing when they tune in."
 
Three SoCon tournament games will also air on ESPN networks, with both semifinals on Sunday, March 10, on either ESPN2 or ESPNU and the championship game set for Monday, March 11, on ESPN.
 
ESPN will assign the on-air talent for each contest.
 
The Bucs host UVA Wise in an exhibition game on Monday, Oct. 30 before opening the 2023-24 season against King on Monday, Nov. 6 inside Freedom Hall. Both games are slated to tip off at 7 p.m. 
 
To purchase your season tickets for the 2023-24 campaign, please call the ETSU Ticket Office at 423-439-3878 or visit ETSUTickets.com. 
 
For more information on Buccaneer men's basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's basketball tab.