JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 28, 2025) – Might as well call it the Alan LeForce Classic.
The ETSU men's basketball team hosts Central Arkansas on Saturday in their first post-Thanksgiving action at Freedom Hall. Tipoff is set for 4:00pm.
MATCHUP: ETSU (5-1) vs. Central Arkansas (3-4)
DATE: November 29, 2025, 4:00pm
VENUE: Freedom Hall Civic Center (Johnson City, TN)
TV: ESPN+ (
Keith Brake, Bruce Tranbarger)
RADIO: WXSM-AM 640 (
Jay Sandos)
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
TICKETS: ETSUTickets.com
GAME SPONSOR: Pepsi
The Bucs have won four straight games after a 97-55 blowout win over ULM on Sunday, their eighth consecutive win in Freedom Hall dating back to last season. Five Bucs scored in double figures led by 15 from
Jaylen Smith. ETSU has had balanced scoring throughout the season with eight different players reaching double figures, six of which have done so at least twice.
Brian Taylor II is the only Buc to score 10 or more points in all six games to date.
ETSU has been exceptional on defense, holding five opponents under 65 points and lead the SoCon in scoring defense at 62.0 points per game which is also good enough for 21st in the country. They are active in taking the basketball away from their opponents, with 11.2 steals per game ranking 17th nationally and their 16.8 turnovers per game ranking 24th.
The Bears got off to a rocky start but arrive in Johnson City with two convincing home wins in their last two contests, a 27-point victory over Eastern Washington and a 21-point win over Eastern Illinois. They take the 18th most three point attempts per game and rank 67th in the nation with 9.9 made threes per game. Camren Hunter leads the charge for UCA at 15.7 points per game and is 68th in the nation in made field goals with 43 on 100 attempts. Hunter shot 15-for-23 from the field in the last two games including six made threes on 10 attempts.
This the first-ever meeting between the Bucs and Bears in men's basketball, but it is familiar territory for UCA head coach John Shulman, a Johnson City native and ETSU alumnus who coached on Alan LeForce's staff from 1990 to 1996 and was part of the coaching staff for two SoCon titles and ETSU's upset win over Arizona in the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Shulman also coached at Chattanooga from 2002-2013, moving up to head coach of the Mocs in 2004 and winning two SoCon tournament titles there. Shulman is 5-2 coaching against his alma mater. The Bucs are 7-3 against teams from the state of Arkansas, including a win over the Razorbacks in Fayetteville in 2009 that featured 32 points and 10 rebounds from Tommy Hubbard and 21 points from Justin Tubbs.
For more information on ETSU men's basketball, go to ETSUBucs.com.
