CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Jan. 20, 2026) – One of the SoCon's fiercest and most storied rivalries gets the national treatment on Wednesday when the ETSU men's basketball team visits Chattanooga. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga with live coverage on ESPNU.

MATCHUP: ETSU (13-6, 5-1) at Chattanooga (9-10, 3-3)
DATE: January 21, 2026, 7:00pm
VENUE: McKenzie Arena (Chattanooga, TN)
TV: ESPNU (John Schriffen, Chris Patola)
RADIO: WXSM-AM 640 (Jay Sandos)
LIVE STATS: GoMocs.com

ETSU is alone atop the SoCon after three weeks of league play thanks to a 76-75 win over Samford on Saturday. Blake Barkley followed a missed layup and put it back up and in with four seconds left for the winning points. The final basket enabled Barkley to set career-highs with 26 points and 11 rebounds with his third double-double this season and second in as many games. Barkley is 19th in the nation in field goal percentage with a 62.6% conversion rate. As a team, ETSU leads the SoCon in field goal percentage (49.1%) and effective field goal percentage (55.6), ranking 30th and 52nd in the nation, respectively. The Bucs boast the country's 33rd-ranked scoring defense at 66.9 points per game and are 24th in steals per game at 9.4, both of which are also conference-leading marks.

After an 0-3 start, the Mocs have rattled off three consecutive wins to get back in the thick of the SoCon picture including a 90-82 win over Western Carolina in Cullowhee on Saturday. Redshirt sophomore Collin Mulholland, who has been battling injury for much of the season, scored 16 points in 14 minutes for the Mocs in the win over the Catamounts. Mulholland was the breakout star of the Mocs' run to the NIT championship in 2025 with 19 points in the title game against UC Irvine. Injuries to Mulholland and Sean Cusano have seen Jordan Frison rise to carry the scoring load for the Mocs, averaging 15.3 points per game and scoring 15 or more in four straight games, including 25 against Furman on January 7. The Mocs lead the SoCon in both made threes per game (11.1) and three-point field goal percentage (36.2%), ranking 11th and 66th in the nation, respectively.

Since first meeting in December 1961, ETSU and Chattanooga have met 103 times in men's basketball, making the Mocs ETSU's second most common opponent behind Appalachian State. Chattanooga holds a 56-47 lead in the all-time series. The Mocs have won nine of the last 12 meetings including five straight in the regular season, with ETSU's most recent win coming in a dramatic 85-84 overtime victory in the 2024 SoCon Semifinals. Quimari Peterson scored 27 points, including a layup at the buzzer to force OT, and Karon Boyd scored the game-winning basket with 15 seconds left in overtime.

For more information on ETSU men's basketball, go to ETSUBucs.com.