Mocs-ETSU Basketball Set to Appear on ESPN Channel in January
(soconsports.com) SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference and ESPN announced today the five regular-season men’s basketball games will air on ESPN linear channels during the upcoming season.
“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.” The first game in the package will see Chattanooga visit ETSU Sunday, Jan. 21, on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. Chattanooga, the 2023 SoCon Tournament runner-up, went 18-17 overall and 7-11 in conference play last season in Dan Earl’s first campaign with the program. ETSU went 12-20 overall and 8-10 in SoCon play in 2022-23. The Bucs will be under the leadership of first-year coach Brooks Savage, who is returning to Johnson City after serving as an assistant for ETSU from 2015-20.
Furman, which upset Virginia in the NCAA Tournament last season, will host a game on ESPNU on Feb. 4, when the Paladins welcome UNCG in a matchup of two of the top three seeds from last season’s SoCon Tournament. The Paladins were 28-8 overall and 15-3 in league play last season under the direction of Bob Richey, who was a finalist for the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year Award and Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award. UNCG went 20-12 overall and 14-4 in conference play during the 2022-23 campaign, the second season under Mike Jones, who was a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award and the coaches’ pick for SoCon Coach of the Year.
Samford, the 2022-23 conference regular season co-champion alongside Furman, travels to UNCG on Thursday, Feb. 8. The Bulldogs finished last season with a 21-11 overall record and 15-3 mark in SoCon play, en route to head coach Bucky McMillan being named the Anton Foy SoCon Coach of the Year by the league’s media for the second consecutive year.
Western Carolina heads to Samford on Valentine’s Day for a Wednesday night matchup. The Catamounts went 18-16 overall and 10-8 in league play, advancing to the semifinals of the SoCon Tournament before playing in the Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Head coach Justin Gray was named NABC District 21 Coach of the Year following the 2022-23 season. Furman and Western Carolina conclude the five-game slate with a contest in Cullowhee, North Carolina, on Feb. 28. The Paladins won two of the three matchups last season, with both teams winning their home games and Furman outlasting Western Carolina in overtime, 83-80, during the semifinals of the SoCon Tournament. 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. 2023-24 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball games on ESPN2/ESPNU (all times Eastern)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.
