Huff and Chattanooga host Mercer
BOTTOM LINE: Chattanooga takes on Mercer after Honor Huff scored 25 points in Chattanooga's 84-60 win over the Western Carolina Catamounts.
The Mocs are 8-3 on their home court. Chattanooga is 1-1 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Bears are 4-5 in conference games. Mercer is fifth in the SoCon with 14.3 assists per game led by Ahmad Robinson averaging 5.4.
Chattanooga makes 47.2% of its shots from the field this season, which is 4.8 percentage points higher than Mercer has allowed to its opponents (42.4%). Mercer has shot at a 44.7% clip from the field this season, 1.3 percentage points greater than the 43.4% shooting opponents of Chattanooga have averaged.
TOP PERFORMERS: Huff is scoring 13.5 points per game with 2.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists for the Mocs. Bash Wieland is averaging 15.2 points over the last 10 games.
Robinson is shooting 43.9% and averaging 17.5 points for the Bears. Tyler Johnson is averaging 2.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mocs: 6-4, averaging 78.8 points, 30.5 rebounds, 17.9 assists, 7.4 steals and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.3 points per game.
Bears: 5-5, averaging 74.6 points, 34.9 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 8.2 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 41.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.1 points.
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New York Times
22-07-2025
- New York Times
Celtics' Jayson Tatum ‘on a mission' during surprise workout in Chattanooga
Near the end of an offseason basketball practice at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga last Wednesday, Liam Vitters heard some news he could not believe. Celtics star Jayson Tatum, one of Vitters' favorite players, was set to work out at the school the following day. A Chattanooga assistant coach informed Vitters that Tatum, in the area for former teammate Kemba Walker's wedding, would be stopping by the university's training facilities. Advertisement 'You're joking, right?' Vitters replied. The Chattanooga staff had tried to treat the visit as a secret to protect Tatum's privacy while on campus. But, several weeks earlier, a mutual friend had reached out to Chattanooga assistant Ricardo Rush, Jr., to see if Tatum could use the school's weight room on the day of Walker's wedding. The ceremonies, in Trenton, Ga., were only 20 minutes away. Even while traveling, Tatum wanted a top-shelf facility where he could continue rehabbing from the torn Achilles he suffered during the Celtics' second-round playoff loss in May. 'Oh, s—,' Vitters said. 'That's crazy.' Sure enough, as the Chattanooga Mocs finished a workout on July 17, Tatum arrived at the gym with his Celtics trainer, Nick Sang. For Tatum, the stop was another step forward in a long rehabilitation process. For the Mocs, it provided an opportunity to see how one of the world's best players approaches his time in the gym. After meeting Chattanooga athletes and taking pictures with them, Tatum spent the next hour and a half focusing intently on Achilles rehab and weightlifting. Vitters and teammate Parker Robison said Tatum seemed to be 'on a mission' from the moment he entered the gym. 'The crazy thing was that he showed up, said 'Hi,' took some pictures, and then got right to work,' Robinson said. 'You could tell that he was really serious about this injury. Got right on a (training) table and his trainer (Sang) just got right to it, started rehabbing, doing some strengthening stuff for that torn Achilles.' According to the players, Tatum got a massage, stretched, and performed band work before progressing to some upper-body lifts. Though Tatum's movement was still severely limited by the injury, the players were amazed by the way he approached every facet of his workout. Even between sets, Robison marveled at how Tatum stayed locked in. Advertisement 'He's constantly focused,' Robison said. 'In between sets, he's always focused, he's never goofing around. It's like his mind is set on what he's doing.' 'He couldn't do much,' Robison added. 'But what he was doing, the very limited stuff he was doing, he was taking it very seriously and very detailed. All the little small things that we sometimes overlook, he was really good (at them) and did them consistently.' Celtics GM Brad Stevens has emphasized how diligently Tatum has approached the rehabilitation process. The Chattanooga players were able to see some of the work in action. The sight left an impression on Vitters. 'When you're coming off an Achilles tear, you could easily say like, 'Oh, this sucks, whatever,'' the 6-foot-5 rising sophomore guard said. 'To be taking it so seriously, be so intent in your actions and everything you're doing, I feel like it shows us if he's that serious when he's limited, then we should be that serious when we're not limited.' The Celtics have not released a timeline for Tatum's recovery, but Stevens said in early July that the All-Star was 'progressing at an incredible rate' from his injury. While rehabilitating, he and Jaylen Brown, who underwent a right knee arthroscopic debridement procedure in June but is expected to be ready for training camp, have spent more time than usual at the team's practice facility this summer. 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USA Today
18-07-2025
- USA Today
2025-26 Tennessee men's basketball nonconference schedule
The 2025-26 men's basketball campaign will mark the 11th season for Tennessee under head coach Rick Barnes. He has compiled a 232–109 (111–66 SEC) record since 2015. Barnes guided the Vols to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearances from 2024-25. Tennessee will open its 2025-26 basketball season on Nov. 3 versus Mercer at Food City Center. "Each year, we work to create a nonconference schedule that best sets our team up for success and prepares us for SEC competition,' Barnes said. 'We feel we have once again done just that. In addition to four tough games we'll get on planes for, we look forward to playing nine here in the Volunteer state, including eight on our home court, in front of our incredible fans.' Tennessee released its 2025-26 nonconference basketball schedule and is listed below. 2025-26 Tennessee men's basketball nonconference schedule Nov. 3 – Mercer Nov. 9 – Northern Kentucky Nov. 12 – North Florida Nov. 17 – Rice Nov. 20 – Tennessee State Nov. 24 – vs. Rutgers (Players Era Men's Championship – Las Vegas, Nevada) Nov. 25 – vs. Houston (Players Era Men's Championship – Las Vegas, Nevada) Nov. 26-27 – vs. TBD (Players Era Men's Championship – Las Vegas, Nevada) Dec. 2 – at Syracuse (ACC/SEC Challenge) Dec. 6 – vs. Illinois (Nashville, Tennessee) Dec. 16 – Louisville Dec. 21 – Gardner-Webb Dec. 30 – South Carolina State Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
Aberdeen confirm 'historic' partnership with Elgin
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