Saturday Preview for ETSU; Bucs Claim #1 Seed

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With the brackets being set, The Bucs are set to play their first game of the tournament on Saturday, March 7th at Noon. What is undecided is who their matchup is against. The winner of Game One on Friday, between (8) Chattanooga vs. (9) The Citadel, will move on to play ETSU. The Bucs have swept both this season, making this matchup not so problematic.

Buc Nation — you’ve brought the noise all season at Freedom Hall… now it’s time to PACK Asheville.

See 🫵 there!#GoBucs | #OurHouseOurTime pic.twitter.com/6K2WJCzPE2
— ETSU Men's Basketball (@ETSU_MBB) March 3, 2026

Possibility #1; Bucs vs Mocs

The Mocs of UTC have had an underwhelming season for sure, which is a polar opposite of the 2024-2025 season. After making it to the Semifinals in SoCon Tournament, and then onto win the NIT, the Mocs ended this season at 13-18 Overall, and 7-11 in SoCon play. Between losing players 9 total players to transfers and/or graduations, The Mocs had a lot to make up for in the roster. Despite these gaps, UTC made a strong effort this season to overcome their opponents.

In the 2 matchups from the 2025-2026 season, The Bucs won out both contests. On January 21st, The Bucs won a clench win 67-66 at Chattanooga. Additionally, on February 11th, ETSU won 73-61 at Freedom Hall.

UTC has had some great games this year, even when they come up short. In January, when the Mocs hosted the Bucs, the game was quite close. The Bucs only sliding by with a win by 1 point showed when The Mocs are determined, they are a force to be reckoned with. The Mocs would have to outplay and outsmart a very strong ETSU lineup, as well as SoCon Coach of The Year, Brooks Savage.

Possibility #2; Bucs vs Bulldogs

The Citadel Bulldogs are a quintessential underdog in this tournament. Ranked #9, this team could definitely be overlooked. The 2024-2025 season for The Citadel certainly struggled, going 0-18 in SoCon Play, meanwhile going 5-25 overall. This season however, The Bulldogs have gone 10-21 overall and 7-11 in SoCon play.

In prior matchups for The Bucs and Bulldogs, The Bucs traveled down to Charleston on December 30, 2025 and won the matchup 74-49. The Bucs then hosted the Bulldogs on January 23rd, again beating Citadel 84-55 for the sweep.

In both of these matchups, ETSU had, and still has, an extremely physical defense, and a high average of steals and blocks per game. Expecting to see similar stats, The Bulldogs do have a chance of knocking the season champs off of the bracket, but it would take their best offensive and defensive game to date this year.

What to Expect; Chattanooga vs The Citadel

When facing The Citadel, The Mocs have gone 1-1 this season. The Mocs hosted Citadel on February 7th, and ended up with a loss, 78-71. In Charleston, Citadel hosted UTC on February 21st and lost, 93-72. That game was arguably the best game offensively for The Mocs this season.

The Mocs and the Bulldogs have been neck and neck in stats, and both have some strong leaders this season. For The Bulldogs, Sola Adebesi, Braxton Williams, and Christian Moore have helped pave the way this season for The Citadel. Meanwhile on the other side of the scoreboard, there’s Jordan Frison, Brennan Watkins and Collin Mulholland.

The Mocs and The Bulldogs are both 7-11 for SoCon play, but UTC has a stronger record overall. The stats between players are consistent from The Mocs to The Bulldogs, and the size matchups are about equal. If this game goes well for The Mocs, they will have another chance to defeat ETSU and push forward to their second year in a row to semifinals. A win for The Citadel would be one heck of an underdog story since a #9 seed has never won the SoCon Championship.