UTC Mocs guard Casey Jones (24) looks to pass around Kennesaw State Owls forward Nigel Pruitt (1).Southern Conference Media Polls(first-place votes in parentheses)Men1. Wofford (23) -- 252 points2. UTC (2) -- 2263. ETSU -- 2044. Mercer (1) -- 1895. VMI -- 1526. Western Carolina -- 1217. UNC Greensboro -- 1118. Furman -- 669. Samford -- 6510 -- The Citadel -- 44Preseason All-Conference TeamAshton Moore, The Citadel; Rashawn Rembert, ETSU; Stephen Croone, Furman; Tevon Saddler, UNCG; Casey Jones, UTC; QJ Peterson, VMI; James Sinclair, Western Carolina; Spencer Collins, Wofford; Lee Skinner, Wofford; Karl Cochran (Preseason POY), Wofford.Women1. UTC (17) -- 183 points2. Furman (6) -- 1633. Mercer (1) -- 1244. Samford -- 1165. ETSU -- 1006. Western Carolina -- 867. UNC Greensboro -- 558. Wofford -- 37Preseason All-Conference TeamJordan Frazier, Wofford; Justin Taylor, Western Carolina; Hannah Nichols, Samford; Chelsey Shumpert, UTC; Serena Clark, ETSU; Lucy Mason, UNCG; Precious Bridges, Mercer; Taylor Reece, Samford; Holli Wilkins, Furman; Brittany Hodges (Preseason POY), Furman.
Prior to Will Wade's first season, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team was selected seventh in both the coaches and media's preseason polls.
This season, there isn't as steep a climb to the top of the rankings.
The Mocs were picked second in both polls at the Southern Conference Media Day event in Asheville, N.C. Junior forward Casey Jones was chosen to the 10-member preseason all-conference team.
The UTC women, who won their 19th Southern Conference championship last season, were the preseason pick to win the conference, according to both polls. Sophomore guard Chelsey Shumpert, an all-freshman pick was a preseason all-conference selection.
The Wofford men, who won the conference tournament a year ago, were the preseason pick to win the conference. Forward Karl Cochran was the preseason player of the year.
"I think they predicted us as high as they could have predicted us. Wofford returns their entire team," Jones said.
"We are where we are," UTC men's coach Will Wade said while stuck in Knoxville traffic. "There are a lot of teams that are close, so it's going to come down to who can win the close, tight games."
The newly-restructured Southern Conference and their three newcomers -- East Tennessee State, Mercer and Virginia Military Institute -- are all ranked near the top of the polls.
"We lost football schools and we gained basketball-centric schools," Wade said. "It's a definite upgrade for the league."
Mocs on TV
The Southern Conference announced the television schedule for the season, and the Mocs basketball teams will be on TV a combined eight times.
The men have six appearances, with four on the internet-based ESPN3. The Mocs' Nov. 16 game at Wisconsin will be on ESPNews, while their next game -- Nov. 18 at Butler -- will be on Fox Sports 2.
The women will be on ESPN3 at home against Furman on Jan. 24, as part of a doubleheader. The men take on UNC-Greensboro afterwards.
The UTC women also have an away game against Mercer on ESPN3 on Feb. 23.
Single-game tickets on sale
The Mocs ticket office, which has been been selling season tickets for a couple months, has started selling single-game tickets.
Tickets can be ordered either by going to the McKenzie Arena box office on Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; calling 266-MOCS (6627) to order tickets; or going on GoMocs.com.
The season begins on Nov. 14 with a doubleheader. The men host Hiwassee at 5:30, with the women playing Villanova after.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.