GAME NOTES: The second-seeded Chattanooga Mocs finally get their postseason started, as they take on the 10th-seeded Furman Paladins in Saturday's quarterfinal round action from the U.S. Cellular Center.

The winner of this game will move into Sunday's semifinal round to take on either VMI or Mercer.

Willie Wade's Mocs finished the regular season with an impressive 22-9 overall record, but despite closing out the year with six straight wins and going 15-3 in league play, the team was unable to catch Wofford (16-2) in the conference standings and had to settle for second in the Southern Conference. No current team in the Southern Conference has had more success in this event than Chattanooga, which has won 10 tournament titles, the last of which came in 2009.

Niko Medved's Paladins struggled all season long, finishing with a conference- worst 8-21 overall record. However, Furman closed the regular season with a win and carried that momentum into Friday's first-round action where the Paladins upset the seventh-seeded Citadel, 73-56. Furman also has strong track record in this event, with six SoCon titles. However, the last won was 35 years ago (1980).

This marks the 78th all-time meeting between these two rivals, with Chattanooga holding a 52-25 series edge. The Mocs won both regular-season matchups, although the last one on Feb. 5. was a battle, with Chattanooga edging out Furman, 74-71 in overtime.

Star guard Stephen Croone returned to the lineup for Furman and was the difference in the tournament opener against the Citadel, as he erupted for 27 points on a healthy 9-of-16 shooting. Devin Sibley added 11 points for the Paladins, who shot an impressive .475 from the floor, including 10-of-23 from beyond the arc in the win.

That kind of efficiency has been a rarity for Furman this season, as the Paladins came into the postseason averaging a modest 63.4 ppg on .427 shooting. Still, with Croone on the floor, anything is possible. The 6-0 junior earned all-conference honors, finishing fifth in the league in scoring at 17.2 ppg. Sibley, who was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year, was a viable scoring option as well this season at 10.1 ppg.

The Mocs handle their business at the offensive end of the floor, entering the postseason with steady numbers at 72.8 ppg on .453 shooting. Scoring depth isn't usually a problem for Chattanooga, as four players boast of double-digit scoring averages. Junior Casey Jones leads the way in both scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) and was named to the All-SoCon First-Team. Greg Pryor (11.4 ppg), Ronrico White (11.0 ppg) and Justin Tuoyo (10.3 ppg) all make sizable contributions offensively as well. Tuoyo, a 6-10 sophomore, was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year. His 102 blocks rank second in the nation and he is just four blocks shy of the SoCon single-season record.

Chattanooga heads into the tournament with a six-game win streak in tow, but it almost wasn't the case. White proved to be the hero in the regular-season finale, as he drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Mocs a 61-58 win over UNC Greensboro. White led the team with 15 points in the game. Jones checked in with 12 points, while Duke Ethridge finished with 10. Tuoyo had just four points, but did amass seven rebounds and five blocked shots in the victory.

Croone's health and ability to stay on the floor gives the Paladins a fighting chance, but Chattanooga is poised for another run through this event and will find a way to move on to Sunday's semifinal round.