Saturday, December 4
Macomb, Ill.
1 p.m.
UT Martin
at
Western Illinois
UT MARTIN MEN'S HOOPS CONCLUDES THREE-GAME ROAD SWING WITH SATURDAY OUTING AT WESTERN ILLINOIS
12/3/2021 10:32:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – Playing in its third different state in the span of eight days is the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team as the Skyhawks close out a nonconference road swing at Western Illinois on Saturday, Dec. 4. Tipoff from Western Hall in Macomb, Ill. is set for 1 p.m.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that UT Martin (3-5) and the Leathernecks (6-2) square off on the hardwood. The Skyhawks are 3-1 all-time against Western Illinois, including a 1-0 mark at Western Hall in Macomb. However, the Leathernecks' lone win in the all-time series came last season - an 81-63 decision at the Elam Center on Dec. 20.
UT Martin is coming off a 73-61 setback at Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, its second straight matchup against a Conference USA opponent. Despite the fact that the backcourt trio of Darius Simmons (17 points), Koby Jeffries (career-best 11 points) and KJ Simon (10 points) all reached double figures, the Skyhawks managed a season-low scoring output.
Simon has scored in double digits in all eight games this season while Simmons has evolved into a lethal scorer - pouring in 18.7 points per outing over the last three contests (leading UT Martin in scoring all three times).
A year after head coach Rob Jeter went 7-15 in his debut season at Western Illinois, he has guided the program to a 6-2 mark in 2021-22. The Leathernecks rank fourth nationally in rebounding, hauling in 43.5 boards per contest.
Western Illinois, who began its season with a 75-74 win at Nebraska on Nov. 9, will put its perfect 4-0 home record on the line. This past week in Western Hall, the Leathernecks defeated a pair of Mid-American Conference opponents by double digits - toppling Miami (Ohio) by a 79-67 margin on Nov. 27 and Ball State by a score of 93-80 on Dec. 1. In those games, Western Illinois combined to made 29 trifectas while shooting 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from deep.
Fans can watch the game live at this link above. A link for live stats can also be found at the top of the webpage.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that UT Martin (3-5) and the Leathernecks (6-2) square off on the hardwood. The Skyhawks are 3-1 all-time against Western Illinois, including a 1-0 mark at Western Hall in Macomb. However, the Leathernecks' lone win in the all-time series came last season - an 81-63 decision at the Elam Center on Dec. 20.
UT Martin is coming off a 73-61 setback at Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, its second straight matchup against a Conference USA opponent. Despite the fact that the backcourt trio of Darius Simmons (17 points), Koby Jeffries (career-best 11 points) and KJ Simon (10 points) all reached double figures, the Skyhawks managed a season-low scoring output.
Simon has scored in double digits in all eight games this season while Simmons has evolved into a lethal scorer - pouring in 18.7 points per outing over the last three contests (leading UT Martin in scoring all three times).
A year after head coach Rob Jeter went 7-15 in his debut season at Western Illinois, he has guided the program to a 6-2 mark in 2021-22. The Leathernecks rank fourth nationally in rebounding, hauling in 43.5 boards per contest.
Western Illinois, who began its season with a 75-74 win at Nebraska on Nov. 9, will put its perfect 4-0 home record on the line. This past week in Western Hall, the Leathernecks defeated a pair of Mid-American Conference opponents by double digits - toppling Miami (Ohio) by a 79-67 margin on Nov. 27 and Ball State by a score of 93-80 on Dec. 1. In those games, Western Illinois combined to made 29 trifectas while shooting 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from deep.
Fans can watch the game live at this link above. A link for live stats can also be found at the top of the webpage.
Players Mentioned
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 2, Episode 27
Thursday, April 10
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 2, Episode 26
Thursday, April 10
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 2, Episode 25
Thursday, April 10
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 2, Episode 24
Thursday, April 10