UT Martin
Tennessee State
UT MARTIN MEN'S BASKETBALL OPENS OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAY WITH TRIP TO IN-STATE RIVAL TENNESSEE STATE
12/27/2023 8:24:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – The quest for an Ohio Valley Conference championship begins tomorrow in Music City for the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball squad, who squares off against Tennessee State for the first of 18 league matchups. Tipoff from the Gentry Center is set for 7:30 p.m.
The Skyhawks (7-6) enter league play with a winning record for the second straight season under head coach Ryan Ridder. UT Martin leads all of NCAA Division I men's basketball in defensive rebounding (33.2 per game), leading the OVC in that category as well as scoring offense at 85.1 points per outing.
Jordan Sears is the OVC scoring leader at 20.2 points per contest while the junior guard also ranks second in the league in assists (4.2 per game) and fifth in field goal percentage (.484). Junior forward Jacob Crews ranks in the top-five in the OVC in scoring (17.4 points per outing, third), field goal percentage (.497, third), three-point field goals made (2.5 per contest, fourth) and rebounding (8.7 per game, fifth) as one of those two has led the Skyhawks in scoring in 11 out of 13 games.
UT Martin has won two of its previous three OVC openers on the road and has claimed victories in each of its past two visits to the Gentry Center. Last season, the Skyhawks led for over 35 minutes of clock time as Sears (game-high 21 points), Desmond Williams (16 points) and KK Curry (13 points) helped limit the Tigers to 33.9 percent shooting (19-for-56) in a 77-66 triumph on Jan. 12.
Tennessee State (7-6) boasts one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the league as Christian Brown's 14.6 points per game average paces five Tigers who average double figures in the scoring column. Belmont transfer EJ Bellinger (12.2 points per contest), two-time OVC Freshman of the Week Jaylen Jones (11.4 points per outing), reigning OVC All-Newcomer Kinyon Hodges (11.2 points per game) and three-year starter Marcus Fitzgerald, Jr. (10.2 points per contest) lead the way for Tennessee State, who tops the OVC in turnover margin (+3.31).
Links for the ESPN+ and WCMT 1410 AM/100.5 FM broadcasts, as well as a link to follow along with live stats, are located above.
