UT Martin
Eastern Illinois
UT MARTIN MEN'S BASKETBALL STARTS TWO-WEEK HOME STRETCH WITH ESPNU TILT AGAINST OVC RIVAL EASTERN ILLINOIS
1/3/2024 10:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – A nationally televised matchup awaits the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team as the Skyhawks square off against Eastern Illinois tomorrow at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Tipoff time is set for 8 p.m. live on ESPNU.
UT Martin (9-6) is the only program to sit 2-0 atop the Ohio Valley Conference standings after racking up road wins at Tennessee State (91-75) and Tennessee Tech (81-73) last week. It marked just the fourth time in school history that the Skyhawks have begun an OVC campaign with an unblemished 2-0 record - twice occurring during head coach Ryan Ridder's three seasons at the helm.
A balanced attack was a big key to UT Martin's success last week as all five starters averaged double figures in the scoring column. Jordan Sears (18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 3.5 steals per game) and Jacob Crews (9-for-15 for a 60 percent effort from three-point land) tied for the team lead with 18.0 points per outing while Issa Muhammad poured in 16.5 points and a team-best 8.5 rebounds per contest. KK Curry (11.0 points, 6.5 rebounds per game) and Justus Jackson (10.0 points per game, .462 three-point percentage on 6-of-13 shooting) also provided scoring threats for the Skyhawks, who shot an even 40 percent (20-for-50) from beyond the three-point arc in the two victories.
UT Martin now returns home for five of its next six outings as the Skyhawks are 19-2 inside the Elam Center over the last two seasons. UT Martin is 18-10 all-time against the Panthers at home, including a 91-78 decision last season.
Eastern Illinois (6-8, 0-1 OVC) narrowly fell by a 67-58 margin at SIUE in its OVC opener last Friday. The Panthers committed just six turnovers but shot 30.6 percent (19-of-62) for the game, including a 3-for-14 (21.4 percent) performance from three-point range. Kyndall Davis' career-high 23 points off the bench led Eastern Illinois, who leads the OVC in steals (8.0 per game) and turnover margin (+2.71).
Links for ESPNU, WCMT Radio 1410 AM/100.5 FM and live stats are all located above.
