SKYHAWK MEN'S HOOPS SET FOR SIXTH ALL-TIME APPEARANCE IN OVC CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS ROUND
3/6/2024 3:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – Fresh off the program's first Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship in 15 years, the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball squad pursues an OVC Tournament title this week in Evansville, Ind. The Skyhawks' first opponent in the tournament will be either No. 3 seed Morehead State, No. 6 seed SIUE or No. 7 seed Eastern Illinois. UT Martin will play on Friday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
The Skyhawks tied the school record for most regular season wins (21) and OVC victories (14) en route to their championship run in 2023-24, ranking first amongst the 12 NCAA Division I programs located in the state of Tennessee in league wins. UT Martin defeated each conference member at least once for only the third time in program history and enters the tournament on a seven-game winning streak - its longest since the 2015-16 campaign.
The Skyhawks lead NCAA Division I men's basketball in defensive rebounding (31.13 per game) and also rank in the top-25 nationally in total rebounding (41.32 per contest, seventh), fastbreak points (14.68 per outing, 17th) and scoring offense (81.6 points per game, 24th).
UT Martin is making its sixth appearance in the OVC Championship semifinals, reaching the round for the second time in as many seasons. The Skyhawks are 2-2 all-time in the OVC Championship tournament as the No. 2 seed.
All-OVC first teamers Jordan Sears (league-best 21.2 points per game) and Jacob Crews (19.3 points per contest) are in the midst of an incredible run. Together, those two form the second-highest scoring duo in the NCAA Division I men's basketball ranks, trailing only Denver's Tommy Bruner (NCAA-high 24.5 points per outing) and Touko Tainamo (16.3 points per game). Sears is averaging 30.4 points over his last five contests while Crews has pumped in 27.7 points per outing in his last six games. In three career games in the Ford Center, Sears has tossed in 24.7 points per game while Crews had 24 points and 10 rebounds inside the building earlier this season against Evansville.
Seniors Issa Muhammad (All-OVC second teamer who averages 11.3 points, 9.3 rebounds per game), KK Curry (Preseason All-OVC, 980 career points) and Desmond Williams (1,035 career points) round out UT Martin's starting five.
Links for ESPNU and WCMT Radio 1410 AM/100.5 broadcasts – plus live stats – can be found above.
The Skyhawks tied the school record for most regular season wins (21) and OVC victories (14) en route to their championship run in 2023-24, ranking first amongst the 12 NCAA Division I programs located in the state of Tennessee in league wins. UT Martin defeated each conference member at least once for only the third time in program history and enters the tournament on a seven-game winning streak - its longest since the 2015-16 campaign.
The Skyhawks lead NCAA Division I men's basketball in defensive rebounding (31.13 per game) and also rank in the top-25 nationally in total rebounding (41.32 per contest, seventh), fastbreak points (14.68 per outing, 17th) and scoring offense (81.6 points per game, 24th).
UT Martin is making its sixth appearance in the OVC Championship semifinals, reaching the round for the second time in as many seasons. The Skyhawks are 2-2 all-time in the OVC Championship tournament as the No. 2 seed.
All-OVC first teamers Jordan Sears (league-best 21.2 points per game) and Jacob Crews (19.3 points per contest) are in the midst of an incredible run. Together, those two form the second-highest scoring duo in the NCAA Division I men's basketball ranks, trailing only Denver's Tommy Bruner (NCAA-high 24.5 points per outing) and Touko Tainamo (16.3 points per game). Sears is averaging 30.4 points over his last five contests while Crews has pumped in 27.7 points per outing in his last six games. In three career games in the Ford Center, Sears has tossed in 24.7 points per game while Crews had 24 points and 10 rebounds inside the building earlier this season against Evansville.
Seniors Issa Muhammad (All-OVC second teamer who averages 11.3 points, 9.3 rebounds per game), KK Curry (Preseason All-OVC, 980 career points) and Desmond Williams (1,035 career points) round out UT Martin's starting five.
Links for ESPNU and WCMT Radio 1410 AM/100.5 broadcasts – plus live stats – can be found above.
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