Thursday, March 5
Evansville, Ind.
6 p.m.
UT Martin
vs
#5 Seed SIUE/#8 Seed Eastern Illinois
No. 4 Seed UT Martin Ready For Tomorrow's OVC Championship Quarterfinals Appearance
3/4/2026 9:52:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team opens its 17th appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship tournament tomorrow with a quarterfinals matchup at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
The No. 4 seed Skyhawks will take on the victor of the No. 5 SIUE/No. 8 Eastern Illinois first-round matchup from Wednesday. UT Martin swept the season series against both the Cougars (19-12) and Panthers (12-19) in 2025-26 and is 1-0 against both programs in its OVC Championship history - defeating SIUE in the 2023 quarterfinals and Eastern Illinois in the 2019 first round (both in Evansville).
The Skyhawks (21-10) have won at least one game in five of their last six OVC Championship appearances dating back to 2016. UT Martin is seeded fourth in the league tournament for the third time in school history, advancing to the semifinals in 2008 and reaching the quarterfinal round in 2015.
The Skyhawks are one win shy of equaling the program's single-season wins record, set in both 2016-17 and 2008-09. UT Martin's 13 OVC victories were the third-most in school history, trailing just the 14 wins in 2023-24 and 2008-09.
UT Martin is ignited by a defensive attack that entered this week ranking in the top-five in NCAA Division I men's basketball in scoring defense (63.03 points per game, fourth), field goal percentage defense (.386, fifth) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.285, fifth). The Skyhawks are on pace to lead the OVC in scoring defense for just the second time since entering the league in 1992, joining the 1996-97 squad (who conceded 70.7 points per contest).
UT Martin is powered by the frontcourt duo of All-OVC first teamer Andrija Bukumirović (second in the OVC with seven double-doubles) and 2026 OVC Freshman of the Year Matas Deniusas (led the Skyhawks in scoring in a team-high 13 games this season).
Links for the ESPN+ live video stream, WCMT 1410 AM/100.5 FM radio broadcast, live stats, UT Martin game notes, OVC Championship Central and the OVC Championship digital program can all be found above.
The No. 4 seed Skyhawks will take on the victor of the No. 5 SIUE/No. 8 Eastern Illinois first-round matchup from Wednesday. UT Martin swept the season series against both the Cougars (19-12) and Panthers (12-19) in 2025-26 and is 1-0 against both programs in its OVC Championship history - defeating SIUE in the 2023 quarterfinals and Eastern Illinois in the 2019 first round (both in Evansville).
The Skyhawks (21-10) have won at least one game in five of their last six OVC Championship appearances dating back to 2016. UT Martin is seeded fourth in the league tournament for the third time in school history, advancing to the semifinals in 2008 and reaching the quarterfinal round in 2015.
The Skyhawks are one win shy of equaling the program's single-season wins record, set in both 2016-17 and 2008-09. UT Martin's 13 OVC victories were the third-most in school history, trailing just the 14 wins in 2023-24 and 2008-09.
UT Martin is ignited by a defensive attack that entered this week ranking in the top-five in NCAA Division I men's basketball in scoring defense (63.03 points per game, fourth), field goal percentage defense (.386, fifth) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.285, fifth). The Skyhawks are on pace to lead the OVC in scoring defense for just the second time since entering the league in 1992, joining the 1996-97 squad (who conceded 70.7 points per contest).
UT Martin is powered by the frontcourt duo of All-OVC first teamer Andrija Bukumirović (second in the OVC with seven double-doubles) and 2026 OVC Freshman of the Year Matas Deniusas (led the Skyhawks in scoring in a team-high 13 games this season).
Links for the ESPN+ live video stream, WCMT 1410 AM/100.5 FM radio broadcast, live stats, UT Martin game notes, OVC Championship Central and the OVC Championship digital program can all be found above.
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballSkyhawk Sports Talk - Season 3, Episode 24
Tuesday, February 24
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 3, Episode 23
Tuesday, February 17
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 3, Episode 22
Tuesday, February 10
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 3, Episode 21
Tuesday, February 03