TENNESSEE STATE (1-6, 0-4)
vs UT Martin (3-4, 1-2)
Thursday, Jan. 7 | 8 p.m.
Gentry Center |Nashville, Tenn.

LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
VIDEO: ESPN+
LISTEN: Big Blue Sports Network
SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter - @TSUTigersMBB
TICKETS: More Info | Ticketmaster  | Call 615.969.ROAR
 
GAMEDAY
The Tennessee State University men's basketball team returns home to host UT Martin Thursday evening for the first game of 2021 in the Gentry Center. Tip is slated for 8 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Big Blue Sports Network.
 
TIGERS AT A GLANCE
The Tigers are looking for its first OVC win of the season versus the Skyhawks as Big Blue is on a tough three-game cold streak, with its last loss served in double overtime on the road to SEMO 83-79, after a late lead in regulation.
 
Despite the lack of numbers in the win column, TSU ranks fifth in the league in shooting from the floor sinking 41.6 percent of its shots, fifth in offensive rebounds averaging 10.7 a night and fourth in defensive rebounds with 26.3 per game.  
 
Offensive efforts for the Tigers are led by Mark Freeman and Marcus Fitzgerald, Jr. who average 14.7 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. Josh Linder is most successful when the ball reaches his hands in the post, as the newcomer is shooting 65.7 percent from the floor. When the Tigers hit the charity stripe, Mason Green and Freeman both average over 80 percent,.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Tennessee State men's basketball team dropped a double overtime battle at Southeast Missouri last Saturday night in its first true Ohio Valley Conference road test this season, 83-79.
 
Ravel Moody, senior guard had a career showing, somewhat reminiscent of his 2020 OVC Tournament performance where the Denver native led the Tigers in scoring, tonight with 18. He also pulled down seven rebounds, and registered one assist, block and steal.
 
He had help. The Tigers' roster pulled together three double-digit scoring efforts including freshman Marcus Fitzgerald Jr's 18 points. Tennessee's top-ranked point guard shot 4-of-8 from three-point distance while Yusuf Mohamed notched a career-high nine rebounds, and seven assists from point guard Mark Freeman rounded out the leaderboard for TSU.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
The Skyhawks are currently eighth in the conference with a 1-2 record against OVC schools, with a over SEMO. UTM started the season on a 3-0 run with wins over Evansville, Bethel and Southeast Missouri. The team shoots well from the three-point line, averaging 35.5 percent and uses its defensive prowess to block 3.6 shots a night and average 7.1 steals a game.
 
Cameron Holden (16.9) and Eden Holt (10.7) lead the team in scoring. Holden also tops the roster with 51 total rebounds, 20 of them offensive.
 
UT Martin is headed by interim Coach Montez Robinson after an unfortunate passing of its former head coach Anthony Stewart.  
 
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE SKYHAWKS
TSU suffered its first OVC loss at UT Martin in the Elam Center, 87-74. A hot start by redshirt-sophomore Carlos Marshall, Jr. did not sustain the Tigers' five-point lead as the Skyhawks answered with its own 20-0 run in four minutes of play to secure the lead just 10 minutes into the evening. 
Turnovers clipped the Tigers' efforts as the Skyhawks capitalized with 28 points off of TSU's 21 turnovers. The final place of faulty play occured at TSU's free-throw line. Big Blue went 12-of-27 on the night at the charity stripe, leaving a game-deciding 15 points on the floor. 
Marshall Jr. carried the team with 15 points in the first half and another 11 in the second to mark his career-high shooting, registering 44 percent from the floor, 5-of-10 from beyond the arc and a perfect 100 percent, 4-of-4, from the free-throw line. 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
This marks the 70th meeting between Tennessee State and UT Martin. Coach Collins is 1-2 against UTM after splitting a win and a loss in his first season at the helm of the Tigers and falling 87-74. TSU is 3-5 over the last six seasons versus the Skyhawks, with all five losses occuring in Martin.

COVERAGE
Watch the game live on ESPN+. Live stats will be available on StatBroadcast. Follow along on social media @TSUTigersMBB on Twitter and Instagram.
 
UP NEXT
TSU will have a chance to rematch the Redhawks Saturday, Jan. 9, just seven days after the team defeated the Tigers in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Tip in the Gentry Center is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Big Blue Sports Network.