OPENING TIP: The Tennessee State men's basketball team will look to close out the 2023 year with their first Ohio Valley Conference win as they are set to host Little Rock tomorrow afternoon. TSU is looking to grab its first OVC win, while the Trojans took down Tennessee Tech on Thursday.  

The Matchup: 
Tennessee State Tigers (7-7, 0-1 OVC) vs. Little Rock (7-7, 1-0 OVC)
Date/Time: Saturday, December 30 at 3:30 PM CT
Location: Gentry Center || Nashville
TV: ESPN+
Radio: WNSR — Greg Pogue (play-by-play), Albert Dawson (analyst)

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN: Tune in to WNSR's flagship network, which includes 560 AM, 95.9 FM (Nashville), and 107.9 FM (Smyrna), as well as WNSR.com, to catch TSU Basketball. The broadcast is also globally available on Sirius XM. WNSR will provide in-depth pregame coverage 15 minutes before tip-off, extensive postgame analysis, exclusive interviews with coaches and players, and behind-the-scenes content for deeper fan engagement. Greg Pogue, "The Voice of the Tigers," returns for his 12th season, accompanied by Nashville broadcasting legend Albert Dawson. The action can also be streamed on the TSU Tigers app.

SERIES INFORMATION: Saturday is the 6th meeting between TSU and Little Rock. LR is 3-2 all-time against TSU which dates to back to 1992, which saw TSU pick up its first win in the series. TSU fell to Little Rock in non-conference games in 2018 and 2019 before the Trojans and Tigers split the series last season. 

UTM NOTES & NUMBERS:
 
11-11: The numbers E.J. Bellinger posted against UTM as he logged his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 boards. He finished with 20 and 11 against Kentucky State for his first double-double. The Belmont transfer is second on the team with 12.1 ppg and first with 5.9 rebounds.
 
20 PIECE: Michael Shanks logged his second double-git scoring game of the season as he finished with a team-high 20 points against the Skyhawks. Shanks has finished in double figures in back-to-back games inside the Gentry Center after finishing with a career-high 31 against Boyce.
 
JITOBOH RETURNS: Florida transfer Jason Jitoboh returned to the court last night against UTM after missing the last seven games due to injury. Jitoboh, who had not played since Mercer, was in the starting lineup and finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and two assists in 26 minutes of play.