OPENING TIP: Tennessee State is riding a five-game winning streak into to a nationally televised contest on ESPNU at Morehead State on Thursday. The Tigers sit in a five-way tie for second place in the OVC after what should have been a joyous reunion day of at the Gentry Center turned to prayers after a Tennessee Tech player went down with an injury that ended the game with 3:04 remaining in regulation. The score at the time of the stoppage, 67-53, was determined to be the outcome.
WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN: TSU expanded its partnership with Cromwell Media, naming 102.1 FM The Ville as the flagship TSU men's basketball station. "The Voice of the Tigers" Greg Pogue returns for his 11th season behind the mic and will be reunited with his longtime partner Albert Dawson. The pregame show will begin 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the contest not the actual tip time in doubleheader situations. The action can also be heard on the TSU Tigers app.
The Matchup: Tennessee State Tigers (16-11 8-6 OVC) at Morehead State Eagles (17-6, 10-4 OVC)
Date/Time: Thursday, February 16 at 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 p.m. CT
Location: Ellis T. Johnson Arena || Morehead, Ky.
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 102.1 FM The Ville — Greg Pogue (pxp), Albert Dawson (analyst)
LIVE STATS
NCAA RULING ON TSU/TTU GAME: In accordance with the NCAA Rulebook (Section 4), both teams agreed to end the game at the point of interruption and declare Tennessee State the winner. Because the contest had reached "a reasonable point of conclusion" (at least 30 minutes for basketball), the statistics will count for both teams.
MOREHEAD STATE SERIES INFORMATION: Thursday is the 84th meeting between TSU and Morehead State. The Eagles are 45-38 all-time against TSU and are riding a five-game winning streak. TSU has struggled on the road posting an 11-27 mark in Kentucky. In the last 10 trips to Morehead, TSU is 3-7 having dropped the last three by an average of 10 points.
LAST TIME OUT VS. MSU: In the OVC opener, Mark Freeman led Morehead State with a game-high 30 points in his first visit back to TSU since Feb. 20, 2021, which was his last home game as a member of the Tigers. Freeman had 29 points in a loss to Jacksonville State. Fast-forward to his appearance as a member of the Eagles, Freeman made all eight free throws and knocked down four trifectas. Jake Wolfe added 14 points and Drew Thelwell had 13 points. The Eagles shot nearly 50 percent or better in all categories while TSU shot below the margin. Jr. Clay led TSU with 18 points on the evening and Christian Brown had 16 points and seven rebounds. Marcus Fitzgerald and Dedric Boyd also scored in double figures.
SCOUTING MOREHEAD STATE: Head coach Preston Spradlin has reached 14 or more wins in four of his seven seasons and has eclipsed 17+ wins in the last three seasons. The Eagles sit in sole possession of the first place in the OVC with four games remaining. The Eagles can clinch at least a share of the OVC regular season title and tournament top seed with two wins this week and losses from the second-place teams (currently five teams are tied for second). Mark Freeman leads the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game. Alex Gross leads the team in rebounding (7.2).
CLAY WINS OVC POW: Jr. Clay picked up his second OVC Player of the Week award in the last three weeks as he led the league with 19.5 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in wins over SEMO and Tennessee Tech. Clay shot 39 percent from the field and 79 percent from the line. Clay had 23 points against SEMO with eight rebounds and five assists. On Saturday, he had 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
SWEET 16: With its 16th overall win on Saturday against Tennessee Tech, the 2022-23 team now sits 12th all-time in TSU single-season wins in the 46 seasons as a D1 program.
CLAY'S BEST SINGLE SEASON: Jr. Clay is having a career year, with 468 points through 25 games. During his time with Tennessee Tech, Clay was always around the 414-417 area of total points scored. Clay is hit career-best in total rebounds (117) and assists (131).
A WIN WITH INSIDE POINTS: In the win over Tennessee Tech, the Tigers knocked down five three-pointers while scoring 19 field goals inside the arc. TSU finished with 34 points in the paint, 17 off fast break. This is just the second time this season TSU won a game hitting less than six three-pointers. The Tigers are 2-3 in games with its other victory over Brescia.
LONGEST WINNING STREAK: TSU is on a five-game winning streak, the longest under the Penny Collins era. The last time TSU won five straight games was during the 2017-18 season when then-head coach Dana Ford put together a six-game streak from Jan.25 until Feb. 15. The Tigers then dropped the next three OVC games including the opening round of the conference tournament. Before that, TSU started the 2016-17 season on another six-game winning streak. Over the past 10 seasons, TSU has won five or more consecutive games four times with the longest being a seven-game streak that occurred twice. Ford is responsible for four of those streaks with Collins and Travis Williams each with one
