OPENING TIP: The Tennessee State men's basketball team will begin the new year with a trip to Evansville, Ind., on Thursday to take on Southern Indiana for their first Ohio Valley Conference Road game of the season. The Tigers and Screaming Eagles are both coming off their first OVC wins of the season.

The Matchup: 
Tennessee State Tigers (8-7, 1-1 OVC) at Southern Indiana (4-11, 1-1 OVC)
Date/Time: Thursday, January 4 at 7:30 PM CT
Location: Screaming Eagles Arena || Evansville, Ind.
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: Thursday will be the 3rd meeting between TSU and USI. The two schools are 1-1 against each other all-time after first matching up a year ago in OVC play. TSU won at USI last season, while USI won at TSU.

LITTLE ROCK NOTES & NUMBERS:
 
20.6: The number of points per game that Michael Shanks is averaging inside the Gentry Center over his last three games at home. After recording a season-high 31 points at home against Boyce, the Arkansas native opened up OVC play at home with a 20-point performance against UT Martin, followed by 11 more points in the win over Little Rock. Shanks has now logged three straight double-digit scoring performances at home.
 
25: The number of free throws TSU made against Little Rock. The Tigers finished with season highs in attempts (29) and makes (25) against the Trojans.  
 
BLOCK PARTY: After recording a season-high five blocks in his first game back against UT Martin on Thursday, Florida transfer Jason Jitoboh added four more to his name against Little Rock to tally nine on the weekend. Jitoboh ranks second in the OVC with 23 blocks in only eight games played. The 6-11 forward finished with 11 points in the win over Little Rock.
 
MF1 BATTLES BACK: After missing Thursday's OVC opener against UT Martin with an upper respiratory illness, point guard Marcus Fitzgerald Jr., returned to the court against Little Rock and played a season-high 37 minutes, while chipping in 14 points. This marked the Nashville native's eighth game scoring in double figures.