OPENING TIP: Tennessee State faces Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship after earning a share of the 2025-26 OVC regular-season title. The Tigers secured the No. 1 seed and a double-bye into the semifinal round, marking the program's first regular-season championship since 1994-95 and its first outright crown since 1992-93. TSU enters the title game having won a program-best 15 conference games and will look to capture its first OVC Tournament championship since winning back-to-back titles in 1993 and 1994.
Tennessee State advanced to the championship with a 68-55 semifinal victory over UT Martin, while Morehead State defeated SEMO to reach the title game. The matchup features the league's co-regular-season champions. Morehead State has won three OVC Tournament titles since 2020. The last time Tennessee State reached the OVC Championship Game in 2012, the Tigers defeated Morehead State in the semifinals before falling to Murray State by two points in the title game.
SERIES INFORMATION VS. MOREHEAD STATE: Morehead State leads the all-time series 49-40. The teams split the 2025-26 regular-season series. Tennessee State won the first meeting 105-100 in overtime in Nashville behind a 30-point performance from Aaron Nkrumah. Morehead State won the second meeting 94-86 in Morehead. Across the two matchups this season, Tennessee State averaged 95.5 points per game, while Morehead State averaged 97.0 points per game.
ALL-TIME OVC TOURNAMENT VS. MOREHEAD ST. Tennessee State and Morehead State have met once in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Tigers defeated the Eagles 73-67 in the 2012 OVC semifinals, advancing to the championship game before falling to Murray State by two points. The victory remains Tennessee State's only OVC Tournament matchup against Morehead State and marked the program's last appearance in the OVC title game prior to the 2026 championship.
2025-26 TSU Players vs Morehead State
AARON NKRUMAH: Averaged 25.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in the two meetings. Shot 17-of-35 (.486) from the field, 4-of-10 (.400) from three and 12-of-16 (.750) from the free-throw line while adding seven assists and three steals. Posted a 30-point performance in the Jan. 15 overtime win in Nashville.
TRAVIS HARPER II : Averaged 23.0 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 13-of-27 (.481) overall and 9-of-17 (.529) from three-point range. Recorded 16 points in the Jan. 15 overtime win before scoring a career-high 30 points in the Feb. 14 meeting at Morehead State.
ANTOINE LORICK III: Averaged 10.0 points while shooting 9-of-15 (.600) from the field. Added five rebounds, five steals and seven blocks, averaging 3.5 blocks per game, with his most impactful defensive performance coming in the Feb. 14 matchup.
DANTE HARRIS: Averaged 9.0 points and dished out 17 assists in the two meetings while shooting 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. Turned in his best playmaking performance in the Jan. 15 overtime win, leading the Tigers' offense.
CARLOUS WILLIAMS: Averaged 12.0 points in limited action while shooting 8-of-9 (.889) from the field and 5-of-6 (.833) from three-point range. His best outing came in the Jan. 15 overtime victory, where he provided efficient scoring off the bench.
JALEN PITRE: Averaged 6.0 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 4-of-6 (.667) from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Recorded his best rebounding performance with eight boards in the Feb. 14 road meeting.
MSU TIGHT MARGINS: Morehead State enters the OVC Championship riding an eight-game winning streak since Feb. 7, but many of those victories have come in close contests. Seven of the eight wins have been decided by single digits, including five games by two possessions or fewer (six points or less) and two one-possession games — a 73-70 win at Eastern Illinois and a 64-63 victory over Southern Indiana. During the stretch, the Eagles have won by an average margin of 7.3 points, with their largest victory a 22-point win at Western Illinois (81-59).
HISTORIC PARALLELS: Tennessee State's 2025-26 season closely mirrors the program's 1993-94 OVC championship campaign. Both teams finished with an identical .750 conference winning percentage, with the 1993-94 squad going 12-4 and the 2025-26 Tigers posting a program-record 15-5 mark in league play. The two teams also produced nearly identical offensive and defensive numbers, as the 1993-94 Tigers averaged 80.3 points per game while allowing 74.2, compared to 80.1 points scored and 73.5 allowed by the 2025-26 squad. The current Tigers have already surpassed that team in total victories, improving to 22 wins, while the 1993-94 team finished 19-12 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, capturing the program's most recent OVC Tournament championship.
UT MARTIN BY THE NUMBERS:
3: Steals by Aaron Nkrumah, tying for the team lead.
4: Three-pointers made by Travis Harper II, the team high.
6: Blocks by Tennessee State, led by Antoine Lorick III with two.
7: Free throws made by Antoine Lorick III on 7-of-8 shooting.
9: Three-pointers made by Tennessee State, led by Travis Harper II with four.
10: Rebounds by Antoine Lorick III, the game high.
11: Fast-break points by Tennessee State, sparked by Aaron Nkrumah with three steals.
13: Points by Antoine Lorick III in his double-double performance.
14: Points by Travis Harper II.
19: Points by Aaron Nkrumah to lead all scorers.
20: Points in the paint by Tennessee State, led by Antoine Lorick III.
32: Second-half points by Tennessee State, led by Aaron Nkrumah with nine after halftime.
37: Rebounds by Tennessee State, led by Antoine Lorick III with 10.
41: Three-point percentage by Tennessee State (9-of-22), led by Travis Harper II with four makes.
47: Field-goal percentage by Tennessee State (26-of-55), led by Aaron Nkrumah shooting 8-of-14.
OVC HONORS SWEEP: Aaron Nkrumah was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and head coach Nolan Smith earned Co-OVC Coach of the Year honors as Tennessee State secured a share of the OVC regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament — the program's first top seed in 31 years. Nkrumah led three Tigers recognized by the league, as Travis Harper II garnered All-OVC First Team honors and Dante Harris earned All-OVC Second Team and OVC All-Newcomer Team recognition. The trio combined to average 46.8 points per game during the regular season.
OVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Tennessee State is 17-31 all-time in the OVC Tournament since joining the league in 1986. The Tigers have reached the OVC championship game five times and have won two OVC Tournament titles (1993, 1994).
TOP SEED HISTORY: Since Tennessee State joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 1987-88, the No. 1 seed has won the OVC Tournament 23 times in 38 seasons (60.5%), underscoring the historical advantage of earning the top spot. Since the tournament moved to the Ford Center in Evansville in 2018, the No. 1 seed has reached the championship game in five of seven tournaments (71.4%) and won four of those seven titles (57.1%). In Evansville specifically, when the top seed has advanced to the championship game, it has won four of five times (80%).
TSU IN OVC SEMIS & FINALS: Tennessee State has reached the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament semifinals nine times since 1993, advancing to the championship game six times in that span. The Tigers won both the semifinal and championship games in 1993 (defeated Tennessee Tech and Murray State) and 1994 (defeated Tennessee Tech and Murray State) to secure consecutive OVC Tournament titles. TSU fell in the semifinals in 1995 and 1996 (both to Austin Peay) and again in 2013 (Belmont) and 2025 (SIUE). The Tigers advanced to the championship game in 1998 (defeated MTSU; lost to Murray State), 2008 (defeated Murray State; lost to Austin Peay) and 2012 (defeated Morehead State; lost to Murray State).
NATIONAL COACHING RECOGNITION: Tennessee State head coach Nolan Smith has been named a finalist for three national coaching honors — the Hugh Durham Award (top mid-major head coach), the Ben Jobe Award (top minority head coach) and the Joe B. Hall Award (top first-time Division I head coach). In his debut season, Smith guided the Tigers to a share of the OVC regular-season championship and the program's first No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament in 30 years while earning OVC Co-Coach of the Year honors.
FIRST-YEAR BENCH IMPACT: Nolan Smith became the 12th first-year head coach in Ohio Valley Conference history to earn Coach of the Year honors. The other first-year recipients are E.A. Diddle (1961-62, Western Kentucky), Jim Baechtold (1964-65, Eastern Kentucky), George Fisher (1966-67, Austin Peay), Lake Kelly (1972-73, Austin Peay), Clem Haskins (1980-81, Western Kentucky), Wayne Martin (1981-82, Morehead State; co-winner), Bob Huggins (1985-86, Akron), Scott Edgar (1991-92, Murray State), Mark Gottfried (1997-98, Murray State), Tevester Anderson (1998-99, Murray State; co-winner) and Steve Prohm (2011-12, Murray State).
Smith also became just the seventh first-year coach in league history to win Coach of the Year while capturing at least a share of the regular-season championship, joining Haskins (1980-81, Western Kentucky), Edgar (1991-92, Murray State), Gottfried (1995-96, Murray State), Anderson (1998-99, Murray State), Prohm (2011-12, Murray State) and Casey Alexander (2019-20, Belmont).
RARE DEBUT SUCCESS: Of the 12 first-year OVC Coach of the Year recipients, only three — Scott Edgar (1991-92), Tevester Anderson (1998-99) and Steve Prohm (2011-12) — won the OVC Tournament in that same debut season, all at Murray State. Four additional first-year head coaches have won the OVC Tournament without earning Coach of the Year honors: Bruce Stewart (1984-85, Middle Tennessee), Mick Cronin (2003-04, Murray State), Ray Harper (2016-17, Jacksonville State) and Casey Alexander (2019-20, Belmont).
OVC MAJOR AWARD HISTORY: Tennessee State has produced three Ohio Valley Conference Players of the Year — Carlos Rogers (1992-93, 1993-94) and Aaron Nkrumah (2025-26), with Rogers as the program's only two-time winner. The Tigers have earned four Coach of the Year honors: Frankie Allen (1992-93, 1994-95), Dana Ford (2015-16) and Nolan Smith (2025-26, co-coach), with Allen as the only two-time recipient. Tennessee State has also had three Defensive Players of the Year — Tahjere McCall (2015-16, 2016-17) and Christian Mekowulu (2017-18), with McCall as the program's only two-time defensive honoree. The Tigers have had both the OVC Player of the Year and Coach of the Year in the same season twice — 1992-93 and 2025-26.
ALL-OVC & CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Tennessee State placed three players in four All-OVC spots in 2025-26, with Aaron Nkrumah and Travis Harper II earning First Team honors and Dante Harris named Second Team and to the All-Newcomer Team. The 2025-26 squad joins the 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1994-95 teams as seasons that combined multiple All-Conference selections with championship finishes. In 1992-93, Carlos Rogers, Tim Horton and Monty Wilson were All-OVC during a regular-season and tournament title run. In 1993-94, Rogers and Horton earned All-OVC recognition as TSU captured the OVC Tournament. In 1994-95, Horton, Wilson and Calvin Morris were All-OVC during a tied first-place regular-season finish.
ALL-OVC PROGRAM HISTORY: Since joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 1987-88, Tennessee State has had 22 different players earn All-OVC honors, totaling 34 First- and Second-Team selections. The Tigers have also produced 26 All-Newcomer Team honorees. Only two players in program history have earned All-OVC recognition three times — Tim Horton (1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95) and Robert Covington (2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13). Anthony Mason became the first player in Tennessee State's OVC era to earn All-OVC honors, earning First Team recognition in 1987-88. That same season, Nico Childs was named to the OVC All-Freshman Team.
ELITE HONORS & SINGLE-SEASON MARKS: Carlos Rogers (1992-93, 1993-94), Patrick Miller (2012-13, 2013-14) and Tahjere McCall (2015-16, 2016-17) are the only Tigers to earn First Team All-OVC honors twice. Tennessee State has produced four All-OVC First, Second and Newcomer Team selections in a single season four times in the Division I era — in 1992-93, 2010-11, 2015-16 and 2025-26 — marking the program's highest single-season total of All-Conference honorees.
OVC ALL-TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Tennessee State has had nine different players earn OVC All-Tournament Team honors, totaling 10 selections. Those players are Monty Wilson (1993, MVP), Curtis Davis (1993), Carlos Rogers (1993, 1994; MVP in 1994), Tim Horton (1994), Jamie Roberts (1998), Brian Williams (1998), Bruce Price (2008), Robert Covington (2012), Patrick Miller (2012) and Kellen Thornton (2013). Rogers is the only Tiger to be named to the All-Tournament Team multiple times.
MOST OVC SINGLE-SEASON WINS: The 2025-26 Tigers set the program record with 15 OVC wins, surpassing the previous Division I benchmark of 13 conference victories by the 1992-93 team. Only two other Division I squads have reached at least 12 league wins: 1993-94 (12-4) and 2024-25 (12-8).
TOP THREE HISTORY: Tennessee State has finished in the top three of the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season standings 10 times since 1992-93. The Tigers won the OVC regular-season title in 2025-26 and earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming OVC Tournament. TSU previously won the OVC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1992-93 (first) and 1993-94 (second). The Tigers finished tied for first in 1994-95 and second in 1995-96, advancing to the OVC semifinals in both seasons. TSU tied for third in 1998-99 (OVC first round), finished second in 2011-12 (OVC championship game), tied for second in 2015-16 (OVC first round), tied for third in 2022-23 (OVC quarterfinals) and tied for third in 2024-25 (OVC semifinals).
TSU ON TOP: Tennessee State earned a share of the 2025-26 Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship, marking the program's third OVC regular-season title (1992-93, 1994-95, 2025-26). The 1992-93 team remains the program's only outright OVC regular-season champion. Earlier this season, TSU rose to first place in February for the first time in more than 30 years — the last February league lead coming during the 1994-95 campaign. The 1992-93 squad went on to win both the OVC regular-season and tournament championships, while the Tigers also captured the OVC Tournament title in 1993-94.
TOP-TIER DIVISION I SCORING: Tennessee State is averaging 80.5 points per game in 2025-26, the second-highest scoring average of the NCAA Division I era. Only the 1993-94 team (80.3 ppg) and the 1989-90 squad (80.0 ppg) are in the same range, while the 2025-26 Tigers currently rank ahead of other top Division I seasons, including 2000-01 (79.9), 1990-91 (79.4) and 1992-93 (78.7).
20+ WINS: With 22 victories, the 2025-26 Tigers stand among the top NCAA Division I seasons in program history, surpassing the 20-win totals of the 2011-12 (20-13) and 2015-16 (20-11) teams. Only the 1978-79 squad (20-6) reached the 20-win mark in fewer games during the Division I era. The 2025-26 team is also one of the highest-winning Division I squads entering postseason play, positioning itself among the program's most successful modern-era campaigns. Across all classifications, Tennessee State's top single-season win totals were recorded during the NAIA and Division II eras, highlighted by a 32-1 season in 1958-59 and a 32-8 campaign in 1972-73 that ended with a national runner-up finish.
ICY HISTORY: Nashville's 2026 ice storm brought comparisons to a similar weather event on Feb. 9, 1994, when temperatures in Middle Tennessee dropped from near 74 degrees to 23 degrees as sleet moved into the area, paralyzing the region. The recent storm left hundreds of thousands without power and downed trees across the city.
Why mention it in today's game notes? The last time Tennessee State advanced to the NCAA Tournament was 1994.
ANALYTICS WATCH: Tennessee State enters the postseason ranked No. 207 in the KenPom ratings and No. 207 in the NCAA NET rankings. The KenPom mark is the program's best since 2018 (No. 198) and its seventh-best rating of the KenPom era. In NET rankings, TSU has improved in each of the past three seasons, moving from No. 282 (2024) and No. 248 (2025) to No. 207 in 2026 — the program's highest NET position on record. Tennessee State's best RPI finish came in 1993 (No. 98), with ties for second-best in 2012 and 2018 (No. 112). The Tigers also posted RPIs of 138 (1994) and 156 (1995) during their mid-1990s OVC championship run.
