By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Continuing its four-game road swing following a tough loss in Tuscaloosa, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team will hit the hardwood again Monday evening, poised to collect its first road win of the season against North Florida.
The Golden Eagles and Ospreys will match-up in a 6 p.m. CT tilt in Jacksonville, Fla., the first contest ever between the two programs.
This marks the fourth and final contest for Tech this year against a first-time opponent. The Golden Eagles earned victories against Piedmont International and Southeastern Louisiana and took the loss at USC in their other first-time match-ups. UNF is also Tech's second non-conference opponent this season that the two will play a home-and-home series this season. UNF will return the trip to Cookeville on Monday, Dec. 29.
After starting the season 1-3, the Ospreys have fired off a five-game win streak, including an impressive, upset victory on the road against Purdue in their last contest. UNF sits at 6-3 on the year, including a 2-0 mark at home.
As for the Golden Eagles, the team enters with a 5-4 record, coming off a 12-point loss at Alabama that was much closer than the final score indicates. Tech is 0-4 on the road this season, having dropped close contests to USC, Tulane and the Crimson Tide.
Tennessee Tech (5-4) at North Florida (6-3)
Monday, Dec. 15, 2014
6:00 p.m. CT
UNF Arena (5,800) – Jacksonville, Fla.
The Broadcasts
TV: none
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Dylan Vazzano)
Webcast: Atlantic Sun All Access
SETTING THE STAGE
For the second straight game, the Golden Eagles will take on a conference's leading scorer, this time facing UNF's Dallas Moore who comes into the contest averaging 16.2 points per game. Moore is an efficient scorer, hitting on 50 percent of his 3-point attempts (also leads the Atlantic Sun) while shooting 56 percent from the field and 76.5 percent from the charity stripe. The guard adds 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as well.
North Florida's other double-digit scorer does things a little differently. Forward Chris Davenport takes high-percentage shots, making 60.3 percent of his attempts from the field to average 10.7 points per contest. He also leads the team with 5.6 rebounds per game.
Guard Jalen Nesbitt and forward Beau Beech also tally over nine points per game, averaging 9.7 and 9.3 per game, respectively. Nesbitt leads the team in minutes played with 30.7, assists with 31 on the year and steals with 10. He also averaged 5.2 boards per game. Beech shoots well from beyond the arc, connecting on 40 percent of his attempts while pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game.
Not necessarily know for its offense, North Florida makes its living on the defensive side of the ball, much like the Golden Eagles. The Ospreys allow just 64.9 points per game, holding opponents to a shooting percentage of 42.2 percent and forcing over 12 turnovers per game.
UNF has allowed 70 points or more just twice this season; 81 in the season-opening loss at South Carolina and 70 in its most recent game, the three-point victory over Purdue.
The Golden Eagles enter play with a very similar style of play, holding its opponents to 64.3 points per game and forcing over 16 turnovers per contest. The Golden Eagles allow their opponents to shoot just 41.5 percent from the floor and have out-rebounded them by more than six boards per game.
Tech also enters UNF arena after holding the SEC's leading scorer, Levi Randolph, to just 10 points, over eight below his season average. TTU kept Alabama under 70 points for the first time all season.
Leading Tech this season continues to be junior Charles Jackson. The big man leads the team in points (14.0 per game), rebounds (10.0 per game), field goal percentage (.593) and blocks (1.2 per game). Jackson has tallied eight double-doubles on the year, tied for the national lead with Stony Brook's Jameel Warney. He leads the OVC in rebounding, both offensive and defensive.
Joining his frontcourt mate at the top of the Golden Eagle scoring list is fellow big man Dwan Caldwell. The senior is averaging 13.6 points per game while adding five rebounds per contest, making himself and Jackson the OVC's top-scoring and top-rebounding frontcourt duo. Caldwell shoots over 75 percent fromthe charity stripe and has tallied over half of his rebounds on the offensive glass.
Also pouring in over nine points per game for Tech are junior guards Torrance Rowe and Josiah Moore. Rowe averages 9.2 points per game while Moore puts up 9.1 per contest. Moore also has rebounded well, pulling down 3.9 boards per game this season.
Photo by TTU Photo Services
