By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's in-state rivalry time for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Saturday evening, as the Golden Eagles take on Ohio Valley Conference foe Austin Peay in the Eblen Center in a 7:30 p.m. CST showdown.
Once again, the contest marks an OVC doubleheader for the team as the women's squad will also host the Governors at 5:30 p.m. Fans may purchase their tickets online (TTUsports.com), in person at the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center, or on the telephone (931-372-3940).
Youth basketball players in the region can attend Saturday's doubleheader against the Governors free of charge, as guests of the Tech basketball teams. All youth basketball players will be admitted free if they are wearing their team basketball shirt. This offer is good for Vision Basketball, Upward Basketball, Putnam County Youth Basketball League, as well as any other youth basketball teams in the Upper Cumberland.
Additionally, residents of White County and Cumberland County will be featured with the one dollar admission offer when Tech and Austin Peay tangle.
Both contests represent will be televised locally by WCTE TV in what is the 33rd straight year the station has worked with the Golden Eagles in the Eblen Center. In addition to coverage by WCTE TV, all of Tech's home games will be streamed live on the OVC Digital Network, with production by the Golden Eagle Sports Network.
Tennessee Tech (8-8, 0-3) vs. Austin Peay (5-10, 0-1)
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015
7:30 p.m. CST
Eblen Center (9,250) – Cookeville, Tenn.
The Broadcasts
TV: WCTE (Buddy Pearson & Chase Dunn)
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Roger Ealey)
Webcast: Golden Eagle Sports Network on the OVC Digital Network (Dylan Vazzano)
SETTING THE STAGE
In what marks the longest-running, in-state series for the Tech program, the Golden Eagles and Governors will make its lone, regular season meeting Saturday, the 138th contest between the two schools.
Tech owns the slightest of advantages in the all-time series, winning 69 match-ups as opposed to 68 for APSU. Despite falling in Clarksville last season, the Golden Eagles have enjoyed the majority of the recent success, winning five straight prior to last seasons edition of the rivalry.
Both teams enter the contest in desperate need of a W in the standings, each looking for its first conference victory of the 2014-15 campaign. Austin Peay is just 5-15 on the year, losing its OVC opener Thursday evening at Jacksonville State, 71-59.
The Golden Eagles will also be searching for its first league victory after falling for the first time at home this season on Thursday, losing to a red-hot Murray State squad, 83-67. Tech has seen much larger success this season over the long haul, collecting an 8-8 overall mark with close losses at Tennessee and Tulane and strong performances at USC and Alabama.
The contest represents what will likely be the best frontcourt match-up of the year in the OVC, pitting the top two rebounders against each other in Governor, Chris Horton, and Golden Eagle, Charles Jackson. Each team's top two scorers are members of its starting frontcourt, with each duo ranking in the top two in the league in both scoring and rebounding among starting frontcourts.
For APSU, Horton leads the team in each category, scoring 12.1 points and hauling in 10.1 rebounds per game. His partner in the paint, Chris Freeman, adds 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds to the mix, providing the duo with the OVC's second-best scoring froncourt at 23.6 points per game and the top rebounding duo with 15.2 boards per game.
Jackson, a native of Sacramento, is the top man for the Golden Eagle squad, averaging 13.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Joining him in the lane is Los Angeles native Dwan Caldwell, who puts up 12.8 points and 5.1 boards on the stat sheet. The so-called 'Centers of California' represent the league's top scoring frontcourt, averaging 26.1 points per game, and the second best rebounding duo with 14.7 boards per game.
Photo by Sean Setters
