By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team hits the road for one of its stiffest tests of the entire 2019-20 campaign, a visit to Greensboro, N.C. for the Spartan Invitational beginning Friday, Nov. 15.
The Golden Eagles will play three games in three days at the tournament hosted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, beginning with a 6:00 p.m. CT tilt Friday evening against the hosting Spartans.
Game two of the event will feature a Saturday showdown at 2:30 p.m. against Appalachian State while the final contest of the weekend pits the Golden Eagles against Montana State in an 11:00 a.m. affair on Sunday morning.
Tennessee Tech (1-2) at UNCG (2-1)
Friday, Nov. 15, 2019
6:00 p.m. CT
Fleming Gymnasium (1,800) – Greensboro, N.C.
The Broadcasts
TV: None
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Dylan Vazzano)
Webcast: ESPN3
Tennessee Tech (1-2) vs. Appalachian State (2-1)
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019
2:30 p.m. CT
Fleming Gymnasium (1,800) – Greensboro, N.C.
The Broadcasts
TV: None
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Dylan Vazzano)
Webcast: None
Tennessee Tech (1-2) vs. Montana State (1-1)
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019
11:00 a.m. CT
Fleming Gymnasium (1,800) – Greensboro, N.C.
The Broadcasts
TV: None
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Dylan Vazzano)
Webcast: None
Tech enters the weekend's tournament off the heels of a thrilling, overtime contest against Wright State Tuesday evening, an eventual 85-80 loss to the Horizon League favorites in the Hooper Eblen Center. The match-up featured a whopping 19 lead changes and no leads above eight points.
In the contest, four Golden Eagles touched double figures in scoring with two more chipping in eight points. Senior Darius Allen led the way with 18 in the scoring column, a career-high for the Baylor transfer. Freshman Keishawn Davidson, fresh off his first career Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week honor, contributed 14 points and seven rebounds while playing 43 minutes in the contest.
Sophomore Jr. Clay posted 12 points while fellow sophomore Hunter Vick notched 10. Coming off his first career OVC Newcomer of the Week award, sophomore forward Amadou Sylla led Tech with nine rebounds while scoring eight points. Redshirt freshman center Reece Wilkinson also touched eight points in just over 12 minutes of action off the bench.
UNCG entered the 2019-20 campaign fresh off its winningest season in program history, a 2018-19 run that saw the Spartans concluded the year with a 29-7 record and the No. 1-overall seed in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The team returned three of its five starters from last year's squad.
This season, UNCG is off to a 2-1 start, with victories over North Carolina A&T and Averett University sandwiching a close loss at No. 3-ranked Kansas. The Spartans have been paced by sophomore guard Kaleb Hunter this season, who is averaging a team-high 19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting over 70 percent from the floor. Isaiah Miller (13.3) and Michael Hueitt Jr. (10.0) also average double figures in scoring.
App State named Dustin Kerns its new lead man in the spring after guiding Presbyterian to its best season as a Division I program, sporting a 20-16 record and appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Kerns led Presbyterian to an 80-65 victory over the Golden Eagles a season ago in the Eblen Center.
This season, the Mountaineers have accumulated a 2-1 mark with back-to-back home wins over Ferrum University and East Carolina. The team's one loss came by just eight points at Michigan in the season opener. Justin Forrest paces App State in scoring, averaging 22 points per game. Adrian Delph (10.3) and Isaac Johnson (10.0) also contribute 10+ points to the mix, with Johnson also leading the team with 7.7 boards per contest.
Montana State also made a change at the top of their program, selecting former Bobcat great Danny Sprinkle to direct its team. Sprinkle served on staff at Cal State Fullerton last season, a squad that fell in the Big West Tournament title game and earned a CIT berth with 16 wins.
Sitting at 1-1 on the year, Montana State is enters the tournament following a home victory over Rocky Mountain College. The Bobcats fell in the season opener at Utah State. Harald Frey has been the leader on offense for the squad, averaging 23 points per game. Jubrile Belo adds 14 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game while Mychael Paulo also averages double figures with 13 points per game.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now. Call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office, or log on to TTUSports.com to order yours today.
Photo by Thomas Corhern