By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team wraps up its non-conference slate Tuesday evening, squaring off with long-time and former Ohio Valley Conference rival Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, Ky.
Tip is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT at E.A. Diddle Arena. Coverage will be provided on ESPNU and the Watch ESPN.
Tennessee Tech (0-8) at Western Kentucky (6-2)
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020
6:00 p.m. CT
E.A. Diddle Arena – Bowling Green, Ky.
The Broadcasts
TV: ESPNU (Jordan Bernfield & David Padgett)
Radio: None
Webcast: Watch ESPN (Jordan Bernfield & David Padgett)
Game Notes
Tennessee Tech
Western Kentucky
SERIES/OPPONENT NOTES
Tuesday marks the 101st meeting all-time between Tech and Western Kentucky, with the Hilltoppers owning an 80-20 lead in the series.
In Bowling Green, the Hilltoppers hold a 42-6 advantage, including wins in each of the last eight match-ups in E.A. Diddle Arena.
Tech's last victory in Bowling Green, an 88-81 decision, came back on Jan. 8, 1977. John Adams and Bobby Porter shared the team leads in scoring for the Golden Eagles, each producing 18 points. Butch Blalock also scored in double figures, adding 15 points to the mix.
Before last year's tilt, these two former OVC rivals had not met since 2002, a Dec. 30 match-up in Manoa, Hawaii at the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic. Western Kentucky took the victory in the contest, 74-51.
Prior to that contest, it had been 10 years since they had faced off. That Dec. 5 game in 1992 also represents Tech's last victory in the series, a 99-92 W in the Eblen Center.
A founding member of the OVC in 1948, Western Kentucky won the second-most titles in league history, a staggering 19, before departing after the 1981-82 campaign.
Tech claimed victory in the two teams' final showdown with WKU in the OVC, a 70-64 triumph in overtime by the Golden Eagles in Cookeville on Feb. 11, 1982.
Hall of Fame Coach John Oldham, who passed away in November at the age of 97, shared history with both programs, beginning with the Hilltoppers. The man whose name dons the court in Bowling Green was an All-American player for WKU in 1949, playing from 1942-43 and then 1946-49 (following World War II.
He began his NCAA coaching career with the Golden Eagles in 1955, going on to lead Tech to three OVC titles through 1964. In nine seasons, Oldham led the purple and gold to a 118-83 record and the only two NCAA Tournament berths in program history, the most recent in 1962-63.
Following the 1963-64 campaign, he returned to his alma mater as the head man, coaching seven seasons (1964-71) to the tune of a 142-40 record, five postseason trips, four conference crowns a Sweet 16 berth and a trip to the 1971 Final Four.
He served as the schools athletic director from 1971-86, helping conceptualize the Red Towel logo.
Tennessee Tech's first-ever televised basketball game came against Western Kentucky back on Jan. 13, 1953, a decisive 99-61 victory for the Hilltoppers.
QUICK HITTERS
Representing one of 14 known Golden Eagles to call Knoxville his hometown in program history, CJ Gettelfinger became the first Tech player from Knoxville ever to score against the Vols on their home floor with a mid-range jumper in the first half of the Golden Eagles' loss on Friday.
Ricky Norris (1994-95) and Jimmy Elliott (1982-85) represented the only known Tech Knoxvillians to ever face the Vols in their careers prior to Gettelfinger playing on Friday.
Norris was the only member of the purple and gold to see the floor against the Vols in Knoxville, playing the final two minutes of the Nov. 27, 1994 match-up. Elliott scored two points in the Tech loss to Tennessee in Cookeville on Mar. 14, 1985.
In Tech's close loss to Jacksonville State, Jr. Clay turned in his first career double-double and second-straight 20-point outing. He dished out a career-high 10 assists to go along with his 20 points.
Damaria Franklin scored a team-high 21 points, producing the most points by a Tech player in his debut with the team since Ty Allen posted 25 at USF on Nov. 9, 2013. Franklin missed the first five games of the season due to COVID protocols.
Through six games, Tech already has more double-doubles (three) as it did all of last season (two).
Tech was predicted to finish 9th overall in the 2020-21 OVC race in voting by the league's head coaches and SIDs. The Golden Eagles were selected to finish 8th in the OVC media poll.
Last season, Jr. Clay and Keishawn Davidson became the first pair of Tech teammates to each total at least 100 assists in the same season since 2001-02. That year, Cameron Crisp dished out 122 dimes while DeAntoine Beasley doled out 104 assists.
With an 83-70 win over Martin Methodist on November 9, 2019, Tech head coach John Pelphrey earned his first victory as the leader of the Golden Eagle program.
Pelphrey, who was named the 13th head coach in Golden Eagle history in April, also earned career win No. 150 on the night, the same day the Tech football team earned its 150th victory in Tucker Stadium on the day they celebrated the 150th anniversary of college football.
Both Davidson and Sylla were honored by the OVC on Nov. 11, picking up two of the league's first three weekly honors of the 2019-20 campaign. Davidson was named OVC Freshman of the Week while Sylla was recognized as the OVC Newcomer of the Week.
It marked the first time since 2015-16 that Tech claimed two of the OVC's three weekly accolades. The last time it occurred was Feb. 1, 2016 when Torrance Rowe won OVC Player of the Week and both Ryan Martin and Hakeem Rogers shared OVC Newcomer of the Week honors.
TOP IN THEIR STATES
Three of Tech's players for the 2020-21 season boast a particularly impressive feat as part of their respective resumes, all finishing as finalists for the Mr. Basketball Award for their state during their high school careers.
Junior guard Jr. Clay was a two-time finalist at the TSSAA Division II Class AA level while at The McCallie School in Chattanooga, earning the honor in 2017 and again in 2018.
Transfer sophomore guard CJ Gettelfinger was one of three finalists at the TSSAA Division II Class A level in 2018 while competing for Grace Christian Academy in Knoxville.
Freshman forward Kenny White Jr. was named a finalist for Kentucky's Mr. Basketball Award in 2020 while starring for Madisonville-North Hopkins High School in Madisonville, Ky.
Head coach John Pelphrey, a University of Kentucky Hall of Famer, was a Mr. Basketball Award winner during his high school days, claiming the honor for Paintsville High School in 1987.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
The 2020-21 Tech roster features 15 players (13 scholarship student-athletes) representing six states and three countries.
Six Golden Eagle players hail from the state Tennessee, while Arkansas and Illinois each boast two Tech players. Alabama, California and Kentucky are represented by one Tech player each.
Two international players round out the roster, including one Golden Eagle from Canada and another from Mali.
Tech has one graduate student, one senior, five juniors, four sophomores and four true freshmen.
Nine Golden Eagles stand 6-foot-5 or taller while the other six measure in at 6-foot-4 or shorter.
Nine members are new to the Tech squad for 2020-21, including Damaria Franklin, CJ Gettelfinger, Shandon Goldman, Austin Harvell, Marcus Hopkins, Taelon Peter, Jalen Stayton, Jamaal Thompson and Kenny White Jr.
Photo by JSU Athletics