COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Wednesday evening will mark the first ever meeting between the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team and the Cougars of SIU Edwardsville. The Cougars will travel to Cookeville for the second game of a double-header event with tipoff at 6 p.m. The Tech women host MTSU in the nightcap at 8 p.m.
Moving up from DII, the Cougars became the newest member of the OVC effective this year, but will only compete as a conference participant in softball this year. They will be considered a conference opponent in all sports beginning in the fall of 2011.
The Cougars come to Cookeville with three straight losses, two on the road to the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Iowa, and one at Vadalabene Center against Morehead State. The loss to Iowa was particularly hard felt, as the Hawkeyes hung a 61-point margin of victory on the Cougars. SIUE currently maintains a record of 1-6.
Tennessee Tech has only played three games thus far this season, due to a cancellation of their match-up against Appalachian State last Tuesday. Yet those three games have provided invaluable experiences, as they've faced off against two 2009-10 NCAA tournament participants in East Tennessee State and Michigan State, and one top ranked ACC contender in North Carolina State. The Golden Eagles, with a record of 0-3, will be looking to rebound from their most recent loss to Michigan State, 73-55, this past Sunday in East Lansing.
"These past three games were stepping stones for us," said Tech head coach Mike Sutton. "We play a rugged non-conference schedule to get us ready for the OVC. The loss to Michigan taught us a lot about improvements that we need to make on offense, as far as our shooting and ball handling is concerned. Learning to be better is the most important part of those games.
"I know the guys are excited to play on their home court," said Tech head coach Mike Sutton. "They were ready to go up against Appalachian State last week and were disappointed by the situation. We've been on the road the past three weekends and it's time for us to get on our own floor and show our fans our talent."
For tickets, visit the Athletic Ticket Office in Eblen Center or call (931) 372-3940. Golden Eagle fans who can't make it to Eblen Center Wednesday night can follow the action on Live Stats here, or listen as Roger Ealey calls the action on the Golden Eagle Sports Network. The game can also be heard on Free Teamline on the Internet or telephone.
/BoydenNamed_515.jpg?max_width=280&max_height=160&crop=true)
