COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - With an impressive 3-0 start to the 2012-13
season, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team will look to begin
the campaign 4-0 for the first time since 1996-97. The Golden
Eagles will face off against a feisty Evansville team that nearly
beat Tech last season before falling 72-70 at home.
Tennessee Tech (3-0, 0-0)
vs.
Evansville (2-2, 0-0)
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2012 / 7:30 p.m. CST
Eblen Center - Cookeville, Tenn.
The Broadcasts
TV: none
Radio: Fox Sports Radio, 106.1 The Eagle (Roger
Ealey)
Webcast:
OVC Digital Network (Brandon Goodwin)
Setting the Stage
The Golden Eagles take on the Purple Aces in what is expected to
be a hard-fought battle. Evansville owns the all-time series leads
against Tech, 9-4, despite losing last season's match-up in
Evansville, Ind., 72-70.
Evansville sits at an even 2-2 on the year, having won its last
two games against Yale and Western Illinois. The team lost its
first two games, a six-point squeaker to Buffalo, and an impressive
nine-point loss in South Bend, Ind. to Notre Dame.
The Purple Aces boast one of the nation's best shooters in senior
guard Colt Ryan. Ryan was recently rated as the 24th best shooter
in Division I basketball by CBS sports. The Evansville defense will
look to stifle the lighting fast Golden Eagle attack with another
solid performance. The Purple Aces' 'D' has not allowed an opponent
to score more than 58 points yet this season and their opponents
are averaging just 53.5 points per game. The team is also forcing
16.5 turnovers per contest on its opponents, including 34 during
its current two-game winning streak.
Evansville will certainly have its hands full on Tuesday trying to
keep Tech senior guard Jud Dillard off the
scoreboard. The Atlanta, Ga. native currently ranks second in the
nation in scoring with 28.0 points per game and has added an
impressive 10.3 rebounds per game to average a double-double for
the season. He already has established a new career-high in points
this season, lighting up Coastal Carolina for 34 in a 71-69
win.
Dillard leads the Ohio Valley Conference in both scoring and
rebounding. He is also averaging over 30 minutes per contest and
shooting a blazing 61.4% from the field. Dillard sits second on the
team with 3.7 assists per game and leads the team with an
impressive 5.5 assists to turnover ratio.
Dennis Ogbe will look to build off his season-best 11-point
performance against ETSU on Saturday. The German-born starter shot
an incredible 100% from the field against the Buccaneers, a
career-best mark. He also added 28 solid minutes in the paint for
the Golden Eagles, grabbing three rebounds in the contest.
Sophomore guard/forward Javon McKay and
junior forward Matt Marseille
both came up big on the glass for Tech in its last outing,
recording six boards each. The Golden Eagles will look for both
players to continue their strong rebounding efforts and add some
scoring when it counts.
Tickets are on sale at the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center or by calling (931) 372-3940.