By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Viva Las Vegas! The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team is ready to kick off postseason play, heading west for the inaugural Vegas 16 Tournament and a 2 p.m. CT match-up with Old Dominion on Monday, March 28.
The Golden Eagles will compete in postseason play for the seventh time in program history and the first since the 2011-12 campaign, the team's first season under the direction of Coach Payne. Tennessee Tech appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1958 and 1963, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1985 and 2002, and the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) in 2011 and 2012.
The Vegas 16 is a single-elimination, eight-team postseason basketball tournament, beginning with the quarterfinals on Monday, Mar. 28. The semifinals are slated for Tuesday, Mar. 29 with the title game scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 30. Every game of the tournament will be televised live on CBS Sports Network. Fans can also listen to Tech's OVC Tournament action all week live on 106.1 The Eagle with Dylan Vazzano on the call.
Included in the Vegas 16 field are six 20-plus win programs as well as the nation's top-scoring offense. The winner of the TTU-Old Dominion match-up would play the victor of the Northern Illinois-UC Santa Barbara tilt. The remaining four teams in the tournament field are Oakland, Towson, Louisiana Tech and East Tennessee State.
Tickets for the Vegas 16 are available now via Vegas16.com and the Mandalay Bay Events Center box office. Tickets are priced at $100, $50, $30, $22.50 and $15 per session, all-session ticket books are also available via Vegas16.com. Hotel packages for the tournament are also available via Vegas16.com.
Tennessee Tech (19-11, 11-5) vs. Old Dominion (22-13, 12-6)
Monday, Mar. 28, 2016
2:00 p.m. CT
Mandalay Bay Events Center (12,000) – Las Vegas, Nev.
The Broadcasts
TV: CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan & Courtney Alexander)
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Dylan Vazzano)
Webcast: None
ABOUT OLD DOMINION
Old Dominion is in its third season under the direction of head coach Jeff Jones.
The Monarchs are currently 22-13 overall and finished 12-6 in Conference USA play. ODU finished tied for third in the regular season and lost to eventual CUSA tournament champion and NCAA tournament Cinderella Middle Tennessee in the semifinals of the conference tournament, 55-53.
In 2015-16, Old Dominion is 12-4 at home, 7-6 on the road and 3-3 in neutral sites.
Last season, the Moncarchs compiled a 27-8 overall record and 13-5 mark in Conference USA, finishing tied for second in the regular season standings. They also made it to the semifinals of the NIT before falling to Stanford, 67-60.
This marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
ODU has a plethora of postseason success, playing well into March in 10 of the past 11 seasons. Over that span, the Monarchs are 16-9 in postseason play, including a 2008-09 CIT title, semifinal appearances in the NIT in 2006-07 and 20014-15, a semfinal appearance in the CBI in 2013-14 and four NCAA tournament appearances, including a spot in the second round in 2009-10 after defeating No. 6 seeded Notre Dame in the first round.
Trey Freeman makes the Monarchs go offensively, averaging a Conference USA-best 22.2 points per game this season. He also averages 4.1 rebounds and over three assists per game while shooting over 80 percent from the charity stripe.
Brandan Stith leads Old Dominion on the glass, averaging 9.7 rebounds per game while adding 10.6 points on the scoreboard. Aaron Bacote also throws in double figure points, averaging 12.7 points per game.
OVC TOURNAMENT RECAP
The Golden Eagles were a first-round out in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, falling to Cinderella and eventual champion Austin Peay by a final score of 92-72.
Tech struggled to contain eventual Tournament MVP Chris Horton in the contest, as the senior big man finished with 37 points and 21 rebounds while attempting 18 free throws in 37 minutes of action.
The Golden Eagles also endured their worst shooting performance of the season from beyond the arc, making just five of their 29 attempts from downtown.
Austin Peay shot 54.2 percent to the field while holding Tech to just 38.7 percent from the floor. The Govs also out-rebounded the Golden Eagles 45-32.
After dropping a career-high 30 points with seven 3-pointers in the team's regular-season finale, sophomore Aleksa Jugovic couldn't keep the rhythm rolling, going 0-for-10 from the field and 0-for-7 from beyond the arc against APSU. He finished with three points, but did manage to tie his career-high with three steals and also dished out three dimes with no turnovers.
Senior Torrance Rowe led Tech in scoring, pouring in 18 points despite hitting just 1-of-10 attempts from deep. He also doled out six assists.
Ryan Martin scored 17 points and hauled in seven boards while Anthony Morse led Tech with eight rebounds on top of his eight points.
ON A ROWE
One of the league's best free throw shooters, Torrance Rowe set a program record for highest free throw percentage in a game, sinking all 15 of his attempts at the line at Murray State. The previous record belonged to Jud Dillard who went 14-for-14 against Jacksonville State during the 2012-13 season.
The senior turned in one of the best passing performances in program history against Southeast Missouri, dishing out 12 assists with zero turnovers. Only Maurice Houston posted more with zero turnovers, recording 15 dimes against Morehead State in March of 1993.
At Belmont, Rowe sank the second-most 3-pointers in a single game in Tech history, hitting 7-of-15 attempted triples on his way to 27 points.
After dishing out six more assists against Austin Peay, the point guard now has 214 in his brief career, moving him into sole possession of 23rd place all-time in program history. He needs 12 more to pass Leigh Gayden for 22nd place.
This season, Rowe leads Tech in scoring with 18.1 points per game, good enough to rank second in the OVC, and with 4.5 assists per game, also ranking fourth in the league. In OVC play, he led the league in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game.
T-Rowe owns an 87.0 percent shooting touch from the charity stripe, ranking second in the league, and has dished out 135 assists while averaging 35.6 minutes.
GIVE ME SOME SUGAR
Off to a strong start in his sophomore campaign, Aleksa Jugovic ranks as the third highest scorer on the Golden Eagle roster.
The native of Serbia owns eight 20-point outings to his credit this season, including his career-high 30 coming against EKU. Jugovic drained seven triples for the second time this season, including a stunning 6-for-7 showing in the second half.
Against Southeast Missouri, he dropped 27 points while shooting 9-of-13 from the field and 7-of-11 from deep.
He ranks fourth in the OVC in 3-point shooting at 42.4 percent, owning more makes and attempts than the players ranked ahead of him. In league play alone, he led the OVC in 3-point accuracy, sinking 50.0 percent of his 94 attempts. He ranks third in the league in free throw shooting at 86.5 percent, a mark that jumped to 88.1 percent in OVC play.
Facing EIU, he dropped 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-8 from deep.
Against SIUE, he dished out a career-high eight assists, just a game after doling out seven dimes against Eastern Illinois.
Jugovic dropped 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting at UT Martin, sinking all six of his first half field goal attempts. He was 5-for-7 from downtown as well.
He took to the mid-range jumper at EKU, sinking 8-of-13, field goals, 2-of-4 3-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws on his way to 24 points, equaling the most consecutive 20-point outings by a Golden Eagles since Jud Dillard posted four straight to end his career during the 2012-13 season.
Fans can follow Jugovic on Twitter under his handle/nickname @SerbianSugar.
Following his junior year of high school, Jugovic starred for the Serbian U-18 national team, starting at point guard at the 2013 FIBA Europe U-18 Championships.
He averaged a team-high 30.2 minutes while recording 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
The sophomore is one of three current Tech players to have earned adidas® OVC Freshman of the Week, having taken home the honor three times in 2014-15.
Jugovic was recruited by assistant coach Frank Davis, Tech's all-time career leader in 3-pointers made (251) and 3-point percentage (.407). Davis believes Jugovic can break both records in his career, and the numbers support that claim so far.
BIG ANT'S BLOCK PARTY
Adept at rejecting shots around the bucket since his arrival in Cookeville in 2012, Anthony Morse has climbed up the all-time list for career blocks (listed right).
After blocking one more shot against Austin Peay, Morse now has 109 in his career and holds sole possession of fourth place all-time in Tech history. He needs seven more blocks to pass Milos Babic for sole possession of third place.
At the conclusion of his career in 1997, only three players (Adonal Foyle, Tim Duncan, and Alonzo Mourning) had more blocks in NCAA history than Tech's all-time leader, the late, great Lorenzo Coleman. With 439 rejections, he still sits 12th all-time.
Facing SIUE, the big man dominated the paint to the tune of a career-high 17 points, chipping in seven rebounds.
He gathered his second double-double with 12 points and 10 boards at APSU.
On the year, Morse ranks second in the OVC with 1.9 blocks per game. He ranks first on the team with a 60.5 field goal percentage and also sits in the top 15 in the OVC in rebounding with 6.0 boards per game.
CAPTAIN COMEBACK
Named one of two team captains following last season, Torrance Rowe has accepted the role again and is leading by example.
For the eighth time in two years, the Golden Eagles completed a comeback of 10 points or more with Rowe making a large impact on the outcome. He has hit the game-winning or tying shot in four of those contests and in five total games.
In a bizarre finish, Tennessee State guard Keron DeShields was fouled from 3-point range with 5.5 seconds to play, sinking all three attempts to tie the game at 79.
Rowe raced down the court, threw up a shot fake and earned his own trip to the line for three attempts, this time with 0.5 seconds left. He sank the first two free throws before missing the final on purpose to give Tech the 13-point rally and victory.
Facing Miami (Ohio) at home, the Rowe led Tech back from a 12-point deficit thanks to five 3-pointers and 23 total points, including 13 in the second half.
After erasing a 16-point deficit that included a 14-point advantage in favor of Lipscomb at the half, the Bisons' Nathan Moran picked Rowe's pocket at half court for a wide-open layup and 78-76 lead with 17 seconds to play.
Rowe answered the bell, however, draining the game-winning 3-pointer with just eight seconds left on the scoreboard, his second game-winning three of his career.
Down by 15 points with just over 10 minutes to play Tech rallied to tie in-state rival East Tennessee State with a little over three minutes left thanks to a 3-pointer by Aleksa Jugovic, assisted by Rowe.
The senior guard then hit the final free throw to give Tech its two-point cushion that would eventually result in the final score of 63-61.
With just five seconds remaining on the clock and Tech trailing Jackson State 71-69, Rowe raced the length of the court just in time to toss in a layup and beat the buzzer to knot things at 71. Tech overcame a 10-point, second-half deficit to defeat the Tigers 86-82 in overtime.
Rowe scored 17 of the team's final 28 points, all coming with less than three minutes to play in the second half.
Familiar with rallying his troops, Rowe showed the ability to put the team on his back last season in a thrilling, comeback victory over Chattanooga.
Trailing by as many as 19 points in the second half, the senior scored a then-career-high 18 points in leading the Golden Eagles to a 69-67 victory.
With the score tied at 65 with 30 seconds remaining, he drilled the game-winning three to cap the remarkable turnaround.
ONE SHOT, ONE OPPORTUNITY
After receiving just one year of eligibility from the NCAA following his transfer from South Plains College, Ryan Martin is out to make the most of his lone season at the Division I level.
The native of London, England was heavily recruited by St. John's University and drew interest from Arizona State, Gonzaga, VCU, Utah State and Louisiana, but the uncertainty of his status with the NCAA cooled most teams away from the big man.
Steve Payne loves Martin's energy level, raving about a motor that never seems to quit. He likes that the Brit plays with emotion and can use it to his advantage.
Against Robert Morris, Martin tied his career-high in points with 20 and added 10 boards. It marked his first double-double.
Against SIUE, Martin dominated inside for a career-high 26 points, going 8-for-13 from the field and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. He added seven rebounds as well.
He tallied his ninth double-double of the season against Morehead State, scoring 12 points while tying his season-high by corralling 14 rebounds.
On the year, Martin is averaging 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds, the best mark on the team and fourth best in the league. He ranks 11th in the OVC in free throw percentage, hitting at a .775 clip.
ROGERS THAT
One of Tech's most valuable scoring options, Hakeem Rogers has made the most of his opportunities coming off the bench this season, averaging 9.9 points and shooting 39.2 percent from 3-point range in just 18.6 minutes per game.
One of four JUCO transfers on the team, Rogers became the first Tech player to hit four triples in his Golden Eagle debut in over 15 years, scoring 18 points.
Rogers owns three 20-point outings this season, including back-to-back 20-point performances during Tech's most crucial two-game swing of the year.
Against Tennessee State, the junior posted a career-high 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including a 4-for-6 showing from beyond the arc.
In Tech's victory over Belmont, Rogers dropped 20 more on the scoreboard, firing at a 7-for-12 rate from the floor. He also recorded a career-high three steals.
ON THE DEFENSIVE
Steve Payne listed Shirmane Thomas as the top defender heading into the 2015-16 Tech squad, citing his physical strength, toughness and willingness to stick his nose in there and get a stop.
The guard has notched 24 steals and eight blocks so far while grabbing 3.6 rebounds per game, including a career-high seven at Iowa and against Tennessee State.
EARNING A SPOT
A walk-on to the Tech roster back during the 2013-14 season, Mason Ramsey has done plenty to earn the respect of his teammates and coaches in his two seasons in the purple and gold.
The local Livingston, Tenn. native was awarded a scholarship by Steve Payne following the 2014-15 season, Ramsey's first year of action on the court in Eblen Center.
After redshirting in 2013-14, Ramsey became the first Tech freshman since 1986-87 to open his career with a double-double, posting 14 points and 14 rebounds.
At Jacksonville State, the sophomore played a career-high 31 minutes, scoring five points and grabbing six rebounds.
GOOD GENES
Courtney Alexander II has one of the best role models in which to model his game after that a freshman collegiate player can have. And he lives in the same house.
His father, Courtney Alexander Sr., was the 13th overall selection by the Orlando Magic in the 2000 NBA Draft.
Courtney Sr. went on to play three seasons in the Association, including stints with Dallas, Washington and New Orleans.
He also led the NCAA in scoring with 24.8 points per game as a senior at Fresno State.
Alexander II notched his first career double-double against Mississippi Valley State, posting career-highs with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He has four games with seven or more boards this season.
SOUTHPAWS
True freshman Courtney Alexander II is changing the hand he shoots with for the second time in his young career. As a prep player, the forward shot primarily with his left hand, making the switch to his right during his senior season. The rookie began the transition back to his left hand for the 2015-16 season in October.
Torrance Rowe also shoots left-handed as did former Golden Eagle and current Graduate Assistant Manager Mitchell Hill.
FAMILIAR ROOTS
By far the youngest player on the roster, Micaiah Henry hardly looks like a typical 18-year-old. At 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, there is plenty to work with in the post for the Tech squad. The youngster will sit out the 2015-16 season as a redshirt.
He also comes from some familiar territory to the Golden Eagle program, hailing from Columbia High School (Ga.).
TTU legend Lorenzo Coleman, Tech's all-time leader in blocked shots also attended Columbia High School. The post also posted the most double-doubles in program history with 40 in four years.
JOINING THE RANKS
Tech added three future members to the program during the early signing period for the 2016-17 signing class.
Joining Tech from York Institute will be Colton Blevins, a 6-foot-8 forward from Jamestown, Tenn. As a junior, he averaged 20.5 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.
Coming from South Doyle High School will be a 6-foot-6 guard from Chattanooga, Tenn., Miles Thomas. He was named D2-AAA Player of the Year after a stellar senior campaign.
Also joining Tech will be Stephaun Adams, a freshman guard from Motlow State C.C. The 6-foot-3 point averaged 10.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.
Photo by Jim Dillon
