Coach Brian Collins’ Tennessee State men’s basketball team concluded the regular season with a 17-14 overall record and a 10-8 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference, which lands them as the fifth seed heading into the conference tournament.
The Tigers, who possess the fourth-ranked offense (73 points per game) and the fifth-best defense (71.5 points allowed) in the OVC tournament, will face Southern Indiana (8-25, 5-13) in a first-round matchup on Wednesday.
Tennessee State enters the tournament losers of their last two regular-season games, an 85-60 loss to Little Rock and a 96-87 defeat to UT Martin. The setbacks proved costly as they were denied an opportunity for a first-round bye.
The first-round matchup will mark the fifth meeting between the Tigers and the Screaming Eagles. The schools have split four regular season matchups, with Tennessee State claiming the last meeting, 79-74.
The bench led the way in the victory, scoring 50 points, with reserves EJ Berlinger and Jaylen Jones combining for 37 points.
