The Tennessee State men’s basketball team not only won the Ohio Valley Conference championship but set records while doing it.
Thanks to a blistering 16 of 26 showing from three-point range, the Tigers never trailed in dominating Morehead State 93-67 Saturday night, winning the OVC tournament and earning a spot in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994.
The Tigers’ 93 points set an OVC championship game record, and the 26-point margin of victory is also a record.
TSU was on the wrong end of the old record, losing by 23 to Murray State in the 1998 championship game.
The win caps a great first year for TSU head coach Nolan Smith, who talked of building something special in Nashville with “The MEAC & More” this week.
Tennessee State (23-9) never trailed as they made 12 of 15 three-point attempts in the first half. Travis Harper was the lead bomber, going a perfect 5-for-5 from downtown in the first half.
With this 3️⃣ @_deuce02 is now 4-of-4 and TSU has hit 11 three-pointers in the first half. In the win at the Gentry over Morehead, the Tigers hit 11 triples.
Oh and he hit another as this tweet is being typed out…
Work quicker admin‼️ pic.twitter.com/0oEW9xxY2e
— Tennessee State Men’s Basketball (@TSUTigersMBB) March 8, 2026
The closest the Eagles got in the second half was 12 (68-56), but Tennessee State pulled away behind forwards Antoine Lorick III (18 points) and Carlous Williams (16 points).
When OVC player of the year Aaron Nkrumah lobbed to Lorick for a jam with just under three minutes to go, it made the score 85-63 Tennessee State and the celebration began.
Antoine Lorick III seal it with a 💋 pic.twitter.com/4oHGWNAWNS
— Tennessee State Men’s Basketball (@TSUTigersMBB) March 8, 2026
Nkrumah scored 14 points and handed out six assists, while point guard Dante Harris recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
