TSU Takes on Tennessee in Knoxville on SEC Network

TENNESSEE STATE (9-3) at TENNESSEE (6-5)

Tuesday, Dec. 29 | 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT)
Thompson-Boling Arena | Knoxville, Tenn. 

GAME NOTES: TENNESSEE STATE | TENNESSEE
TV: SEC Network - Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Chris Spatola (color) on the call
RADIO: 102.1 FM The Light - Albert Dawson (play-by-play) and Mark Pittman (color) on the call
LIVE STATS: Statbroadcast.com
SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter - @TSU_Tigers | Instagram -@TSUTigers | #BigBlueRising

OPENING TIP: The Tennessee State men’s basketball team concludes non-conference action with a Dec. 29 game at Tennessee in Knoxville. Tuesday marks the sixth-ever meeting between TSU and Tennessee with the Tigers looking for their first win in the series.

LAST TIME OUT: Completing a stretch with five games in 11 days, TSU suffered a 66-55 road defeat at Illinois State on Dec. 22 at Redbird Arena. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Tigers. Keron DeShields (Baltimore, Md.) scored a game-high 16 points, while Christian Griggs-Williams (Milwaukee, Wisc.) added a career-best 12 points to go with six rebounds for the Tigers. TSU could not overcome a strong shooting effort by Illinois State (6-7), which finished 22-for-47 (46.8 percent) from the field and made nine three-pointers.

ABOUT TENNESSEE: Rick Barnes, the all-time winningest coach in University of Texas history, is now in his first season with the Volunteers in Knoxville. Tennessee, holding a 6-5 record, has faced a number of challenging tests so far this season including games versus Georgia Tech, George Washington, Nebraska, Butler and Gonzaga, among others. Senior Kevin Punter leads Tennessee with 22.1 points and 3.8 assists per game. Three other UT players are averaging double-figures including Armani Moore (15.6 ppg), Robert Hubbs III (13.4 ppg) and Devon Baulkman (11.0 ppg). Tennessee is 6-0 so far at home this season.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. TENNESSEE: TSU has gone 0-5 versus Tennessee in the all-time series, which dates back to Nov. 23, 1990. All of the meetings between the two sides have been in Knoxville.

TSU VERSUS THE SEC: Tennessee State’s all-time record versus teams currently in the SEC is 1-32.  Included in the record is a loss to South Carolina when they were a member of the Metro Conference and a loss to Missouri as a member of the Big 12. TSU’s lone win versus an SEC opponent came on Nov. 20, 2011 in a 64-63 victory at South Carolina.

UP NEXT: The Tigers jump into Ohio Valley Conference play with a Jan. 2 matchup at Southeast Missouri.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION