Men's basketball opens OVC slate at Tennessee Tech Sunday - Jacksonville State University Athletics

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team opens the Ohio Valley Conference portion of its schedule Sunday, Dec. 13 against Tennessee Tech at the Hooper Eblen Center.

It will have been nine days since the Gamecocks played a game when they meet the Golden Eagles in Cookeville, Tenn. JSU was scheduled to play FIU on Dec. 6 in Miami, Fla., but the contest was canceled due to COVID-19 testing protocols and out of an abundance of caution.

The game will broadcast on ESPN+ with Dylan Vazzano (play-by-play) and Michael Cooper (analysis) on the call.

Fans can listen to "The Voice" of the Gamecocks, Mike Parris, on their local Gamecock Radio Network affiliate. In Jacksonville, WLJS can be found at 91.9 FM, 98.1 FM and 102.1 FM, and WVOK in Oxford is located at 97.9 on the FM dial. Fans can also listen to WLJS online and on the TuneIn app. Parris is back behind the mic for his 38th season broadcasting Jacksonville State basketball.

The Gamecocks host the Golden Eagles Wednesday, Dec. 16 at Pete Mathews Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. for Jacksonville State's home opener.

Men's Basketball - Game 6
Jacksonville State (3-2) at Tennessee Tech (0-5)
December 13, 2020 | 4 p.m. CT
Cookeville, Tenn. | Hooper Eblen Center (7,500)

FOLLOW LIVE
Listen: Gamecock Radio Network
Watch: E SPN+
Live Stats: Click Here

GAME NOTES
Jacksonville State Notes
Tennessee Tech Game Notes

Tipoff Tidbits
• JSU's contest at Florida International on Dec. 6 was canceled due to COVID-19 testing protocols and out of an abundance of caution.
• Darian Adams tied his single-game high of 20 points against FIU on Dec. 4 in Miami, Fla.
• JSU claimed its first road win against a Sun Belt opponent Sunday with a 77-73 win over South Alabama. It was just the third meeting between the two programs.
• After leading JSU in scoring at Alabama, junior transfer Demaree King scored a career-high 24 points at South Alabama. The guard had 15 in his Division I debut against the Crimson Tide on Nov. 25.
• JSU has its largest incoming group of Gamecocks for a Harper-led squad and the most since 11 new faces joined the JSU program for the 2011-12 season.
• Head coach Ray Harper owns 83 wins in five seasons at JSU, ranking third in program history in D1 wins behind former head coach James Green (89, eight seasons).

Series History
• Tennessee Tech leads, 19-18
• At Jacksonville State: JSU leads, 10-8
• At Tennessee Tech: TTU leads, 7-11
• Neutral Sites: JSU leads, 1-0
• Series Streak: JSU won one
• Last 10 Meetings: JSU leads, 7-3

A win would…
• Even the all-time series record with the Golden Eagles at 19-19.
• Improve Ray Harper's record as Jacksonville State's head coach to 84-58, 515-185 overall.
• Give the Gamecocks a 4-1 record over TTU over the past three seasons.
• Be Harper's fifth overall win against the Golden Eagles, 44th win in OVC play and 70th win over current OVC member programs.
• Improve JSU's record to 11-7 in OVC openers.

Storylines
• Jacksonville State has opened OVC play against Tennessee Tech more than any other program currently in the league. JSU is 3-1 in OVC openers against the Golden Eagles. Their last OVC-opening matchup came Dec. 29, 2012 in Jacksonville. The Gamecocks won 83-62.
• The Gamecocks fell 75-71 in their last trip to Cookeville. It was the first loss for JSU at The Hoop since Feb. 13, 2016.
• Graduate transfer Darian Adams in coming off his best game in a JSU uniform, tying his single-game high of 20 points Friday, Dec. 4 against FIU. The guard was 7-for-15 and hit four of eight 3-pointers attempted.
• Thanks in large part to senior Darian King and junior Demaree King, the Gamecocks rank 83rd in the nation for 3-point field goals per game at 8.6. JSU has hit 43 3-pointers this season, ranking 49th in the NCAA. King ranks 32nd in the nation with an average of 3.4 treys per contest. Adams is 69th in the NCAA with 12 3-pointers made.
• Through five games, Jacksonville State ranks 41st in the nation for total rebounds, tallying 208 boards. At 41.6 rebounds per game, ranking 57th, Jax State is 104th in the NCAA with 28.2 defensive rebounds per game and 46th for 13.4 offensive rebounds per contest. Kayne Henry is JSU leading rebounder with 27.

About Tennessee Tech
• The Golden Eagles enter the contest looking for their first win of the season, off to an 0-5 start in 2020-21.
• At Western Carolina on Dec. 6, junior guard Jr. Clay collected his 11th career 20-point outing, scoring a game-high 20 points in the overtime loss to the Catamounts.
• Sophomore guards Tujautae Williams (COVID-19 protocols) and CJ Gettelfinger (NCAA waiver) made their season debuts at WCU.
• For the first time in 2020-21, the Golden Eagles are expected to field a full roster of 15 players on Sunday.
• Through five games, TTU already has as many double-doubles (two) as it did all of last season.

For more information on the JSU men's basketball team, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter (@JSUGamecocksMBB) and Instagram (@JSUGamecocksMBB). For more on all Gamecocks sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of JSU Athletics on Twitter (@JSUGamecocks), Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUGamecocks) and Instagram (@JSUGamecocks).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Darian Adams

Kayne Henry

Demaree King

Footer