Preview
The Tennessee State Tigers and Morehead State Eagles men’s basketball will meet Saturday night with the Ohio Valley Conference championship and an NCAA Tournament berth on the line.
The teams split their regular season meetings.
Tennessee State won the first matchup 105-100 in overtime on January 15, in Nashville, while Morehead State responded with a 94-86 victory at home on February 14.
The matchup features one of the conference’s most dynamic guards in Aaron Nkrumah against a Morehead State team known for physical play and rebounding dominance.
Keys to watch:
Perimeter defense
Tennessee State’s ability to pressure the ball and generate turnovers was crucial in the semifinal win over UT Martin. The Tigers forced 14 Skyhawks turnovers which turned into 12 points. That defensive intensity will need to carry over.
Tempo
The Tigers prefer a faster offensive pace, being at their best when they get can put in transition for easy baskets. Morehead State has shown comfort in higher-scoring matchups, as they average 75.5 points per contest, the third highest mark in the OVC.
Star power
If Nkrumah continues his strong play, Tennessee State could be difficult to contain. The recently crowned Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, is tied for the conference scoring lead with his 17.7 points per game , while his 2.9 steals per contest paces the league. Fellow All-OVC performer Travis Harper II is second on the team and the OVC in scoring , averaging 17.3 points per contests. Harper II leads the OVC in free throw percentage, knocking down 85.8% from the charity stripe and is third in the conference, connecting on 2.5 three pointers per game. Dante Harris adds 11.5 points and his 4.5 assists per contests leads the team and is also second in the OVC.
