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Austin Peay State University Men’s Basketball heads to Nashville to take on Tennessee State

Austin Peay (5-3 | 1-1 OVC) at Tennessee State (1-4 | 0-2 OVC)

Wednesday, December 30th, 2020 | 8:00pm CT
Nashville, TN | Gentry Center

APSU Men's BasketballClarksville, TN – After two meetings against Murray State–one a dispiriting loss, one an uplifting victory, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball team will look to maintain the momentum from last week’s win in their first meeting with Tennessee State to close out the calendar year 2020.

Austin Peay State University Governors Basketball takes to the road Wednesday to face Tennessee State Tigers. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay State University Governors Basketball takes to the road Wednesday to face Tennessee State Tigers. (APSU Sports Information)

The game is set for Wednesday, December 20th, 2020 at the Gentry Center.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00pm.

The Govs have lost three in a row on the road in Ohio Valley Conference play; Austin Peay has not had a four-game slide in league road games since a seven-game skid spanning the late part of 2015 and early 2016. The Tigers, meanwhile, are still searching for their first win against a Division I opponent this season.

This contest begins a journey for the Govs in the early part of the league schedule that will take Austin Peay State University away from home for five of their next six games; after returning home to host Eastern Kentucky, Saturday, the Govs will travel to SIU Edwardsville, Eastern Illinois, UT Martin, and Southeast Missouri over the next two weeks.

About the Tennessee State Tigers

Without Carlos Marshall Jr., the Tigers have relied heavily on sophomore Mark Freeman, and the 5-10 guard is putting up very good numbers–17.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and a tidy 43.8 mark from the floor.

The key for Tiger head coach Brian Collins is finding a consistent second option until Marshall returns–as the Governors have learned during Jordyn Adams’ absence, a reliable second playmaker can take a lot of focus off the primary guy and while Austin Peay State University has gotten consistent contributions from Reginald Gee, no Tiger has been able to showcase the same night-in, night-out consistency.

It can’t have helped the Tigers that their season got off to such an uneven start–Tennessee State’s first two games were canceled and its third moved back two weeks, so the Tigers didn’t even open play until December 8th against Belmont; by that time, the Govs had already gotten four games in to open play.

Tennessee State’s 1-4 record cannot be considered an indication of who they are as a team; opening the season with your crosstown rival, in a league game, is a recipe for disaster, and aside from two losses to one of the league’s heavy hitters, the Tigers played IUPUI and Chattanooga to one possession in both meetings.

While the overall shooting has seen an uptick over the course of its still-young season, Tennessee State’s miseries beyond the arc have remained; the Tigers are last in the league from beyond the arc at 23.2 percent and have failed to hit 30 percent from three in all four losses.

 

Last Time Austin Peay Faced Tennessee State

Last season, the Tigers handed the Governors their first league loss in a 70-68 defeat at the Gentry Center, February 6th, 2020. The Govs trailed early and heavily before Terry Taylor–who scored 19 of his 23 points in the first half–took over to give the Govs a lift.

Taylor was held to four points in the second half, but Jordyn Adams scored all 12 of his points after halftime and foul trouble helped the APSU Govs make it a one-possession game for much of the remainder. However, Austin Peay State University failed to hit a shot from the floor over the final 6:12 and a Taylor halfcourt heave fell to the wayside as time expired.

Keep An Eye On

A win would be Austin Peay State University’s first win in the Music City against any opponent since the 2016 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship victory against UT Martin.

A loss would give the Govs multiple league losses before the New Year for the first time since 2011.

The Govs have outscored their opponent in second-chance points in seven of eight games this season, including all five victories.

A win would be Austin Peay State University’s first win in the Gentry Center since February 6th, 2014.

Freshman Tai’Reon Joseph is averaging 11.8 points over the last four games, knocking down 2.8 threes per night.

A win would give the APSU Govs at least six victories before the New Year for the fourth consecutive season.

Milestone Watch—Career: Terry Taylor needs nine points to become the second Gov with 2,100 or more career points. He also needs 11 shot attempts to become the sixth APSU Gov with 1,500 or more career field goals attempted.

Milestone Watch—OVC: With 12 rebounds, Terry Taylor would tie Warren Kidd (Middle Tennessee, 1990-93) and Norman Pokley (Morehead State, 1960-63) for 12th all-time in league history with 1,046 career rebounds.

APSU Govs in the time of COVID-19

For the 2020-21 season, Austin Peay State University athletics will allow approximately 35 percent capacity in the Dunn Center for home basketball events. There will be no lower bowl seating for fans during the season. The lower level will be limited to players, coaches, and game-day support staff only.

Seats will be assigned to create a buffer between groups to ensure social distancing is maintained. Student seating will be located in sections AA-BB for both men’s and women’s games.

Masks or facial coverings are required to enter the Dunn Center. They must remain in place at all times unless eating or drinking. Failure to comply with any of these measures, by fans or media, could result in immediate expulsion from the arena.

 

Austin Peay State University Govs Online

Check back at LetsGoPeay.com and on Austin Peay’s Official Athletics Facebook page often for up-to-date news about all Governor athletics, as well as the Governor men’s basketball Twitter page (@AustinPeayMBB). Live stats will be available during the game at PeayStats.com, and all home games and Ohio Valley Conference games can be viewed on the ESPN+ app.

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