A trip to Knoxville to face No. 7 ranked University of Tennessee awaits the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team on Wednesday.
The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will air live on the SEC Network. The live radio broadcast of the game is available in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, and can be heard worldwide on EKUSports.com.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Tennessee leads the all-time series 5-0. The first meeting between the two teams was during the 1911-12 season. The second meeting came on March 9, 1979 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The teams met in 1984 and 2005 in Knoxville.
- In the most recent meeting, Nick Mayo had 23 points and nine rebounds but Eastern Kentucky fell to sixth ranked Tennessee, 95-67, on Nov. 28, 2018 at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mayo added three assists and two steals. As a team, EKU recorded 13 steals against the Vols.
THE COLONELS
- The Colonels are 4-4 this season after suffering a 97-80 loss at James Madison on Friday.
- EKU shot 44 percent from the field, out-rebounded James Madison 35-34 and committed one less turnover, 15-14. JMU came into the game averaging 6.8 fewer turnovers than its foes. However, the Dukes hit on 61 percent of their shots from the floor.
- Eastern Kentucky is 21st in the nation in bench points, averaging 32.62 points off the bench per game.
- Devontae Blanton led EKU with 17 points against James Madison. He also had five rebounds and three steals. Over his last four games, Blanton is averaging 21 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal while shooting 55 percent from the field, 53 percent (8-for-15) from 3-point range and 80 percent (12-of-15) at the free throw line.
- Freshman point guard Tayshawn Comer had 11 points, four rebounds and four assists against JMU. Over his last two games, Comer is averaging seven assists per contest while shooting 60 percent from the field.
- EKU is tops in the ASUN in steals with 9.75 per game.
THE VOLUNTEERS
- Tennessee is 7-1 overall and 4-0 at home this season. The Vols beat then third ranked Kansas, 64-50, on Nov. 25. The team’s only loss is a 78-66 setback against Colorado on Nov. 13 in Nashville.
- UT is one of the top defensive teams in the country. The Vols are third in the nation in steals (11.9 spg), third in field goal percentage defense (34.5 percent), fourth in scoring defense (51.5 ppg), fourth in 3-point field goal defense (22.6 percent), seventh in scoring margin (+23.5), 10th in turnover margin (+6.1) and 24th in rebounding margin (+8.0).
- Five Volunteers average 10.8 or more points per game led by Santiago Vescovi with 12 points per contest. Julian Phillips, a 6-foot-8 freshman forward, averages 11.8 points and Olivier Nkamhoua, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, contributes 10.9 points per game. Tyreke Key, a 6-foot-2 guard who played at Indiana State, and Josiah-Jordan James, a 6-foot-6 senior guard, both average 10.8 points per game.
- Phillips is the team’s top rebounder at 5.1 boards per game. Zakai Zeigler, a 5-foot-9 sophomore guard, leads Tennessee with 3.5 assists per game.
- Vescovi, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, did not play in Sunday’s game against Alcorn State. Nkamhoua had a team-best 20 points in the 94-40 victory.
Comments