Ohio Valley foes will lock horns when the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (12-9) face off against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (13-7) at McBrayer Arena. Action begins at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The Colonels enter this game hoping for similar success after barely hanging on to beat Jacksonville State 91-88 on Thursday. Javontae Hawkins was a key piece, recording his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 81-74 loss against Morehead State on Thursday. Tennessee Tech lost despite the best efforts of Ryan Martin, who recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Nick Mayo has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Colonels. During that stretch, he has averaged 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.0 block.
When examining eFG%, the Golden Eagles appear to have a noticeable advantage on the offensive side. They’re ranked 32nd in the nation in that category at 54.6%, while the suspect defense of Eastern Kentucky ranks only 341st in eFG% defense as opponents are hitting 54.9%.
Eastern Kentucky is a slim one-point favorite at home against Tennessee Tech. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 171 points for this matchup. The Colonels come into this game 12-9 Straight Up (SU) and 8-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Colonels have no trouble scoring as they rank 25th in the nation in offense with 82.2 points per game. The Colonels are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 8.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Eastern Kentucky is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 16.6 assists per game.
Over on the other bench, the Golden Eagles have 13-7 SU and 7-5-1 ATS records. Tennessee Tech performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-3 record. Offensively, they average 79.7 points per game, which is good for 49th in the country. The Golden Eagles rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking 38th in the nation with 172 made (8.0 per game). One advantage for the Golden Eagles could be Eastern Kentucky’s high fouls per game average of 21.6.
These conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Eastern Kentucky came out on top, but the win was not enough to overtake Tennessee Tech in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the last few meetings. The Golden Eagles also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TnTech, ATS Winner – TnTech, O/U – Over
Notes
Eastern Kentucky is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Eastern Kentucky’s last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Eastern Kentucky’s last 5 games at home.
Eastern Kentucky is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tennessee Tech.
Eastern Kentucky is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Tennessee Tech.
Tennessee Tech has a winning 5-2 record against teams in its conference, while Eastern Kentucky is even against its rivals at 3-3.
Tennessee Tech averages 79.7 points per game (ranked 49th). Eastern Kentucky, on the other hand, allows 80.4 points per game (ranked 331st).
Ranked 63rd, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels have an offensive rating of 112.1. The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles rank 240th with a defensive rating of just 105.4.
Eastern Kentucky averages 73.4 possessions per game, scoring 1.121 points on each possession. While Tennessee Tech averages fewer possessions per game with 70.1, they score more points per possession with 1.138.
Eastern Kentucky has the 11th-ranked average effective field goal percentage at 56.8%. Tennessee Tech is a losing 1-3 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Eastern Kentucky ranks 33rd in assists, recording 16.6 per game. Tennessee Tech ranks 89th with 15.1 assists per game.
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels make an average of 7.0 steals per game. The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles are 5-4 when they allow 7 or more steals.
