The Eastern Kentucky Colonels (14-13), who have the top shooting defense in the Ohio Valley, will challenge the Tennessee State Tigers (17-7) at McBrayer Arena. Action begins at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 13.
The Colonels are hoping to rebound after their 61-50 loss to Morehead State on Thursday. Nick Mayo was the team’s leading scorer with 15 points. The Tigers, meanwhile, are coming off an 85-55 win against Tennessee Tech on Wednesday. Tahjere McCall played well for Tennessee State, registering 14 points, four assists, and two steals.
McCall has been hot for the Tigers, averaging 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 0.8 three-pointers over the past five games.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Colonels winning the first matchup 97-81. Javontae Hawkins had a stellar game with 36 points, six rebounds, one steal, two blocks, and six three-pointers.
The Colonels come into this game 14-13 Straight Up (SU) and 10-11-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (8-2). 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. The Eastern Kentucky defense has been on fire lately, allowing an average of 70.9 points per game, well under their season average of 79.3.
Over on the other bench, the Tigers have records of 11-4-1 ATS and 17-7 SU. Tennessee State has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. The Tigers average 68.7 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 77.5 points per game during that span. Teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Tigers, who rank 41st in the nation with 7.8 steals per game.
With the Colonels’ last win against Tennessee State, their SU record is now 8-2 over Tennessee State in their most recent games. Furthermore, Eastern Kentucky holds the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TennSt, ATS Winner – TennSt
Notes
“Eastern Kentucky is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games “.
“Eastern Kentucky is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Eastern Kentucky’s last 5 games “.
“Eastern Kentucky is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Eastern Kentucky is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games at home”.
“Eastern Kentucky is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Eastern Kentucky’s last 8 games at home”.
“Eastern Kentucky is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Tennessee State”.
“Eastern Kentucky is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tennessee State”.
“The total has gone OVER in 8 of Eastern Kentucky’s last 10 games when playing Tennessee State”.
“Eastern Kentucky is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing at home against Tennessee State”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Eastern Kentucky’s last 6 games when playing at home against Tennessee State”.
Eastern Kentucky is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 80.8 points per game (ranked 24th). Tennessee State allows 68.7 points per game (ranked 87th).
Tennessee State scores 74.4 points per away game (ranked 63rd). Eastern Kentucky ranks a poor 240th in points allowed at home, allowing 78.4 points.
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels rank 65th for their offensive rating of 111.6. The Tennessee State Tigers have a defensive rating of 98.5 (ranked 77th).
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the nation with a FG% of 50.1%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Tennessee State Tigers have a losing 1-2 record.
Eastern Kentucky attempts an average of 20.0 three pointers per game and Tennessee State attempts 17.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels have a winning 11-6 record while the Tennessee State Tigers have a 4-3 record.
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels make an average of 7.2 steals per game. When the Tennessee State Tigers allow 7 or more steals, they are a solid 6-3.
