CLARKSVILLE—One weekend down, eight to go for Austin Peay State University men's basketball in league play, with the Govs set to take on Tennessee Tech in a 6 p.m. contest at the Eblen Center.

The Govs are one of four league programs who emerged unscathed after the first weekend of Ohio Valley Conference play; now, the Govs embark upon their longest OVC road swing of 2020, which takes them from Cookeville to Jacksonville, Alabama before making return visits to Southeast Missouri and UT Martin next weekend.

Scouting the Golden Eagles

This contest renews one of the oldest and longest-running rivalries in the Volunteer State; it's the most frequently-played rivalry in both program's storied history. But this meeting is between two programs heading different directions.

In John Pelphrey's first season, Tennessee Tech has just one victory against a Division I opponent, at Winthrop back in November. The Golden Eagles have lost their last six games, by an average of nearly 17 points, and have been one of least-efficient teams in the nation at the foul line–both by getting there (among the nation's bottom-10 in free-throws shot and made) and what they do once they are there (64.1 percent at the stripe, 319th nationally).

While the Golden Eagles have recently shone signs of life, particularly Jr. Clay, Keishawn Davidson and Jared Sherfield since the start of league play, offense has been an Achilles' Heel all season. The Golden Eagles have had single-game point totals of 30, 47, 39 and 54 points this season; removing the Martin Methodist (83 points) and Reinhardt (86) games, Tennessee Tech is averaging 59.3 points per contest.

Last Time Against Tennessee Tech

The first half was a defensive struggle, while the second moved with pace. But in the end, Austin Peay toppled Tennessee Tech, 77-66, in Cookeville, Jan. 31, 2019, to earn its first win at the Eblen Center since  2009. Chris Porter-Bunton opened the second half with six straight points, followed by eight straight from Terry Taylor and a trio of threes from Zach Glotta to spread the scoring wealth.

Keep An Eye On…

• A win would give the Govs back-to-back wins against the Golden Eagles for the first time since 2007-09.
• Austin Peay head coach Matt Figger was briefly on Tennessee Tech head coach John Pelphrey's staff at Arkansas as Director of Ops before heading to Kansas State as an assistant.
• In their eight wins, the Govs are now hitting 52.7 percent (254-for-482) from the floor in wins and 38.1 percent (153-for-402) in seven losses; Austin Peay is 7-0 when outshooting its opponent this season.
• A win would be Austin Peay's first true road win of 2019-20.
• Both Carlos Paez (3.25-to-1) and Antwuan Butler (2.00-to-1) are among the nation's top-100 in assist-to-turnover ratio. Paez has a 4.8-to-1 ratio since joining the starting lineup four games ago.
• The Govs are plus-3.9 on turnover margin over the last eight games and plus-3.8 in rebounding margin over the last six games.
• Milestone Watch: Taylor needs one offensive rebound to become the fourth player in program history with 300 career offensive boards. He needs two made baskets to become just the 10^th player in program history with 600 made field goals.

They Said It

IcYmI: Here are this week's most explosive players from the first week of @ValleyHoops & @OVCSports play. @AustinPeayMBB's Terry Taylor is trying to follow @JaMorant's example and blow up OVC norms. https://t.co/HnZ73NHpOB

— Harry Schroeder (@FatherHarry1) January 7, 2020

Tickets, please

Governors Courtside Seating returns for the 2019-20 season. Fans can contact the APSU Athletics Ticket Office for courtside seating availability and pricing. The VIPeay Hoops Experience, available to Black Tie Monocle Society members and above, also returns for 2019-20 after a successful debut last season. For more information on joining the Governors in the Dunn Center this winter, to secure season tickets or to become involved with the Monocle Society, call 931-221-PEAY. You can also purchase tickets online at www.LetsGoPeay.com/buytickets; be sure to access the new 360-degree view of the Dunn Center when purchasing tickets.

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. ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM/540 AM) will carry the radio broadcast locally and online.