Golden Eagles to face No. 1 team in the country for the first time with visit to Kansas Friday
For the first time in program history the Tennessee Tech men’s basketball team will face the No. 1 team in the country when the Golden Eagles visit Allen Fieldhouse to take on No. 1 Kansas on Nov. 27.
Game Notes (PDF)
LAWRENCE, Kan. - For the first time in program history the
Tennessee Tech men's basketball team will face the No. 1 team in
the country when the Golden Eagles visit Allen Fieldhouse to take
on No. 1 Kansas on Nov. 27.
The Jayhawks are 4-0 this season with wins over Hofstra, Memphis, Central Arkansas and Oakland. Of the four Kansas wins, three of them have been by 30 or more points.
Tech enters the contest at 3-3 on the season, and 3-2 in road games. The game is the fourth and final contest for both teams in the Hall of Fame showcase. It will be the first ever meeting between the Golden Eagles and Jayhawks.
Kansas is led by four players averaging double-figure points. Xavier Henry leads the way averaging 17.3 points per game, while Cole Aldrich is putting up 10.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game to go along with 15 blocks in four games. Sherron Collins (14.0) and Marcus Morris (12.5) are also averaging double-figures.
KU has shot the ball well from all over the floor this season. The Jayhawks have hit 51.3 percent (118-of-230) of their field goals and 45.8 percent (33-of-72) of their three-point attempts.
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 72-65 win at Southern Utah, and will be playing their sixth road game of the season.
Kevin Murphy is leading Tech with 15.3 points per game, and he is also grabbing 4.7 rebounds per contest. Alfred Jones is Tech's leading rebounder, with 5.5 per game to go along with 8.8 points. Jones came one rebound shy of a double-double against Southern Utah, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Frank Davis is Tech's second leading scorer, averaging 10.3 points per game, and has hit 19-of-22 (86.4 percent) of his free throws on the season. Davis is also 11-of-25 (44.0 percent) from three-point distance. Elijah Cunningham-Muhammad has scored 9.5 points and has dished out just fewer than four assists per game.
Kansas has had capacity crowds in all three of its home games this season, with 16,300 people packing into Allen Fieldhouse for KU home games. The Jayhawks hold the nation's longest home winning streak, which extended to 44 games after KU's 89-59 win over Oakland.
In addition to being the first Golden Eagle squad to face the nation's No. 1 team, the Golden Eagles will get the chance to play against one of the most storied basketball programs in college basketball history. With names such as Dr. James Naismith, Phog Allen, Larry Brown and Roy Williams as former coaches to go along with five all-time national championships, Kansas has left a substantial footprint on college basketball.
Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, coached the first Kansas basketball team in 1898. A decade later one of Dr. Naismith's own players, Forrest "Phog" Allen, replaced Dr. Naismith as KU head coach in 1908. Allen coached the Jayhawks from 1908-09, then again from 1918-56 and compiled a 590-219 record in 29 seasons at the helm, and is the winningest coach in Jayhawk history. Kansas' home court, Allen Fieldhouse, is named in his honor.
The Golden Eagles will return to play four of their five December games in Cookeville. Tech will host Evansville on Dec. 1 before visiting Jacksonville State in the Ohio Valley Conference opener on Dec. 5. The Golden Eagles will take on Ball State (Dec. 12), Bryan College (Dec. 19) and Union (Dec. 30) to wrap up the month.
Single game and season tickets are available through the Golden Eagle ticket office by calling 372-3940 or visiting TTUsports.com.
