January 4, 2011

2011 OVC play tips off; men’s basketball visits “Death Valley” this weekend

Conference play shifts into high gear this weekend for the Tennessee Tech men’s basketball team as they hit the road for the infamous trip up to “Death Valley” to take on Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky in the first two OVC match-ups of 2011.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Conference play shifts into high gear this weekend for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team as they hit the road for the infamous trip up to "Death Valley" to take on Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky in the first two OVC match-ups of 2011.

Tech – which hasn't been on the road since December 4^th – is riding a two game win streak, having recently downed Crowley's Ridge College and Bluefield College at home. They'll kick off the Death Valley trip with an even 6-6 overall record, 2-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

With the second and third leading scorers in the conference, Kenneth Faried, Demonte Harper and the Morehead State Eagles will be heading into Thursday evening's game on the heels of three straight wins over Kent State, Binghamton and the College of Charleston. They will, however, be looking to bounce back from two straight pre-Christmas OVC losses to Austin Peay State University and Tennessee State.

The two losses dropped the Eagles from a 2-0 OVC record to an even 2-2 record, and leaves them with a 9-6 overall record headed into Thursday's 6:45 p.m. contest.

MSU – which holds the no. 6 spot in the OVC currently – enjoys a narrow lead in the lifetime series against Tech, having taken the W in 70 games to TTU's 61. The Golden Eagles are looking to snap a six-game string of losses to the Eagles, including last year's season-ending loss in the OVC tournament.

Saturday will take the Golden Eagles to Richmond, Ky., to tip off against the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m. With a 6-8 overall record, 1-3 in the OVC, EKU has lost four of its past five games, including two losses to – like Morehead State – Austin Peay and TSU. The Colonels – who are sitting in eighth place in the conference – are, however, riding a win over Georgia Southern into their own Thursday night game against OVC opponent Jacksonville State.

EKU also holds a narrow 62-58 lead on the lifetime series against Tech, and have won the past five contests against the Golden Eagles.

Fans who are unable to trek to Kentucky for this weekend's contests can follow listen to Roger Ealey call the action on the Golden Eagle Sports Network, or on free Teamline at 1-800-846-4700 (Tech code 0654). As always, tickets are available through the TTU Ticket Office by calling (931) 372-3940 or online at TTUsports.com.