SKYHAWK MEN’S BASKETBALL TAKES ON OVC FOE SOUTHERN INDIANA FOR CODE ORANGE CONTEST
MARTIN, Tenn. – Two of the five leaders in the Ohio Valley Conference men’s basketball race clash at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center as the University of Tennessee at Martin takes on Southern Indiana in a “Code Orange” game on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tipoff from the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is set for 3:30 p.m. as the game will serve as the backend of a doubleheader with the women’s team.
This game is part of the annual Coaches vs. Cancer “Suits and Sneakers” initiative. A nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, this drive has raised over $145 million for the American Cancer Society since the program made its debut in 1993.
At the midway point of the OVC schedule, the Skyhawks and Southern Indiana are tied with Morehead State, Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech atop the league standings. UT Martin is off to its best nine-game start in OVC play since 2014-15 while its 11 overall home victories are the third-most in the school’s NCAA Division I Era (since 1992).
The Skyhawks (14-8, 6-3 OVC) are coming off a 66-59 home victory against Lindenwood on Thursday. KJ Simon hauled in his first double-double of the season (team-highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds) to go along with a career-best five blocks while Jordan Sears (16 points) and Jalen Myers (11) also reached double figures in the scoring column. UT Martin excelled defensively for the first 10 and last 10 minutes, holding the Lions to 12 combined points over that span.
This game marks the first time that the Skyhawks have hosted Southern Indiana since 1992 as UT Martin is 4-0 all-time against the Screaming Eagles inside the Elam Center. The Skyhawks will look to avenge an 80-66 setback to Southern Indiana two weeks ago as Sears (17 points), Parker Stewart (16) and Myers (10) led UT Martin in that outing while Isaiah Swope (game-high 21 points) and Jacob Polakovich (19 points, 12 rebounds) paced the Screaming Eagles.
Southern Indiana (13-9, 6-3 OVC) enters on a five-game winning streak, holding on for a 78-74 home win over Eastern Illinois on Thursday. In that game, the Screaming Eagles shot an even 50 percent (12-of-24) from three-point range and led by as many as 20 points. Polakovich, who is averaging an OVC-best 16.3 rebounds per game in league play, tallied 20 points and 24 rebounds while Jelani Simmons had 21 points.
Chris Brinkley (play-by-play) and Eddie Suiter (color) will call all of the action live from courtside on ESPN+ and locally on WCMT Radio 1410 AM/100.5 FM. Those links – as well as a link to follow along with live stats – can be found above.