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EspañolTennessee State basketball wins share of first OVC regular-season title in 32 years
For the first time in 32 years and only the third time ever, Tennessee State basketball finished at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season standings.
The Tigers, under first-year coach Nolan Smith, beat host UT-Martin 67-42 on Feb. 28 to finish tied for first with Morehead State in the final conference standings.
TSU (21-9, 15-5 in OVC) and Morehead State split during the regular season, and TSU won the tie-breaker to earn the No. 1 seed in the OVC tournament (March 4-7) in Evansville, Indiana.
TSU will receive a double bye into the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Tigers' first game will be on March 5 at 7 p.m. (ESPNU).
Aaron Nkrumah led TSU with 20 points, and Travis Harper added 16, helping the Tigers jump to a 35-21 lead late in the first half and never look back.
Matas Deniusas led UT Martin with 13 points.
TSU, one of the top defensive teams in the OVC, caused fits for UT-Martin's offense. The Tigers recorded 13 steals and forced the Skyhawks to commit 19 turnovers.
UT Martin (21-10, 13-7) was tied with TSU for first in the OVC standings earlier this month but lost five of its last seven games.
It was TSU's second win over UT-Martin this season, but the earlier game was much closer with the Tigers claiming a 78-71 victory at Gentry Center in the OVC opener on Dec. 18. Nkrhmah also led TSU in that game with 23 points.
Tennessee State posts most wins in its NCAA history
The 21 victories are the most for Tennessee State since transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division I in 1977-78.
The Tigers won 20 games in 2015-16 under coach Dana Ford and in 2011-12 under John Cooper.
TSU also set a school record for OVC wins in a single season with 15.
The Tigers finished the regular season on a four-game win streak and won seven of their last eight.
Tennessee State eyes first NCAA tournament berth since 1994
TSU needs to win two games in the OVC tournament to earn its second berth in the NCAA tournament.
The Tigers' first time in the NCAA tournament came in 1993 after winning the OVC tournament under former coach Frankie Allen. TSU lost to Seton Hall 81-59 in the first round of the NCAA tournament that season.
Allen led TSU back to the NCAA tournament in 1994, and the Tigers lost to Kentucky, 80-73.
TSU has advanced to the OVC tournament championship five times, its last coming in 2012 when the Tigers lost to Murray State 54-52.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSU basketball wins first OVC regular-season title in 32 years
Nakobe Dean is named one of the NFL's boom-or-bust free agents
If you're an NFL general manager or you play one on television, and you're looking for a clean, risk-free free-agent projection, Nakobe Dean isn't your guy. If you're looking for impact? That's a different conversation. Just ask any Philadelphia Eagles fan whose number you have in your cellular phone.
When Dean has been on the field, the production hasn't been subtle. In games where he's handled a heavy defensive workload, he has been active. The problem is, as you know, durability is his largest question mark.
Piece enough of his work together, however, and what you have is essentially nearly two full seasons of work. What you find in the healthy version of Dean is an active and disruptive force who is constantly around the football. Tackles pile up. Negative plays show up. Splash moments follow.
But that's where conversations return to injuries. NFL.com recently released NFL free agency: 11 boom-or-bust free agents set to hit the 2026 market. 'You know who' is mentioned, and Matt Okada, the writer of this one, mentions the following for adding Dean's name to the conversation.
"In 2024, when he started 15 games for the Super Bowl champions, Dean finished second on the team with 128 tackles. The former third-rounder, who played minimally on defense as a rookie, has also missed 25 games in his four seasons (including playoffs), mostly due to injury... Now at the end of his rookie contract, Dean will be a high-risk, potentially high-reward free agent linebacker who is excellent as a blitzer and against the run, but who also needs to stay on the field to make a significant impact. Brian Flores’ defense in Minnesota, Todd Bowles’ unit in Tampa Bay or new DC Jim Leonhard’s group in Buffalo might all make sense for Dean, who could be a Pro Bowl candidate in the right system if he can stay healthy."
So, again. There aren't many issues here, but the largest is a major concern. It's about availability, and at this level, that alone is considered a skill.
The evaluation becomes simple with that stated, even if the answer isn't. Is it smarter to bet on the tape or brace for the injury report? How teams answer that question will determine what he is offered. That's the boom-or-bust equation in its purest form.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: NFL free agency: Nakobe Dean makes a list of boom-or-bust players
Highlights, MVP and Twitter reactions to Kentucky getting sweet revenge on Vanderbilt
That was exactly what the Big Blue Nation needed. In a game the home team dominated from start to finish, the Kentucky Wildcats had an outstanding offensive performance while leading by as many as 22 in a 91-77 win over the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores.
Kentucky improves to 19-10 overall and 10-6 in conference play while keeping hope alive for a double-bye in the SEC Tournament.
First Half
Now that’s a first half of basketball! Kentucky was hot offensively in the first half, scoring 18 points before the first media timeout. They kept up their hot shooting and scoring, shooting 55% in the first half and 9-16 from 3-point range.
Speaking of 3-point range. Collin Chandler: Say no more. He made five 3s in the first half, the most of any half in his career.
All five starters for Kentucky still managed to score at least five points, with Denzel Aberdeen second behind Chandler with eight points and two 3-pointers.
Perhaps the best stat of all: The Cats had just three turnovers against 12 assists.
Defensively, the Cats held the Commodores to just 42 percent shooting and 18 percent from 3-point range. Tyler Nickel and Devin McGlockton both did not score in the first half, and Tyler Tanner only had six points.
Second Half
Kentucky came out and pounded the paint, got to the free-throw line and spread their offense out all in the first five minutes.
Vanderbilt made some shots, so it was great Kentucky answered them all early on. The Wildcats didn’t let the Commodores get closer than 12 points early in the second half. That set the tone for the second 20 minutes.
Otega Oweh only had six points in the first half, but he was in double figures in the second half alone.
The way the Wildcats offense played today looked like a team capable of playing deep into March. Are they short-handed? Yes, but they’re still deep enough. They’re also talented enough to beat good teams and play at the level they played at today.
Kentucky shot 13-20 in the second half and 17-20 from the free-throw line.
Highlights
MVP: Collin Chandler
How can it not be? He was in full command from beyond the arc and from the field overall. Kentucky may go as he goes in the month of March. Chandler finished with a career-high 23 points on Saturday afternoon, making six 3-pointers.
Box Score
Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt Twitter Reactions
Big Blue Nation was having fun this afternoon. Here are the best Twitter reactions from today’s game.
Add us to your “Preferred Sources” on Google to get all the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views! And Go CATS!!
Chandler scores a career-high 23 points to lead Kentucky over No. 25 Vanderbilt 91-77
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Collin Chandler scored a career-high 23 points to lead Kentucky to a 91-77 win over No. 25 Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Otega Oweh also had 23 points for Kentucky (19-10, 10-6 Southeastern Conference), which split the regular-season series after losing to the Commodores 80-55 on Jan. 27 in Nashville. The Wildcats notched their second straight victory after dropping three straight to Florida, Georgia and Auburn earlier this month.
Tyler Tanner led the Commodores (22-9, 9-7) with 19 points, followed by Jalen Washington with 16. Tyler Nickel had 13, AK Okereke scored 12 and Duke Miles had 11.
Chandler tied a career high with six 3-pointers and Kentucky which finished with 11 in the game. He had five of the Wildcats' seven in the first half for 15 points.
Chandler connected on back-to-back 3s and scored six of the first eight points for the Wildcats. Kentucky used a 7-0 run to build a double-digit lead, which it maintained throughout the game.
Kentucky led 46-31 at the break and increased the margin to 89-67 with 3:05 remaining.
Denzel Aberdeen had 15 points for Kentucky, making three 3-pointers. The Wildcats managed just 3s in the first meeting.
Kentucky, which had committed 56 turnovers in the previous four games, had just 11, including three in the opening half.
Up next
Vanderbilt: At Mississippi on Tuesday night.
Kentucky: At Texas A&M on Tuesday night.
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