First-year head coach Nolan Smith guided Tennessee State basketball to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1994.
It’s been a long time coming for the Tigers – 32 years in the making – since their last trip to the big dance. Now, guided by former Duke point guard Nolan Smith, they’re heading back to the madness after winning the Ohio Valley Conference Championship.
How they got there:
Tennessee State basketball went 15-5 in the OVC, taking the tiebreaker over Morehead State, and earning the 1 seed. That got them a bye to the semifinals, where they shut down UT Martin to 55 points on 37.5% shooting. The Tigers only had to win one more game, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in style, with a 93-67 win over Morehead State.
Three Tigers were named to the All-Tournament Team: Travis Harper II, Dante Harris, and Aaron Nkrumah. Harris, who began his college basketball journey at Georgetown in 2020, was named OVC Tournament MVP.
General information:
Team: Tennessee State
Location: Nashville, TN
Record: 23-9 (15-5)
Head Coach: Nolan Smith (1st season)
What to know about Tennessee State basketball:
Tennessee State basketball has been playing in Division I since the 1977-78 season, but had only previously made the NCAA Tournament in 1993 and 1994. Those Tigers teams were led by future NBA big man Carlos Rogers and would each be eliminated in the first round.
Since that last tournament appearance, it’s been a tough road for the Tigers. They’ve won just 20+ games in a season twice in 2012 and 2016, before a program record 23 wins and counting this year.
And of course, they’re led by Nolan Smith, who at 37 years old is one of the youngest coaches in the game and had a very successful four-year career at Duke.
Despite playing in one of the lowest-rated conferences in college basketball, TSU does have some great qualities. Both Nkrumah and Harper average over 17 points per game, as lethal a scoring duo as you can ask for. Harris is third on the team with 11.7 PPG and leads the Tigers with 4.5 APG. TSU has two big men in Antoine Lorick and Jalen Pitre, who can both hold their own against like competition.
Tennessee State led the OVC in points per game, steals per game, fewest turnovers per game, and field goal percentage. They finished top five in all categories across the board, but did foul a lot at 17.9 per game.
Besides being a scorer, Nkrumah is a defensive pest, averaging 2.8 steals per game, which is second in the country. Meanwhile, Harper is a knockdown three-point shooter, at 40.1% for the season. As a team, Tennessee State isn’t a great three-point shooting team, but the three-headed monster of Harper, Nkrumah, and Harris are all more than capable of hitting from deep.
Tennessee State has been on a roll, winning 6 in a row and 9 of 10.
The only Power 5 team they played in the non-conference was Tennessee, ending in a 29-point loss. But they kept it close with Belmont and won at UNLV, showing some fight against notable mid-major teams. Of course, in March Madness, they’ll need a near-perfect game to win their first round matchup.
NCAA Tournament prediction for Tennessee State basketball: Round of 64 Exit
Projected seed: 16
In my latest Matty Brackets bracketology projection, I have Tennessee State as the top 16-seed. Depending on how the rest of conference champ week continues, TSU could get a 15 seed, but a 14 would be a surprise.
Given what they may have to overcome, I can see the Tigers hanging around for a half, but unless Nkrumah catches fire and Harris plays efficiently, it’ll be a major upset to see Tennessee State basketball in the round of 32.