F TENNESSEE TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL / 2009-10 F
2009-10 Golden Eagle Outlook That homecourt edge will be as important as ever in the tough league race, according to Sutton. “The league has continued to get stronger from top-to-bottom,” Sutton said. “We want to be really tough at home, and try to steal some games on the road in a very competitive league. There are a lot of teams who return a lot of players and went deep into the conference tournament last year.” The league slate includes two games with UT Martin, a team which reached the post-season with a visit to the NIT. The Skyhawks are led by one of three new coaches in the OVC. “There are three new coaches in the league, and I think you’ll see some changes at those places,” Sutton said. “The strength of our league will increase because there are a lot of teams who have the potential to finish in the top half of the league.” In addition to Tech’s tough OVC schedule, the Golden Eagles will have maybe their most challenging nonconference schedule in two decades. Tech will begin the season with visits to Minnesota, Memphis and Kansas on the first three Friday’s of the season. “We’ve always had a good schedule, but this could be the toughest of all,” Sutton said. “We have five very difficult games early in the schedule, including on the road at potentially the No. 1 team in the country in Kansas and a couple of Top 10 or Top 20 teams in Memphis and Minnesota. Victories will be well-earned with this schedule as we could play really well and come up short against all of these teams, even at home.” Besides those top-notch opponents, the Golden Eagles will host Ball State and Evansville in Eblen Center, and late in the year face a road game against what could be another outstanding opponent in a Bracket Buster contest. “Evansville and Ball State are two non-conference teams from high conferences,” Sutton said. “It is by far the toughest schedule we’ve played here, and it’s a
challenge, but we’re looking forward to the challenges.” As part of the Hall of Fame Showcase, Tech will play games at Memphis, Kansas and Central Arkansas, and host Oakland University. “The Hall of Fame Showcase is a good thing because we get a home game out of the deal, but the problem is that home game is against an Oakland team which is really good,” Sutton said. “They’ve got a lot of guys back, and they won 23 games last year. That makes the schedule even more challenging.” Tech opens the regular season on Friday, Nov. 13, at Big Ten foe Minnesota, coached by Sutton’s friend and former mentor, Tubby Smith. “It’s the season opener, and it will be difficult,” Sutton said. “Minnesota is extremely talented, they’re coming off an NCAA tournament bid, and they’re very excited about basketball up there. The game is already sold out, and they’re good.” Tech is scheduled to participate once again in a Bracket Buster game on Feb. 20, but won’t know its opponent until close to the event. After that, the Golden Eagles host Jacksonville State on Feb. 27 to close out the regular season. The OVC Tournament is March 2-6, with the top eight teams playing in the first round and the four surviving squads advancing to the finals in Nashville.
Kevin Murphy
Bassey Inameti
TENNESSEE TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL MEDIA GUIDE / 2009-10
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