Under the Radar Game of the Day: Arkansas State at Tennessee-Martin

Arkansas State at Tennessee-Martin, 8:00 PM Eastern, ovcdigitalnetwork.com

Skyhawk Arena in Martin, Tennessee will be the site of tonight’s Under the Radar Game of the Day as the Ohio Valley Conference’s UT-Martin Skyhawks will be hosting the Sun Belt Conference’s Arkansas State Red Wolves.  UT-Martin had been one of the worst programs in the Ohio Valley Conference for years, only scoring two winning season between 2002 and 2014.  That all changed two seasons ago when Heath Schroyer took over as head man and led the Skyhawks to back-to-back 20+ win seasons, a tie for the West Division championship last year, and a pair of appearances in the CIT.  Of course, Schroyer then pulled one of the stranger offseason coaching moves, leaving Martin to take an assistant job at North Carolina State.  Anthony Stewart has taken over this season and has the Skyhawks out to an 8-3 start and looking like a potential contender in the OVC again this year.  Kedar Edwards has been in double figures every game but one so far this year, and guard Matthew Butler has been almost just as potent.

The Skyhawks will have to be on top of their game tonight if they want to pick up their 9th win, as Arkansas State comes to town with several nice scalps already in their back pocket.  The Red Wolves are 7-2 on the year and have won at Georgetown, defeated Chattanooga on a neutral court, and have a solid home win against Lehigh.  They have not played in 11 days, when they lost at TCU, so should be well rested for tonight’s game.  Keep an eye on Devin Carter for the Red Wolves, as he has had his best games against some of his team’s best opponents, including 25 points against Georgetown and 22 against TCU.  Senior point guard Donte Thomas has done a great job setting the table so far this year as well, with two games in double figures in assists already, and is ranked 4th in the nation in Assist Rate according to KenPom.  A win tonight in Martin will continue to help boost Arkansas State’s profile, and with potentially winnable games left against both Alabama and Minnesota, they have a real chance to be put together a resume that could be on the NCAA Tournament at-large bid bubble in March.