FLORENCE, Ala. (December 3, 2024) – Last year's men's basketball game between North Alabama and Tennessee Tech was a memorable one for many reasons.
On the court, UNA overcame a 38-32 halftime deficit to defeat Tennessee Tech 86-71 inside CB&S Bank Arena, outscoring the Golden Eagles 54-33 in the final 20 minutes.
Off the court, UNA's athletic department underwent and overcame several operational issues, as a transformer malfunctioned inside the arena two hours before tipoff. However, the show went on thanks to the troubleshooting and hard work of those involved in the gameday operation. This included manual scoreboards, announced shot clock times instead of a digital display and adjustments by the table staff and broadcast crew due to limited power.
Tomorrow, Tennessee Tech returns to Florence for the first time since that game and just the second time in 73 years. The Lions and Golden Eagles tipoff at 6 p.m.
The game will stream worldwide on ESPN+ with "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray and AJ Good on the call. Chase Glover will handle courtside reporting. The game will also broadcast locally on WLX Radio 98.3 and 103.5 FM with "Voice of the Rocket City Trash Pandas" Josh Caray on play-by-play. The "Countdown to Tipoff" show begins at 5:40 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal to the game for the "Teddy Bear Toss" in support of the Bank Independent Toy Drive for those in need during the holiday season.
Tickets are available by calling 256-765-5466 (LION) or by visiting
this link.
Due to ongoing construction, the basketball parking plan will be revised for the 2024-25 season. Lots A and B will be in the parking lot directly below Flowers Hall. Lot A pass holders will have coned off spots near the staircase. Shuttles will be available to take fans up to the field house lot for entry into CB&S Bank Arena.
Lot C parking will be in the parking lot below the Mitchell Burford Science and Technology Building. Residential Students will have access into Lot C with their hang tags. The public can also park in this lot for $12. Parking at the Bill Jones athletic complex will be unavailable. However, this lot is available as a drop off area near the arena.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game: North Alabama vs. Tennessee Tech
Date: Wednesday, December 4
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Florence, Alabama
Venue: CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall
Capacity: 3,000
Promotion: Teddy Bear Toss in Support of Bank Independent's Toy Drive
Watch:
ESPN+ ("Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray, AJ Good, Chase Glover)
Radio:
WLX 98.3 / 103.5 FM ("Voice of the Rocket City Trash Pandas" Josh Caray)
Live Stats:
StatBroadcast
Tickets:
Click Here
Game Notes:
Click Here
Social Media:
@UNA_Basketball
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama finished its second game of the ASUN/SoCon Scheduling Alliance on Sunday, falling 74-54 at Wofford. Prior to this, the Lions welcomed NAIA Dalton State to CB&S Bank Arena on Thanksgiving Eve, sending the fans home happy with a 100-69 win. Junior forward
Donte Bacchus had 14.5 PPG and 3.5 RPG over those two outings, shooting 9-13 from the floor and 8-11 from the free throw line.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA has a 5-4 overall record, which ties North Florida for the ASUN lead in overall wins. The Lions average 78.3 points per game with 73.2 points allowed. UNA is also among the nation's best teams in ball security, averaging a plus-4.8 turnover margin to rank second in the ASUN and 27th in the NCAA. UNA also forces 9.8 steals per game. Junior
Jacari Lane is averaging 15.4 PPG and is an early candidate for the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year Award. Redshirt sophomore Corneilous Wil- liams is averaging 9.6 PPG and a team-best 7.8 RPG.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Tennessee Tech brings a 4-4 record into CB&S Bank Arena, including Division I wins over VMI, West Georgia and Presbyterian and losses to Georgia, UTRGV, UCF and Vanderbilt. TTU is averaging 73.5 PPG with 78.3 PPG allowed, led by four players averaging double-digit scoring. The leader of those is senior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. with 13.9 PPG.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the fifth all-time meeting between UNA and Tennessee Tech. The series is currently tied 2-2. Two of the four matchups happened in the 1950-51 season when the Lions were coached by Ed Billingham, resulting in a split. Last season, UNA and Tennessee Tech met two more times for the first time in over 72 years. UNA won the game in Florence, 86-71, while TTU won 70-67 a little over two weeks later in Cookeville.
NET BATTLE: North Alabama and Tennessee Tech are nearly even according to the NCAA's first NET Rankings of the season — announced Monday. The Lions come in at No. 223, while the Golden Eagles were ranked No. 231. The Lions have reached as high as No. 162 in the KenPom rankings this season, which includes all 364 Division I programs.
UNA AGAINST THE OVC: UNA has a 39-36 record all-time against current members of the Ohio Valley Conference, including a 1-0 record this season following an 87-69 win over UT Martin.
MILESTONE MEN: In two of the last four games, a pair of Lions reached 1,000 career points at UNA. Two weeks ago against ULM,
Jacari Lane scored his 1,000th point to become the 28th player in UNA history to do so. Last Wednesday,
Daniel Ortiz became the 29th. Ortiz spent one season at UAB, giving him over 1,200 career points as a college player and over 1,000 at UNA.
SENIOR SCORER: Fifth-year senior
Will Soucie has played more Division I games than any other UNA player in school history with 125 career games. The New Jersey native is on his way to a career season with 10.1 PPG through nine starts. He has 851 career points and is also on 1,000 point watch this season.
REBOUND YEAR: Redshirt sophomore
Corneilous Williams ranks second in the ASUN with 7.8 rebounds per game. Williams is a transfer from LSU and Western Carolina, where he was redshirted and played off the bench, respectively. As a first time starter, Williams averages 9.6 PPG and 27.4 minutes per game and is a key factor in UNA's success. Last season, he averaged just 3.5 PPG in 11.8 minutes.
MAGIC NUMBER: The magic number has been 70 for UNA this season. The Lions are 5-1 when scoring at least 70 points, while 0-3 when scoring under 70 points. On the defensive end, UNA has allowed less than 70 points in all five wins and more than 70 in all four losses.
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE: In the first two games, UNA held both Air Force and Point below 60 points. The Lions accomplished this just twice all of last season against Bellarmine (69-53) and Jacksonville State (61-59). UNA accomplished this four times in 2022-23.
ON DECK: The Lions continue non-conference play next week with a road trip to East Carolina. Opening tip is set for 6 p.m. CT in Greenville, N.C.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
