STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State has been known to play the best of the best in its first three years as a Division I institution and its match-up against #8 Tennessee on Thursday night at the Thompson-Boling Arena at 5:30 p.m. proves this season is no different.
The Texans have already played 2019 National Champion, Virginia and will add its third AP Top 10 opponent in the last three years with the date with the Volunteers.
Thursday night's game will be broadcasted on SEC+ on the ESPN+ Network. The trio of Andy Brock, Steve Hamer and Sarah Detwiler will be on the call. Live Stats will be provided by StatBroadcast with the link found on Tarletonsports.com. Follow @tarletonmbb on Twitter and Instagram for live score updates and highlights throughout the game. As always, Kyle Crews will have the call on 90.5 KTRL.
On Tuesday, Tarleton State named
Joseph Jones the acting head coach as had been filling in coach
Billy Gillispie's role on the sideline since the SoCal Challenge on Nov. 20. During his time at the helm of the Texans, the squad erupted for the program's D1 era longest six-game winning streak.
The Texans dropped a heartbreaker, 65-62 to Jacksonville State on Monday in Wisdom Gym to snap their six-game win streak. Tarleton was unable to hold a 54-42 lead with just over nine minutes to go. The Gamecocks finished the game on a 23-8 run to overcome the Texans in the final 39 seconds. Tarleton was able to get a good look three-pointer at the buzzer, but it hit the back of the rim.
Devon Barnes led all scorers with 20 points.
Emmanuel Innocenti posted a game-high nine boards and four steals.
Jakorie Smith and
KiAndre Gaddy have been two of the WAC's best players so far this season. Gaddy leads the conference in double-doubles and offensive rebounds while Smith leads in free throw percentage. Gaddy ranks in the top six in the league in five different statistical categories, while Smith is in the top six in four different areas. Williams is tied with Smith for second in the WAC in steals.
The Texans as a unit lead the conference in four areas and are in the top three in eight different categories. Tarleton tops the WAC in fewest points allowed (62.8), free throw percentage (74.4), steals (10.5) and turnover margin (+4.0).
Tennessee enters Thursday's bout with the Texans, 8-3, all in non-conference contests. Two of the Vols three losses this season come against schools that have been ranked at number one at some point this season, Purdue and Arizona. Head coach Rick Barnes is entering his 37
th overall season and his ninth in Knoxville. He has matched up against coach Gillispie's squads nine times with Barnes winning six.
Joseph Jones has faced Barnes as a player when he was an Aggie nine times. Barnes' Longhorns got the better of Jones' Aggies five of the nine meetings.
The Texans only have one past matchup against an SEC school, its opening game of the Gillispie era against Texas A&M. Tarleton dropped on the road by five, 71-66. Thursday will be the fifth time that the Texans face an AP Top 25 opponent. The Purple and White are 0-4 overall and 0-2 against AP Top 10 opponents. In each of the first four matchups, the Texans never trailed by more than nine at the half, with the smallest deficit coming against #1 Gonzaga, a 26-25 deficit at the break.
Tarleton will end the 2023 calendar year on the road in Los Angeles against Loyola Marymount on Dec. 29. Tip-off is slated for 9 p.m. CST from Gersten Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and Crews will have the radio call.
