Austin Peay (6-7) vs. Ohio (6-4)
Thursday, December 22nd, 2023 | 7:00pm
Clarksville, TN | F&M Bank Arena
Clarksville, TN – With Christmas just around the corner, the Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team faces Ohio in a pre-holiday tilt on Friday on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:00pm.
Austin Peay (6-7) is coming off a 65-64 loss at Western Kentucky on Saturday after entering Bowling Green, Kentucky, on a three-game winning streak. The APSU Govs have won 4-of-5 games on their new home court, including two straight, with victories against Midway and Murray State on December 5th and 9th, respectively.
A two-time Atlantic Sun Conference Newcomer of the Week, graduate student guard DeMarcus Sharp leads Division I with 101 made field goals and 240 attempted field goals. He also ranks fifth nationally with 33 steals, 14th with 236 points, and 23rd with 64 assists.
Sharp has scored in double figures in all 13 games this season, is second in the ASUN, and 80th nationally with 18.2 points per game. He also has scored at least 20 points five times, and logged a season-high 33 points against Sacramento State in the 2023 SoCal Challenge Nov. 22.
Joining Sharp in the Governors’ backcourt is a premier three-point scorer in Ja’Monta Black, who is seventh in Division I with 44 made three-pointers, ranks fifth nationally, and leads the ASUN with 106 attempts from beyond the arc.
Friday’s game will feature a pair of graduates on the sideline for their respective programs, as Corey Gipson, a 2004 APSU grad in the first year at the helm of his alma mater, takes on Jeff Boals, who is in his fifth season at the helm of his alma mater, which he graduated from in 1995.
Boals is 84-51 as the Bobcats’ (6-4) head coach and is three seasons removed from a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament after defeating No. 4 Virginia in the tournament’s first round as the No. 13 seed.
Friday will be the fifth all-time meeting between Austin Peay State University and Ohio, and the first since an 85-82 overtime win for the Bobcats on November 24th, 2018.
Broadcast information
TV – ESPN+ — Barry Gresham (PxP), Ethan Schmidt (Analyst)
All Austin Peay State University basketball home games, all ASUN contests, and select road games are streamed live on ESPN+. Broadcasts begin at the top of the hour and features a two-minute preview leading up to the game.
About Austin Peay Men’s Basketball
After two-straight games on the road, which featured a two-point win against Southern Illinois and one-point loss against Western Kentucky, Austin Peay State University returns to F&M Bank Arena for a Friday contest against Ohio.
Austin Peay State University is 4-1 throughout their first game at their new facility, F&M Bank Arena, and has won two straight games, coming against Midway and Murray State.
APSU is 0-2 when playing on Fridays this season. The losses were at George Mason on November 10th (67-45) and at UTEP on November 17th (71-63). This will be the penultimate Friday game of the regular season for APSU, with the final being in the regular-season finale against Bellarmine on March 1st at F&M Bank Arena.
DeMarcus Sharp leads the nation with 101 field goals and 240 attempts. Sharp also is 23rd nationally with 64 assists and fifth with 33 steals.
Ja’Monta Black is seventh nationally with 44 made three-pointers.
Ohio leads the all-time series against Austin Peay State University, 3-1, and won the last meeting in overtime, 85-82, on November 24th, 2018.
About the Ohio Bobcats
Their Head Coach: Jeff Boals is in his fifth year at his alma mater, where he has accumulated a record of 84-51. Before his time at Ohio, Boals was the head coach at Stony Brook for three seasons (2016-19) and went 55-41.
2023-24 Record: 6-4 (0-0 MAC)
Their Season So Far: After splitting its first four games, the Bobcats rattled off three-straight wins against Middle Tennessee, Brown, and Delaware before dropping home games to Youngstown State and Marshall. Following their first losing streak of the season, they defeated Defiance, 108-28, in their last time out.
2022-23 Record: 19-14 (10-8 MAC)
2022-23 Season Result: The Bobcats entered the 2023 MAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed and defeated No. 4 Ball State, 90-70 in the quarterfinals. They then fell to No. 1 Toledo, 82-75 in the semifinals.
Returning/Lost/Newcomers: 11/4/3
Notable Returner: Jaylin Hunter was an Honorable Mention All-MAC selection last season after appearing in 33 games, making 32 starts, and averaging 13.2 points per game with 44.1 field-goal percentage. He currently leads the Bobcats with 15.3 points per game and scored in double figures each game this season until logging just three points against Defiance.
Notable Newcomer: A graduate transfer from Creighton, Shereef Mitchell is second on the team with 13.6 points per game and makes 49.5 percent of his shots from the field.
Series History: 3-1 Ohio | 1-0 Ohio in Clarksville | Ohio has won one straight.
Last Meeting: Ohio defeated Austin Peay 85-82 in overtime on November 24th, 2018, in Clarksville.
Follow The APSU Govs
For news and updates throughout the 2023-24 season, follow the APSU men’s basketball team on X and Instagram (@GovsMBB), on Facebook (Austin Peay Men’s Basketball), or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
Next Up For APSU Men’s Basketball
The Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team closes nonconference play following a break for Christmas with a December 30th 6:00pm game against No. 23 Memphis at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.
