Clarksville, TN – The historic season continues for the Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball team. The Governors host Alabama A&M on Wednesday at 7:00pm on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena to open the program’s second-ever trip to the CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament.
The Governors trip to the CIT is the first since 2018 when they split a pair of home games against Louisiana-Monroe and Illinois-Chicago. It also marks the 19th time the APSU Govs have played in the postseason following a conference tournament an the fifth home post-conference tournament game in program history.
Austin Peay (19-15) finished as the runner-up in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship, falling to Stetson 95-91 in the title game to conclude its inaugural trip in the ASUN postseason. Sai Witt scored a team-high 28 points and logged his fifth double-double of the season in the title match and was followed by four other APSU Govs who scored in double figures.
The ASUN Sixth Man of the Year, Witt averages 12.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game entering Wednesday’s affair and has scored at least 10 points in 10 of his last 11 appearances and has scored at least 20 points in four of his last six outings.
A Third Team All-ASUN and ASUN Championship All-Tournament Team recipient, DeMarcus Sharp leads Austin Peay State University with 17.1 points per game, 120 assists, 54 steals, and 25 blocks this season and averaged 17.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game during the Govs’ ASUN Championship run.
Dezi Jones, who enters the game against Alabama A&M (11-22) with 11-straight double-figure scoring games, also was an ASUN Championship All-Tournament Team selection after averaging 24.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. Jones scored a career-high 34 points in the Govs’ ASUN Semifinal game against North Alabama and additionally dished out a career-best 11 assists against Stetson on March 10th.
Wednesday’s game marks the third all-time meeting between Austin Peay State University and Alabama A&M and the first since a December 1st meeting in Huntsville, in which the APSU Govs came away with a 73-61 victory to remain unbeaten all-time against the Bulldogs.
Led by second-year head coach Otis Hughley Jr., AAMU’s Southwestern Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament stay came to an end following a 72-65 loss to Texas Southern in the Semifinal, March 15th.
The Bulldogs leading scorer, Dallin Smith, had his season cut short due to injury while he was averaging 14.0 points per game across 22 appearances in as many starts. Currently, the team is led by Omari Peeks, 9.5 points per game, while Cameron Tucker passes the team with 93 assists.
The winner of Wednesday’s game will face Norfolk State on Saturday in Norfolk, Virginia.
More On The CIT
The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament was founded in 2009 and was last played in 2019. The last winner of the tournament was Marshall, who defeated Green Bay. No team has ever won the tournament multiple times, additionally, no team from the ASUN Conference has ever won the tournament either.
The tournament is oriented toward teams that were not selected to the NCAA Tournament or the NIT that also reside out the Power Five conferences.
The 2024 CIT is divided into four different pods, or classics. The Governors and Bulldogs are in the Hugh Durham Classic.
- Alabama A&M at Austin Peay, 7:00pm, March 20th – Hugh Durham Classic
- Purdue Fort Wayne at Bowling Green, 7:00pm, March 20th – Jim Phelan Classic
- Texas Southern vs. Tarleton State, 7:00pm, March 19th – Lou Henson Classic
- Abilene Christian vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi (at Tarleton State), 9:00pm, March 9th – Lou Henson Classic
- Norfolk State vs. winner of APSU/AAMU – John McLendon Classic
From The Jump
Austin Peay State University continues its historic 2023-24 season in its second appearance in the CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Basketball Tournament.
Austin Peay State University last competed in the CIT in 2018 when they defeated Louisiana-Monroe but fell to Illinois-Chicago on a buzzer-beater. Both games were held in the Winfield Dunn Center.
APSU head coach Corey Gipson needs one more win to pick up his 20th of the season, making him the winningest first-year head coach in program history.
The win also would mark an 11-win turnaround from the previous season, tying the Govs for the best improvement in program history.
Austin Peay State University needs three three-pointers to break the single-season record with their 274th of the season.
Ja’Monta Black is fourth in Division I with 111 triples this season, nine more than the previous record holder, Todd Babington, who held the record since the 2007-08 season.
Black needs three starts to break the program record for the most appearances and starts in a single season in program history. He currently is tied for seven with 34 this season.
Black also needs to log just 14 more minutes of action to break the single-season record for minutes played, which currently stands at 1,228 and is held by Josh Robinson from the 2015-16 season.
Follow The APSU Govs
For news and updates throughout the Governors 2023-24 season, follow the Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team on X and Instagram (@GovsMBB), on Facebook (Austin Peay Men’s Basketball), or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
