EKU Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night Tickets

RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University will open the 2023-24 men's basketball season at home on Tuesday against West Virginia Tech. 

The game, presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield, is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN+.  The live radio broadcast of the game is available in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, or worldwide on EKUSports.com.
 
It will be EKU Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night at the game.  All faculty/staff can receive two FREE tickets.  The first 500 fans will receive EKU Rally Towels.
 
Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at EKUSports.com or by calling 859-622-2122.  Fans can also purchase season tickets in person from 9-5 p.m. at the ticket office located in the Olympic Sports Training Center.
 
THE COLONELS
-  EKU begins the season ranked No. 20 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top 25 after going 23-14 last season and advancing to the championship game of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
 
-  The Colonels were picked to win the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in two preseason polls conducted by the league office – a Coaches Poll and a Media Poll.  EKU earned eight first-place votes in the Coaches Poll, seven more than any other team.  The Colonels had 32 first-place votes in the Media Poll, 26 more than any other team.
 
-  The Almanac, ESPN and Lindy's also picked EKU to win the ASUN title this season.
 
-  Devontae Blanton was chosen as the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year.  Isaiah Cozart was picked as the ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
 
-  EKU is one of only 10 teams in the nation that returns 70 percent or more of its points (84 percent), rebounds (74 percent), assists (88 percent), steals (74 percent) and blocks (76 percent).  The other nine are Mississippi State, Northern Iowa, Marquette, Wisconsin, Columbia, Purdue, Drexel, East Carolina and Saint Joseph's.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
-  West Virginia Tech went 12-16 last season and 7-10 in the River States Conference.  The Golden Bears are 2-0 this year, picking up wins over the weekend against Harris-Stowe State (88-51) and Huntington University (92-89).   
 
-  Andrew Work, a 6-foot-3 senior guard/forward, led the team in scoring (15 ppg) and was second in rebounding (5.7 rpg).  He shot 55 percent from the field.  Through two games this season he is contributing 17 points per game and a team-best 4.5 rebounds per game.
 
-  Ashton Parker, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, led the team in rebounding (6.3 rpg) a year ago while shooting 66 percent from the field and scoring 11.9 points per game.  He also led the team in blocks (57) and steals (24).
 
-  Brant Smithers, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard from Williamstown, Kentucky, hit 8-of-9 from 3-point range and scored 24 points in the season-opener.  He hit seven more 3-pointers on 11 attempts and scored 21 points in game two.  He's now shooting 75 percent (15-for-20) from deep.  Smithers averaged 9.4 points per game while shooting 36 percent from 3-point range as a freshman last season.
 
-  As a team, West Virginia Tech is averaging 90 points per game and shooting 61 percent from the field.  The Golden Bears have hit on 60 percent of their 3-point attempts and are out-rebounding their first two opponents by three rebounds per game.  The team has committed 17 turnovers per game, 4.5 more than their opponents.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-  This will be the first meeting between the two programs. 
 
-  EKU has faced West Virginia, West Virginia State and West Virginia Wesleyan a combined 10 times.