What conference does Tennessee State Men's Basketball compete in?

Tennessee State Tigers Men's Basketball competes in the Ohio Valley Conference conference at the NCAA D1-FCS level.

Where does Tennessee State play men's basketball home games?

Tennessee State Men's Basketball plays home games at Gentry Center in Nashville, TN.

Who is the head coach of Tennessee State Men's Basketball?

The head coach of Tennessee State Tigers Men's Basketball is Nolan Smith.

When was Tennessee State Men's Basketball program established?

The establishment date for Tennessee State Men's Basketball is not currently available.

TENNESSEE STATE TIGERS MEN'S BASKETBALL

Ohio Valley ConferenceD1-FCSwinter

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Located in Nashville's historically Black college community, Tennessee State University fields a competitive basketball program that has posted a 17-9 record this season while averaging 80.8 points per game. Coach Nolan Smith directs a 16-player roster competing in the Ohio Valley Conference, where the Tigers currently sit 4-3 in league play. The program's 9-2 home record at the Gentry Center demonstrates significant strength on their home court, though their 8-7 away record reflects the challenges of conference road competition.

Tennessee State's offensive efficiency has been a hallmark of this campaign, outscoring opponents by 4.7 points per contest while holding defenses to 76.1 points per game. The Tigers' home dominance—evidenced by their .818 winning percentage in Nashville—provides a platform for conference success as they pursue positions in the OVC standings. Founded in 1912 and enrolling 8,198 students, the university's basketball program continues a proud athletic tradition while competing within Division I-FCS parameters, where basketball operates at the highest collegiate level despite the football classification.

KEY FACTS

School	Tennessee State University
Sport	Men's Basketball
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Division	D1-FCS
Location	Nashville, Tennessee
Venue	Gentry Center
Head Coach	Nolan Smith

ROSTER (2025-26)

#	Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	Class
24	Ogien Ayo	F	6' 9"	180 lbs	Senior
5	Maddux Bodenhamer	G	6' 2"	190 lbs	Sophomore
4	JC Brooks	F	6' 10"	215 lbs	Sophomore
31	Alex Garcia	F	6' 9"	185 lbs	Junior
2	Travis Harper II	G	6' 6"	190 lbs	Senior
10	Dante Harris	G	6' 0"	170 lbs	Senior
1	Damon Howard Jr.	G	6' 1"	160 lbs	Freshman
20	Jayden Jones	G	6' 4"	195 lbs	Freshman
23	Kavien Jones	F	6' 7"	230 lbs	Freshman
21	Jean Yvens Lafleur	F	6' 11"	267 lbs	Junior
3	Khalil London	G	6' 3"	185 lbs	Sophomore
11	Antoine Lorick III	F	6' 8"	215 lbs	Junior
30	Aaron Nkrumah	G	6' 6"	175 lbs	Senior
0	Jalen Pitre	F	6' 8"	220 lbs	Junior
7	Jabrion Spikes	G	6' 2"	210 lbs	Senior
12	Carlous Williams	F	6' 5"	225 lbs	Senior

SEASON RECORD

23-9

Overall

13-2

Home

10-7

Away

6-3

Conference

80.5 PPG / 73.3 Opp PPG

SCHEDULE (2025-26)

Date	Opponent	H/A	Result	Venue
Nov 4	Fisk Bulldogs	Home	W 101-50	Gentry Center
Nov 9	Belmont Bruins	Away	L 79-87	Curb Event Center Arena
Nov 12	Oakwood Ambassadors	Home	W 114-76	Gentry Center
Nov 16	Western Kentucky Hilltoppers	Away	L 82-95	E.A. Diddle Arena
Nov 21	Tennessee Volunteers	Away	L 60-89	Food City Center
Nov 25	UNC Asheville Bulldogs	Away	W 75-73	Kimmel Arena
Nov 29	Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs	Home	W 98-77	McKenzie Arena
Nov 30	Chattanooga Mocs	Away	W 70-64	McKenzie Arena
Dec 4	Alabama A&M Bulldogs	Away	L 53-80	Event Center
Dec 14	UNLV Rebels	Away	W 63-60	Lee's Family Forum
Dec 19	UT Martin Skyhawks	Home	W 78-71	Gentry Center
Dec 20	Southeast Missouri State Redhawks	Home	L 82-91	Gentry Center
Dec 31	Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles	Away	W 88-76	Hooper Eblen Center
Jan 3	Little Rock Trojans	Away	W 84-79	Jack Stephens Center
Jan 9	Western Illinois Leathernecks	Away	W 90-68	Western Hall
Jan 10	Eastern Illinois Panthers	Away	L 70-74	Groniger Arena
Jan 16	Morehead State Eagles	Home	W 105-100	Gentry Center
Jan 17	Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles	Home	W 73-67	Gentry Center
Jan 23	SIU Edwardsville Cougars	Away	L 66-74	First Community Arena
Jan 24	Lindenwood Lions	Away	W 96-86	Hyland Arena
Jan 30	Little Rock Trojans	Home	W 70-63	Gentry Center
Feb 3	Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles	Home	L 85-90	Gentry Center
Feb 6	Eastern Illinois Panthers	Home	W 77-68	Gentry Center
Feb 7	Western Illinois Leathernecks	Home	W 83-56	Gentry Center
Feb 13	Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles	Away	W 73-71	Liberty Arena (IN)
Feb 14	Morehead State Eagles	Away	L 86-94	Ellis T. Johnson Arena
Feb 20	Lindenwood Lions	Home	W 89-80	Gentry Center
Feb 21	SIU Edwardsville Cougars	Home	W 80-53	Gentry Center
Feb 27	Southeast Missouri State Redhawks	Away	W 79-71	Show Me Center
Feb 28	UT Martin Skyhawks	Away	W 67-42	Kathleen and Tom Elam Center
Mar 7	UT Martin Skyhawks	Home	W 68-55	Ford Center
Mar 8	Morehead State Eagles	Home	W 93-67	Ford Center

ANALYTICS

+7.2

Pt Diff

Streak

53.4%

SOS

#297

T-Rank

Barthag: 0.2448

#279

99.8

Adj O

#292

110.1

Adj D

Last 5: 5-0Last 10: 9-1Best W Streak: 6Worst L Streak: 2

View full analytics →

OTHER SPORTS AT TENNESSEE STATE

Baseball Football Men's Cross Country Men's Golf Men's Soccer Men's Tennis Softball Women's Basketball Women's Cross Country Women's Golf Women's Lacrosse Women's Soccer Women's Swimming & Diving Women's Tennis Women's Volleyball

OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAMS

MORE MEN'S BASKETBALL IN TENNESSEE

Browse all NCAA Division I men's basketball programs in Tennessee.

Tennessee Men's Basketball Programs

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What conference does Tennessee State Men's Basketball compete in?: Tennessee State Tigers Men's Basketball competes in the Ohio Valley Conference conference at the NCAA D1-FCS level.
Where does Tennessee State play men's basketball home games?: Tennessee State Men's Basketball plays home games at Gentry Center in Nashville, TN.
Who is the head coach of Tennessee State Men's Basketball?: The head coach of Tennessee State Tigers Men's Basketball is Nolan Smith.
When was Tennessee State Men's Basketball program established?: The establishment date for Tennessee State Men's Basketball is not currently available.