Preview: SIU Edwardsville at Tennessee Tech COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (Interstat) — Surging SIU Edwardsville looks to solidify its position near the top of the Ohio Valley Conference standings when it visits struggling Tennessee Tech on Thursday afternoon at the Eblen Center. The Cougars (17-10, 8-4 OVC) have won five of their last seven games and enter the contest in second place in the conference. They are coming off a narrow 81-76 home loss to Tennessee-Martin on Saturday, a game in which standout guard Tyler King scored 27 points. King has been the catalyst for SIU Edwardsville’s success, averaging 20.1 points over his last seven contests. He scored 14 points in the teams’ first meeting this season, a 62-58 Cougars victory in Edwardsville on Jan. 24. Tennessee Tech (11-16, 4-8) snapped a two-game skid with an 82-74 road win at Southern Indiana on Saturday. Guard Ty Owens, who leads the Golden Eagles in assists, scored 13 points in that victory. He had 11 points in the loss at SIU Edwardsville last month. The Golden Eagles have struggled at home in conference play, posting a 2-4 record at Eblen Center. They will need to contain King and improve their offensive consistency to avenge the earlier loss. SIU Edwardsville’s defense has been a strength, holding opponents to 68.2 points per game in OVC play. Tennessee Tech averages 73.4 points per game overall but has been held under 70 points in four of its eight conference losses. The rematch features a contrast in season trajectories. The Cougars are battling for a top conference tournament seed, while the Golden Eagles are trying to climb out of the bottom half of the standings and build momentum for the final stretch. Thursday’s game tips off at 8:30 p.m. EST. SIU Edwardsville visits Tennessee State on Saturday. Tennessee Tech hosts Lindenwood on Saturday.