# 2020–21 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team

The 2020–21 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team represented Tennessee State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by third-year head coach Brian Collins, played their home games at the Gentry Complex in Nashville, Tennessee as members of the Ohio Valley Conference.

## Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2019–20 season 18–15, 9–9 in OVC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated Morehead State in the first round of the OVC tournament, before losing in the quarterfinals to Eastern Kentucky. They accepted an invitation to participate in the 2020 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament and were set to host a first-round game. However, the CIT was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| November 26, 2020* 11:00 am | vs. Coppin State Marshall Memorial MTE | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| November 27, 2020* 5:00 pm | at Marshall Marshall Memorial MTE | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| December 8, 2020 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | at Belmont | L 64–79 | 0–1 (0–1) | Curb Event Center (250) Nashville, TN |
| December 12, 2020* 11:00 am, ESPN3 | at IUPUI | L 66–69 | 0–2 | Indiana Farmers Coliseum Indianapolis, IN |
| December 18, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | Belmont | L 63–88 | 0–3 (0–2) | Gentry Complex (224) Nashville, TN |
| December 19, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Crowley's Ridge | W 90–68 | 1–3 | Gentry Complex Nashville, TN |
| December 22, 2020* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | Chattanooga | L 63–66 | 1–4 | Gentry Complex (147) Nashville, TN |
| December 30, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | Austin Peay | L 59–68 | 1–5 (0–3) | Gentry Complex (230) Nashville, TN |
| January 2, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Southeast Missouri State | L 79–83 $^{2OT}$ | 1–6 (0–4) | Show Me Center (760) Cape Girardeau, MO |
| January 7, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | UT Martin | W 74–62 | 2–6 (1–4) | Gentry Complex (338) Nashville, TN |
| January 14, 2021 7:30 pm, ESPN+ | at Jacksonville State | L 64–65 | 2–7 (1–5) | Pete Mathews Coliseum (635) Jacksonville, AL |
| January 16, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Tennessee Tech | L 71–74 | 2–8 (1–6) | Eblen Center Cookeville, TN |
| January 19, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | Southeast Missouri State | L 59–63 | 2–9 (1–7) | Gentry Complex Nashville, TN |
| January 21, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | SIU Edwardsville | L 65–67 | 2–10 (1–8) | Gentry Complex (279) Nashville, TN |
| January 23, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | Eastern Illinois | W 65–54 | 3–10 (2–8) | Gentry Complex (338) Nashville, TN |
| January 28, 2021 7:30 pm, ESPN+ | at Murray State | L 53–73 | 3–11 (2–9) | CFSB Center (1,290) Murray, KY |
| January 30, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Austin Peay | L 56–71 | 3–12 (2–10) | Dunn Center (703) Clarksville, TN |
| February 4, 2021 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | at SIU Edwardsville | L 60–68 | 3–13 (2–11) | First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL |
| February 6, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Eastern Illinois | L 72–86 | 3–14 (2–12) | Lantz Arena (19) Charleston, IL |
| February 11, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | Morehead State | L 66–79 | 3–15 (2–13) | Gentry Complex (183) Nashville, TN |
| February 13, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | Eastern Kentucky | L 73–93 | 3–16 (2–14) | Gentry Complex (255) Nashville, TN |
| February 18, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | Tennessee Tech | W 91–86 | 4–16 (3–14) | Gentry Complex (202) Nashville, TN |
| February 20, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | Jacksonville State | L 76–77 | 4–17 (3–15) | Gentry Complex Nashville, TN |
| February 25, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Morehead State | L 60–74 | 4–18 (3–16) | Ellis Johnson Arena (665) Morehead, KY |
| February 27, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Eastern Kentucky | L 84–89 | 4–19 (3–17) | McBrayer Arena Richmond, KY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. ||||||
Sources