# 2016–17 UT Martin Skyhawks men's basketball team

The 2016–17 UT Martin Skyhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Tennessee at Martin during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Skyhawks, led by first-year head coach Anthony Stewart, played their home games at Skyhawk Arena as members of the West Division of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 22–13, 10–6 in OVC play to win the West Division championship. As the No. 2 seed in the OVC tournament, they defeated Murray State before losing to Jacksonville State in the championship game. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated UNC Asheville in the first round before losing in the second round to Campbell.

## Previous season

The Skyhawks finished the 2015–16 season 20–15, 10–6 in OVC play to share the West Division championship with Murray State. They defeated Morehead State to advance to the championship game of the OVC tournament where they lost to Austin Peay. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Central Michigan in the first round before losing in the second round to Ball State.
Following the season, head coach Heath Schroyer left UT Martin to become an assistant at NC State. Anthony Stewart was named interim head coach and had the interim tag removed in November 2016.

## Preseason

In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men’s basketball coaches and sports information directors, UT Martin was picked to finish fourth in the West Division of the OVC.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| 11/07/2016* 7:30 pm | | Transylvania | W 89–74 | | Skyhawk Arena Martin, TN |
| Non–conference regular season ||||||
| 11/11/2016* 6:00 pm | | at Ole Miss | L 83–86 | 0–1 | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (6,123) Oxford, MS |
| 11/13/2016* 6:00 pm | | Texas–Rio Grande Valley | W 88–80 | 1–1 | Skyhawk Arena (1,094) Martin, TN |
| 11/15/2016* 7:00 pm | | Cumberland | W 95–64 | 2–1 | Skyhawk Arena (1,067) Martin, TN |
| 11/18/2016* 7:00 pm | | Cleveland State Bluegrass Showcase | W 85–74 | 3–1 | Skyhawk Arena (1,520) Martin, TN |
| 11/21/2016* 6:00 pm | | at Canisius Bluegrass Showcase | W 72–69 | 4–1 | Koessler Athletic Center (1,291) Buffalo, NY |
| 11/23/2016* 6:00 pm | | at Duquesne Bluegrass Showcase | W 66–63 | 5–1 | Palumbo Center (825) Pittsburgh, PA |
| 11/25/2016* 6:00 pm, SECN | | at No. 1 Kentucky Bluegrass Showcase | L 76–111 | 5–2 | Rupp Arena (23,324) Lexington, KY |
| 11/29/2016* 7:30 pm | | Florida Atlantic | W 82–81 | 6–2 | Skyhawk Arena (1,377) Martin, TN |
| 12/01/2016* 7:00 pm | | at Arkansas–Pine Bluff | W 73–68 | 7–2 | K. L. Johnson Complex (678) Pine Bluff, AR |
| 12/04/2016* 2:00 pm | | Boyce | W 108–64 | 8–2 | Skyhawk Arena (844) Martin, TN |
| 12/10/2016* 2:00 pm | | at Illinois State | L 57–74 | 8–3 | Redbird Arena (4,275) Normal, IL |
| 12/14/2016* 7:00 pm | | Arkansas State | L 68–87 | 8–4 | Skyhawk Arena (1,098) Martin, TN |
| 12/17/2016* 7:00 pm | | Bethune–Cookman | W 97–72 | 9–4 | Skyhawk Arena (896) Martin, TN |
| 12/20/2016* 7:35 pm | | at UMKC | W 77–66 | 10–4 | Municipal Auditorium (1,048) Kansas City, MO |
| 12/22/2016* 7:00 pm | | at Southern Illinois | L 70–78 | 10–5 | SIU Arena (4,280) Carbondale, IL |
| Ohio Valley Conference regular season ||||||
| 12/29/2016 7:30 pm | | Jacksonville State | L 72–90 | 10–6 (0–1) | Skyhawk Arena (1,604) Martin, TN |
| 12/31/2016 6:00 pm | | Morehead State | W 81–77 $^{OT}$ | 11–6 (1–1) | Skyhawk Arena (1,730) Martin, TN |
| 01/05/2017 6:00 pm | | at Belmont | L 67–83 | 11–7 (1–2) | Curb Event Center (1,746) Nashville, TN |
| 01/07/2017 7:30 pm | | at Tennessee State | L 65–76 | 11–8 (1–3) | Gentry Complex Nashville, TN |
| 01/14/2017 6:00 pm | | Southeast Missouri State | W 79–69 | 12–8 (2–3) | Skyhawk Arena (2,068) Martin, TN |
| 01/19/2017 7:00 pm | | Eastern Illinois | W 82–71 $^{2OT}$ | 13–8 (3–3) | Skyhawk Arena (1,507) Martin, TN |
| 01/21/2017 6:00 pm | | SIU Edwardsville | W 75–67 | 14–8 (4–3) | Skyhawk Arena (2,047) Martin, TN |
| 01/26/2017 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Austin Peay | W 85–79 | 15–8 (5–3) | Dunn Center (1,863) Clarksville, TN |
| 01/28/2017 7:00 pm | | at Murray State | L 86–94 | 15–9 (5–4) | CFSB Center (3,909) Murray, KY |
| 02/01/2017 7:30 pm | | at Tennessee Tech | W 75–46 | 16–9 (6–4) | Eblen Center (1,555) Cookeville, TN |
| 02/04/2017 6:00 pm | | Eastern Kentucky | W 85–68 | 17–9 (7–4) | Skyhawk Arena (2,103) Martin, TN |
| 02/09/2017 7:00 pm | | at Eastern Illinois | L 71–81 | 17–10 (7–5) | Lantz Arena (1,678) Charleston, IL |
| 02/11/2017 7:00 pm | | at SIU Edwardsville | W 80–73 | 18–10 (8–5) | Vadalabene Center (1,156) Edwardsville, IL |
| 02/18/2017 11:00 am, ASN | | at Southeast Missouri State | L 61–90 | 18–11 (8–6) | Show Me Center (3,160) Cape Girardeau, MO |
| 02/23/2017 7:00 pm | | Austin Peay | W 76–72 | 19–11 (9–6) | Skyhawk Arena (1,864) Martin, TN |
| 02/25/2017 6:00 pm | | Murray State | W 83–76 | 20–11 (10–6) | Skyhawk Arena (3,314) Martin, TN |
| Ohio Valley Conference tournament ||||||
| 03/03/2017 9:00 pm, ESPNU | (2) | vs. (7) Murray State Semifinals | W 73–67 | 21–11 | Nashville Municipal Auditorium (2,355) Nashville, TN |
| 03/04/2017 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | (2) | vs. (4) Jacksonville State Championship game | L 55–66 | 21–12 | Nashville Municipal Auditorium (1,303) Nashville, TN |
| CIT ||||||
| 03/16/2017* 7:00 pm, Facebook Live | | UNC Asheville First Round | W 89–75 | 22–12 | Skyhawk Arena (504) Martin, TN |
| 03/20/2017* 6:00 pm, Facebook Live | | at Campbell Second Round | L 56–73 | 22–13 | Gore Arena (2,031) Buies Creek, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. ||||||