GAME NOTES: Quarterfinal round of the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Tournament begins on Wednesday, as Ohio Valley Conference foes Eastern Kentucky and UT Martin meet up at McBrayer Arena.

Jeff Neubauer's Colonels have recorded their third straight 20-win season. Eastern Kentucky finished in a tie for first place in the OVC East Division with an 11-5 league ledger. The Colonels have reached the quarterfinals of this event with tournament wins over Norfolk State (81-75) and most recently, High Point (66-65).

Heath Schroyer's first season at the helm of UT Martin has been a successful one. The Skyhawks finished in second place in the OVC West Division with a 10-6 conference mark. UTM picked up its first-ever Division I postseason victory with a 104-79 drubbing of Northwestern State in the first round of this event and then earned its second with a 60-49 win over USC Upstate this past weekend.

These two teams met this season in early January. The Colonels overcame an eight-point second half deficit at UT-Martin to earn a 66-58 victory. With the win, EKU now holds a 27-16 edge in the series, including an 18-4 advantage at home.

The Skyhawks started slow, but eventually wore out USC Upstate to earn an 11- point win over the weekend and advance to the quarterfinal round of the CIT. UT Martin took its first lead of the game with under six minutes to play and held on for its 20th win of the season (just the second time the team has reached that mark at the Division I level). UTM managed to win despite shooting a dreadful .283 from the floor, by holding USC Upstate to an ugly .192 effort in the second half (5-of-26). Twymond Howard led the way for the Skyhawks with 15 points. Deville Smith and Alex Anderson checked in with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

The offensive struggles against USC Upstate were a bit of an anomaly for UTM, which comes into this game netting 70.4 ppg on an efficient .465 shooting. Four of the team's five starters are averaging double figures, giving the Skyhawks plenty of depth. Smith is the straw that stirs the drink, leading the team in scoring (14.0 ppg), assists (4.6 apg) and steals (56). Marshun Newell (13.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg) is next in the scoring column and tops the team in rebounding. Howard (13.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Anderson (12.3 ppg, team-high 86 3- pointers) are vital to the team's success as well.

Eastern Kentucky will counter with two of the OVC's top playmakers in all- conference first-team selections Corey Walden and Eric Stutz. Walden, a 6-2 senior, is shooting an impressive .543 from the field, leading to a hefty 18.5 ppg. He also leads the team in assists (3.8 apg) and the country in steals (3.13 per game).Walden was named the OVC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. Stutz, a 6-8 senior, is converting an even better .615 from the floor, pours in 15.8 ppg and is tops on the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg). Fellow senior Timmy Knipp (10.3 ppg, team-high 68 3-pointers) makes his presence felt as well. As a team, the Colonels convert at a .465 rate from the field overall, while sporting the OVC's best scoring defense, allowing just 63.4 ppg.

Walden delivered with 12 seconds remaining against High Point, as his running layup proved to be the difference in the one-point win for the Colonels. Walden knocked down 5-of-6 from behind the arc and finished the game with a team-best 19 points. Stutz added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Isaac McGlone added 14 points to the cause. EKU really shot the ball well from the perimeter, delivering on 13-of-25 from behind the arc (.520).

Eastern Kentucky has a huge homecourt advantage. The Colonels are 41-6 in their last 47 home games, including a 13-3 mark this season. UT Martin hasn't come away with a road win in this series since 2003, a string of 10 losses. The drought is likely to continue.