EVANSVILLE, Ind. (Interstat) — A conference title and an automatic NCAA Tournament bid will be on the line Saturday when the Tennessee State Tigers and Morehead State Eagles clash in the Ohio Valley Conference men’s basketball championship.

The top-seeded Tigers (22-9) will face the second-seeded Eagles (20-12) at Ford Center, a rematch of a high-scoring affair won by Morehead State just three weeks ago.

Tennessee State, which dispatched Tennessee-Martin 68-55 in Friday’s semifinal, seeks its first OVC tournament title since 1994. Morehead State, a 66-61 winner over Southeast Missouri State, aims for its first crown since 2021. The winner earns the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

The teams split their regular-season series, each winning on their opponent’s home floor. Tennessee State took a 105-100 overtime thriller on Jan. 15 in Nashville. Morehead State answered with a 94-86 victory on Feb. 14 in Kentucky, a game that saw both stars deliver.

All-conference guard Aaron Nkrumah leads Tennessee State, averaging 21.3 points over his last seven games. He scored 20 in the loss at Morehead State last month. For the Eagles, forward Anouar Mellouk has been a consistent force, scoring in double figures in five of his last eight outings. He posted 22 points in Friday’s semifinal win.

The matchup features two of the OVC’s hottest teams. Tennessee State has won seven of its last eight games. Morehead State brings a seven-game winning streak into the final, the longest active run in the league.

Saturday’s championship tips off at 8 p.m. EDT and will be televised on ESPN2.