The UT Martin men’s and women’s basketball teams opened the 2026-27 season on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. The men were on the road in New Orleans, Louisiana against the Tulane Green Wave. The women had their home opener against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in the Tom and Kathleen Elam Center in Martin, Tennessee.

The men fell to the Green Wave 100-98 in a game that needed two overtimes to crown a winner. 

Tulane got the first basket of the game, and the Skyhawks quickly responded with a basket of their own. This would be a trend throughout the first half, as both teams would match each other’s scores and neither team would get a commanding lead. 

Freshman guard Kaan Onat hit a buzzer-beater layup at the end of the first half, giving the Skyhawks a 37-35 lead at halftime.

The second half was much like the first; neither team had a commanding lead, and there were multiple lead changes and ties.

The back-and-forth action forced the game into overtime, as the score was tied 80-80 at the end of regulation.

The Skyhawks would lead and be tied throughout the overtime period, but with 58 seconds left, the Green Wave would take a 91-90 lead off a 3-pointer by junior guard Krystian Lewis. 

Freshman forward Armandas Bancevicius had a chance to give the Skyhawks the lead if he made both free throws he was awarded. He only made one out of two, sending the game to a second overtime tied 91-91. 

In the second overtime, it came down to execution errors for the Skyhawks. They had four turnovers, eight missed shots and fouled Tulane multiple times, allowing them to secure the win.

Overall, the Skyhawks shot 46 percent from the field (31-66), 44 percent from the 3-point range (17-38) and 61 percent from the free-throw line (19-31). 

Lewis led the Green Wave in points with 40 and rebounds with seven. 

Sophomore guard Davi Remagen led the Skyhawks in points with 24. Onat recorded a double-double totaling 21 points and 13 rebounds, which was a team high. Freshman guard Shsha Savkov also recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. 

Back home in Martin, the women came away with a 90-89 win against the Colonels. However, the win did not come with ease.

The Skyhawks found themselves down by 13 points twice during the game, once in the first quarter and once in the second quarter. They cut their second quarter deficit to five after going on a 9-0 run to end the quarter. The Colonels held a 45-40 lead at halftime.

The Skyhawks kept within range of the Colonels in the third quarter, being down by as much as seven. They earned their first lead since the start of the game off a layup by freshman guard Olivia Smith at the end of the quarter. 

Holding a one-point lead to start the fourth quarter, the Skyhawks would extend their lead from baskets by Smith, senior guard Raven Sims, sophomore guard Tyler Jones, sophomore forward Kennedy Horton and freshman forward Lily Espelet.

The Skyhawks held a 90-84 lead with 2:14 left to play in the fourth quarter, and their six-point lead was cut down to a one-point lead very quickly. The Colonels had two potential game-winning shots with less than 10 seconds to play but did not connect on them, and the Skyhawks emerged victorious. 

Skyhawks Head Coach Kevin McMillan gave his thoughts on the win after the game. 

“Well, I think for the for the girls, it’s huge because you know I thought their effort was good. I thought they played hard, but I think they need to see a win, you know, to kind of validate what all we’ve been doing,” said McMillan. “And so, to get a first one like that against a good team, a team that won 25 games last year…it’s a great way to start your season.” 

Senior guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams led the Colonels in points with 17, while junior guard Liz Freihofer led the team in rebounds with nine. 

Overall, the Skyhawks shot 49 percent from the field (35-71), 15 percent from the 3-point range (2-13) and 75 percent (18-24) from the free-throw line. 

In her Skyhawks debut, Sims had a double-double, leading the team in points with 28 and rebounds with 10. She gave her thoughts on her debut afterwards. 

“Honestly, it was just fun. I feel like me and my teammates been working hard and being on each other all summer,” said Sims. “So when we came out here, we just wanted to play against somebody else and also just play for each other.” 

Jones, Horton, Smith and sophomore guard Sidni Middleton all scored double digit points as well for the Skyhawks.

The men’s team will play their second of three road games to start the season on Sunday, Nov. 7 versus IU Indy at 4 p.m. in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The women’s team will continue their three-game home stretch as they host Christian Brothers Thursday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. in Martin.