NORFOLK, Va. - Savannah State will face top-seeded Tennessee in the first round of the 2012 National Invitational Tournament (NIT) on Tuesday night beginning at 8 p.m. at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.  The game will air live on ESPNU.

The Tigers (21-11) won the MEAC regular season title after joining the conference just one year ago. The NIT berth marks Savannah State's first ever postseason appearance.

SSU fell in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Basketball Tournament to Hampton, 59-46. Rashad Hassan leads Savannah State, averaging 12.8 points and 5.0 rebounds a game.

Tennessee (18-14) is led by Trae Golden, a 6-1 sophomore guard from Powder Springs, GA, who averages 13.7 points and has dished out 145 assists for the Vols while Jerome Maymon (6-7, 265) averages 12.6 points a game and 8.1 rebounds.