Former University of Louisville assistant Nolan Smith is now the head coach of Tennessee State University's men's basketball team. They just won the OVC title, giving the Tigers their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

Coach Smith and WHAS Radio's Terry Meiners discussed his time at UofL, Duke, and Memphis before landing his first head coach job at Tennessee State.

"It's always going to be Louisville for life...that's my childhood team. The things I learned (coaching at UofL) were just lessons...ultimately going to make me a better coach."

OVC championship recap from the Tenn. State athletics website: Tennessee State captured the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship for the first time in more than three decades, defeating Morehead State 93-67 Saturday night at the Ford Center. Powered by a blistering three-point shooting performance and a dominant effort on the glass, the Tigers secured the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and improved to 23-9 on the season.The Tigers (23-9) had five players score in double figures, led by Antoine Lorick III, who had 18 points and two blocks. Travis Harper II tacked on 17 points and Carlous Williams helped out with 16 points off the bench. Dante Harris recorded a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Aaron Nkrumah added 11 points and six assists.Tennessee State grabbed 44 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to Morehead State's 29, led by Harris' 11 boards. The Tigers also put in work on the offensive glass, turning 14 rebounds into 14 second chance points.The Tennessee State defense held Morehead State shooters to just 36.2 percent from the field, including 30 percent from three-point range. The Eagles did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only eight offensive rebounds and scored nine second chance points while Tennessee State pulled down 30 defensive rebounds.

Coach Nolan Smith led his Tennessee State Tigers right into the NCAA Tourney