Tennessee State University is in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Tigers are Iowa State’s first-round opponent in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Tennessee State’s official fact book lists total fall 2024 enrollment at 6,310, and the school’s latest quick-facts material points to a first-time-freshman admit rate a little above 60%. TSU is a No. 15 seed and meets No. 2 Iowa State on Friday in St. Louis.
Readers searching “Where is Tennessee State?” are usually trying to place a bracket team they only think about during March, but Tennessee State has a better angle than that. This is not just a name on a line. It is an HBCU in Nashville that just got back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994, which gives the piece both geography value and real sports-news value.
Where is Tennessee State University?
Tennessee State is in Nashville, and that full stop answer is the one most readers want. The more useful answer is that it is an HBCU in North Nashville, not a campus in Memphis or Knoxville, which are the other Tennessee-city guesses casual readers sometimes make. Because Nashville is such a well-known music and sports city, the location answer here is stronger than usual: once readers realize TSU is in Nashville, the school becomes much easier to place and remember.
Tennessee State enrollment and acceptance rate
TSU reported 6,310 total students in fall 2024. The university’s 2024-25 quick-facts PDF also shows first-time-freshman admission rates in the low-60% range overall, so this is not a hyper-selective private-school profile. It is a midsize public HBCU with a recognizable city identity and enough enrollment scale to feel like a real bracket program, not a one-year fluke.
How did Tennessee State make the tournament?
Tennessee State earned the OVC’s automatic bid and did it with a season that was historic for the program in multiple ways. The Tigers captured the 2025-26 OVC Tournament title, set the school’s Division I record with 15 conference wins, and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994. The tournament-preview notes also show TSU entering March with 22 wins and one of the best scoring seasons the program has had in the Division I era, which is the sort of momentum detail that gives a plucky underdog some real juice.
Has Tennessee State ever won an NCAA tournament game?
Not in the Division I era. Tennessee State’s official tournament preview says the 2026 team is making the program’s third NCAA Tournament appearance in the Division I era, joining the 1993 and 1994 teams. That makes the history clean and easy to explain: this is a proud program with prior appearances, but it is still chasing its first Division I NCAA Tournament win.
Tennessee State stats and top scorers
Tennessee State is one of the more fun underdog teams in this batch because the Tigers can really score. TSU averaged 80.5 points per game, which its own notes describe as the second-highest scoring average of the school’s Division I era. Aaron Nkrumah led the team with 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, Travis Harper II added 17.3 points while shooting 40.1% from three, and Dante Harris chipped in 11.7 points with a team-best 4.5 assists per game. If Tennessee State is going to hang around against Iowa State, it has to get to its perimeter offense early and avoid letting the favorite turn this into a purely physical half-court game.
Prediction: Can Tennessee State upset Iowa State?
Tennessee State has enough guard scoring to look dangerous for stretches, and its backcourt is the kind that can make a favorite uncomfortable if shots fall. But the cleaner prediction is still the favorite. Prediction: Iowa State 81, Tennessee State 64. A hot TSU shooting stretch is believable; the full upset is still a long shot.
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