Every sports fan’s favorite time of the year has begun; all the NCAA basketball conference tournaments are beginning and the Ohio Valley Conference is one of the first to kick off.
This is one of the less known and recognized conferences in Division-I, but there are still a few great teams that will look to make a push to secure a spot in March Madness.
There will be a new champion seen, as Murray State left the OVC and joined the Missouri Valley Conference last offseason.
Favorites to Win:
Morehead State: The Eagles are highly favored to win after being runners up last year and a first place finish in the conference this year with a 14-4 record and a 21-10 record overall. They are highly favored by many to win the league title this season and along with Tennessee Tech, they have earned a bye in the first two rounds.
Tennessee Tech: With an 11-7 conference record and their overall record being 15-16, the Golden Eagles have the other bye week. Their season was highlighted by a five game winning streak, one of which was Morehead State. Although their overall record is less impressive, they went up against teams such as Butler, Tennessee and Chattanooga before conference play started.
Competitors:
UT Martin: After a 10-8 conference finish and an overall record of 18-13, we saw their offense shine this season with a win of 100-91 over Tennessee Tech and 103-75 over Bethel. The Skyhawks will face off against the winner of Southern Indiana vs SIUE.
Tennessee State: The Tigers ended the season with the same overall record as UT Martin and won seven out of their last nine games of the season, so they will be carrying momentum with them into the tournament and will play the winner of Lindenwood vs Southeast Missouri State.
Southeast Missouri State: Just missing out on a round one bye, the Redhawks had a 10-8 finish in conference play and 15-16 overall. They managed to eke out a 64-61 win over USF, but fell to both Mizzou (96-89) and Iowa (106-75).
Long Shots:
SIUE: WIth a 9-9 conference record and 18-13 overall, the Cougars managed to have a close 69-67 victory against SLU, but fell to Mizzou (105-80) and Morehead State in both division games.
Southern Indiana: The Screaming Eagles also finished 9-9 in conference play, but had a 16-15 record overall. They lost six of their last nine games and will be hoping to regain momentum. However, before conference play started they did manage to play Mizzou and Notre Dame closely.
Lindenwood: In their first year of D-I basketball, the Lions snuck their way into the tournament finishing with a conference record of 6-12 and an overall record of 11-20. They lost as many as seven games in a row and took tough losses to Mizzou, Illinois and Dayton, but they managed to end the season strong, winning their last two games that got them in the tournament.
My Pick: I always love rooting for an underdog in these sorts of tournaments, but with both Murray State and Belmont out of the conference this season, I see Morehead State going all the way and regaining the conference title.