OVC Men's Basketball Report - February 18

2/18/2013 5:07:15 PM

• OVC Men's Basketball Report - February 18 (PDF)

This Week’s Schedule

Wednesday, February 20
*Murray State at Morehead State, 6:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network/ESPN3)
*Austin Peay at Eastern Kentucky, 6:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Belmont at Eastern Illinois, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Tennessee State at SIUE, 7:00 p.m. (FOX Sports Midwest/OVC Digital Network)
*Southeast Missouri at Jacksonville State, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)

Thursday, February 21
*UT Martin at Tennessee Tech, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)

Saturday, February 23
ESPN Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters
Eastern Kentucky at Valparaiso, 12:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
Longwood at UT Martin, 12:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Eastern Illinois at Northern Illinois, 3:00 p.m.
Jacksonville State at UNC Asheville, 3:30 p.m.
Morehead State at Oakland, 4:00 p.m.
SIUE at Central Arkansas, 4:30 p.m.
Ball State at Southeast Missouri, 5:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Austin Peay at Liberty, 6:00 p.m.
Loyola (Md.) at Tennessee State, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
UMKC at Tennessee Tech, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
South Dakota State at Murray State, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
Ohio at Belmont, 9:00 p.m. (ESPN2)

adidas® OVC Players of the Week

PLAYER
Anthony Campbell, F • Sr., 6-7, 215 • Edwardsville, Ill. • Austin Peay
In leading Austin Peay to its first back-to-back victories and first road wins of the season, Campbell averaged 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals/game while hitting 53.8 percent (14-of-26) from the field, 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from 3-point range and 80 percent (8-of-10) from the free throw line. The fifth-year senior hit 5-of-7 3-pointers on his way to 24 points at Eastern Illinois while also pulling down four rebounds, dishing out three assists and netting a steal. In the return to his hometown of Edwardsville, Campbell hit 4-of-10 3-pointers and scored 21 points in a victory over SIUE; the senior added seven rebounds, an assist and a steal in the win. Campbell currently ranks ninth in the OVC in 3-pointers made/game (2.2) and 11th in scoring (14.7 points/game).

Others Nominated: Kerron Johnson, Belmont; Morris Woods, Eastern Illinois; Mike DiNunno, Eastern Kentucky; Tarvin Gaines, Jacksonville State; Stacy Wilson, Murray State; Marland Smith, Southeast Missouri; Robert Covington, Tennessee State; Terence Smith, UT Martin.

NEWCOMER
Glenn Cosey, G • Jr., 6-0, 182 • Flint, Mich. • Eastern Kentucky
Cosey, the transfer from Columbus State Community College, averaged 19.0 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals/game while hitting 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from the field and 81.8 percent (9-of-11) from the free throw line in a pair of Eastern Kentucky wins last week. Cosey had 17 points, two assists, a steal and a rebound in the team’s victory over Tennessee Tech on Thursday and followed that with a game-high 21 points on 4-of-7 3-point shooting against Jacksonville State. In that contest Cosey added two assists and two steals. It marks the sixth time this season Cosey has been named OVC Newcomer of the Week and the ninth time in 2012-13 a player from EKU has won the honor. Cosey currently ranks eighth in the league in scoring (15.6 points/game)

Others Nominated: Sherman Blanford, Eastern Illinois; Glenn Cosey, Eastern Kentucky; Rico Sanders, Jacksonville State; Chad Posthumus, Morehead State, Tim Johnson, SIUE; Jeremiah Samarrippas, Tennessee Tech.

FRESHMAN
Chris Horton, C • Fr., 6-8, 195 • Decatur, Ga. • Austin Peay
Horton became Austin Peay’s single-season blocks leader last week while averaging 13.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks/game and hit 80 percent (12-of-15) from the field in a pair of Govs road victories. Horton had 14 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals to start the week at Eastern Illinois, hitting 6-of-6 (66.7%) shots from the field. Two days later he was perfect from the field (6-of-6) on his way to 13 points, 10 rebounds, seven blocks, one steal and one assist. With his seven-block performance on Saturday Horton passed Josh Lewis’ record of 83 blocks set in the 2003-04 season. Horton leads the OVC and ranks seventh nationally in blocks/game (3.15). Horton has now been named OVC Freshman of the Week eight times this season, the second-most in OVC history (behind only 11 awards from EKU’s Matt Witt in the 2002-03 season).

Others Nominated: Alex Austin, Eastern Illinois; Jeffery Moss, Murray State; BJ McLaughlin, UT Martin.

Notes From Around the League

OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: Belmont suffered its second OVC loss of the season last Thursday night to in-city rival Tennessee State...The Bruins are one game ahead of Eastern Kentucky in the standings and can clinch the OVC Championship and No. 1 seed for the OVC Tournament with two more OVC victories...Despite losing two games last week Murray State remains the leader in the West Division (9-4) and has a three-game lead over second place Southeast Missouri; the Racers will lock up the West Division crown and No. 2 seed for the OVC Tournament with one more OVC win...While the No. 1 and 2 seeds for the OVC Tournament are guaranteed to go to the teams who finish first in the East and West divisions, seeds 3-8 will go to the seeds with the next best Conference records regardless of division...The OVC enters this week ranked 15th in the RPI, up from 16th a week ago...Belmont is the top ranked team in the RPI (25) while Eastern Kentucky (68) and Tennessee State (93) also ranking in the Top 100...All 12 OVC teams will get a chance to improve their RPI this weekend in the annual Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters series...OVC schools will be featured in three TV games on Saturday, marking the first year the team has had more than one TV game in a given year...Eastern Kentucky will play at Valparaiso at Noon on ESPNU, Murray State will host South Dakota State on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. and Belmont will host Ohio on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. to cap the day...Belmont’s Ian Clark ranks second in the nation in 3-point percentage (49.1%) and ninth in 3-pointers made/game (3.27)...Murray State’s Isaiah Canaan ranks 10th nationally in scoring (20.6 points/game) and also moved into fifth place on the OVC career 3-pointers made list (280)...Canaan is also now just 111 points away from becoming the 17th member of the OVC 2,000-Point Club (and third in as many years); assuming MSU plays in two postseason games, he would need to average 18.5 points/game to achieve that feat; that number goes down to 15.9 points/game if the Racers play in three postseason games)...All-session tickets (14 games) for the OVC Basketball Men’s & Women’s Championship are now on sale for $80 through schools ticket offices; single-session tickets ($30 for men’s sessions, $15 for women’s sessions) will be on sale through Ticketmaster.

OVC Tournament Seeding FAQ: With the OVC playing in divisions this season, the seeding for the OVC Tournament takes on a slightly different look this season. The winner of the East and West Divisions will garner the No. 1 and No. 2 overall seeds with the division winner with the best OVC winning percentage taking the No. 1 seed. As has been the case in the last two OVC Tournaments, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive double byes to the semifinals under the merit-based format. Seeding for the remainder of the tournament field (No. 3-8) will be based on conference winning percentage of the remaining teams regardless of divisions. Seeds No. 3 and No. 4 will receive a single bye to the quarterfinals while seeds No. 5/8 and No. 6/7 will square off in the first round. Overall the OVC will crown just one OVC regular season champion this year, and not award trophies for finishing first place in each division.

RPI: As of Monday, the OVC is rated as the 15th-best conference in Division I in the RPI (the highest the league has finished in the RPI over the past decade is 21st, doing so in 2005-06, 2009-10 and 2011-12). Belmont enters the week 25th overall the RPI. Overall two other OVC teams are currently in the Top 100 of the RPI, with Eastern Kentucky ranking 68th and Tennessee State ranking 93rd.

ESPN Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters Set For Saturday; Three OVC Teams Selected For TV Games (Most in One Year for the League): The pairings for the 11th annual ESPN Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters series were announced on Monday, Feb. 4 and the games will be played this Saturday (Feb. 23). Three OVC teams (Belmont, Eastern Kentucky and Murray State) were selected to play in the 13 total TV matchups, marking the first time the OVC had more than one team in a TV game in the series in the same year. Only the Missouri Valley Conference (with four total TV games) had more TV game selections this season. The TV matchups include Belmont hosting 2012 NCAA Sweet 16 participant Ohio, Murray State hosting South Dakota State and Eastern Kentucky traveling to Valparaiso. The EKU game will kick off the day (Feb. 23) on ESPNU at 12:00 p.m. CT. The primetime slate will see an OVC doubleheader on ESPN2 as the Murray State/South Dakota State will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and will be followed by Belmont/Ohio at 9:00 p.m. CT on ESPN2. This marks the eighth-straight season the every OVC teams has competed in the event. Now it its 11th year, BracketBusters is an ESPN television property that has been tremendously successful with its nine events. The event has allowed Division I conferences to participate in a cutting-edge format that involves “wild card” pairings from the pool of participating teams, with half of the BracketBusters teams pre-designated as “home” and the remaining half as “road” teams. This year there were 122 teams from 15 conferences in the pool of teams that will be selected for one of 13 nationally-televised games (5 on ESPN2, 4 on ESPNU and 4 on ESPN3). Here is a complete list of matchups that will be played on Saturday, Feb. 23:
            Austin Peay at Liberty
            Ohio at Belmont (TV - ESPN2)
            Eastern Illinois at Northern Illinois
            Eastern Kentucky at Valparaiso (TV - ESPNU)
            Jacksonville State at UNC Asheville
            Morehead State at Oakland
            South Dakota State at Murray State (TV - ESPN2)
            Ball State at Southeast Missouri
            SIUE at Central Arkansas
            Loyola (Md.) at Tennessee State
            UMKC at Tennessee Tech
            Longwood at UT Martin

Murray State, Belmont, Eastern Kentucky Ranked in CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll: In last week’s CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll (Feb. 11 - this week’s poll was not available yet) Belmont was No. 5 while Murray State was No. 15. Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State are among the others receiving votes. Gonzaga was ranked first and received 30 first-place votes while Saint Mary’s picked up the remaining first-place votes. Murray State finished the 2011-12 season ranked No. 1 in the poll, holding that spot for the final 12 weeks of the season; MSU was the first OVC team to ever be ranked No. 1 in the poll. Now in its 14th season, the Mid-Major poll is made up of team’s from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, WAC and West Coast. It is voted upon by coaches from those conferences, with one coach per conference casting a vote (Eastern Kentucky’s Jeff Neubauer is the OVC representative).

NCAA Statistical Leaders: In the latest set of NCAA statistical leaders released on Feb. 18, Belmont ranks fifth nationally in steals (10.0/game), eighth in field goal percentage (49.1%), ninth in 3-pointers made/game (8.9), 12th in 3-point percentage (39.8%), 18th in scoring offense (77.1 points/game), 19th in scoring margin (+12.4/game), 21st in assists (15.9/game) and 23rd in turnover margin (+3.4/game). Eastern Kentucky ranks fourth nationally in turnover margin (+5.6/game), ninth in free throw percentage (76.1%), 12th in 3-pointers made/game (8.6) and 20th in field goal percentage (47.7%). Morehead State ranks 11th in steals (9.5/game) while Austin Peay is ninth in 3-point percentage (40.2%) and 21st in blocks (5.3/game). Individually Belmont’s Ian Clark is second nationally in 3-point percentage (49.1%), ninth in 3-pointers made/game (3.27), 25th in field goal percentage (56.3%) and 29th in scoring (18.9 points/game). Murray State’s Isaiah Canaan ranks 10th nationally in scoring (20.6 points/game) and 25th in 3-pointers made/game (2.80). Murray State’s Ed Daniel is ninth in rebounding (10.4/game) and 11th in double-doubles (13). Austin Peay’s Chris Horton is seventh in blocks (3.15/game) while Eastern Illinois’ Austin Akers is eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.06).

OVC One of Just 9 Conferences (3 Non-BCS) to Win NCAA Tournament Games in Each of Past Four Seasons: The OVC is one of just nine (9) Division I conferences to win a NCAA Tournament game in each of the past four years and one of just three non-BCS conferences to achieve the feat. The other non-BCS leagues to win a game in each of the last three years are the Atlantic 10 and West Coast Conferences. The ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10/12 and SEC are the BCS-level conferences that have won at least one game in each of the past three years.

More on NCAA Success: The four-year winning streak in NCAA Tournament play is unprecedented in OVC history. After winning NCAA Tournament games in each 1987, 1988 and 1989, the OVC went 20 years without a NCAA victory. That changed in 2009 when Morehead State topped Alabama State 58-43 in front of a record crowd at the Opening Round game in Dayton, Ohio. A year later it was No. 13 seed Murray State who won, topping No. 4 seed Vanderbilt 66-65 when Danero Thomas nailed a buzzer-beater in San Jose. In 2011 it was Morehead State’s turn again, as the Eagles were seeded 13th and sent to Denver to battle No. 4-seed Louisville. MSU got off to a 15-2 lead nearly eight minutes into the game but trailed 61-59 with 31 seconds to play. On its final possession senior Demonte Harper nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4.3 seconds remaining to give Morehead State the lead and Kenneth Faried blocked Louisville’s last shot attempt to seal the victory. Last season it was Murray State who once again won, knocking off Colorado State 58-41 in the second round in a game played in Louisville. The Racers earned a No. 6 seed in that event, the highest seed ever for an OVC team since the tournament seeding began in 1979.

Murray State First OVC Team to Reach 600 Conference Victories: Murray State, who was a charter member of the OVC when the Conference was formed in 1948, became the first Conference member to reach 600 OVC wins with a victory over UT Martin on Jan. 3. No other league member currently has more than 500 Conference wins.

Two Teammates With 30 Points in Same Game: In Belmont’s 107-72 victory over Southeast Missouri on Jan. 10, teammates Ian Clark and Trevor Noack each scored 30 points in the game. It marked the first time anywhere at the Division I level in 2012-13 that two teammates had scored 30 or more points in the same game. It was the first time that had happened in Division I since two other OVC players, Eastern Kentucky’s Mike DiNunno (33) and Jaron Jones (30), did so in an overtime loss to Tennessee State on Jan. 28, 2012.

Two OVC Players Named to CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District Team: Two Ohio Valley Conference student-athletes have been named to the Capital One Academic All-District ® men’s basketball teams as selected by CoSIDA. The selections were Tennessee Tech’s Dennis Ogbe (3.86 GPA in electrical engineering) and Southeast Missouri’s Nick Niemczyk (3.80 GPA in higher education). Both were first-team selections and for making the first-team will have his name appear on the national ballot for consideration for Academic All-American. The Capital One Academic All-America men’s basketball team will be announced on Thursday, February 21. To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average. District III selections include schools from the states of North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia while District VI selections are from the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Belmont’s Johnson, Murray State’s Canaan Named to Cousy Award Watch List: Belmont senior Kerron Johnson and Murray State senior Isaiah Canaan have been named to the watch list for the 2013 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, which is presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The annual honor, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in men’s college basketball. This watch list of candidates will be narrowed down to a final 20 around January 1st, final 10 near February 1st, and final five by approximately March 1st. A premier Selection Committee has been appointed by the Hall of Fame to review the final five candidates in contention for the nation’s top collegiate point guard award. These Hall of Fame committees are made up of top college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, Sports Information Directors and Hall of Famers. The winner of the 2013 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at the Hall of Fame’s Class Announcement on Championship Monday in Atlanta as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.

Canaan Named to Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List: Murray State senior guard Isaiah Canaan, who was one of 50 players named to the John Wooden Award Preseason Watch List, remained one of 25 players on the Midseason Watch List which was released in January. The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the midseason list and the official voting ballot, both of which are open to freshman and transfer students. The National Ballot consists of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation’s top 10 players, will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The 37th annual Wooden Award ceremony will honor the Men’s and Women’s Wooden Award winners, and will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award. The event will take place the weekend of April 12-13, 2013.

Canaan Named Preseason All-American by Associated Press: Murray State senior guard Isaiah Canaan was one of six players named to the Associated Press Preseason All-American team this season. Canaan was joined on the team by Indiana sophomore Cody Zeller, Creighton junior Doug McDermott, Lehigh senior C.J. McCollum, Ohio State junior Deshaun Thomas and Michigan sophomore Trey Burke. Canaan was named on 43 of the 65 media ballots, second only to McDermott (who was named on 62 ballots).

Canaan Named to Naismith Award Early Season Watch List: Murray State senior guard Isaiah Canaan is one of 50 players nationally named to the Naismith Award early season watch list and announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The 50-player watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2012-13 college basketball season. The Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year presented by AT&T will be awarded on April 7, 2013 in Atlanta. In late February, the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors will compile a mid-season team of the top 30 players in the nation. Then in March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will narrow the list to the four finalists.

Canaan is Candidate for Senior CLASS Award: Murray State senior guard Isaiah Canaan is one of 30 men’s basketball student-athletes who are candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 men’s and 10 women’s finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one men’s finalist and one women’s finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.

No Freshmen: The SIUE men’s basketball team is one of six Division I teams this season to not feature a freshman (either true or redshirt) on its roster. The other teams without a freshman include Ohio, Portland State, Savannah State, UAB and Valparaiso.

Canaan Named to All-Tournament Team at Charleston Classic: Murray State senior Isaiah Canaan was named to the Charleston Classic All-Tournament team after leading his team to a runner-up finish at the event. Canaan averaged 20.7 points, 3.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds/game as the Racers topped Auburn and St. John’s before falling to Colorado.

Belmont’s Clark and Noack Named to All-Tournament Team at Great Alaska Shootout: Belmont senior guard Ian Clark and senior forward Trevor Noack were named to the Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team after leading his team to a third-place finish in the event. In the three games Clark averaged 16.3 points, 3.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals/game while hitting 51.6 percent (16-of-31) from the field and 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from 3-point range. In the Bruins win over host Alaska Anchorage he scored 14 points, dished out five assists and held UAA’s leading scorer to just two field goals in 40 minutes. In the semifinal loss to Northeastern, Clark set a record in the 35-year old history of the Great Alaska Shootout by connecting on 9-of-11 (81.8) 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 29 points. In a third-place victory over Oral Roberts, Clark struggled offensively but limited ORU’s top player (who entered the game averaged 24.0 points/game) to a season-low three points in 30 minutes of play. Noack averaged 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds/game in scoring double figures in each game. He had 15 against each Alaska Anchorage and Oral Roberts and 11 against Northeastern. It marks the second-straight year an OVC player has been named to the event’s All-Tournament Team (Murray State’s Isaiah Canaan earned the honors last year).

OVC Tournament Once Again at Municipal Auditorium: The 2013 OVC Tournament will once again be played at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. (March 6-9). It marks the third-straight year the tournament has been at the venue and the eighth time the combined men’s and women’s tournaments have been held at the venue (1994, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012); the men’s tournament was also held there in 1967. Beginning in 2011 the Championship switched to a format where the top eight men’s and women’s teams play in the merit-based format. The No. 1 and 2 seeds received two byes to the semifinals while the No. 3 and 4 seeds received one bye into the quarterfinals. The first round included the No. 5 seed against the No. 8 seed and the No. 6 seed against the No. 7 seed. As part of the deal to host the tournament at Municipal Auditorium, the Nashville City Council and Municipal Auditorium committed $200,000 to improvements at the venue, which opened in 1962. Among the major improvements included upgrades to the dressing rooms, two new scoreboards and the new OVC-branded playing surface. The floor was built by Horner Sports Flooring, whose corporate headquarters are in Dollar Bay, Mich. The company has made floors for many collegiate and National Basketball Association (NBA) teams, including building the floor for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game which was held at Texas Stadium. Last year’s event (2012) saw the largest neutral site crowds ever in Nashville and the second-largest championship game attendance ever at a neutral site. For the semifinal games last year 5,142 fans attended the Murray State/Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State/Morehead State games. A day later 6,454 fans attended the Murray State/Tennessee State Championship game. That crowd was the largest ever for a neutral site OVC Tournament game in Nashville and the second-largest neutral site championship crowd ever (trailing only the 8,145 fans who saw the 1993 Championship in Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.).

OVC at 12 Schools for First Time With Addition of Belmont; League Begins First Year of Divisional Play: The addition of Belmont University on July 1, 2012 gave the OVC 12 member institutions, the largest the Conference has been since it was formed in 1948 (the OVC is currently the nation’s eighth-oldest Division I conference). The 2012-13 also marks the first year that SIUE, who finished its reclassification process to Division I in August, is eligible for the postseason. The East Division includes Belmont, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech. The West Division includes Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Murray State, Southeast Missouri State, SIUE and UT Martin. The team who finishes first in each division will be guaranteed either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed for the OVC Tournament (and get a double bye into the semifinals); Seeds 3-8 in the tournament will be based on best Conference record, regardless of which division the team is from.

Loos is All-Time Winningest Coach in OVC History: With a 68-66 victory at Ohio on Dec. 9, 2009, Austin Peay head coach Dave Loos recorded his 320th career victory while in the OVC, a mark that ranks first all-time. Loos passed Cal Luther (319 wins at Murray State and UT Martin) for the all-time mark. Loos, the Dean of OVC coaches, is now in his 23rd year at Austin Peay where he also serves as the Athletics Director, making him the only Division I head men’s basketball coach to hold that distinction. Loos is one of just 11 active Division I coaches to have coached at the same school for 20 or more years. Loos now has 370 victories in his tenure at Austin Peay and 452 for his career (which ranks him 27th among Division I head coaches). Although he is in his first year in the OVC, Belmont head coach Rick Byrd has 657 career victories, which ranks seventh among active Division I head coaches.

The OVC Welcomes Four New Head Coaches: The OVC has four new head coaches this season. Tennessee State promoted head coach Travis Williams to its top shot after former coach John Cooper left for Miami (Ohio). Eastern Illinois is under the direction of Jay Spoonhour while Morehead State hired former Mississippi Valley State head coach Sean Woods. Although not new to his team, Belmont’s Rick Byrd is new to the league as the Bruins are playing its first year in the league in 2012-13.

Former OVC Players in the NBA: Entering the 2012-13 season there are two former OVC players on NBA rosters. Former Morehead State All-American Kenneth Faried was the No. 22 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and is in his second season with the Denver Nuggets. Faried was a two-time OVC Player of the Year, three-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year and set the NCAA Modern Era (since 1973) Rebounding record during his career. Faried was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 2012 after averaging 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds/game in 46 contests. Former Tennessee Tech star Kevin Murphy, who scored 50 points in a game last season, was picked by the Utah Jazz with the 47th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft and begins his rookie season with the team. Murphy is currently playing with the Jazz’s NBDL affiliate, the Reno BigHorns. Several other former NBA players are in the NBDL including Morehead State’s Demonte Harper (Erie BayHawks), Tennessee Tech’s Liam McMorrow (Iowa Energy), Jacksonville State’s Nick Murphy (Iowa Energy) and Jacksonville State’s Walker Russell (Fort Wayne Mad Ants).

The 2012-13 Season: The 2012-13 season marks the 65th of competition in the OVC. Over the previous 64 years, 12 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship.

Murray State’s Canaan Tabbed as Preseason Player of the Year: The 2012-13 All-OVC Preseason Men’s Basketball team was headlined by Murray State senior Isaiah Canaan who is the defending OVC Player of the Year and a preseason All-American selection. Overall six different schools were represented on the team with Belmont, Murray State, Southeast Missouri and Tennessee State having two selections apiece while SIUE and Tennessee Tech each had one selection to round out the team. The squad features three players who were All-OVC first-team selections last season, two players who were second-team selections and one player who was selected to the All-Newcomer squad. The team is comprised of eight seniors and two juniors. Last season Canaan was named the 2012 OVC Player of the Year and 2011-12 OVC Male Athlete of the Year after ranking 24th nationally in scoring (19.0), sixth in 3-point percentage (45.6%) and 13th in 3-pointers made/game (2.97). In addition to Canaan, Tennessee State senior forward Robert Covington and Tennessee Tech senior guard Jud Dillard were each first-team selections last year and are on the preseason team this year. The second-team selections from last year appearing on the preseason team this year are Southeast Missouri junior forward Tyler Stone and SIUE senior forward Mark Yelovich. The Preseason All-OVC team was rounded out by the Belmont senior backcourt duo of Kerron Johnson and Ian Clark, Murray State senior forward Ed Daniel, Tennessee State junior guard Patrick Miller and Southeast Missouri senior guard Marland Smith.

Murray State, Belmont Picked as OVC Preseason Favorites: In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men’s basketball coaches and sports information directors defending champion Murray State was picked the favorite in the West Division while newcomer Belmont was picked as the East Division favorite in the OVC for 2012-13. This year marks the first for divisional play in the OVC, which now includes 12 teams for the first time in Conference history. Murray State led the West Division voting, picking up 22 of a possible 24 first-place votes (schools were not allowed to vote for themselves) and 132 total points. Southeast Missouri State was tabbed second and picked up the remaining two first-place votes and 108 points. The West was rounded out by Austin Peay (92), SIUE (73), Eastern Illinois (49) and UT Martin (38). Belmont picked up 21 of the 24 first-place votes and 131 points to be picked the East Division favorites. Tennessee State was tabbed second and received the other three first-place votes and 109 points. The East was rounded out by Tennessee Tech (87), Morehead State (77) and Eastern Kentucky (56). Due to a NCAA APR penalty, Jacksonville State is ineligible for the OVC and NCAA Tournaments this season and was not included in the preseason voting.

Dial Global to Broadcast OVC Championship Game: For the fourth consecutive season, the 2013 Men’s Basketball Championship game will be broadcast by the Dial Global (formerly Westwood One) radio network, the largest provider of audio content in America. Dial Global is one of the nation’s largest providers of network radio programming and one of the largest domestic providers of traffic information in the U.S. Dial Global serves more than 5,000 radio and 170 TV stations in the U.S. Dial Global provides over 150 news, sports, music, talk and entertainment programs, features and live events to numerous media partners. Dial Global is home of the most prestigious sports broadcasts on radio. Dial Global’s lineup includes regular season NFL football, the Playoffs and the Super Bowl; NCAA Football and Basketball including the Final Four; College World Series; Frozen Four; the Olympics; the Masters and more.

Replay Systems for OVC Basketball Venues Enter Year six: On Dec. 21, 2007, the Ohio Valley Conference mandated the use of courtside replay systems at all OVC basketball venues. The systems were put into place in January 2008 and have been used since. The systems are used in situations that are outlined by NCAA rules.

OVC Digital Network: The OVC launched the OVC Digital Network (OVCDN) in August 2012. The OVCDN is the exclusive home for live web streamed athletic contests involving OVC schools. This marks the seventh year the OVC has streamed live events, but first time the events will be offered free of charge and in an HD format and will feature improved quality thanks to an investment in new equipment conference-wide. Fans will also find it easier to log onto OVCDigitalNetwork.com and access the streams and can do so without any registration. The events will be available on any computer, tablet or smart phone without needing any special downloads or apps thanks new streaming technology.

Team Notes

Austin Peay: Austin Peay entered last week having lost eight games in a row and 16 of its last 17 overall but bounced back with road victories over Eastern Illinois and SIUE...With the victories the Governors are now 3-10 in OVC play and just 1.5 games out of the eighth and final spot in the OVC Tournament field...Fifth-year senior Anthony Campbell was named OVC Player of the Week after averaging 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists/game and hitting 53.8 percent (14-of-26) from the field and 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from 3-point range; Campbell had 24 points on 5-of-7 3-point shooting against Eastern Illinois and in the return to his hometown of Edwardsville had 21 points on 7-of-13 overall shooting...Chris Horton was named OVC Freshman of the Week for the eighth time this season after averaging 13.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks/game; Horton had 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in the victory over SIUE and in the process became APSU’s single-season leader in blocked shots (he now has 85)...The victory over EIU on Thursday was the first on the road for the Govs this season while the win over SIUE was the first for the team on a Saturday this season; it also marked the first back-to-back wins of the year for the team...Dave Loos coached his 700th game at Austin Peay during the week and early on Monday morning became a grandfather for the eighth time...The Governors lead the OVC in 3-point percentage (40.2%) and blocks (5.3/game)...Austin Peay continues its four-game road trip with a Wednesday night game and Saturday’s BracketBusters contest at Liberty...Those two games are the last regular season road contest of the year for the Govs.

Belmont: In its only game last week Belmont suffered its second loss in its last three games, falling 80-69 to in-city rival Tennessee State in a game seen nationally on ESPNU...Despite the loss the Bruins (11-2 in OVC play) remain in first place in the OVC with three Conference games to go; with two more OVC wins the Bruins will clinch the OVC Championship and earn the No. 1 seed for the OVC Tournament...Belmont enters this week with the No. 25 RPI nationally, the No. 4 non-conference strength of schedule and a 6-4 record against Top 100 RPI teams...Senior Ian Clark is just 23 points away (he currently has 1,833 points) from becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer at the Division I level; Clark dropped to second nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (49.1%) after going 0-for-7 against TSU last week (the nation’s leader is now at 49.2%)...That was just the second time this season Clark failed to hit a 3-pointer in a game...Senior Kerron Johnson had 16 points and five assists against Tennessee State while Trevor Noack also added 16 points...The Bruins currently lead the OVC in scoring (77.1 points/game), field goal percentage (49.1%), steals (10.0/game), assists (15.9/game) and scoring margin (+12.4/game)...Belmont plays its final OVC road game of the season on Wednesday at Eastern Illinois...The week will end on Saturday when the Bruins host Ohio on ESPN2 as part of the Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters series; the Bobcats were NCAA Sweet 16 participants last year after winning its second and third round games in Nashville...Belmont enters that game with a 17-game home court winning streak, the sixth-longest streak nationally; overall the Bruins have won 38 of its last 39 games at the Curb Event Center.

Eastern Illinois: Eastern Illinois started the week with a loss to last place Austin Peay but rebounded to top West Division leader Murray State 79-70 to finish the week...The Panthers are now 5-9 in OVC play and would be the No. 8 seed if the tournament began this week...Junior Morris Woods averaged 22.5 points/game during the week, scoring 24 points against APSU and 21 points against Murray State; Woods hit 18-of-29 (62.1%) from the field for the week...Junior Sherman Blanford averaged 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds/game last week, netting his fourth double-double of the season against Murray State when he scored 15 points and had 14 rebounds...Freshman Alex Austin averaged 15.0 points and 3.0 rebounds/game last week while hitting 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the field and 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from 3-point range; Austin had 20 points against APSU and he currently leads all OVC freshmen in scoring...The win over Murray State was on the same night that the Panthers retired the No. 44 jersey of all-time great Henry Domercant; Domercant (2000-03) is the school’s and OVC’s all-time leading scorer (2,602) and was the 2002 OVC Player of the Year...Eastern Illinois will wrap-up its three-game home stand with a Wednesday night game with OVC leader Belmont...On Saturday the Panthers will travel to Northern Illinois as part of the Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters series.

Eastern Kentucky: Eastern Kentucky ran its winning streak to five games with victories over Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State at home...The Colonels are now 10-3 in OVC play, one game behind Belmont in the standings...The team has clinched at least a Top 4 seed for the OVC Tournament...With its victory over TTU last Thursday, EKU reached the 20-win plateau for just the eighth time in school history and first time since 2009-10; two days later the squad won its 21st game (which is the most of any OVC school this season) which set a regular season victory total for the program...EKU is just one win away from tying the school’s single-season record for wins (22)...Mike DiNunno averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals/game and hit 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from the field and 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from 3-point range; DiNunno currently ranks ninth in the OVC in scoring (15.5 points/game), sixth in assists (4.2/game), fifth in steals (1.8/game) and fifth in 3-pointers made/game (2.8/game)...Over his last five games sophomore Eric Stutz is averaging 12.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 2.0 steals and 2.0 assists/game...The Colonels lead the OVC in scoring defense (64.1 points/game), free throw percentage (76.1%), turnover margin (+5.6/game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3)...Eastern Kentucky plays its final home game of the 2012-13 season on Wednesday when Austin Peay comes to McBrayer Arena; the Colonels are 14-1 at home this season...The week concludes with its Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters game at Valparaiso on Saturday at Noon (ESPNU).

Jacksonville State: Jacksonville State dropped a pair of road games last week to end its road trip 0-3 overall; the Gamecocks lost 85-81 at Morehead State and 80-67 at Eastern Kentucky...Senior Tarvin Gaines averaged 26.0 points and 4.5 rebounds/game last week while hitting 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from the field, 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from 3-point range and 93.8 percent (15-of-16) from the free throw line; Gaines had a career-high 31 points against Morehead State, becoming the first Gamecock to score 30 points in a game since 2010...Gaines currently ranks seventh in the OVC in scoring (15.9 points/game)...Junior newcomer Rico Sanders averaged 12.0 points/game last week while hitting 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from the field and 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from 3-point range; Sanders had a season-high 15 points off the bench at Morehead State...Jacksonville State will play its final home game of the season on Wednesday when Southeast Missouri pays a visit to Pete Mathews Coliseum...The week will finish with a Saturday BracketBusters contest at UNC Asheville.

Morehead State: Morehead State snapped a three-game losing streak by winning twice at home last week as the Eagles downed Jacksonville State 85-81 and Tennessee Tech 65-63 to improve to 7-6 in OVC play...With three OVC games to play, MSU has clinched a berth in the OVC Tournament as it holds the tiebreaker over any of the teams lower in the standings it could end up tied with in the final standings (Southeast Missouri, SIUE, Eastern Illinois and UT Martin), having won the head-to-head game against each of those four schools...Junior newcomer Chad Posthumus averaged 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals/game last week while hitting 52.4 percent (11-of-21) from the field; Posthumus had 13 points and nine rebounds in both games...After Posthumus scored on a tip-in with 44 seconds to play against TTU on Saturday, it was sophomore Angelo Warner who hit the game-winning shot with nine seconds to go...Senior Devon Atkinson ranks second in the OVC in assists (5.0/game) and his assist total this season (136) is more than any other MSU player over the past three seasons...The Eagles lead the OVC in rebounding margin (+5.4/game) and rank second in steals (9.5/game)...Morehead State will conclude its four-game home stand with a Wednesday night contest with Murray State...The Eagles will then travel to Michigan for a Saturday contest with Oakland as part of the Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters series.

Murray State: Coming off home big wins over Belmont and Tennessee State the previous week, Murray State had a tough go on the road, losing contest at SIUE (65-60) and Eastern Illinois (79-70) last week...It marked the third and fourth true road losses of the season for the Racers, which equals the team’s total from the past two seasons combined...The Racers hit just 3-of-16 (18.8%) from 3-point range in the loss to SIUE...Against EIU on Saturday the Racers attempted a school record 39 3-pointers (surpassing the old mark of 35), making 15 of them (two off the school record of 17 set in 1994)...Isaiah Canaan hit at least one 3-pointer in each game and has now hit a 3-pointer in 35-straight games dating back to last season; he now has 280 career 3-pointers which ranks fifth in OVC history, just five trifectas away from third place...Canaan also needs just 111 points to become the 17th member of the OVC 2,000-Point Club; Canaan currently ranks 10th nationally in scoring (20.6 points/game)...Ed Daniel ranks ninth nationally in rebounding (10.4/game) and 11th in double-doubles (13)...Stacy Wilson averaged 20.0 points/game last week as he hit 7-of-16 (43.8%) from 3-point range...Murray State plays the final game in its three-game road swing on Wednesday night when it goes against Morehead State...On Saturday the Racers return home to host South Dakota State as part of the Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters series (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)...MSU is 6-2 all-time in BracketBuster games including a perfect 3-0 in TV contest (with wins over Rice, Morgan State and Saint Mary’s).

Southeast Missouri: Southeast Missouri won its lone game of the week, at UT Martin, on Saturday...The Redhawks have now won three games in a row and are 6-7 in OVC play, which would rank them sixth if the OVC Tournament began this week...The win at UTM snapped a four-game road losing streak and six-game OVC road losing streak dating back to last season for the team...Southeast had three players score 20 or more points in the game, the first time that has happened for the team this season; Marland Smith led the way with 22 points, Nick Niemczyk added 21 and Lucas Nutt had 20...Smith hit 5-of-7 3-pointers on the night and also had five rebounds and four assists; he now has 664 3-point attempts in his career, a mark that ranks ninth in OVC history...In addition to his 20 points Nutt also dished out seven assists...Nino Johnson had five blocks in the win and now has 72 on the season (his 2.7 blocks/game average is second in the OVC and 19th nationally); Johnson needs just four more blocks to break the school record of 75 held by Bud Eley (1998-99)...The Redhawks currently lead the OVC in rebounding (37.2/game) and field goal defense (40.1%) and are second in blocks (4.9/game)...Southeast Missouri will travel to Jacksonville State for a Wednesday night OVC contest and then return home for its final home game of the season on Saturday...That game is a Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters contest against Ball State.

SIUE: SIUE scored its biggest victory since becoming a member of Division I and the OVC by topping Murray State 65-60 last Thursday night...The win came hours after the team’s top scorer (Jerome Jones) was suspended from the team for the rest of the season...The week ended with a 83-71 loss to Austin Peay on Saturday...The Cougars are now 5-8 in OVC play and would be seeded seventh if the OVC Tournament began this week...Junior newcomer Tim Johnson averaged 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals/game while hitting 52.4 percent (11-of-24) from the field in the two games; Johnson had nine points and a season-high seven rebounds in the victory over Murray State and a career-high 17 points against APSU...Senior Mark Yelovich had 21 points and five rebounds on Saturday against Austin Peay; Yelovich hit 7-of-15 shots and 6-of-7 free throw attempts...The win over Murray State was the eighth home victory of the season for SIUE, the most for the team since moving to the Division I level...SIUE will play its final home game of the season on Wednesday when it welcomes Tennessee State to town...The week concludes on Saturday at Central Arkansas in a Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters contest.

Tennessee State: In its lone game last week Tennessee State topped in-city rival Belmont 80-69 to improve to 10-0 at the Gentry Center this season...It marks the best home start for the team since the 1992-93 season and was the first win over the Bruins (who only became regular opponents again this season) since 1987...TSU overcame an 18-8 deficit out of the gate as it grabbed a 31-28 halftime lead and won by 11...Senior Robert Covington hit 7-of-9 shots (including 3-of-4 3-pointers) on his way to 25 points, the most he has scored since his return from an injury on Dec. 18; Covington also adding seven rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks...Kellen Thornton added his eighth double-double of the year with 18 points (on 8-of-14 shooting) and 10 rebounds...Patrick Miller added 15 points, six rebounds and four assists for TSU...Overall Tennessee State hit 52.9 percent (27-of-51) from the field and 87.5 percent (21-of-24) from the free throw line; TSU’s defense was able to limit Belmont to just 5-of-26 (19.2%) from long range...If the OVC Tournament was to begin today the Tigers would be the No. 4 seed...The Tigers rank second in the OVC in 3-point percentage defense (30.7%), free throw percentage (73.8%) and rebounding margin (+3.0/game)...Tennessee State returns to action on Wednesday night with a trip to SIUE, a game that marks its final road game of the regular season...The Tigers then return home to battle Loyola (Md.) in a Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters contest.

Tennessee Tech: Tennessee Tech dropped a pair of road games last week, falling 80-69 at Eastern Kentucky and 65-63 at Morehead State...The Golden Eagles are now 3-10 in OVC play, which puts them 1.5 games behind the eighth and final spot in the OVC Tournament field...Newcomer Jeremiah Samarrippas averaged 14.5 points and 5.5 assists/game last week while connecting on 40 percent (10-of-25) of his field goal attempts; the SMU transfer hit a game-tying shot late in the last second loss to Morehead State and finished the game with 14 points and four assists and added 15 points and seven assists against EKU...Senior Jud Dillard had 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists against EKU then netted his 10th double-double of the year (which ranks second in the OVC) with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Morehead State...After playing 15 games on the road so far this season, Tennessee Tech will return home for its final four games of the regular season...The Golden Eagles will challenge UT Martin on Thursday and then welcome UMKC on Saturday in a Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters game.

UT Martin: UT Martin lost its only game last week, falling at home to Southeast Missouri by a 96-74 margin on Saturday...The loss left the Skyhawks 4-9 in OVC play with three OVC games to play...Sophomore Terence Smith scored a career-high 26 points in the game, connecting on 9-of-16 (56.3%) field goals and hitting 7-of-7 free throws; it was the eighth double-digit scoring game of the season for the redshirt sophomore who missed all of last season and 10 games of this season because of injuries...Mike Liabo added 15 points and Myles Taylor had 11 points and nine rebounds in the game...Jeremy Washington added eight points and eight rebounds in the game...The Skyhawks rank second in the OVC in rebounding (36.5/game) and third in free throw percentage (73.8%)...UT Martin will play at Tennessee Tech on Thursday night and return home to play Longwood in a Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters contest; that game is the final home game of the year for the Skyhawks.