Ohio Valley Conference

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Belmont has been picked to win the 2017-18 Ohio Valley Conference women's basketball title in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The Bruins earned 242 points, including 22 first-place votes, while SIUE earned 199 points for a second-place predicted finish. UT Martin picked up the final two first-place nods and 198 points to be selected third. Morehead State is picked to finish fourth with 192 points while Tennessee Tech is selected to finish fifth with 133 points. Rounding out the poll are Austin Peay (120), Jacksonville State (111), Murray State (101), Southeast Missouri (101), Eastern Kentucky (83), Eastern Illinois (64) and Tennessee State (38).
 
Belmont is coming off a season in which it went 27-6 overall and 16-0 in the OVC to capture it's first OVC regular-season title. The Bruins earned the top seed in the OVC Tournament and defeated Eastern Kentucky, 94-64, in the championship final to win its second straight tourney crown. Belmont made its third NCAA appearance, falling to Kentucky in the first round. The Bruins will be under the new direction of Bart Brooks, who comes to Belmont after spending the last 11 seasons on the staff of DePaul.  Brooks will have four starters among 10 letterwinners returning this season including 2017-18 OVC Preseason Co-Player of the Year in senior center Sally McCabe and junior guard Darby Maggard. McCabe, a native of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., earned her second straight OVC Defensive Player of the Year award last season. She led the Conference with 95 blocks (2.5 bpg) while also ranking third with 7.6 rebounds per outing. McCabe recorded 12.5 points per game in 2016-17. A product of Larwill, Ind., Maggard was named to the All-OVC First Team last season after finishing with 14.5 points per game and a league-leadng 48.7 three-point field goal percentage. Also returning this year is senior guard Kylee Smith. A native of Alpharetta, Ga., Smith was earned Preseason All-OVC honors this year after being named to the  All-Conference first team last season. She recorded 15.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last year.
 
SIUE went 14-17 overall and 9-7 in the OVC to finish third last year. The Cougars earned the third seed in the OVC Tournament and fell in the semifinals to Eastern Kentucky. Paula Buscher enters her sixth year at the helm of SIUE and will have all five starters among eight players returning from last year's team.  Donshel Beck (St. Louis, Mo.), a senior guard, will be back on the court this season. Beck, who earned All-OVC Second Team honors last year, ranked among league leaders with 14.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in 2016-17. Beck was also named to the 2017-18 Preseason All-OVC team. Also returning are senior guard Lauren White and senior guard/forward Gwen Adams. White, a native of Edwardsville, Ill.,  averaged 12.0 points last season while recording 44 steals. A product of Ferguson, Mo., Adams led the league with a 91.9 free throw percentage, going 113 for 123 from the line last year. 
 
UT Martin finished in a tie for fourth place last season after going 12-19 overall and 8-8 in the league. The Skyhawks earned the fourth seeded in the OVC Tournament where they made it to the semifinals before falling to top-seeded Belmont. Kevin McMillan, the second longest tenured coach in the OVC, is entering his ninth season at the helm of UT Martin. He will have four starters among six players returning from last year. Among the returnees are senior forward Ashton Feldhaus (Richmond, Ky.), sophomore guard Kendall Spray (Lebanon, Tenn.) and junior guard Myah Taylor (Dyersburg, Tenn.) Feldhaus, who was named to the All-OVC Second Team and All-Newcomer squad last year, recorded 11.0 points and 5.1 rebounds each time out in 2016-17. Spray, who was named the 2016-17 OVC Freshman of the Year, led all freshman with 12.5 points per game to rank 15th in the league last year. She finished second in the OVC with 2.9 three-point field goals made per game while ranking seventh with a 38.4 three-point field goal percentage. Taylor, who was also named to the All-OVC Second Team, ranked among league-leaders with 12.1 points per game while also recording a 43.0 field goal percentage last season. Feldhaus, Spray and Taylor were all named to the 2017-18 Preseason All-OVC team.
 
The 2017-18 regular-season beings on Nov. 10 with Conference play starting Dec. 28. Ten different teams have won a regular-season title with Tennessee Tech leading the way with 18.
 
2017-18 OVC Women’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Belmont (22 first-place votes) - 242 points
2. SIUE - 199
3. UT Martin (Two first-place votes) - 198
4. Morehead State - 192
5. Tennessee Tech - 133
6. Austin Peay - 120
7. Jacksonville State - 111
t8. Murray State - 101
t8. Southeast Missouri - 101
10. Eastern Kentucky - 83
11. Eastern Illinois - 64
12. Tennessee State – 38
 
2017-18 All-OVC Preseason Women's Basketball Team
 
The 2017-18 Preseason All-OVC team is headlined by Belmont junior guard Darby Maggard and senior center Sally McCabe who shared the Preseason Player of the Year honor.
 
The preseason squad features student-athletes from seven different teams. Belmont and UT Martin lead the way with three selections each. Eastern Illinois, Morehead State, Murray State, SIUE and Tennessee Tech each had one pick.
 
Maggard was an All-OVC First Team pick last season. The Larwill, Ind, native led the league with a 48.7 3-point field goal percentage while also ranking eighth with 14.5 points per game. Maggard also made 49.1 percent of her field goals and ranked second with 5.7 assists per game last season.
 
McCabe, a native of Alpharetta, Ga., earned her second straight OVC Defensive Player of the Year honor last season. She led the league with 95 total blocks and 2.9 blocks per game in 2016-17. McCabe also scored 12.5 points and brought down 7.9 rebounds per game last year.
 
Earning Preseason All-Conference team honors this year after being named to the All-OVC First Team last season were: Belmont senior guard Kylee Smith (15.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg); Eastern Illinois senior guard Grace Lennox (16.3 ppg, 43.9 FG%); Murray State senior guard/forward Ke'Shunan James (20.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg); and Tennessee Tech senior guard Yaktavia Hickson (16.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg).
 
Rounding out the preseason squad after earning All-OVC Second Team honors last season are: UT Martin senior forward Ashton Feldhaus (11.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg), sophomore guard Kendall Spray (12.5 ppg, 2.9 3-PT FG made per game) and junior guard Myah Taylor (12.1 ppg, 43.0 FG%); Morehead State junior guard Miranda Crockett (11.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg); and SIUE senior guard Donshel Beck (14.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg).
 
2017-18 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Team 
Ke'Shunan James, Murray State
Darby Maggard, Belmont
Kylee Smith, Belmont
Grace Lennox, Eastern Illinois
Yaktavia Hickson, Tennessee Tech
Sally McCabe, Belmont
Donshel Beck, SIUE
Miranda Crockett, Morehead State
Ashton Feldhaus, UT Martin
Kendall Spray, UT Martin
Myah Taylor, UT Martin