• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – February 12 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Thursday, February 15
*Eastern Illinois at Southeast Missouri, 6:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Jacksonville State at Murray State, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Eastern Kentucky at Belmont, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*SIUE at UT Martin, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Morehead State at Tennessee State, 7:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Tennessee Tech at Austin Peay, 7:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Saturday, February 17
*SIUE at Southeast Missouri, 4:15 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Eastern Illinois at UT Martin, 6:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Tennessee Tech at Murray State, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Morehead State at Belmont, 7:00 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
*Jacksonville State at Austin Peay, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee State, 7:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
adidas® OVC Players of the Week
CO-PLAYER
Nick Mayo, F • 6-9, 240, Jr. • Oakland, Maine • Eastern Kentucky
Mayo averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 assists/game while hitting 55.9 percent (19-of-34) from the field, 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from 3-point range and 87.5 percent (7-of-8) from the free throw line in two games. The junior opened the week against UT Martin by knocking down a career-high 7-of-10 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 36 points, tied for the most by an OVC player in a game this season. Mayo finished that game 13-of-21 from the field and added five rebounds and an assist. He closed the week with 18 points, five rebounds, four blocks, a steal and assist in a home court win over Morehead State. He is now tied for the EKU career blocks record (115). Mayo currently leads the OVC in 3-point percentage (48.4%), ranks third in scoring (17.1 points/game), fourth in blocked shots (1.4/game), eighth in free throw percentage (82.9%) and 10th in rebounding (6.7/game).
CO-PLAYER
Denzel Mahoney, G/F • 6-4, 213, So. • Oviedo, Fla. • Southeast Missouri
Mahoney averaged 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals/game while hitting 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from the field, 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from 3-point range and 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the free throw line in a pair of Southeast Missouri victories, both of which saw the Redhawks overcome double-digit deficits. The sophomore opened the week with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 23 minutes of action at Morehead State. He followed that with 27 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in an overtime victory at UT Martin. In that win, he hit 5-of-8 3-pointers, including a trifecta with one second left in regulation to extend the contest into overtime. That game saw SEMO overcome a 15-point deficit with nine minutes to play. Mahoney ranks second in the OVC in scoring (20.0 points/game) and 3-point percentage (43.5%), sixth in free throw percentage (83.6%) and eighth in 3-pointers made (2.1/game).
Others Nominated: Amanze Egekeze, Belmont; Muusa Dama, Eastern Illinois; Nick Mayo, Jordan Walker, Morehead State; Ja Morant, Murray State; Delano Spencer, Tennessee State; Curtis Phillips, Jr., Tennessee Tech.
CO-NEWCOMER
Kamar McKnight, G • 6-4, 205, R-So. • Toronto, Ontario • Tennessee State
McKnight, a transfer from Georgia Highlands College, averaged 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists/game while hitting 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from the field, 50 percent (3-of-6) from 3-point range and 83.3 percent (5-of-6) from the field as the Tigers ended Belmont’s eight-game winning streak and completed the season sweep of Jacksonville State with a road victory. Against Belmont, McKnight hit 5-of-10 field goals on his way to 13 points while also adding two rebounds, two assists and a steal in 22 minutes off the bench. At JSU, the sophomore hit 3-of-5 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws to net 11 points to go along with a season-high five rebounds and an assist in 23 minutes.
CO-NEWCOMER
Delfincko Bogan, G • 5-10, 190, Jr. • Charleston, Mo. • UT Martin
Bogan, a transfer from Moberly Area College, averaged 15.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists/game while hitting 50 percent (12-of-24) from the field in two games. He opened the week with a team-high 19 points (on 8-of-13 shooting) in a win road win over Eastern Kentucky. In that contest Bogan also added three assists, two steals and a rebound. Two days later he had 12 points, a career-high nine assists, five rebounds and three steals in an overtime loss to Southeast Missouri. Bogan leads the OVC in steals (1.85/game).
Others Nominated: Shaq Calhoun, Tennessee Tech.
FRESHMAN
Ja Morant, G • 6-3, 170, Fr. • Dalzell, S.C. • Murray State
Morant nearly averaged a triple-double last week in a pair of Murray State victories. The freshman averaged 10.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists/game as the Racers pulled even with Belmont at the top of the OVC standings. Morant, who had a triple-double earlier this year against Eastern Illinois, began the week with 11 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a win over rival Austin Peay. In that contest, he hit 4-of-8 field goals (1-of-2 3-pointers), blocked a shot and committed only three turnovers in 32 minutes. He ended the week with 10 points, 12 rebounds (tying a season-high), eight assists and three steals in a win over SIUE. It marks the third time this season he has been named OVC Freshman of the Week; Morant currently ranks second in the OVC in assists (6.5/game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6).
Others Nominated: Terry Taylor, Austin Peay; Mack Smith, Eastern Illinois; JacQuess Hobbs, Eastern Kentucky; Ledarrius Brewer, Southeast Missouri.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: With four Conference games remaining, Belmont and Murray State are tied atop the OVC standings...Those two teams have combined to win the past eight OVC regular season championships...Belmont and Murray State each reached the 20-win plateau last week...It marks the 12th time in the last 13 seasons Belmont has won 20 games and seventh time since 2009-10 for the Racers...MSU head coach Matt McMahon is the 13th Racer head coach (out of 16 total) to record a 20-win season...Tennessee State snapped Belmont’s eight-game winning streak with a 64-56 win in the Gentry Center; the Tigers have now won six games in a row (the third-straight season they have had a winning streak that long) and need two more regular season wins to guarantee its third-consecutive winning season...Belmont senior Austin Luke moved into fifth place on the OVC career assist list (629); he is one away from fourth place and 70 away from the all-time OVC record); Luke currently ranks sixth nationally in assists (7.2/game)...Matthew Butler nailed a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left to push UT Martin to a win at Eastern Kentucky last week; Butler ranks 10th nationally in minutes played/game (37:35)...Austin Peay has reached 10 Conference wins in a season for the first time since 2010-11...Five teams have clinched a spot in the eight-team OVC Tournament field: Austin Peay, Belmont, Jacksonville State, Murray State and Tennessee State, while Tennessee Tech is one win away from joining that group.
Belmont’s Luke Climbs OVC Career Assists List: Belmont senior guard
Austin Luke currently has 629 career assists, which ranks fifth in OVC history. He is one assist away from moving into fourth place in league history, and 70 away from the all-time record. He is the first person to join the OVC’s Top 10 since the 2014 season.
NCAA Stats Leaders: In the most recent set of NCAA statistical leaders (Feb. 12), Murray State is ranked 10th in scoring margin (+14.2/game), 21st in field goal percentage (49.3%), 24th in 3-point defense (31.1%) and 28th in rebounding margin (+6.0/game). Belmont is ranked eighth in 3-pointers made/game (11.0) and Austin Peay is 16th in forced turnovers/game (16.35). Jacksonville State is 17th in field goal defense (40.1%) and 20th in scoring defense (64.8 points/game). Individually, Belmont’s
Dylan Windler is 17th in double-doubles (12) and 50th in rebounding (8.9/game) while teammate
Austin Luke is sixth in assists (7.2/game). Murray State’s
Ja Morant is 13th in assists (6.5/game) and 41st in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.61) while teammate
Jonathan Stark is seventh in 3-pointers made/game (3.48), 18th in free throw percentage (90.1%) and 27th in scoring (20.9 points/game). Austin Peay’s
Terry Taylor is seventh in offensive rebounding (4.04/game) while UT Martin’s
Matthew Butler is 10th in minutes played/game (37:35), SIUE’s
Daniel Kinchen is ninth in free throw percentage (91.1%) and Jacksonville State’s
Malcolm Drumwright is 24th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.88).
CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll: In the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll (Feb. 5), Belmont was ranked No. 13 while Murray State was No. 17 and Jacksonville State was among the others receiving votes. Saint Mary’s picked up 27 first-place votes to be ranked No. 1. Now in its 19th season, the Mid-Major poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, 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 Illinois coach Jay Spoonhour is the OVC representative).
2018 OVC Tournament Set for Ford Center in Evansville: The OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com will be held February 28 through March 3 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the first time the event has been held at the Ford Center after 23 of the past 24 events were held in Nashville (2002 being the exception). The Ford Center, which opened in 2011, is a 10,000-seat arena located in the core of Evansville’s downtown district. The 290,000-square foot facility serves as home of the University of Evansville’s men’s basketball team as well as the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The Ford Center has serves as host to numerous sporting events and concerts on an annual basis. Evansville is the third-largest city in the state of Indiana with a population of nearly 120,000 in the city limit and 300,000 people in the metropolitan area.
UTM’s Lewis, Murray State’s Morant Record 16th and 17th Triple-Doubles in OVC History: UT Martin junior
Fatodd Lewis recorded the 16th triple-double in OVC history on Dec. 10 as UT Martin topped UC Clermont 127-92. He had 34 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists. On Dec. 28, Murray State freshman
Ja Morant added the 17th triple-double in league history when he had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in a win over Eastern Illinois. Below is a list of all-time OVC triple-doubles.
Lorenzo Coleman, Tennessee Tech vs. Oral Roberts (12/21/94) - 18 pts., 11 reb., 10 bl.
Van Usher, Tennessee Tech vs. Eastern Kentucky (2/24/92) - 16 pts., 10 reb., 14 asst.
Bud Eley, Southeast Missouri vs. Morehead State (1/4/99) - 24 pts., 14 reb., 10 blocks
Trenton Hassell, Austin Peay vs. Morehead State (2/2/99) - 19 pts., 13 reb., 10 asst.
Trenton Hassell, Austin Peay vs. Tennessee State (2/26/00) - 19 pts., 11 reb., 10 asst.
Trenton Hassell, Austin Peay vs. UT Martin (2/22/01) - 27 pts., 13 reb., 12 asst.
Brandon Griffin, Southeast Missouri vs. Oakland City (12/13/03) - 12 pts., 12 reb., 10 asst.
Walker Russell, Jacksonville St. vs. Eastern Kentucky (2/28/06) - 21 pts., 11 reb., 11 asst.
Lester Hudson, UT Martin vs. Central Baptist (11/13/07) - 25 pts., 12 reb., 10 asst., 10 stl.
Lester Hudson, UT Martin vs. Southeast Missouri (2/16/08) - 26 pts., 12 reb., 10 asst.
Isacc Miles, Murray State vs. UT Martin (2/24/09) - 13 pts., 10 reb., 11 asst.
Chris Horton, Austin Peay vs. Berea (11/16/14) - 15 pts., 13 reb., 10 blocks
Deville Smith, UT Martin vs. Northwestern State (3/19/15) - 21 pts., 12 reb., 11 asst.
Kedar Edwards, UT Martin vs. Bethune-Cookman (12/17/16) - 15 pts., 10 reb., 11 asst.
Xavier Moon, Morehead State vs. Central Arkansas (12/19/16) - 25 pts., 10 reb., 11 asst.
Fatodd Lewis, UT Martin vs. UC Clermont (12/10/17) - 34 pts., 16 reb., 12 asst.
Ja Morant, Murray State vs. Eastern Illinois (12/28/17) - 11 pts, 10 reb., 14 asst.
OVC Men’s Basketball Eliminates Divisions, Increases Conference Schedule to 18 Games: After five years of East/West Divisional play, men’s basketball in the OVC has returned to standings that rank teams 1-12 overall. Divisional play began in 2012-13 after the league expanded to 12 teams for the first time. After six years of teams playing 16 Conference games, OVC teams will play an 18-game Conference schedule beginning this season. OVC basketball teams last played an 18-game schedule from 2008-09 through 2010-11.
Recent Postseason Success: OVC teams have won at least one game in each postseason for nine-straight years, the longest stretch in league history. Morehead State won a NCAA game in 2009, Murray State won in the NCAA Tournament in 2010, Morehead State won in the NCAA’s in 2011, Murray State won in the NCAA’s in 2012, Eastern Kentucky won in the CIT in 2013, Belmont (NIT) and Murray State (CIT) won games in 2014, Eastern Illinois (CIT), Eastern Kentucky (CIT), Murray State (NIT) and UT Martin (CIT) scored victories in 2015 (the four different teams to record a victory in the single postseason was an OVC record), Morehead State (CBI) and UT Martin (CIT) won in 2016 and Belmont (NIT) and UT Martin (CIT) scored wins in 2017.
OVC to Produce 15-Game National Television Package: The OVC will produce a national television package in 2017-18 that will include 14 men’s basketball games (and one women’s basketball contest) that will air on either the ESPN Family of Networks or the CBS Sports Network. The Conference will once again have seven men’s games (and one women’s game) on the ESPN Family of Networks, including four regular season games as well as the OVC Tournament semifinals and championship game. The OVC will also have a seven-game package on CBS Sports Network.
EIU’s Lewis Joins 1000-Point, 500-Assist Club: On December 6, Eastern Illinois senior
Terrell Lewis became the ninth all-time member of the OVC’s 1,000-Point, 500-Assist Club. Lewis currently has 1,009 points and 501 assists for his career. The other eight members of the club are: Kerron Johnson (Belmont), Bruce Jones (Eastern Kentucky), Matt Witt (Eastern Kentucky), Walker Russell (Jacksonville State); Don Mann (Murray State); Patrick Miller (Tennessee State); Anthony Avery (Tennessee Tech), Van Usher (Tennessee Tech).
Three OVC Players on Lou Henson Award Watch List: Three OVC players have been named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List. The award is given to the Mid-Major Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com. The three OVC players were Belmont senior
Austin Luke, Eastern Kentucky junior
Nick Mayo and Murray State senior
Jonathan Stark. The 2017-18 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award will be announced on March 31, 2018 at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Event in San Antonio, site of the men’s NCAA Basketball Championship.
EKU’s Mayo Named to Karl Malone Award Watch List: Eastern Kentucky junior
Nick Mayo was one of 20 players named to the 2018 Karl Malone Award Watch List in the preseason. The award is given annually to the top power forward in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the 20 candidates for the list. By mid-February, the Watch List will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Malone and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2018 Karl Malone Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, California on Friday, April 6.
Byrd Ranks 5th Among Active NCAA Coaches: Belmont head coach
Rick Byrd (who is in his sixth year in the OVC and 32nd overall at Belmont) has 774 career victories, which ranks fifth among active Division I head coaches (and 15th all-time). Byrd is one of just five active Division I coaches to have coached at the same school for 25 or more years (the others are Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Oakland’s Greg Kampe and Davidson’s Bob McKillop).
OVC Players in the NBA: There are currently five former OVC players on NBA rosters (with a sixth currently injured). Those players included former Morehead State All-American
Kenneth Faried (who is in his seventh season with the Denver Nuggets and who is signed through the 2018-19 as part of a four-year, $50 million dollar extension), former Tennessee State standout
Robert Covington (who is in his fifth season in the league, fourth with the Philadelphia 76ers and just signed a four-year extension worth $61.6 million), former Belmont All-American
Ian Clark (who is in his fifth overall season and who won a NBA Championship with Golden State last year and who is in his first year with New Orleans), former Murray State All-American
Cameron Payne (who is in his third year in the NBA after being a lottery pick of the Oklahoma City Thunder before being traded to the Chicago Bulls) and former Murray State two-time OVC Player of the Year and All-American
Isaiah Canaan (in his fifth year overall and first with the Phoenix Suns). Former Southeast Missouri State guard
Antonius Cleveland has been with the Dallas Mavericks on a two-way contract this season but suffered an injury in late December and was waived but is currently rehabilitating.
Murray State’s Stark Tabbed as Preseason Player of the Year: The 2017-18 OVC Preseason Men’s Basketball team was headlined by Murray State senior
Jonathan Stark who was named the OVC Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches and SID’s. Overall seven different schools were represented on the team with Belmont, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Murray State having two selections apiece and Southeast Missouri, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin having one pick apiece. The squad features six players who were either first or second-team selections last season. The team was comprised of eight seniors, one junior and two sophomores. In addition to Stark the others named to the team included UT Martin’s
Matthew Butler, Jacksonville State’s
Malcolm Drumwright and
Norbertas Giga, Belmont’s
Amanze Egekeze and
Austin Luke, Eastern Kentucky’s
Nick Mayo and
Asante Gist, Tennessee Tech’s
Aleksa Jugovic, Southeast Missouri’s
Denzel Mahoney and Murray State’s
Terrell Miller.
Belmont Picked as OVC Preseason Favorite: In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men’s basketball coaches and sports information directors Belmont has been picked the preseason favorite for the 2017-18 season. It marks the third-straight year the Bruins have been tabbed preseason favorites. Belmont, who has won four of the past five OVC regular season championships, picked up 18 of 24 first-place votes in being picked the preseason favorites. The Bruins received 235 total points in being picked first. Jacksonville State, the defending OVC Tournament champions, picked up three first-place votes and were tabbed second with 213 points. Murray State received the other three first-place votes and 212 points in being picked third. The preseason poll was rounded out by Eastern Kentucky (139), Tennessee Tech (137), Eastern Illinois (135), Tennessee State (125), UT Martin (114), Morehead State (89), Southeast Missouri (82), Austin Peay (63) and SIUE (40).
OVC to Host 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship 1st/2nd Rounds: For the first time since 2012, the Ohio Valley Conference, in partnership with the Nashville Sports Council, will host the First and Second Rounds of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. The event will be held March 16 & 18 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The 2018 event will mark the fifth time the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has been at Bridgestone Arena since 2000 (2000, 2003, 2005 and 2012). More recently, the OVC served as host for the 2014 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four at the arena.
The 2017-18 Season: The 2017-18 season marks the 70th of competition in the OVC. Over the previous 69 years, 13 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship.
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 12th year the OVC has streamed live events, but the sixth year the events have been offered free of charge and in an HD format. Fans can log onto
OVCDigitalNetwork.com and access the streams without any registration. The events are available on any computer, tablet or smart phone. In November 2015 the league also announced the addition of a channel on the Roku streaming player as well, making it even easier for fans to watch events on their television.