• OVC Men's Basketball Report - January 4 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Thursday, January 7
*Austin Peay at SIUE, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee Tech at Morehead State, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southeast Missouri at Belmont, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Jacksonville State at Eastern Kentucky, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Murray State at Eastern Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*UT Martin at Tennessee State, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, January 9
*Murray State at SIUE, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Jacksonville State at Morehead State, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Austin Peay at Eastern Illinois, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*UT Martin at Belmont, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southeast Missouri at Tennessee State, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee Tech at Eastern Kentucky, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
As games change,the most up-to-date league schedule can be found here:
http://ovcsports.com/calendar.aspx?path=mbball&.
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Ben Sheppard, G • 6-6, 185, So. • Atlanta, Ga. • Belmont
In a pair of wins last week Sheppard averaged 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.5 assists/game while hitting 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the field as Belmont improved to 4-0 in OVC play. In the team’s 68-55 home win over rival Murray State, Sheppard had a career-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting (1-of-4 3-pointers) while also adding four rebounds and two assists without committing a turnover. He also limited All-OVC performer Tevin Brown to just two field goals. He matched that career-high three days later with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting (3-of-7 3-pointers) in a 90-69 win at UT Martin. In that win Sheppard added a career-high six steals, seven rebounds and an assist in 25 minutes of action.
Others Nominated: Terry Taylor, Austin Peay; Marvin Johnson, Eastern Illinois; Wendell Green Jr., Eastern Kentucky; DeVon Cooper, Morehead State; Tevin Brown, Murray State; DQ Nicholas, Southeast Missouri; Jr. Clay, Tennessee Tech; Cameron Holden, UT Martin.
NEWCOMER
Amanze Ngumezi, F • 6-9, 245, Jr. • Savannah, Ga. • Jacksonville State
Ngumezi, a transfer from Georgia, had a career-high 20 points, eight rebounds, an assist and block in 21 minutes off the bench in Jacksonville State’s 80-70 home win over UT Martin. He hit 6-of-9 field goals (2-of-4 3-pointers) and 6-of-7 free throws in the win as the Gamecocks improved to 3-0 in Conference play. Ngumezi has now scored in double figures in three-straight games.
Others Nominated: Elton Walker, Austin Peay; Sammy Friday IV, Eastern Illinois; Brandon Knapper, Eastern Kentucky; Damaria Franklin, Tennessee Tech; Cameron Holden, UT Martin.
FRESHMAN
Wendell Green Jr., G • 5-11, 170, Fr. • Detroit, Mich. • Eastern Kentucky
In two wins, Green averaged 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 assists/game while hitting 41.9 percent (13-of-31) from the field, 50 percent (5-of-10) from 3-point range and 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from the free throw line. Green exploded for 30 points in Saturday’s 80-75 road win over Austin Peay; the 30 points is the second most nationally by a freshman this season (trailing only 32 points by LSU’s Cameron Thomas), and second-most by any OVC player this year. He hit 5-of-7 3-pointers and 7-of-8 free throws against the Govs while also adding five rebounds in 33 minutes of action. At one point Green scored 14-straight points in a 3:22 stretch of the first half. He started the week with nine points, a season-high five steals, three assists, three rebounds and a block in a home victory over Eastern Illinois. Green leads all OVC freshmen in assists (4.5/game) and steals (2.0/game) and is second in scoring (11.9 points/game).
Others Nominated: JaCobi Wood, Belmont; Henry Abraham, Eastern Illinois; Marcus Fitzgerald, Tennessee State; Anthony Thomas, UT Martin.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: OVC teams have now played 20 Conference games with four OVC matchups postponed...Every OVC teams has played at least six Division I games this season, and 9 of the 12 OVC teams have played seven or more Division I games (Tennessee Tech, 11, and Belmont, 10, have played the most games against D1 teams this season)...Belmont is currently 4-0 in OVC play, Jacksonville State is 3-0 and SIUE is 1-0...Eastern Illinois senior guard Mack Smith broke the NCAA record by hitting a 3-pointer in his 89th consecutive game on December 30 at Eastern Kentucky, breaking the mark previously set by Cory Bradford of Illinois; his streak began in the same building on January 6, 2018...This season Austin Peay senior Terry Taylor became the 19th member of the OVC’s 2,000-Point Club and 17th member of the OVC’s 1,000-Rebound Club; Taylor is just the fifth player in OVC history with 2000 points & 1000 rebounds in a career...Taylor is one of just two active Division I players with 2,000 points (UTSA’s Jhivvan Jackson is the other) and the only player with 1,000 rebounds...Belmont, off to an 10-1 start this season, has won 22 of its last 23 games dating back to last season...During the 2020 calendar year, Belmont won 26 games, tied with Kansas and Gonzaga for the most in the nation...Murray State saw its 25-game home court winning streak, which was the fifth-longest nationally, come to an end on January 2 against Morehead State; it was the team’s first home loss at the CFSB Center since January 24, 2019 and the first win by the Eagles in Murray since January 23, 2003 (ending a 13-game skid)..Eastern Kentucky freshman Wendell Green Jr. had 30 points in Saturday’s road win over Austin Peay; the 30 points is the second-most by a freshman nationally this season, trailing only 32 by LSU’s Cameron Thomas...EKU ranks first nationally in steals/game (13.5); the Colonels Cooper Robb had eight steals against High Point, the second-most by a Division I player this season while teammate Tre King had seven steals earlier this season are the third-most by a player nationally in 2020-21...Southeast Missouri has played four overtime games in its nine total games this season; the Redhawks had lost its first three overtime games before topping Tennessee State in double overtime on Saturday...Tennessee Tech’s Jr. Clay extended his consecutive games streak with a made 3-pointer to 21 while also recording his 57th career double-figure scoring performance, moving into sole possession of 19th place in program history.
Schedule Adjustments: In order to help address issues associated with the delayed start date and to be responsive to a desire to provide additional contests within the geographic region, the schedules increased from 18 to 20 conference games for the 2020-21 season. Overall teams will play every OVC team once and nine schools twice. In order to give teams flexibility to complete their non-conference schedules, schools were given discretion to schedule their two games with their “travel partner” separate from the remainder of the conference schedule. One of those two games must be scheduled before the holiday break and the other can be scheduled any time during the basketball season.
Smith’s 3-Point Streak Longest NCAA History: With a 3-pointer on Dec. 30 at Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois senior guard
Mack Smith broke the NCAA Division I record with his 89th consecutive game with a made 3-pointer. The streak started in the same building on January 6, 2018.
89 - Mack Smith, Eastern Illinois (active - next game on Jan. 5)
88 - Cory Bradford, Illinois (ended 2001)
73 - Wally Lancaster, Virginia Tech (ended 1989)
69 - Jaylen Minnett, IUPUI (ended 2021)
66 - Marshall Henderson, Ole Miss (ended 2014)
64 - Justin Jaworski, Lafayette (ended 2020)
60 - Fletcher Magee, Wofford (ended 2018)
60 - Pat Bradley, Arkansas (ended 1998)
Taylor Becomes Fifth OVC Player to Join 2000-Point/1000-Rebound Club: On December 8 Austin Peay senior
Terry Taylor became just the fifth player in OVC history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Here is a look at the elite list:
Jim McDaniels, Western Kentucky (2,238, 1,118)
Ralph Crosthwaite, Western Kentucky (2,076, 1,309)
Popeye Jones, Murray State (2,057, 1,374)
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State (2,009, 1,673)
Terry Taylor, Austin Peay (2,118, 1,055)
Wins in 2020 Calendar Year: During the 2020 calendar year the Belmont men’s program recorded 26 victories, which was tied with Gonzaga and Kansas for the most among Division I teams.
26 - Belmont, Gonzaga, Kansas
25 - Winthrop
24 - Baylor, Liberty
APSU’s Taylor Only Active Division I Player With 2,000 Points, 1,000 Rebounds: Austin Peay senior
Terry Taylor is the only active Division I player with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. He is currently one of only two active players with 2,000 or more career points (UTSA’s Jhivvan Jackson is the other) and the only player with 1,000 rebounds.
NCAA Stats Leaders: In the latest NCAA statistical leaders (Jan. 4), Eastern Kentucky ranks first in steals (13.5/game, second in forced turnovers (22.27/game) and third in turnover margin (+8.1/game). Jacksonville State ranks fourth in 3-pointers made/game (9.3), SIUE ranks third in blocks (6.1/game) and Murray State ranks fourth in field goal percentage (53.7%). Individually, Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor ranks second in double-doubles (7), seventh in offensive rebounding (4.4/game), 12th in rebounding (10.8/game) and 49th in scoring (19.5 points/game). Murray State’s KJ Williams is 11th in field goal percentage (66.7%), Belmont’s Luke Smith is 13th in steals (2.82/game) and EKU’s Tre King is 13th in double-doubles (4).
CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll: In the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll (Dec. 28), one OVC team were ranked in the Top 25. That included Belmont at No. 12 while Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky and Murray State were among the others receiving votes. Now in its 22nd 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.
Murray State Sets NCAA Division I Record for Assists in a Game (Mark Now Second): Murray State dished out 45 assists in its 173-95 win over Greenville University on November 29. At the time that marked the most in NCAA Division I history, breaking the old mark of 44 set by Colorado (against George Mason) in an overtime game on December 2, 1995. The record was broken three days later when Illinois State dished out 57 assists in a win over Greenville.
Murray State Scores Fourth-Most Points Ever in a Division I Game (Now Fifth); Shatters OVC Record for Points in a Game: Murray State smashed the OVC record for points in a game with 173 points in a win over Greenville University on November 29. The previous record was 148 by Tennessee State against Fisk in the 1993-94 season. The Racers scored 87 points in the first half, which tied the OVC mark held by Eastern Kentucky (set against Brescia in the 2018-19 season). At the time, the 173 points were tied for the fourth-most by a Division I team in NCAA history at the time, but now ranks tied for fifth (after Illinois State scored 177 on December 2 against the same Greenville team).
186 - Loyola Marymount vs. Alliant International (1991)
181 - Loyola Marymount vs. Alliant International (1989)
179 - LIU Brooklyn vs. Medgar Evans (1997)
177 - Illinois State vs. Greenville (2020)
173 - Oklahoma vs. Alliant International (1989)
173 - Murray State vs. Greenville University (2020)
172 - Oklahoma vs. Loyola Marymount (1990)
Murray State Sets Four, Ties One OVC Record in Win over Greenville: Overall Murray State set four and tied one OVC record in its 173-95 win over Greenville University on November 29.
Points in a Game: 173 (old mark was 148)
Points in a Half: 87 (tied mark of 87 also held by EKU)
Most Points (Both Teams): 268 (old mark was 251)
Most Field Goals: 77 (old mark was 58)
Most Assists: 45 (old mark was 37)
OVC to Produce 10-Game Linear Television Package: The OVC will produce a national television package in 2020-21 that will include nine men’s basketball games and one women’s basketball contest that will air on the ESPN Family of Networks. The seven regular season games will air on ESPNU, as will the OVC Men’s Tournament semifinals, while the Men’s Championship game will air on ESPN2. Due to the fluid nature of this season, games appearing as a part of the linear television schedule will be announced throughout the season.
Taylor Named Lute Olson National Player of the Week (Dec. 28): Austin Peay senior
Terry Taylor was named the Lute Olson National Player of the Week by CollegeInsider.com on Dec. 28 after his performance against Murray State. In that 74-70 win, Taylor had 30 points and 13 rebounds to help the Govs avenge a 30-point loss to their rival from just 13 days prior. Taylor was held scoreless until 7:41 remained before halftime and later in the period he connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to trim the MSU margin to six points at the break. But Taylor would score 22 points after halftime, including 10 of Austin Peay’s final 15 points, including a jumper with 7:01 to go that gave the Govs the lead for good. Taylor finished the game 11-of-20 from the field and 6-of-7 at the free throw line while also adding three assists and a block.
Taylor Named to Jerry West Award Watch List: Austin Peay senior
Terry Taylor has been named to the Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its seventh year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. This list will be narrowed down to 10 in mid-February and then 5 finalists will be selected in March that will be presented to Jerry West and the selection committee. The winner of this award will be presented on April 9, 2021.
OVC Basketball Championships Set For Ford Center in Evansville For Fourth Consecutive Year: The OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships presented by Kentucky Wild will be held March 3-6 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the fourth-straight season the event will be held in the building after a long run in Nashville. The Ford Center, which opened in 2011, is an 11,000-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 and the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The Ford Center also serves as host to numerous sporting events and concerts on an annual basis. In September 2019 it was announced the tournament would remain at the Ford Center at least through the 2023 Championship with an option for 2024. The 2019 Championships saw record-breaking attendance at the venue, as the men’s semifinals drew an OVC neutral site record 8,294 fans, a mark that was broken the next night with an attendance of 10,525.
OVC Championship Bracket Update: Due to the fluid nature of the 2020-21 basketball season, the OVC has put contingency plans in place for the OVC Basketball Championship. If a full OVC basketball conference schedule cannot be completed this year, plans are in place to adjust brackets for the 2021 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. If the full conference slate is completed by the top eight seeds, the merit-based brackets (which include double byes for the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds and single byes for the No. 3 and 4 seeds) will be used for the men’s and women’s teams as originally planned. If a full schedule cannot be completed, the brackets will switch to a traditional format (No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, etc.) for this year only. The move was endorsed by the OVC’s Council of Directors of Athletics and approved by the OVC Board of Presidents. The Council has left open the option to check in on the progress of the season and make additional adjustments if necessary. A merit-based bracket with byes has been used for the OVC Men’s Basketball Tournament since 2011. That format was used for the OVC Women’s Basketball Tournament from 2011-14 and was scheduled to return in 2021.
Recent Postseason Success: Entering this season OVC teams have won at least one game in each postseason for 11-straight postseasons (there was no postseason in 2019-20), 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, Belmont (NIT) and UT Martin (CIT) scored wins in 2017, Austin Peay (CIT) and Jacksonville State (CBI) won in 2018 and Belmont and Murray State in 2019 (NCAA).
OVC Players in the NBA: Last year six former OVC players played for NBA teams, with four of those players advancing to the NBA Bubble in Orlando. Included in that was Murray State All-American
Ja Morant, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Morant would go on to become the first OVC player to be named NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 17.8 points, 7.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game in 67 contests. Dating back to 1983-84, he is one of just three players to attend a non-Power 5 college to win the award, joining Damian Lilliard of Weber State (2012-13) and Larry Johnson of UNLV (1991-92). Here is a look at the five (5) former OVC players who are on NBA teams entering the 2020-21 season.
• Robert Covington, Portland Trailblazers (Tennessee State)
• Alfonzo McKinnie, Los Angeles Lakers (Eastern Illinois)
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (Murray State)
• Cameron Payne, Phoenix Suns (Murray State)
• Dylan Windler, Cleveland Cavaliers (Belmont)
The 2020-21 Season: The 2020-21 season marks the 73rd of competition in the OVC. Over the previous 72 years, 13 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship.
Taylor Tabbed as Preseason Player of the Year: The 2020-21 OVC Preseason Men’s Basketball Team is headlined by Austin Peay senior
Terry Taylor who was named OVC Preseason Player of the Year for the second-straight season. Taylor is the just the fifth player to be named OVC Preseason Player of the Year twice, joining Murray State’s Marcus Brown (1994-95 & 1995-96) and Isaac Spencer (1999-00 & 2000-01), Eastern Illinois’ Henry Domercant (2001-02 & 2002-03) and Morehead State’s Kenneth Faried (2009-10 & 2010-11) Overall, eight different schools were represented on the team with Austin Peay, Belmont, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky and Murray State leading the way with two picks apiece. Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin each had one selection. The squad features three seniors, nine juniors and a sophomore. All 13 selections were named to the All-OVC Team last season, eight being first-team picks and five being second-team selections. The other selections included Austin Peay’s
Jordyn Adams, Murray State’s
Tevin Brown and
KJ Williams, Belmont’s
Grayson Murphy and
Nick Muszynski, Eastern Illinois’
Mack Smith and
Josiah Wallace, Eastern Kentucky’s
Jomaru Brown and
Tre King, Tennessee State’s
Carlos Marshall Jr. and Tennessee Tech’s
Jr. Clay.
Austin Peay and Murray State Picked as OVC Preseason Co-Favorites: In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men’s basketball coaches and communication directors, rivals Austin Peay and Murray State have been picked the preseason favorites for the 2020-21 season. It marks the first time since 2009-10 that the poll has produced co-favorites. It also marks the first time since the 2011-12 season that the Governors have been picked first in the preseason poll, and first time since 2014-15 that the Racers have been tabbed the favorites. Dating back to 1979-80 (the first year preseason polls were available), Murray State (18) and Austin Peay (7) have been tabbed the favorites more than any other OVC team. Austin Peay picked up nine first-place votes while Murray State garnered 10 top nods as each finished with 226 points. Belmont received the other five first-place votes and 214 points in being tabbed third. Eastern Kentucky was picked fourth (173) and followed by Eastern Illinois (153), Tennessee State (139), Jacksonville State (124), Morehead State (87), Tennessee Tech (84), UT Martin (80), SIUE (48) and Southeast Missouri (30).
UT Martin Coach Stewart Passes Away: UT Martin head coach
Anthony Stewart passed away suddenly on November 15 at the age of 50. He was set to enter his fifth season with the program. He leaves behind a wife, Cheryl, and three children, Anthony, Parker and Skylar. This season for every game UTM will leave an empty seat draped with a sports coat on its bench.
NCAA Unity Pledge/Logo: This season you will see OVC teams sporting a Unity Patch on uniforms. The patch is part of a Unity Pledge and Logo approved by the NCAA’s three divisional Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) and the NCAA Board of Governors Student-Athlete Engagement Committee. They are symbolic gestures to continue generating stronger unity among the NCAA’s 1100-plus schools and nearly 500,000 student-athletes. The logo includes three different colored hands holding one another’s wrists inside a circle with “United As One” at the bottom. For more information on this and other OVC social justice initiatives visit
www.OVCSports.com/OVCforChange.
ESPN+: This year marks the third of the OVC’s media rights deal with ESPN to air games on ESPN+, the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company Direct-to-Consumer & International segment. This season over 200 men’s and women’s basketball regular season Conference games and non-conference games will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) or as part of a bundle with Disney+ and ad-supported Hulu ($12.99/month). ESPN+ is an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices). More information can be found at
www.OVCSports.com/ESPN.