• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – November 17 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Monday, November 17
West Georgia
at Tennessee Tech, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
SIUE at #21 Wisconsin, 7:00 p.m. (BTN)
Coe College
at Western Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Tuesday, November 18
UT Martin at Florida State, 6:00 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Little Rock at Murray State, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Southeast Missouri at Iowa, 7:30 p.m. (BTN)
Wednesday, November 19
Tennessee Tech at USC Upstate, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Tiffin
at Eastern Illinois, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Thursday, November 20
Southern Indiana vs. UIW, 11:30 a.m. (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
Lindenwood at Indiana, 5:00 p.m. (BTN)
Tennessee State at #17 Tennessee, 6:00 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Friday, November 21
SIUE at Air Force, 5:00 p.m. (Mountain West Network)
Morehead State at ETSU, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Coastal Carolina
at Western Illinois, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Little Rock at Texas State, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, November 22
UT Martin vs. Prairie View A&M, 4:00 p.m. (Pensacola, Fla.)
Southern Indiana vs. UIC/High Point, 4/6 p.m. (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
Morehead State vs. ULM, 6:00 p.m. (Johnson City, Tenn.)
Sunday, November 23
SIUE vs. Alabama State, 12:00 p.m. (USAFA, Colo.) (MW Network)
UT Martin vs. Southern Miss/North Florida, 1:30/4:30pm (Pensacola, Fla.)
North Dakota
at Western Illinois, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Aaron Nkrumah, G • 6-6, 175, Sr. • Worcester, Mass. • Tennessee State
Nkrumah averaged 23.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals/game while hitting 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from the field, 50 percent (6-of-12) from 3-point range and 86.7 percent (13-of-15) from the free throw line in two games. He opened the week by hitting 8-of-10 field goals (5-of-7 3-pointers) on his way to 25 points in 20 minutes of action against Oakwood. In that game he added five rebounds, an assist, block and steal. On Sunday at Western Kentucky, the senior scored 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while hitting 9-of-11 free throws. In that game he added nine rebounds, two assists and a steal. Nkrumah ranks third in the OVC in scoring (18.5 points/game)
Others Nominated: Kooper Jacobi, Eastern Illinois; Jadis Jones, Lindenwood; Braxton Bayless, Little Rock; Marqueas Bell, Southeast Missouri; Ring Malith, SIUE; Ismail Habib, Southern Indiana; JaJuan Nicholls, Tennessee Tech; Andrija Bukumirovic, UT Martin; Antwaun Massey, Western Illinois.
NEWCOMER
Ismail Habib, G • 6-1, 180 Sr. • Chicago, Ill. • Southern Indiana
Habib, a transfer from Portland State, averaged 20.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 assists/game while hitting 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the field, 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from 3-point range and 78.6 percent (11-of-14) from the line in a pair of games. He opened the week with a team-best 19 points at South Dakota. In that contest he added four rebounds and two steals. He closed the week helping the Screaming Eagles to its first win of the season, scoring 16 of his 21 points in the first half in a 91-74 win over Loras. The senior hit 6-of-9 field goals (5-of-8 3-pointers) and added two rebounds, an assist and steal. Habib currently ranks second in the OVC in scoring (18.5 points/game) and second in 3-pointers made/game (2.75).
Others Nominated: Preston Turner, Eastern Illinois; Dontrez Williams, Lindenwood; Braxton Bayless, Little Rock; Tamaury Releford, Morehead State; Luke Almodovar, Southeast Missouri; Ismail Habib, Southern Indiana; Dragos Lungu, UT Martin; Antwaun Massey, Western Illinois.
FRESHMAN
Matas Deniusas, F • 6-9, 220, Fr. • Vilnius, Lithuania • UT Martin
Deniusas earned the award for the second-straight week after pouring in a game-high 20 points in a 78-67 victory at Bradley. It marked the first time a Skyhawk freshman scored at least 20 points in a game since January 2021 (Anthony Thomas, 24 points). The forward hit 5-of-7 (71.4%) field goals (3-of-4 3-pointers) and 7-of-8 free throws in 29 minutes of action. He also added a game-high seven rebounds to go along with three assists. Deniusas has helped UTM to a 3-0 start for just the second time in the program’s Division I Era (since 1992).
Others Nominated: Clayton Parker, Eastern Illinois; Jacobe Whitted, Tennessee Tech; Makai Kvamme, Western Illinois.
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
•
Jadis Jones (G, So.), Lindenwood. Jones averaged 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists/game over three contests while hitting 79.3 percent (22-of-29) from the field. He had a career-high 30 points to go along with eight rebounds and six assists against Charleston Southern.
•
Andrija Bukumirovic (G/F, Jr.), UT Martin. Led Skyhawks to a win at Bradley, scoring 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting (64.3%) while adding six rebounds.
•
Braxton Bayless (G, Grad.), Little Rock. Had 17 points in a victory at Ball State. In three games he averaged 12.7 points and 3.0 rebounds/game and hit 60 percent from the field.
•
JaJuan Nicholls (F, Jr.), Tennessee Tech. In a pair of victories, the junior averaged 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals/game and hit 16-of-20 (80%) from the field.
•
Marqueas Bell (G, Jr.), Southeast Missouri. Had a pair of double-doubles, averaging 13.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals/game.
•
Ring Malith (F, Sr.), SIUE. Hit the game-winning shot with less than two seconds remaining in win at Drake. for the week averaged 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds/game.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: UT Martin improved to 3-0 on the season with a 78-67 victory at Bradley, marking just the second time in the school’s NCAA Division I Era (since 1992) that the team has started 3-0 (the other was 2020-21) ... Against Bradley, Matas Deniusas became the first Skyhawk freshman to score at least 20 points in a game since Anthony Thomas (24 points) against SIUE on January 30, 2021; he has been named OVC Freshman of the Week both weeks this season ... SIUE went on the road and topped Drake on a 15-foot jumper by Ring Malith with less than two seconds to play; the win improved the Cougars to 3-1 on the season ... The win was the 89th for head coach Brian Barone at SIUE, moving him into fourth place in school history ... Through four games Tennessee Tech ranks 10th nationally in bench points (42.75/game) while SIUE currently ranks 12th in scoring defense (58.3 points/game allowed) and 15th in field goal defense (34.6%) ... UT Martin enters the week ranked eighth nationally in steals (12.7/game) while Little Rock is sixth in 3-point percentage (47.5%).
The Season is Here: The 2025-26 season marks the 78th of competition for the Ohio Valley Conference. Over the previous 77 years, 14 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship.
All Teams Eligible for Postseason Play: Lindenwood and Southern Indiana have completed their reclassification to Division I and are now eligible to earn to compete in NCAA sanctioned postseason play (NCAA and NIT Tournaments).
Recent Postseason Success: OVC teams have won at least one national postseason game in 13 of the past 16 postseasons. 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) before no postseason was held in 2020. A streak of 11-straight years ended in 2021 (when only one team made the reduced postseason), but a new streak began with Murray State winning a NCAA Tournament game in 2022 and continued with Morehead State winning a NIT game in 2023.
OVC Basketball Championships Set For Ford Center in Evansville For Ninth Consecutive Year: The OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will be held March 4-7 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the ninth-straight season the event will be held in the building. 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 October 2025 an agreement was reached to extend the partnership through the 2032 Championship.
OVC Tournament Championship Format: Once again the OVC Tournament will include a merit-based format. The format, which began in 2011, has the top eight men’s and women’s teams qualifying for the tournament. The No. 1 and 2 seeds will receive two byes to the semifinals while the No. 3 and 4 seeds will receive one bye into the quarterfinals. The first round will include the No. 5 seed against the No. 8 seed and the No. 6 seed against the No. 7 seed. The women’s bracket also uses a merit-based bracket.
OVC Players in the NBA: Seven former OVC players started the 2025-26 season on NBA rosters. That included three players who were drafted last year, Johni Broome (Morehead State), Will Richard (Belmont) and Taelon Peter (Tennessee Tech). In 2020 Ja Morant was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, making him one of three players from a non-Power 5 Conference to win the award since 1983-84 (joining Damian Lilliard of Weber State in 2012-13 and Larry Johnson of UNLV in 1991-92).
• Johni Broome, Philadelphia 76ers (Morehead State)
• Myron Gardner, Miami Heat (Little Rock)
• Riley Minix, San Antonio Spurs (Morehead State)
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (Murray State)
• Taelon Peter, Indiana Pacers (Tennessee Tech)
• Will Richard, Golden State (Belmont)
• Ben Sheppard, Indiana Pacers (Belmont)
Three in 2025 NBA Draft: Three players who played in the OVC were selected in the 2025 NBA Draft. That included Johni Broome (Morehead State/Auburn - Philadelphia 76ers), Taelon Peter (Tennessee Tech/Liberty - Indiana Pacers) and Will Richard (Belmont/Florida - Golden State Warriors). It marked the first time since 1987 that three OVC players were selected in the Draft, and first time since 1971 that three players were selected in the first two rounds of the Draft.
OVC to Produce Linear Television Package with ESPN: As part of its newly signed multi-year media deal with ESPN, the OVC will once again produce a national television package in 2025-26 that will include eight men’s basketball games that will air on the ESPN Family of Networks. The regular season games and the men’s tournament semifinals will air on ESPNU; the Men’s Championship game will air on ESPN2. Each of the regular season games will be “wild card selections” with the matchup picked approximately two weeks ahead of the game.
Little Rock Picked as OVC Preseason Favorites: In a vote of OVC head men’s basketball coaches and communication directors, Little Rock was picked the preseason favorites for the 2025-26 season. It marks the second-straight year the Trojans have been tabbed the favorites. The Trojans picked up 12 of 22 first-place votes to receive 188 points. Southeast Missouri, last year’s regular season champions, picked up six first-place votes and 177 points, while SIUE (163 points) and Tennessee State (135 points) each picked up a first-place point and were tabbed third and fourth respectively. Lindenwood and Morehead State (100 points) tied for fifth place, Tennessee Tech (80) was seventh, UT Martin (79) eighth and Southern Indiana (67) received the other two first-place votes and were picked ninth. The poll was rounded out by Eastern Illinois (63) and Western Illinois (57).
ESPN+/ESPN DTC: The OVC signed a new multi-year media rights agreement with ESPN ahead of the season that continues the long-standing partnership to air games on the Family of Networks. 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 $11.99 a month (or $119.99 per year). For the first time ever, ESPN now offers its full suite of 12 networks and services directly to fans within an enhanced ESPN App that integrates game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, commerce, multiview options, a synchronized two-screen experience, a vertical video feature called Verts and a personalized SportsCenter For You. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, these new features and functionality are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a special offer at launch for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months.