• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – November 24 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Monday, November 24
Kansas City
at Lindenwood, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Tuesday, November 25
Tennessee State at UNC Asheville, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Brescia
at UT Martin, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Eastern Illinois at Central Arkansas, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Southeast Missouri vs. Cal Poly, 7:00 p.m. (Flagstaff, Ariz.)
Wednesday, November 26
Southern Indiana at Valparaiso, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Tennessee Tech at #18 Kentucky, 6:00 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Southeast Missouri at Northern Arizona, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Friday, November 28
Eastern Illinois at #1 Purdue, 11:00 a.m. (BTN)
Missouri Baptist
at SIUE, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, November 29
Tennessee Tech at Georgia, 1:00 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Morehead State at IU Indy, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Tennessee State vs. Tennessee Wesleyan, 1:00 p.m. (Chattanooga, TN)
Lipscomb
at Southeast Missouri, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Kentucky State
at Southern Indiana, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Little Rock at Southern Illinois, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, November 30
Tennessee State at Chattanooga, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
St. Ambrose
at Western Illinois, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Davion Cunningham, G • 6-3, 185, R-Jr. • Charlotte, N.C. • Morehead State
Cunningham, a transfer from UNC Asheville, averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals/game in a pair of games at the ETSU MTE in Johnson City, Tennessee. The junior hit 11-of-29 field goals (37.9%) and 20-of-26 free throws (76.9%) as the Eagles fell to host ETSU and topped ULM. He opened the week with 21 points (hitting 11-of-15) free throws against the host Buccaneers. The 11 made free throws are the most by an OVC player this season. Cunningham added four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 37 minutes. A day later he had a season-high 23 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and 9-of-11 free throws in 34 minutes of action. Cunningham added six rebounds and two assists with only one turnover in the win.
Others Nominated: Kooper Jacobi, Eastern Illinois; Tuongthach Gatkek, Little Rock; Jordan Pickett, SIUE; Ismail Habib, Southern Indiana; Aaron Nkrumah, Tennessee State; Mekhi Cameron, Tennessee Tech; Andrija Bukumirovic, UT Martin; Francis Okwuosah, Western Illinois.
NEWCOMER
Davion Cunningham, G • 6-3, 185, R-Jr. • Charlotte, N.C. • Morehead State
Cunningham, a transfer from UNC Asheville, averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals/game in a pair of games at the ETSU MTE in Johnson City, Tennessee. The junior hit 11-of-29 field goals (37.9%) and 20-of-26 free throws (76.9%) as the Eagles fell to host ETSU and topped ULM. He opened the week with 21 points (hitting 11-of-15) free throws against the host Buccaneers. The 11 made free throws are the most by an OVC player this season. Cunningham added four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 37 minutes. A day later he had a season-high 23 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and 9-of-11 free throws in 34 minutes of action. Cunningham added six rebounds and two assists with only one turnover in the win.
Others Nominated: Meechie White, Eastern Illinois; Ismail Habib, Southern Indiana; Dani Pounds, Tennessee Tech; Dragos Lungu, UT Martin; Francis Okwuosah, Western Illinois.
FRESHMAN
Matas Deniusas, F • 6-9, 220, Fr. • Vilnius, Lithuania • UT Martin
Deniusas earned the award for the third-straight week after averaging 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds/game while hitting 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from the field and 92.3 percent (12-of-13) from the free throw line. He was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Pensacola Invitational after the squad topped Prairie View A&M and lost to Southern Miss in the neutral site event. He accounted for a team-best 20 points and seven rebounds against Prairie View, hitting 8-of-8 at the free throw line in 36 minutes. The forward began the week with 11 points in 22 minutes of action at Florida State.
Others Nominated: Makai Kvamme, Western Illinois.
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
•
Mekhi Cameron (G, R-Sr.), Tennessee Tech. Scored 20 points in 88-84 road win over USC Upstate. Hit 5-of-10 field goals and 9-of-10 free throws in the victory.
•
Andrija Bukumirovic (G/F, Jr.), UT Martin. Had 22 points and 12 rebounds and added 14 points and 12 rebounds in win over Prairie View A&M. In three games, averaged 13.3 points and 10.0 rebounds/game and hit 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field.
•
Aaron Nkrumah (G, Sr.), Tennessee State. Had 19 points, hitting 8-of-10 free throws, to go along with five assists, four rebounds and three steals at No. 17 Tennessee.
•
Ismail Habib (G, Sr.), Southern Indiana. In a pair of neutral site games, averaging 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists/game. Had 21 points against UIC.
•
Tuongthach Gatkek (F, Grad.), Little Rock. In two road games, averaged 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds/game while blocking four total shots. Hit 75 percent (12-of-16) from the field.
•
Jordan Pickett (G, Jr.), SIUE. Named to All-Tournament Team at Air Force Classic after averaging 11.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in two games. Also added a team-best 12 points at No. 21 Wisconsin to start the week.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: UT Martin started the season 4-1 for the first time since the 2016-17 season ...The Skyhawks are 4-2 entering this week after a runner-up finish at the Pensacola Invitational last week ... SIUE also has a winning record after topping Alabama State in the final game of the Air Force Classic ... Morehead State was 1-1 in the ETSU MTE event while Tennessee Tech went on the road and won at USC Upstate ... Tech ranks 23rd nationally in bench points per game (38.83) ... Little Rock is 10th nationally in 3-point percentage (43.2%), Tennessee State is 16th nationally in fastbreak points (20.6/game) and 27th in rebounding (44.4/game) and SIUE is 26th in field goal defense (36.9%).
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.