• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – December 22 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Monday, December 22
East-West University
at Eastern Illinois, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*SIUE at Western Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Williams Baptist
at Little Rock, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Tuesday, December 23
Lindenwood at Missouri State, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, December 28
Alice Lloyd
at Morehead State, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Anias Futrell, G • 6-5, 195, Sr. • St. Louis, Mo. • Lindenwood
Futrell scored a career-high 36 points, the most by an OVC player this season (and 20th nationally), as Lindenwood topped Western Illinois 92-76 to improve to 2-0 in OVC play. He connected on 14-of-25 field goals, including 8-of-13 3-pointers, while adding eight rebounds and five assists. The eight made 3-pointers are also the most by an OVC player this season (and tied the Lindenwood single-game Division I record). He capped the week with 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a block and steal in 26 minutes against Harris-Stowe. For the week he averaged 26.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists/game while hitting 46.3 percent (19-of-41) from the field and 50 percent (10-of-20) from 3-point range. Futrell ranks second in the OVC in 3-pointers made/game (2.45) and seventh in scoring (15.6).
Others Nominated: Zion Fruster, Eastern Illinois; George Marshall, Morehead State; Luke Almodovar, Southeast Missouri; Ring Malith, SIUE; Cardell Bailey, Southern Indiana; Travis Harper II, Tennessee State; Mekhi Cameron, Tennessee Tech; Andrija Bukumirovic, UT Martin; Antwaun Massey, Western Illinois.
NEWCOMER
Meechie White, G • 6-1, 175, R-Jr. • Louisville, Ky. • Eastern Illinois
White, a transfer from Three Rivers College, was near perfect from the field as Eastern Illinois topped SIUE 76-72 in overtime to even its League record at 1-1. The junior hit 6-of-6 field goals (including 4-of-4 3-pointers) and 5-of-6 free throws on his way to 21 points. White also added six rebounds, two assists and two steals. He currently ranks second in the OVC in free throw percentage (84.6%) and seventh in steals (1.73/game).
Others Nominated: Dontrez Williams, Lindenwood; Cameron Wallace, Little Rock; Luke Almodovar, Southeast Missouri; Harrison Alexander, SIUE; Cardell Bailey, Southern Indiana; Dani Pounds, Tennessee Tech; Antwaun Massey, Western Illinois.
FRESHMAN
Matas Deniusas, F • 6-9, 220, Fr. • Vilnius, Lithuania • UT Martin
Deniusas averaged 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists/game as UT Martin split a pair of games to open Conference play. The forward hit 10-of-24 field goals (41.7%) and 11-of-13 free throws (84.6%) in the two road games. He had a team-high 17 points, a career-best nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks at Tennessee State to open the week. He capped the week with 16 points, a career-high four assists, three rebounds and a steal in a win at Tennessee Tech. this marked his sixth OVC Freshman of the Week award, tied for the most in UTM history (with Marquis Weddle who also earned six in the 2007-08 season).
Others Nominated: none
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
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Antwaun Massey (F, Sr.), Western Illinois. Scored 33 points on 15-of-21 shooting at Lindenwood. Added five rebounds, a block and steal.
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Andrija Bukumirovic (G/F, Jr.), UT Martin. In two road games he averaged 22.0 points and 4.5 rebounds/game while hitting 65.5 percent (19-of-29) from the field. Had career-best 28 points (on 12-of-15 shooting) in win over Tennessee Tech.
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Zion Fruster (G, Sr.), Eastern Illinois. Scored a team-high 23 points, while adding six rebounds and three steals in overtime victory over SIUE. Hit 10-of-15 shots in the win.
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George Marshall (G, Sr.), Morehead State. Averaged 18.0 points and 5.0 rebounds/game while hitting 57.1 percent (12-of-21) as the Eagles won a pair of OVC games.
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Luke Almodovar (G, Jr.), Southeast Missouri. Came off the bench to average 18.0 points in two road games. Hit 52.4 percent (11-of-21) from the field and had 19 points in win at TSU.
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Travis Harper II (G, R-Sr.), Tennessee State. Averaged 19.5 points/game and hit 12-of-23 shots (52.2%) in two games, including 23 points on 5 made 3-pointers against SEMO.
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Cardell Bailey (G, Sr.), Southern Indiana. Hit 8-of-16 3-pointers in two games, averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds/game.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: Last week featured the first full week of Conference play; after Monday’s SIUE/Western Illinois game, every team will have played two Conference contests ... The schedule will resume on Tuesday, December 30 ... There are also four non-conference games this week ... Lindenwood and Morehead State are each 2-0 in OVC play while six other teams are 1-1 ... SEMO’s Brad Korn earned his 80th win on Saturday, tying Dickey Nutt (2009-15) for the second-most victories among head coached during SEMO’s NCAA Division I era ... UT Martin’s 72 percent shooting in the second half at Tennessee Tech on Saturday was the program’s most efficient half since connecting on 77.8 percent (21-for-27) of its field goal tries in the second half against Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 17, 2016 ... A pair of OVC players reached the 30-point plateau in a game against each other on December 18, with Lindenwood’s Anias Futrell scoring 36 (the most by an OVC player this season) and Western Illinois’ Antwaun Massey scoring 33; six different OVC players have scored 30 or more points in a game this season ... USI’s Ismail Habib leads all OVC players with six games of 20-plus points in 2025-26 ... Nationally, UT Martin is 16th in 3-point defense (27.8) 19th in rebounding (42.0/game) and 22nd in rebounding margin (9.8/game), Tennessee State is 10th in steals (10.7/game), 13th in turnovers forced (16.5/game) and 25th in fastbreak points (17.6/game), Lindenwood is 13th in rebounds (42.8/game) and 23rd in fastbreak points (17.7/game) and Tennessee Tech is 20th in bench points (35.4/game) ... Individually, Lindenwood’s Jadis Jones is sixth nationally in field goal percentage (67.7%), UTM’s Andrija Bukumirovic is 11th in double-doubles (6), SEMO’s Braxton Stacker is 11th in free throw percentage (93.0%), TSU’s Aaaron Nkrumah is fourth in steals (3.25/game and USI’s Ola Ajiboye and SIUE’s Amas Sakenis are tied for 33rd in blocks (2.08/game).
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.
Select OVC Games to Simulcast on Gray Media Stations: As part of the Conference’s new multi-year contract with ESPN, this season select men’s and women’s basketball games will simulcast in 20 Gray Media TV markets in five states (in addition to airing on ESPN+). That includes markets in Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, Peoria, Quincy, Rockford, Evansville, Ft. Wayne, South Bend and Lexington. Prior to each game a listing of the stations that will broadcast each game will be made available at OVCSports.com.
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).
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.
ESPN+/ESPN Unlimited: 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.