BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men's basketball coaches and sports information directors Murray State received 18 first-place votes and was picked as the favorite for the 2010-11 season. Last season Murray State won an OVC-record 31 games on its way to the OVC regular season and tournament championship as well as a NCAA Tournament first round victory over No. 4 seed Vanderbilt.
It marks the 14th time in the last 22 years that Murray State has been picked the preseason favorite and third in a row (they were tabbed co-favorites with Morehead State last season). Murray State received 162 total points and was followed next by Morehead State (2 first-place votes, 146 points), who was a consensus No. 2 pick.
Eastern Illinois was picked third (123 points) and was followed by Austin Peay (107), Eastern Kentucky (92), Tennessee Tech (85), Tennessee State (81), Jacksonville State (51), Southeast Missouri (41) and UT Martin (20).
One look at Murray State's statistics from last season and it was easy to see why the Racers were so successful ... balance. No player averaged more than 10.6 points a game (B.J. Jenkins) and six players averaged between 10.6 and 9.7 points/contest. Also 10 total players averaged at least 10 minutes/game of court action. The squad also got it done in the typical Billy Kennedy coaching style, winning the defensive battle. Murray State led the league in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, 3-point field goal percentage defense, blocked shots and steals. The team will have to replace Danero Thomas, who hit the buzzer-beating shot against Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament, and center Tony Easley, who hit 64.8 percent from the field and led the team with 95 blocked shots. Among the returners are four preseason All-OVC selections, the most by one team under the 10-selection format currently used. Those four players include Jenkins (a league-best 1.8 steals/game), Isacc Miles (a team-high 132 assists, which was fifth in the OVC), Ivan Aska (who was third in the league in field goal percentage at 58.8%) and Isaiah Canaan (who became only the second freshman to be named MVP of the OVC Tournament a season ago).
Morehead State was one of two OVC teams to win a postseason game last season, winning in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) before falling to Boston University in the quarterfinals of the inaugural event. Overall the team won 20-plus games (24) for the second-straight season, the first time in school history that had ever happened. The Eagles also won 15 OVC games, the most in school history. The attention will once again be on Kenneth Faried, the senior post player who withdrew from the NBA Draft to return for his final year at MSU. Faried was second nationally in rebounding (13.0/game) and had 25 doubles-doubles in 35 total games, the second-highest mark nationally. Faried, who was named OVC Player of the Year while also winning his second-straight OVC Defensive Player of the Year honor, also improved his scoring, from 13.9 points/game as a sophomore to 16.9 points/game as a junior. Fifth-year head coach Donnie Tyndall (a Morehead State alum who has 44 wins over the last two seasons) also returns senior guard Demonte Harper (11.9 points, 3.2 assists/game) and junior guards Terrance Hill (7.9 points/game, 52 3-pointers) and Ty Proffitt (43.6 3-point percentage) from last year's team that lost in the OVC Tournament Championship game.
Eastern Illinois has steadily improved each season under sixth-year head coach Mike Miller, going from five Conference wins in 2005-06 to 11 a aseason ago. Last year's edition of the Panthers finished in a tie for third in the regular season and went on the take eventual OVC Tournament champion Murray State to the wire in the OVC semifinals before falling 55-51. This season the Panthers return seven players and three starters from that team, including its top three players in senior guard Tyler Laser, junior guard Jeremy Granger and sophomore forward James Hollowell. Laser averaged 13.9 points a contest while knocking down a team-best 65 3-pointers last season on his way to first-team All-OVC honors. Granger dished out 105 assists and averaged 10.3 points/game while Hollowell was an OVC All-Newcomer selection after averaging 7.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks/contest.
Despite being eliminated in the first round of the OVC Tournament a season ago, the Austin Peay Governors have had tremendous success in the postseason the last decade, making the OVC Tournament Championship Game in six of the last eight seasons. No coach has won more in OVC history than Dave Loos, who became the winningest coach in league history a year ago. Loos, a five-time OVC Coach of the Year, enters this season with 331 wins at Austin Peay and 413 in his 24-year career. Loos, in his 21st year in Clarksville, is one of just 14 current Division I coaches to be at the same school for 20 or more years. Despite losing leading scorer Wesley Channels to graduation, APSU returns four starters from last season's team, including junior Anthony Campbell, a second-team All-OVC selection last season. A year ago Campbell ranked fourth in the OVC in scoring (15.5/game) and ninth in rebounding (5.3/game). Among the key newcomers for the Govs are freshman Will Triggs (6-6, forward), who played at the same high school as Campbell, and junior college transfer Melvin Baker (6-7, forward).
Eastern Kentucky reached the 20-win plateau for the seventh time in school history last season, finishing 20-13 and appearing in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational (CBI) posteason tournament. EKU won 11 OVC games a season ago, marking the sixth-straight season the team has won double-digit Conference games, five seasons of which have come under sixth-year head coach Jeff Neubauer. The Colonels shot the 3-pointer well last year, ranking second nationally in 3-pointers made (9.9/game), ranking 11th in 3-point percentage (39.7%) and setting a new OVC record for 3-pointers made (327) for the second-consecutive season. Out of a roster of 15 players, 10 did not see action for the Eastern program last season, including four transfers and five freshmen. Despite a lot of new faces, there are four seniors on the EKU roster. Among that group is Justin Stommes, who was one of just two OVC players with 400-plus points and 100-plus assists last season. Stommes needs only 39 more points to reach 1,000 for his career this season; the 6'7 guard averaged a team-best 14.2 points a contest while hitting 52.1 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from 3-point range.
Tennessee Tech head coach Mike Sutton returns for his ninth season on the Golden Eagle sidelines, making him the second-longest active tenured coach in the league. After finishing sixth a season ago, Tech was tabbed the same in this year's preseason poll. Sutton has a group of nine players back from last year's team including junior Kevin Murphy who led the team in scoring (15.3 points/game), a mark that was fifth amongst all OVC players. Also back is senior big man Alfred Jones, who led the OVC in field goal percentage last season (120-of-180, 66.7%), while also averaging 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds/game. Tech will also debut University of Georgia transfer Zac Swansey who sat out last season under NCAA transfer guidelines. Another newcomer is 7'0 center Liam McMorrow who transferred to TTU from Marquette and who is also eligible to play this season.
For the second-straight year Tennessee State returns just four players who saw action the previous season. This season the four returners are a strong core, which includes sophomores Robert Covington (11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds/game) and Jacquan Nobles (11.2 points, 68 3-pointers), who were each OVC All-Newcomer selections last season. Also back is junior guard Wil Peters (9.6 points, 3.1 assists/game) and sophomore guard Tashan Fredrick (3.4 points, 3.3 rebounds/game). Head coach John Cooper did bring in six newcomers who will be eligible to play this season (along with three transfers who will sit out this season) to help bolster a team that was 6-12 (eighth place) in the OVC last season.
Jacksonville State head coach James Green returns three of his top four scorers from last year's squad that won seven Conference games and finished seventh in the standings. Although Trenton Marshall, who led the OVC in scoring (17.7 points/game) is gone, preseason All-OVC selection Nick Murphy (14.4 points, 7.0 rebounds/game), senior guard Jeremy Bynum (10.5 points/game, 58 3-pointers) and junior forward Stephen Hall (8.6 points, 4.9 rebounds/game) all return. Murphy was second in the OVC last season with seven double-doubles and is second among active OVC players in career scoring (1,065 points) entering the year. Bynum has made 166 3-pointers in his Jax State career, which is the program's all-time Division I record.
Dickey Nutt enters year No. 2 as the head coach at Southeast Missouri State. Nutt, who is just four wins shy of 200 Division I victories, welcomes eight newcomers to go along with three starters from last year's team. Among the top returning players is guard Marland Smith, who became the first true freshman to lead Southeast in scoring since 2001-02. Smith averaged 10.8 points a game last season in 30 contests, hitting a team-best 63 3-pointers. Smith also had a team-high 28 steals. The Redhawks also return its second and third leading scorers from 2009-10 in seniors Anthony Allison (10.1 points/game) and Cameron Butler (9.0 points/game).
UT Martin is under the direction of second-year head coach Jason James, who enters the year as one of the youngest coaches at the Division I level. James has eight newcomers (including six freshmen) to mix with a group of five returning players. It marks only the fifth time the program has had six or more freshman on a team in its Division I era (dating back to 1992). Among the returning players is senior Benzor Simmons who enters the season 265 points shy of becoming the 15th-member of the UTM 1,000-point club. Simmons averaged 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds/game in 29 contests a season ago and scored 35 points (the second-highest total in the OVC last season) in a game against Evansville.
SIU Edwardsville enters year No. 4 of its reclassification effort to Division I. The Cougars became members of the OVC in July 2008 but will not begin regular season competition until 2011-12 and will not be eligible for postseason play until the following year. Fourth year head coach Lennox Forrester returns 10 players from last year's team including junior Mark Yelovich (16.7 points, 5.9 rebounds/game) who has been named to the Division I All-Independent squad each of the past two seasons.
The 2010-11 season kicks off with an exhibition contest involving Tennessee State on Nov. 2. The regular season begins on Friday, Nov. 12 with eight OVC teams in action. The first Conference games will take place on Thursday, Dec. 2. The 2011 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament will be held March 2-5. This year every rounds will be held at the same venue, Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. Previously the first round had been played on campus sites. The tournament has also switched to a merit-based format where the No. 1 and 2 seeds will receive a double bye to the semifinals while the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds will receive a single bye to the quarterfinals. The semifinals will be carried live on ESPNU with the championship game being broadcast to a national audience on ESPN2.
2010-11 Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
1. Murray State (18 first-place votes) - 162
2. Morehead State (2) - 146
3. Eastern Illinois - 123
4. Austin Peay - 107
5. Eastern Kentucky - 92
6. Tennessee Tech - 85
7. Tennessee State - 81
8. Jacksonville State - 51
9. Southeast Missouri - 41
10. UT Martin - 20
2010-11 All-OVC Preseason Men's Basketball Team
The 2010-11 All-OVC Preseason Men's Basketball team is headlined by Morehead State senior center Kenneth Faried, marking the second year in a row he has been bestowed that honor. Faried was named both the OVC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2009-10.
Overall seven different schools were represented on the team with Murray State's four selections leading the way. Morehead State had two selections while Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech had one player apiece on the squad. The team features four players who were All-OVC first-team selections last season. The team also has one player who was a second-team selection and two players who were on the All-Newcomer squad.
Faried earned his second-straight OVC Defensive Player of the Year award last season while also picking up OVC Player of the Year honors for the first time. Faried was second nationally in rebounding (13.0/game) and double-doubles (25) and 17th nationally in field goal percentage (56.4%) as he earned honorable mention All-American honors. Faried also poured in a career-best 16.9 points per game in helping the Eagles to its second-highest win total in school history (24) and a berth in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
In addition to Faried, Murray State's B.J. Jenkins (10.6 ppg, 3.2 apg, 1.8 spg) and Isacc Miles (9.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.7 apg) and Eastern Illinois' Tyler Laser (13.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 65 3-pointers) were each first-team All-OVC picks last season and are each on the preseason team this year.
Austin Peay's Anthony Campbell (15.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 57 3-pointers) was the lone second-team selection from last season who returned to the OVC this year, while Murray State's Isaiah Canaan (10.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 48.2 3FG%), along with Jenkins, were the All-Newcomer selections from last year who were on this year's preseason team.
The Preseason All-OVC team is rounded out by Murray State's Ivan Aska (10.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 58.8 FG%), Morehead State's Demonte Harper (11.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.2 apg), Tennessee Tech's Kevin Murphy (15.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.1 apg), Jacksonville State's Nick Murphy (14.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 54.5 FG%) and Eastern Kentucky's Justin Stommes (14.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.5 apg).
2010-11 Preseason All-OVC Team
Ivan Aska, Murray State
Anthony Campbell, Austin Peay #
Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State *
Demonte Harper, Morehead State
B.J. Jenkins, Murray State *%
Tyler Laser, Eastern Illinois *
Isacc Miles, Murray State *
Kevin Murphy, Tennessee Tech
Nick Murphy, Jacksonville State
Justin Stommes, Eastern Kentucky
Preseason OVC Player of the Year: Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
* - 1st team All-OVC team in 2009-10
# - 2nd team All-OVC team in 2009-10
% - OVC All-Newcomer team in 2009-10