• OVC Men's Basketball Report - November 30 (PDF)
This Week’s Tentative Schedule
Monday, November 30
Jacksonville State vs. University of Mobile, 2:00 p.m. (Mobile, Ala.)
Eastern Kentucky at Xavier, 6:00 p.m. (FS1)
Chattanooga
at Tennessee Tech, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Tuesday, December 1
Eastern Illinois at Dayton, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Wednesday, December 2
Morehead State at #23 Ohio State, 4:00 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
Eastern Kentucky at USC Upstate, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
SIUE at Northern Illinois, 6:00 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at Xavier, 6:00 p.m. (FS1)
Southern Illinois
at Southeast Missouri, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Murray State at Middle Tennessee, 6:30 p.m.
Evansville
at UT Martin, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Thursday, December 3
Chicago State
at Eastern Illinois, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Tennessee Tech at Northern Kentucky, 5:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
Friday, December 4
Jacksonville State at FIU, 6:00 p.m.
Carver Bible College
at Austin Peay, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, December 5
Omaha
at SIUE, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Eastern Illinois at Green Bay, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Samford
at Belmont, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, December 6
Tennessee Tech at Western Carolina, 11:00 a.m.
Jacksonville State at FIU, 1:00 p.m.
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
Terry Taylor, F • 6-5, 235, Sr. • Bowling Green, Ky. • Austin Peay
Taylor earned his13th all-time OVC Player of the Week honor (two off the all-time record held by Kenneth Faried) after averaging 22.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals/game while hitting 61.2 percent (30-of-49) from the field and 75 percent (6-of-8) from the free throw line in three games at the #BeachBubble Gulf Coast Showcase. The Preseason All-American led the Govs to a 2-1 record at the event (wins over Omaha and ETSU), had double-doubles in all three games (he current leads the country in that stat) and earned All-Tournament honors. He opened the tournament with 21 points, 12 rebounds, an assist, steal and block in a win over Omaha. Taylor followed that with 25 points, 16 rebounds (10 on the offensive glass) and two steals in a win over ETSU. In that game the senior hit 11-of-17 field goal attempts. He closed the week with 22 points, 10 rebounds and two assists in a loss to Abilene Christian. Taylor finished that game 10-of-15 from the field. Taylor needs just nine points and 15 rebounds to become only the fifth OVC player to reach 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Others Nominated: Luke Smith, Belmont; Josiah Wallace, Eastern Illinois; Tre King, Eastern Kentucky; Johni Broome, Morehead State; KJ Williams, Murray State; Nygal Russell, Southeast Missouri; Mike Adewunmi, SIUE; Keishawn Davidson, Tennessee Tech.
NEWCOMER
Luke Smith, G • 6-0, 175, Jr. • Knoxville, Tenn. • Belmont
Smith, a transfer from Sewanee, was named the MVP of the DC Paradise Jam after leading Belmont to three wins in the event held in Washington, D.C. The guard averaged 18.0 points, 3.3 steals, 3.0 assists and 1.0 rebounds/game while hitting 56.3 percent (18-of-32) from the field, 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from 3-point range and 81.8 percent (9-of-11) from the free throw line. He scored 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting (3-of-6 3-pointers) in a 95-78 win over Howard; it marked the fourth-most points by a Belmont player in a debut during the program’s Division I era. He added three steals, two rebounds and two assists in the win. Smith followed that with 16 points (2-of-6 3-pointers), four assists and four steals in a 77-67 win over George Mason. He capped the week with 18 points (on 4-of-9 3-point shooting), three assists and three steals in a 73-61 win over Queens (N.C.). His 10 steals for the week were a tournament high.
Others Nominated: Mike Peake, Austin Peay; Cheikh Faye, Eastern Kentucky; Demaree King, Jacksonville State; Justice Hill, Murray State; Nana Akenten, Southeast Missouri; Philip Pepple Jr., SIUE; Shandon Goldman, Tennessee Tech.
FRESHMAN
Johni Broome, F • 6-10, 235, Fr. • Plant City, Fla. • Morehead State
Broome averaged 14.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks/game while hitting 61.3 percent (19-of-31) from the field in games against No. 9 Kentucky, Richmond (who was receiving votes last week and who is now ranked) and Arkansas State. In his collegiate debut he came off the bench to score 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, with adding five rebounds and a steal. That performance earned him the start in the final two games of the week, as he scored six points and grabbed six rebounds against Richmond on Friday. He closed the week by making his home debut in a 69-61 victory over Arkansas State. Broome hit 11-of-17 field goals (64.7%) on his way to a game-high 25 points (19 in the second half), which was the most points by a MSU freshman since 2016-17. Broome also collected 12 rebounds and blocked five shots in 28 minutes.
Others Nominated: JaCobi Wood, Belmont; Wendell Green Jr., Eastern Kentucky; Nicholas McMullen, Murray State; Kenny White Jr., Tennessee Tech.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: The 2020-21 season got underway last week as OVC teams were able to play 22 games over a five-day period; the teams compiled 13 wins (11 of which were away from home)...Murray State set the NCAA Division I record with 45 assists in its 173-95 win over Greenville University on November 29; it broke the old record of 44 held by Colorado...MSU’s 173 points were tied for the fourth-most in NCAA Division I history, and broke the old OVC scoring record of 148 (held by Tennessee State)...Murray State also set the OVC record for field goals made (77) and most combined points by both teams (268) and tied the record for points in a half (87)...Murray State won its 22nd-straight game at home, the sixth-longest streak nationally...Belmont increased its overall win streak to 15 games in winning three games to take the championship of the DC Paradise Jam; the 15-game streak is the third-longest nationally entering the week...Belmont’s Luke Smith was named MVP of the DC Paradise Jam while point guard Grayson Murphy pulled down 34 rebounds during the three games...Austin Peay senior Terry Taylor is poised to become just the fifth member of the OVC’s 2,000-Point/1000-Rebound Club, as he needs just nine point and 15 rebounds to achieve the feat...Taylor will become one of just two active Division I players with 2,000 points and the only active Division I player with 1,000 career rebounds...Taylor will be the 19th member of the OVC’s 2,000-Point Club and the 17th member of the 1,000-Rebound Club...Eastern Illinois senior guard Mack Smith has made a 3-pointer in 83 consecutive games, the longest active streak in Division I basketball, and the second-longest streak ever (five off the record)...Jacksonville State newcomer Demaree King made eight 3-pointers in his team’s win over South Alabama on Sunday, the third-most by an Division I player this season...Two OVC players joined the 1,000-Point Club last week in Eastern Illinois senior Josiah Wallace (1,033) and Belmont junior Nick Muszynski (1,019); Murray State’s Tevin Brown will be the next to join the club, as he sits at 970 career points...Tennessee Tech’s duo of Kenny White Jr. (13 points) and Austin Harvell (10 points) become the first TTU freshmen duo to score in double figures in the season-opener since November 29, 1975...Morehead State won its 24th-straight home opener, a streak that dates back to the 1998-99 season...Morehead State freshman Johni Broome scored 25 points against Arkansas State, the highest output by an Eagle freshman since 2016-17 (26 by Jordan Walker)...Southeast Missouri first-year head coach Brad Korn scored his first career victory in the Redhawks win over Kansas City on Saturday; he was the first SEMO coach to win his first game since December 1, 1976 (Carroll Williams)...The win was the first season-opening win away from home for SEMO in its Division I era...SIUE had 11 blocked shots in its win over UHSP, which tied the school record...Former Belmont head coach Rick Byrd has been selected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021; he was inducted into the OVC Hall of Fame earlier this year.
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.
Murray State Sets NCAA Division I Record for Assists in a Game: Murray State dished out 45 assists in its 173-95 win over Greenville University on November 29. 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.
Murray State Scores Fourth-Most Points Ever in a Division I Game; 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). The 173 points are tied for the fourth-most by a Division I team in NCAA history and most by a Division I team since the 1997 season (when LIU Brooklyn scored 179).
186 - Loyola Marymount vs. Alliant International (1991)
181 - Loyola Marymount vs. Alliant International (1989)
179 - LIU Brooklyn vs. Medgar Evans (1997)
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)
Smith’s 3-Point Streak Second-Longest in NCAA History: Entering this week Eastern Illinois senior guard
Mack Smith has hit a 3-pointer in 83 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in Division I and the second-longest streak in NCAA history. Here is a look at the longest streaks in NCAA history:
88 - Cory Bradford, Illinois (ended 2011)
83 - Mack Smith, Eastern Illinois (active)
73 - Wally Lancaster, Virginia Tech (ended 1989)
68 - Jaylen Minnett, IUPUI (active - next game on Dec. 6)
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 Nears Elite Company in 2000-Point/1000-Rebound Club: Austin Peay senior
Terry Taylor is poised to become 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 (1991, 985)
APSU’s Taylor Only Active Division I Player With 1,900 Points, 900 Rebounds: Austin Peay senior
Terry Taylor is the only active Division I player with 1,900 career points and 900 career rebounds. Taylor is on track to become just the fifth member of the OVC’s 2,000-Point, 1000-Rebound club.
Overall Winning Streaks: With a 3-0 start to this season, Belmont extended its overall winning streak to 15 games dating back to the 2019-20 season. The streak is currently the third-longest active streak nationally (Note: UC San Diego has a 22-game streak but just moved from Division II to Division I this season).
20 - Dayton, New Mexico State
15 - Belmont, Stephen F. Austin
Home Winning Streaks: Entering this week Murray State has won 22-straight home game dating back to a loss on January 24, 2019. The streak is tied for the sixth-longest streak nationally. Austin Peay’s 16-game home winning streak ranks 10th nationally.
39- Gonzaga
27 - Prairie View
24 - South Dakota State
23 - Liberty, Florida State
22 - Murray State, Oregon
18 - Dayton
17 - North Carolina Central
16 - Austin Peay, UNI, BYU
CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll: In the Preseason CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, three OVC teams were ranked in the Top 13. That included Austin Peay at No. 8, Murray State at No. 10 and Belmont at No. 13. 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.
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. Presentation details will be announced at a later date.
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.
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 former OVC players who were in the NBA last season:
• Antonius Cleveland, Dallas Mavericks (Southeast Missouri)
• Robert Covington, Houston Rockets (Tennessee State)
• Alfonzo McKinnie, Cleveland Cavaliers (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., Tennessee Tech’s
Jr. Clay and UT Martin’s
Parker Stewart.
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.
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.