OVC Men's Basketball Report - March 16

3/16/2021 3:00:39 PM

• OVC Men's Basketball Report - March 16 (PDF)

This Week’s Schedule

2021 NCAA Division I Championship
Friday, March 19 - First Round (Midwest Region - Indianapolis. Ind. – Lucas Oil Stadium)
#14 Morehead State (23-7) vs. #3 West Virginia (18-9), 9:50 p.m. ET/8:50 p.m. CT (TruTV)

Sunday, March 21 - Second Round (Midwest Region - Indianapolis, Ind. - Lucas Oil Stadium)
Morehead State/West Virginia vs. #6 San Diego State/#11 Syracuse, TBD

Notes From Around the League

OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: OVC teams played 119 of a schedule 120 league games this season...When combined with OVC women’s teams (who played 116 of 120 games), no conference played a higher percentage of its conference games than the OVC (98%)...Morehead State claimed its fifth OVC Tournament Championship on March 6 at the Ford Center in Evansville...The Eagles are making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance and first in a decade; the Eagles are 6-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and have won games in each of their last three appearances, topping North Carolina A&T in 1984, Alabama State in 2009 and Louisville in 2011...MSU was the only OVC team selected for the NCAA Tournament, marking the first time the OVC failed to put multiple teams in the tournament field since 2018...OVC teams are 26-71 all-time in the NCAA Tournament...Entering this postseason, OVC teams have won at least one game in each postseason play for 11-straight postseasons the longest stretch in league history...Morehead State, who finished 17-3 in OVC play, won 12-straight games prior to a loss at Belmont on February 13; the 12-game winning streak was tied for the longest in school history (with the 1983-84 team)...The 17 wins by MSU were the most in school history (breaking the old mark held by the 2009-10 team) and tied for second in OVC history...Morehead State has 23 overall wins, just the eighth time in program history the team has reached that mark...At one point of the season, MSU won seven-straight games by double figures for the first time since 1929-30...Morehead State freshman Johni Broome has 13 double-doubles this year, the most by an Eagles freshman in more than 30 seasons, and second most among all freshmen nationally this year...Broome is one of three freshmen nationally to lead his team in points, rebounds and blocks; Broome, who has been named OVC Freshman of the Week eight times (the sixth-most in OVC history) is averaging 13.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 1.8 bpg...Broome has 262 rebounds this season, which set a new MSU freshman record, surpassing the 241 by former All-American Kenneth Faried; Faried went on to set the NCAA modern era rebound record with 1,673...Broome was named MVP of the OVC Tournament (he had 27 points and 12 rebounds in the title game), making him one of only three freshmen to accomplish the feat and first since Isaiah Canaan in 2010... Belmont won the 2020-21 OVC regular season championship, the team’s seventh title in nine years in the OVC; the Bruins finished 18-2 in OVC play, which is the most Conference wins in OVC single-season history...When Belmont and Morehead State played on February 13 it marked just the 11th meeting in the past 25 years of Division I college basketball between teams with 12-game (or longer) winning streaks (Belmont entered having won 18-straight, Morehead State entered having won 12-straight), and just the fourth time that has happened in the regular season; Belmont won the game 73-58...Belmont was 18-0 entering the final week before losing at Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State; the team played without All-OVC center Nick Muszynski in the games after he suffered an ankle injury...Belmont had won an OVC record 28-straight regular season Conference games dating back to last season until a loss at Eastern Kentucky on February 25; when you included its two OVC Tournament wins last season, Belmont had won 30-straight against OVC competition, the second-longest streak in OVC history (one off the record)...When Belmont lost at EKU, they had a 21-game overall winning streak, the third-longest streak in OVC history...Belmont has 26 wins (tied with Gonzaga for the most nationally) and has won 36 of its last 39 games overall dating back to last season...Belmont was 15-1 away from home this season (10-2 road, 5-1 neutral); no team won more games away from home as of March 14...Belmont’s 10 road wins were tied with Winthrop, Bowling Green and UNCG for the most nationally entering the week, while Eastern Kentucky (9) and Morehead State (8) also rank among the national leaders in road victories...Eastern Kentucky finished this year with 15 OVC wins, the most in its program history...EKU tied the OVC record for 3-pointers made in a game (20) in its January 21 win over UT Martin; it marked the fourth time in league history a team had made 20 3-pointers in game...This season Austin Peay senior Terry Taylor became the 19th member of the OVC’s 2,000-Point Club and 17th member of the OVC’s 1,000-Rebound Club; Taylor is just the fifth player in OVC history with 2000 points & 1000 rebounds in a career...Taylor is the only player in OVC history to rank in the Top 10 in both career scoring (3rd with 2,507 points) and career rebounding (8th with 1,248)...Taylor is one of just seven active Division I players with 2,000 points and he is the NCAA Division I active leader in rebounding and one of just two players with 1,000 rebounds (Wright State’s Loudon Love in the other)...Taylor ranks eighth nationally in scoring (21.7 ppg) and seventh in rebounding (11.1), making him the only player nationally to rank in the Top 20 in both categories...Taylor was named USBWA National Player of the Year on Feb. 9, making him one of just three OVC players to ever win that award (joining Kenneth Faried and Ja Morant)...Belmont point guard Grayson Murphy recorded the Bruins first triple-double in its Division I history with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Morehead State on February 13; it marked the 21st triple-double in OVC history and first in the OVC since Murray State’s Ja Morant had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists in an 83-64 win over Marquette in the First Round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament...Eastern Illinois senior guard Mack Smith broke the NCAA record by hitting a 3-pointer in his 89th consecutive game on December 30 at Eastern Kentucky, breaking the mark previously set by Cory Bradford of Illinois; his streak ended on January 14 at 91 games.

OVC Played 99% of Scheduled Conference Games This Season: This year the OVC played 119 of 120 (99%) of its scheduled men’s basketball games. OVC women’s teams played 116 of 120 games (97%). When you combine them, the OVC played 235 of 240 scheduled Conference games (98%), the highest percentage of any Division I Conference.

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 Teams All-Time in the NCAA Tournament: Entering the 2021 postseason, OVC teams are 26-71 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. After going 20 years (1990-2008) without a win, OVC teams won games in four-straight years from 2009-12 (the longest stretch in league history) and the last time the NCAA Tournament was held (2019), the OVC not only put two teams in the field (for the second time ever) but also won two games (the first time two different teams had won NCAA games in the same postseason). Morehead State is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2011. The Eagles have also appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1956, 1957, 1961, 1983, 1984, 2009 and 2011. The Eagles are 6-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and have won games in each of their last three appearances, topping North Carolina A&T in 1984, Alabama State in 2009 and Louisville in 2011.

Morehead State Wins Fifth OVC Tournament Championship: With wins over Southeast Missouri, Eastern Kentucky and Belmont, Morehead State won the 2021 OVC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship. It was the fifth overall crown for the Eagles, joining titles they won in 1983, 1984, 2009 and 2011.

Belmont Wins 2020-21 OVC Regular Season Championship: Belmont finished this year 18-2 in league play and won the OVC regular season championship, its third-straight and seventh in nine years as members of the OVC. The Bruins have won titles in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Conference Winning Streaks: With a win over Morehead State on February 13, Belmont won its 26th-straight Conference game, setting a new OVC record (passing the mark of 25 set by Western Kentucky from 1965-67). The streak reached 28 games before ending at Eastern Kentucky on February 25. When you include the team’s two wins in the OVC Tournament last season, the Bruins won 30-straight overall over Conference opponents, which finished as the second-longest streak in league history (one off the record). Belmont won 21 games in a row, which was tied for the third-longest streak in OVC history .

            Conference Games Winning Streak (Regular Season Only)
            28 - Belmont (2020-21 - Ended 2/25/21)
            25 - Western Kentucky (1965-67)
            23 - Murray State (2009-10)
            22 - Murray State (1997-99)
            21 - Austin Peay (2003-05)

            Consecutive Games Won Against Conference Opponents (Includes Postseason)
            31 - Western Kentucky (1965-67)
            30 - Belmont (2020-21 - Ended 2/25/21)
            25 - Murray State (1997-99)
            24 - Austin Peay (2003-05)
            21 - Murray State (2018-20)

            Overall Winning Streaks (Non-Conference and Conference Games)
            25 - Murray State (2014-15)
            23 - Murray State (2011-12)
            21 - Belmont (2020-21 - Ended 2/25/21)
            21 - Western Kentucky (1953-54)
            21 - Western Kentucky (1966-67)

Road Victories: As of March 14, Belmont has 10 true road victories this season, tied for the most among Division I teams. Eastern Kentucky (9) and Morehead State (8) also rank among the national leaders.
       10 - Belmont, Winthrop, Bowling Green, UNCG
       9 - Eastern Kentucky, Chattanooga, UMBC, Wright State, Drake, Texas State, Chattanooga, Illinois
       8 - Morehead State, Loyola Chicago, Cleveland State, UCSB

Conference Victories: Belmont won 18 Conference games this year which established a new OVC single-season record, breaking the previous mark of 17 established by the 2005-06 Murray State team and tied by the 2009-10 Racers. Morehead State finished with 17 wins, tied for second in league history.
      18 - Belmont (2020-21)
      17 - Murray State (2005-06), Murray State (2009-10), Morehead State (2020-21)
      16 - Murray State (1997-98), Murray State (1998-99), Austin Peay (2003-04), Austin Peay (2006-07, Austin Peay (2007-08), Murray State (2014-15), Murray State (2017-18),
             Belmont (2018-19), Murray State (2018-19)

Broome One of Three Freshmen Nationally Leading Team in Points, Rebounds and Blocks: Morehead State freshman forward Johni Broome is only three freshmen in Division I to lead his team in points, rebounds and blocked shots, joining Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson and USC’s Evan Mobley. Broome, was named OVC Freshman of the Week eight times (the sixth-most in OVC history), and enters the NCAA Tournament averaging 13.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 1.8 bpg.

Triple-Doubles: Belmont junior Grayson Murphy recorded the 21st triple-double in OVC history on February 13 when he had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 73-58 win over Morehead State. It marked the first triple-double in the Division I era for Belmont. It was the first triple-double in the OVC since Murray State’s Ja Morant had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists in an 83-64 win over Marquette in the First Round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

Taylor Sets OVC Career Player of the Week Record: Austin Peay senior Terry Taylor was named OVC Player of the Week for the 16th time in his career on February 8, setting a new OVC record for the award. He passed Morehead State All-American Kenneth Faried who won the award 15 times in his career. Last season (2019-20) Taylor was named OVC Player of the Week eight times, which tied him with Faried (2010-11) and Murray State’s Ja Morant (2018-19) for the OVC single-season record. Taylor added a 17th career award on February 15.

Taylor Becomes Fifth OVC Player to Join 2000-Point/1000-Rebound Club: On December 8 Austin Peay senior Terry Taylor became just the fifth player in OVC history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. In addition, Taylor is the only player in OVC history to rank in the Top 10 in both career scoring and career rebounding. Here is a look at the elite 2000/1000 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 (2,507, 1,248)

APSU’s Taylor Only Active Division I Player With 2,000 Points, 1,000 Rebounds: Austin Peay senior Terry Taylor is the only active Division I player with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. He is currently one of only seven active players with 2,000 or more career points (UTSA’s Jhivvan Jackson is the leader) and the active leader and one of two players with 1,000 rebounds (Wright State’s Loudon Love is the only).

CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll: In the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll (March 8), three OVC teams were ranked in the Top 25. That included Morehead State at No. 7, Belmont at No. 10 and Eastern Kentucky at No. 22. 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.

TSU’s Fitzgerald Second-Best Freshman Single-Game Scoring: Tennessee State freshman Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. had 32 points in the team’s game with SIUE on January 21. The 32 points are tied for the second-most nationally by a freshman this season (with LSU’s Cameron Thomas and Wyoming’s Graham Ike and trailing only 40 by Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham).

Green Among Top Freshman With 30-Point Game and 15-Assist Performance: Eastern Kentucky freshman Wendell Green Jr. has had both a 30-point game (Jan. 2 at Austin Peay) and a 15-assist performance (Jan. 9 vs. Tennessee Tech). Among freshmen, the 30 points are the seventh-most nationally while his 15 assists are the most by a freshman in 2020-21 (and second-most by any player).

Alexander Named Finalist for Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award: Belmont head coach Casey Alexander was named finalist for the 2021 Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award by CollegeInsider.com. The Skip Prosser Man of the Year award honors those who not only achieve success on the basketball court but who display moral integrity off the floor as well. This season Alexander led Belmont to 26 regular season wins, 21 consecutive victories, 30 consecutive conference victories (including tournament), national Top 25 poll votes eight consecutive weeks and the program’s 12th regular season conference championship in 16 years.

Three OVC Coaches Named Finalists for Hugh Durham Award: Three OVC men’s basketball coaches are among the 25 finalists for the Hugh Durham Award, presented by CollegeInsider.com to the Mid-Major Coach of the Year. The finalists are Belmont’s Casey Alexander, Eastern Kentucky’s A.W. Hamilton and Morehead State’s Preston Spradlin The award will be announced by CollegeInsider.com on April 1.

Alexander and Spradlin Named Finalists for Phelan Coach of the Year Award: Belmont coach Casey Alexander and Morehead State coach Preston Spradlin have been named finalists for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award by CollegeInsider.com. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top Division I coach

Green and Broome Named to Kyle Macy Freshman All-American Team: Morehead State center Johni Broome and Eastern Kentucky guard Wendell Green Jr. were two of the 30 individuals nationally named to the Kyle Macy Freshman All-American Team by CollegeInsider.com. Among the 30 finalists, one player will be selected as the Kyle Macy Award winner, as the top Division I freshman nationally; that honor will be announced on April 1.

Murphy Named to Lefty Driesell Defensive All-American Team: Belmont junior Grayson Murphy has been named to the 2021 Lefty Driesell Defensive All-America Team by CollegeInsider.com. The floor general earned OVC Defensive Player of the Year honors for a second consecutive season; becoming the fourth player to win multiple OVC Defensive Player of the Year awards since the honor was first awarded in 2008-09. The 6-2 guard is averaging 10.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game, leading the nation in rebounding from the point guard position for a second consecutive year.

Korn Named Finalist for Joe B. Hall Award: Southeast Missouri head coach Brad Korn was one of eight finalists nationally for the Joe B. Hall Award by CollegeInsider.com. The Joe B. Hall award is presented annually to the top first-year coach in Division I college basketball. Korn led SEMO to a 9-11 OVC record in his first year with the Redhawks.

Eastern Kentucky Ties OVC Record for Made 3-Pointers in a Game: With 20 made 3-pointers in a victory over UT Martin on Jan. 21, Eastern Kentucky tied the OVC single-game record for 3-pointers. The Colonels tied the mark also set by the 2012-13 Southeast Missouri team (against Austin Peay), the 2013-14 Eastern Kentucky team (against Warren Wilson) and the 2017-18 Belmont team (against Tennessee State).

Smith’s 3-Point Streak Longest NCAA History: With a 3-pointer on Dec. 30 at Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois senior guard Mack Smith broke the NCAA Division I record with his 89th consecutive game with a made 3-pointer. The streak started in the same building on January 6, 2018. The streak ended at 91 games when he failed to connect at home against Morehead State on January 14.
            91 - Mack Smith, Eastern Illinois (ended on Jan. 14, 2021)
            88 - Cory Bradford, Illinois (ended 2001)
            73 - Wally Lancaster, Virginia Tech (ended 1989)
            69 - Jaylen Minnett, IUPUI (ended 2021)
            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)

Wins in 2020 Calendar Year: During the 2020 calendar year the Belmont men’s program recorded 26 victories, which was tied with Gonzaga and Kansas for the most among Division I teams.
            26 - Belmont, Gonzaga, Kansas
            25 - Winthrop
            24 - Baylor, Liberty

Murray State Sets NCAA Division I Record for Assists in a Game (Mark Now Second): Murray State dished out 45 assists in its 173-95 win over Greenville University on November 29. At the time 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. The record was broken three days later when Illinois State dished out 57 assists in a win over Greenville.

Murray State Scores Fourth-Most Points Ever in a Division I Game (Now Fifth); 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). At the time, the 173 points were tied for the fourth-most by a Division I team in NCAA history at the time, but now ranks tied for fifth (after Illinois State scored 177 on December 2 against the same Greenville team).
            186 - Loyola Marymount vs. Alliant International (1991)
            181 - Loyola Marymount vs. Alliant International (1989)
            179 - LIU Brooklyn vs. Medgar Evans (1997)
            177 - Illinois State vs. Greenville (2020)
            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 Nov. 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)

OVC to Produce 10-Game Linear Television Package: The OVC will produce a national television package in 2020-21 that will include nine men’s basketball games and one women’s basketball contest that will air on the ESPN Family of Networks. The seven regular season games will air on ESPNU, as will the OVC Men’s Tournament semifinals, while the Men’s Championship game will air on ESPN2. Due to the fluid nature of this season, games appearing as a part of the linear television schedule will be announced throughout the season.

Broome Named Lute Olson National Player of the Week (March 8): Morehead State freshman Johni Broome was named the Lute Olson National Player of the Week by CollegeInsider.com on March 8 after his MVP performance at the OVC Tournament. In three wins he averaged 19.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks/game while hitting 58.5 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the line. In the team’s title game win over Belmont the OVC Freshman of the Year had 27 points and 12 rebounds.

Taylor Named USBWA National Player of the Week (Feb. 9): For just the third time since the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) started awarding National Players of the Week, an OVC player took home the award on February 9. Austin Peay senior Terry Taylor joined Kenneth Faried and Ja Morant in winning the award after he averaged 24.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals/game while hitting 58.5 percent (31-of-53) from the field in three road wins. He also became Austin Peay’s all-time leading scorer in the process.

Murphy Named Lute Olson National Player of the Week (Feb. 15): Belmont junior guard Grayson Murphy was named the Lute Olson National Player of the Week by CollegeInsider.com on February 15 after he posted the 21st triple-double in OVC history and averaged 11.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks/game while hitting 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the field, 40 percent (2-of-5) from 3-point range and 100 percent (2-of-2) at the free throw line in two wins. He had 13 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks in Saturday’s 73-58 win over second place Morehead State. It was the first triple-double of Belmont’s Division I Era. He opened the week with nine points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block in a 92-74 win over Eastern Kentucky.

Taylor Named Lute Olson National Player of the Week (Jan. 11): Austin Peay senior Terry Taylor was named the Lute Olson National Player of the Week by CollegeInsider.com on Jan. 11 (his second award of the season) after he recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 38 points and 17 rebounds and hit the game-winning shot in a 74-71 win at Eastern Illinois. With the game tied with 12.7 seconds to go, APSU brought the ball up-court, Taylor got the ball a few steps inside half court, took two dribbles and banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Taylor hit 16-of-31 field goals (3-of-5 3-pointers) and 3-of-4 free throws and added two assists and a steal in 39 minutes. Nine of his 17 rebounds came on the offensive glass.

Taylor Named Lute Olson National Player of the Week (Dec. 28): Austin Peay senior Terry Taylor was named the Lute Olson National Player of the Week by CollegeInsider.com on Dec. 28 after his performance against Murray State. In that 74-70 win, Taylor had 30 points and 13 rebounds to help the Govs avenge a 30-point loss to their rival from just 13 days prior. Taylor was held scoreless until 7:41 remained before halftime and later in the period he connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to trim the MSU margin to six points at the break. But Taylor would score 22 points after halftime, including 10 of Austin Peay’s final 15 points, including a jumper with 7:01 to go that gave the Govs the lead for good. Taylor finished the game 11-of-20 from the field and 6-of-7 at the free throw line while also adding three assists and a block.

Taylor and Muszynski on Lute Olson Award Watch List: Austin Peay senior Terry Taylor and Belmont junior Nick Muszynski are two of 35 players nationally on the Lute Olson Award Watch List. The award is presented by CollegeInsider.com to the top Division I player nationally. Taylor was on the preseason list announced in December while Muszynski was added at the end of January.

Alexander on Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List: Belmont head coach Casey Alexander is one of 15 coaches nationally named to the 2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club. A list of 10 National semifinalists will be announced March 5. Four finalists will be named on March 17. The winner will be announced on April 4.

Four OVC Players on Lou Henson Award Watch List: Four OVC players are among the 40 players nationally on the Lou Henson Award Watch List. The award, presented by CollegeInsider.com, is given to the top mid-major player in Division I. Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor and Belmont’s Grayson Murphy and Nick Muszynski remain on the list after appearing on the preseason list, and are joined by Eastern Kentucky’s Tre King.

Taylor Named to Jerry West Award Watch List Top 10: Austin Peay senior Terry Taylor has made the Top 10 for the Jerry West Award 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 in the preseason; the list will be narrowed to five finalists in March with the award being presented on April 9, 2021.

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 five (5) former OVC players who are on NBA teams entering the 2020-21 season.
            • Robert Covington, Portland Trailblazers (Tennessee State)
            • Alfonzo McKinnie, Los Angeles Lakers (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. and Tennessee Tech’s Jr. Clay.

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).

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.

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. This season for every game UTM will leave an empty seat draped with a sports coat on its bench.

NCAA Unity Pledge/Logo: This season you will see OVC teams sporting a Unity Patch on uniforms. The patch is part of a Unity Pledge and Logo approved by the NCAA’s three divisional Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) and the NCAA Board of Governors Student-Athlete Engagement Committee. They are symbolic gestures to continue generating stronger unity among the NCAA’s 1100-plus schools and nearly 500,000 student-athletes. The logo includes three different colored hands holding one another’s wrists inside a circle with “United As One” at the bottom.   For more information on this and other OVC social justice initiatives visit www.OVCSports.com/OVCforChange.

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.