• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – December 12 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Monday, December 12
Philander Smith
at Little Rock, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Tuesday, December 13
Bethel
at UT Martin, 11:00 a.m. (ESPN+)
Wednesday, December 14
Morehead State at Georgia Southern, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Charleston Southern
at Tennessee State, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Tennessee Tech at Lipscomb, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Southeast Missouri at Arkansas State, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Thursday, December 15
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
at Southern Indiana, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, December 17
Eastern Illinois at IUPUI, 11:00 a.m. (ESPN+)
Morehead State at Mercer, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Little Rock at Jacksonville State, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
UT Martin at Bowling Green, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
Knox College
at Lindenwood, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Bryan College
at Tennessee State, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Western Carolina
at Tennessee Tech, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Southeast Missouri at Iowa, 7:30 p.m. (BTN)
Sunday, December 18
Illinois Tech
at SIUE, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Trevor Lakes, F • 6-8, 220, Grad. • Lebanon, Ind. • Southern Indiana
Lakes, a transfer from Nebraska, averaged a double-double as Southern Indiana won a pair of games last week. He averaged 22.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals/game while hitting 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field and 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from 3-point range. On Sunday, he had 15 points, 12 rebounds, an assist and steal as the Screaming Eagles knocked off Indiana State, who entered the game 9-1 with a Top 80 NET ranking. Lakes hit 5-of-11 field goals (3-of-8 3-pointers) in netting his first double-double of the season. He opened the week with his collegiate career-high of 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting (4-of-10 3-pointers) in a win over Anderson University. Lakes had nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in 29 minutes off the bench in that game. Lakes ranks second in the OVC in 3-pointers made/game (2.8), third in 3-point percentage (44.4%), fifth in rebounding (6.6/game), 12th in field goal percentage (49.4%) and 14th in scoring (12.2 points/game).
Others Nominated: Myron Gardner, Little Rock; Alex Gross, Morehead State; Ray’Sean Taylor, SIUE; Jr. Clay, Tennessee Tech; Jayvis Harvey, Tennessee Tech; Parker Stewart.
NEWCOMER
Trevor Lakes, F • 6-8, 220, Grad. • Lebanon, Ind. • Southern Indiana
Lakes, a transfer from Nebraska, averaged a double-double as Southern Indiana won a pair of games last week. He averaged 22.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals/game while hitting 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field and 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from 3-point range. On Sunday, he had 15 points, 12 rebounds, an assist and steal as the Screaming Eagles knocked off Indiana State, who entered the game 9-1 with a Top 80 NET ranking. Lakes hit 5-of-11 field goals (3-of-8 3-pointers) in netting his first double-double of the season. He opened the week with his collegiate career-high of 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting (4-of-10 3-pointers) in a win over Anderson University. Lakes had nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in 29 minutes off the bench in that game. Lakes ranks second in the OVC in 3-pointers made/game (2.8), third in 3-point percentage (44.4%), fifth in rebounding (6.6/game), 12th in field goal percentage (49.4%) and 14th in scoring (12.2 points/game).
Others Nominated: Kinyon Hodges, Eastern Illinois; Alex Gross, Morehead State; Israel Barnes, Southeast Missouri; Zion Griffin, Tennessee State; Jayvis Harvey, Tennessee Tech; Desmond Williams, UT Martin.
FRESHMAN
Chris Walker, G • 6-6, 195, R-Fr. • Wellington, Fla. • Little Rock
In last week’s game at Memphis, Walker hit 6-of-12 shots (4-of-8 3-pointers) on his way to a team-best 18 points. The 18 points were a career-best for Walker who added four assists and two rebounds and did not commit a turnover in 23 minutes of action off the bench. Walker ranks eighth in the OVC in 3-pointers made/game (2.1) and ninth in 3-point percentage (38.8%). This marks his second OVC Freshman of the Week award of the season.
Others Nominated: Trent Scott, Morehead State; Grant Strong, Tennessee Tech.
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
•
Parker Stewart (G, Grad), UT Martin. Had 22 points, including nine in overtime, as UT Martin topped Chicago State. He added five rebounds and three assists.
•
Myron Gardner (G, Sr.), Little Rock. Had 16 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the season, at Memphis. He added three assists and a steal.
•
Jr. Clay (G, Grad), Tennessee State. Averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals/game in two wins last week. Had 19 points against Lipscomb and seven assists against Boyce.
•
Kinyon Hodges (G, Jr.), Eastern Illinois. Averaged 17.5 points and 3.0 assists/game in two home games. Hit 55.6 percent from the field in games against Ball State and Western Illinois.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: Southern Indiana won its second game of a Missouri Valley Conference school this season, topping Indiana State 88-85 in overtime on Sunday; ISU was 9-1 on the season and ranked 78th in the NET entering the game ... Earlier this season the Screaming Eagles topped Southern Illinois ... USI’s
Isaiah Swope knocked down eight 3-pointers in the win over Indiana State; the eight made trifectas are tied for the sixth-most by a Division I player this season (and two off the OVC single-game record) ... OVC teams won a pair of overtime games last week and are 3-3 overall in extra periods this season ... SEMO’s
Phillip Russell has had back-to-back games with 25 or more points and is now averaging 16.8 points/game, which is second in the OVC ... SIUE ranks 20th nationally in free throws made/game (17.1), UT Martin is 25th in steals/game (9.8), Morehead State is 25th in 3-point defense (27.5%) and Eastern Illinois is 34th in turnover margin (+4.1/game) ... Little Rock’s
Myron Gardner is 20th nationally in double-doubles (4) and 22nd in rebounds/game (9.7) ... MSU’s
Alex Gross is 15th nationally in field goal percentage (64.9%) ... EIU’s
Sincere Malone and SIUE’s
Shamar Wright both had 24 steals this season (19th nationally) while UTM’s
Parker Stewart is 43rd in steals/game (2.2 ... 22 total steals).
Triple-Doubles: Lindenwood senior guard
Chris Childs registered the 23rd all-time triple-double in OVC history on November 30 in a win over East-West University. He had 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes of action. There has been at least one triple-double in the OVC in six of the past seven seasons (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23).
Taylor and Stewart Named to Lou Henson Award Watch List: SIUE guard
Ray’Sean Taylor and UT Martin guard
Parker Stewart have been named to the 2022-23 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award Watch List by CollegeInsider.com. The award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in division I college basketball, honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.
New Teams: The OVC welcomes three new teams this year in Lindenwood, Little Rock and Southern Indiana. Little Rock moves over from the Sun Belt while Lindenwood and USI are reclassifying from Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The trio marks just the 22nd, 23rd and 24th full-time members in the 75-year history of the OVC.
All Teams Eligible for OVC Tournament: Both reclassifying teams, Lindenwood and Southern Indiana, are eligible to compete and win the OVC Tournament Championship this season. Should a transitioning school win an OVC Tournament Championship, the AQ shall be awarded to the tournament runner-up. Should the tournament runner-up also be a transitioning school, the AQ representative shall be the highest seed going into the tournament.
OVC Basketball Championships Held at Ford Center in Evansville For Sixth Consecutive Year: The OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will be held March 1-4 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the sixth-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, the OVC signed a three-year extension to keep the event at the venue through 2023, with an option for a fourth-year (2024), which was exercised in fall 2022.
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.
Recent Postseason Success: OVC teams have won at least one national postseason game in 12 of the past 13 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), and the OVC began a new streak with Murray State winning in the NCAA Tournament in 2022.
OVC Players in the NBA: Five former OVC men’s basketball players made National Basketball Association (NBA) rosters for 2022-23. In 2021, Cameron Payne helped Phoenix advance to the NBA Finals. It marked the fourth time in the past six years an OVC player had competed in the NBA Finals. 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).
• Robert Covington, Los Angeles Clippers(Tennessee State)
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (Murray State)
• Cameron Payne, Phoenix Suns (Murray State)
• Terry Taylor, Indianapolis Pacers (Austin Peay)
• Dylan Windler, Cleveland Cavaliers (Belmont)
OVC to Produce 10-Game Linear Television Package and Use “Wild Card” Selections: The OVC will produce a national television package in 2022-23 that will include nine men’s basketball games and one women’s basketball contest that will air on the ESPN Family of Networks. Five of the seven regular season games and the men’s tournament semifinals will air on ESPNU with two regular season games airing on ESPNews. 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.
Simon Named Preseason Player of the Year: The 2022-23 OVC Preseason Men’s Basketball Team was headlined by UT Martin senior guard
KJ Simon. He is the first Skyhawk to be named OVC Preseason Player of the Year since 2008-09, when All-American and future NBA player Lester Hudson earned the honor. Overall, seven different schools were represented on the team with Tennessee State leading the way with four picks. Southeast Missouri, SIUE and UT Martin had two selections apiece while Morehead State, Southern Indiana and Tennessee Tech each had one pick. Other returning All-OVC s
elections from last year who made the preseason team were Southeast Missouri sophomore guard Phillip Russell and Tennessee State graduate guard
Jr. Clay while SIUE sophomore
Ray’Sean Taylor earned All-Newcomer honors. Two other players previously earned All-OVC accolades before transferring away from the league and then back this season. Those players are Morehead State senior guard
Mark Freeman and UT Martin graduate guard
Parker Stewart. The team was rounded out by Southeast Missouri senior guard
Chris Harris, SIUE sophomore forward
DeeJuan Pruitt, Southern Indiana senior guard
Jelani Simmons, Tennessee Tech graduate guard
Ty Perry and a trio of Tennessee State players in sophomore guard
Marcus Fitzgerald Jr., senior guard
Dedric Boyd and graduate forward
Zion Griffin.
Morehead State Picked as OVC Preseason Favorites: In a vote of OVC head men’s basketball coaches and communication directors, Morehead State has been picked the preseason favorites for the 2022-23 season. It marks the first time since 2009-10 that the Eagles have been tabbed the preseason favorites. The Eagles were one of five different teams to pick up first-place votes, tallying seven top picks to finish with 138 points. They finished ahead of Tennessee State who had two first-place votes (130 points), UT Martin who had seven first-place votes (120 points), Southeast Missouri who had two first-place votes (115) and SIUE who picked up two first-place votes (111 points). The poll was rounded out by Little Rock (102), Southern Indiana (68), Tennessee Tech (62), Eastern Illinois (31) and Lindenwood (23).
Men’s Basketball Experimental Rules for Second Half Media Timeouts in Conference Play: This season in Conference men’s basketball games, the league will participate with a NCAA Experimental Rule which establishes a standard media timeout format for the second half of all OVC men’s basketball regular season and conference tournament games (the experimental rule does not pertain to non-conference games). The rule establishes the standard media timeout format for all OVC games which requires electronic media timeout marks that occur after the first stoppage of play following the 17-, 14-. 11-, 8- and 4- minute marks in the second half. The experimental rule, which was approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, is designed to help standardize the traditional “floater” media mark in the second half.
The 2022-23 Season: The 2022-23 season marks the 75th of competition in the OVC. Over the previous 74 years, 13 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship.
ESPN+: This year marks the fifth 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 $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) or as part of a bundle with Disney+ and ad-supported Hulu ($13.99/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.