• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – February 21 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Monday, February 21
*Eastern Illinois at SIUE, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Thursday, February 24
*UT Martin at Southeast Missouri, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Austin Peay at SIUE, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Morehead State at Eastern Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee State at Tennessee Tech, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Belmont at #19 Murray State, 8:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday, February 26
*Austin Peay at Eastern Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Morehead State at SIUE, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*#19 Murray State at Southeast Missouri, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee State at Belmont, 5:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*UT Martin at Tennessee Tech, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Eric Reed Jr., G • 6-2, 190, Jr. • Baton Rouge, La. • Southeast Missouri
Reed averaged 31.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals/game while hitting 46.2 percent (18-of-39) from the field, 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from 3-point range and 86.4 percent (19-of-22) from the free throw line. Against Tennessee Tech he scored a career-high 35 points, the fourth-most by an OVC player in a game this season. In that game he hit 11-of-24 shots (4-of-10 3-pointers) and 9-of-11 free throws while adding five assists, four rebounds and a steal. Two days later he added 28 points on 7-of-15 shooting (4-of-8 3-pointers) and 10-of-11 free throws in a win at Morehead State. In the win against the Eagles he added three assists, two rebounds and two steals. Reed ranks fourth in the OVC in 3-pointers made/game (2.3) and free throw percentage (81.3%) and eighth in scoring (16.1 points/game).
Others Nominated: Elijah Hutchins-Everett, Austin Peay; Nick Muszynski, Belmont; Johni Broome, Morehead State; KJ Williams, Murray State; John Pettway, Tennessee Tech; KJ Simon, UT Martin.
NEWCOMER
John Pettway, G • 6-3, 190, Grad. • Safford, Ala. • Tennessee Tech
Pettway, the transfer from South Alabama, averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals/game and hit 82.4 percent (14-of-17) from the field and 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the free throw line as Tennessee Tech won a pair of games to clinch a spot in the OVC Tournament field (the program’s first since 2017-18). In Thursday’s win over Southeast Missouri, he hit 7-of-9 from the floor on his way to 17 points while also adding three steals, two assists and two rebounds. Two days later he had a season-best 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting in a win at Austin Peay. In that game he hauled in seven rebounds while scoring each of Tech’s final seven points in the contest, including a three-point play to give the Golden Eagles the lead for good with just under two minutes to play. Pettway ranks second in the OVC in field goal percentage (57.2%)
Others Nominated: Tariq Silver, Austin Peay; Jaylon Hall, Morehead State; Trae Hannibal, Murray State; Kassim Nicholson, Tennessee State; KJ Simon, UT Martin.
FRESHMAN
Will Richard, F • 6-5, 190, Fr. • Fairburn, Ga. • Belmont
In two Belmont victories Richard averaged 12.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals/game while hitting 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the field. In Saturday’s win over SIUE, the freshman had 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting (2-of-5 3-pointers) and added six rebounds, five assists and three steals. His steal and score with 90 seconds left helped the Bruins secure the victory. He opened the week with six points, four rebounds, an assist, steal and block in 21 minutes against Eastern Illinois. Richard ranks among OVC freshmen leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots.
Others Nominated: Elijah Hutchins-Everett, Austin Peay.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: As of Monday, two OVC teams were in the Top 55 of the NET: Murray State (26) and Belmont (55) ... On Thursday night the Belmont at Murray State game will be the first college basketball game of 2021-22 involving two teams with 50 combined victories ... Murray State’s 16-game overall win streak is tied for first nationally (Gonzaga, South Dakota State), while Belmont’s 10-game winning streak ranks fifth; the two teams play on Thursday ... Murray State has clinched at least a share of its 28th OVC Championship; the team can win the title outright win one more win or a Belmont loss ... Murray State has clinched the No. 1 seed for the OVC Tournament ... Murray State is now ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 21 in the Coaches Top 25 polls; this year marks the first time an OVC team has been ranked since 2015 (Murray State) and first time a team has been ranked for more than one week since 2012 (Murray State was ranked in the final 14 polls that year) ... Murray State’s 26 overall wins is the most of any Division I team; MSU has won 15 in a row at home (the 8th-longest streak nationally) ... Murray State’s Tevin Brown established a new OVC record for career made 3-pointers on January 29; he now has 337 makes (eighth among active Division I players) ... Over the past 30 years Brown is the only Division I player to tally at least 330 3-pointers, 600 rebounds, 390 assists, and 60 blocks in their career ... Belmont’s Grayson Murphy broke the OVC career assists record (699) on January 24 at Eastern Illinois; Murphy now has 760 career assists and is also six (6) steals away from tying the OVC all-time mark in that category (currently held by TTU’s Van Usher) ... Murphy recorded the 22nd triple-double in OVC history on January 17 at SIUE; he had 11 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, marking his second triple-double in as many seasons ... Murphy ranks 12th nationally in assists (6.0/game) and 10th in steals (2.38/game) ... Morehead State’s Johni Broome has had six blocks in a game 10 times this season; he ranks third nationally in blocks/game (4.0/game) ... Broome now has 116 blocks on the season, the fourth-most in OVC single-season history (22 off the record) ... Broome had 12 blocks on February 16 at UT Martin; the 12 blocks tied the MSU single-game record, was one off the OVC record and are tied for the most by a Division I player this season (with Auburn’s Walker Kessler) ... Broome also ranks second nationally in double-doubles (21) and 10th nationally in rebounding (10.7/game) ... Broome is just the second player in MSU history with 20-plus double-doubles in a single-season (joining record-holder Kenneth Faried’s 28 in 2010-11) ... Southeast Missouri redshirt freshman Phillip Russell had 35 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and four assists on February 7 at SIUE; he is only the second Division I freshman in the past 25 years to have 35-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five-plus steals in a game ... TTU’s Jr. Clay is the only Golden Eagle to rank in the top-10 in scoring, assists, steals, and 3-point field goals made for their career ... The OVC has had as many as eight (8) former players on active NBA rosters this season; currently five players are on rosters ... Through Friday (Feb. 18), UT Martin’s KJ Simon was the only NCAA Division I player to average at least 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
Murray State Claims At Least a Share of OVC Championship: Heading into the final week of the regular season, Murray State has clinched at least share of the OVC Regular Season Championship. They can win the title outright with a victory or a Belmont loss. This marks the fourth title in the last five years and the 28th overall title for the Racers. MSU has now won crowns in 1951, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022.
Undefeated Conference Seasons: Entering the final week of the regular season Murray State is 16-0 with two Conference games to play. There have only been five teams to undefeated in League play in OVC history. Those teams include Western Kentucky teams in 1949-50 (8-0), 1965-66 (14-0) and 1969-70 (14-0), the 2003-04 Austin Peay team (16-0) and the 2014-15 Murray State team (16-0).
Teams Undefeated in Conference Play: As of February 21, Murray State was one of three teams nationally to be undefeated in Conference play. They are joined by Gonzaga and South Dakota State.
Murray State Ranked in Top 25 Polls: Murray State is now ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 21 and Coaches Top 25 poll. The Racers moved up two spots in the AP and remained steady in the Coaches Polls after a 2-0 week. On February 7, MSU became the first OVC team to be ranked since the Racers were No. 25 on March 2, 2015. Additionally, they are the first OVC team to be ranked in multiple consecutive weeks since Murray State was ranked in the final 14 polls of the 2012 season. Belmont received five points in the AP Top 25 this week.
Murphy Sets OVC Assist Record: On January 24 at Eastern Illinois, Belmont graduate student guard
Grayson Murphy established a new OVC career assists record, breaking the former mark of 699 by Eastern Kentucky’s Bryce Jones (1977-81). Murphy now has 760 career assists, which ranks third nationally among active players.
Brown Sets OVC 3-Pointers Made Record: On January 29 against Morehead State, fourth year guard
Tevin Brown established a new OVC record for career 3-pointers made, breaking the old mark of 319 by Austin Peay’s Joe Sibbitt (1994-98). Brown now has 337 made 3-pointers.
All-Around Brown: Over the past 30 years, fourth-year Murray State guard
Tevin Brown is the only Division I player to record at least at least 330 made 3-pointers, 600 rebounds, 390 assists and 60 blocks in their career.
Home Court Winning Streaks: As of February 21, Murray State has won 15-straight home games, the eighth-longest streak nationally. Gonzaga has the nation’s longest home court winning streak (67). Morehead State had the third-longest home court winning streak (20), but it was ended by Murray State on February 12.
Triple-Doubles: Belmont graduate guard
Grayson Murphy recorded the 22nd triple-double in OVC history on January 17 when he had 11 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in an 80-64 win at SIUE. It was the first triple-double in the OVC since Murphy accomplished the feat on February 13, 2021. As of February 14, he is one of 17 Division I players with a triple-double in 2021-22.
CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll: In the latest (Feb. 14) CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, Murray State was ranked No. 2, Belmont was ranked No. 12 and Morehead State is at No. 22. Now in its 23rd season, the Mid-Major poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, ASUN, 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.
OVC Basketball Championships Set For Ford Center in Evansville For Fifth Consecutive Year: The OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships presented by TicketSmarter will be held March 2-5 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the fifth-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 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: With only one team in the postseason in 2021, the OVC saw a streak of at least one win in 11-straight postseasons come to an end. It had been 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) before no postseason was held in 2020.
Postponements: This season when games were postponed due to health and safety protocols, OVC teams were allowed to reschedule up to four of those contests. The rescheduled games took place on Monday’s during a six-week period between January 17 and February 14. If a team has reached the four-game limit, any other games will be postponed and could potentially be made up if a window opens on a Thursday/Saturday due to other postponements. If a game cannot be rescheduled, it will be declared a no-contest. As of February 21, there were 14 OVC men’s games postponed; of those 14 games, 13 have been made-up with only the Tennessee Tech at Southeast Missouri game originally scheduled for January 13 being declared a no-contest. An additional game was postponed due to weather and rescheduled for February 21.
Smith Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Team: Belmont’s
Luke Smith has been named to the 2021-22 CoSIDA Academic All-District® Division I Men’s Basketball Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Smith, who earned Academic All-America honors last season, earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration this past May with 3.67 grade-point average and holds a 3.92 GPA in the Belmont MBA program. First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team ballot, with first-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees to be announced in late May.
Williams Named National Player of the Week (Feb. 14): Murray State junior forward
KJ Williams was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week by the USBWA and the Lou Henson National Player of the Week by CollegeInsider.com on February 14 after his play in a pair of road wins where he averaged 30.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks/game and hitting 63.9 percent (23-of-36) from the field and 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the free throw line. At Tennessee State, the Racers trailed by seven points at halftime but Williams scored 31 of his career-high 39 points after halftime as MSU won 72-62. The junior hit 15-of-22 shots (68.2%), had six rebounds, two blocks and a steal (and zero turnovers) in 38 minutes of action. Two days later at Morehead State he recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds in a come-from-behind win at Morehead State. In that game MSU trailed by nine points with 5:17 to play but ended the game on a 17-4 run to win 57-53. His bucket with 1:56 to play gave the Racers its first lead since early in the second half, and he added another field goal, two free throws a steal and rebound in the final minute of the game.
OVC Players in the NBA: Four former OVC players were on NBA rosters to begin the 2021-22 season; the four players ranked the OVC 12th among all Division I conferences. In December, two-time OVC Player of the Year Terry Taylor signed a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers, making it five OVC players on rosters. In late December two additional former OVC players signed 10-Day contracts, making it seven former OVC players in the NBA and an eighth player made a roster when two-year Eastern Illinois player Alfonzo McKinnie signed with the Chicago Bulls (but he has since been released). As of February 20, there are five players on active rosters (Shaq Buchanan is currently not on the Grizzlies active roster and Xavier Moon is currently not on the Clippers roster). Included in the total is former Murray State All-American Ja Morant, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Morant, an NBA All-Star this season, would go on to become the first OVC player to be named the 2019-20 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). Another former Racer, Cameron Payne, helped Phoenix advance to the NBA Finals a year ago. It marked the fourth time in the past six years an OVC player had competed in the NBA Finals; Payne was the third all-time Murray State player to accomplish the feat. Here is a look at the former OVC players currently on NBA rosters:
• Robert Covington, Portland Trailblazers (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)
Matchup of Undefeated Teams: The January 29 matchup of Morehead State (8-0) at Murray State (9-0) marked only the third time in the past 18 years (2003-04 to present) that OVC teams undefeated in league play (with at least five games played) have squared off.
January 29, 2022: Murray State (9-0), Morehead State (8-0)
January 24, 2016: Belmont (6-0), Tennessee State (5-0)
January 19, 2013: Belmont (5-0), Tennessee State (6-0)
OVC to Produce 10-Game Linear Television Package: The OVC will produce a national television package in 2021-22 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 will air on ESPNU, as will the OVC Men’s Tournament semifinals, with two games airing on ESPNews. The Men’s Championship game will air on ESPN2.
Wins in 2021 Calendar Year: During the 2021 calendar year, Morehead State ranked seventh nationally with 28 total wins, while Belmont was eighth with 27 total wins. Gonzaga was the national leader in wins in 2021 (33).
Muszynski on Preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List: Belmont graduate student
Nick Muszynski was named to the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top centers in men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. He was not on the updated list of 10 announced in late January.
Four OVC Players on Lou Henson Award Watch List: Four OVC players have been named to the Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List by CollegeInsider.com. The four players were Morehead State forward
Johni Broome, Murray State guard
Tevin Brown, Belmont guard
Grayson Murphy and Belmont center
Nick Muszynski. 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. The award will be given out in April.
Little Rock to Join OVC in 2022-23: The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will join the OVC on July 1, 2022, making it only the 22nd full-time member in the 74-year history of the league. The announcement was made at a December 9 press conference in Little Rock. Since making the jump to Division I, Little Rock’s athletic programs have combined for 50 conference championships, including a combined 21 for men’s and women’s basketball, with 40 NCAA postseason appearances by Trojan athletic programs.
USI to Join the OVC in 2022-23: The University of Southern Indiana (USI) will join the OVC on July 1, 2022, making it only the 23rd full-time member in the 74-year history of the league. The announcement was made on February 9 on its campus in Evansville, Indiana. USI, which currently competes at the NCAA Division II level, will begin its reclassification process to the NCAA Division I level during the 2022-23 academic year, when they will be included in OVC regular season schedules and be eligible to compete in OVC Championships. USI will be eligible to earn automatic bids to NCAA Championships beginning in 2026-27, its first full season of full Division I membership. USI’s athletic programs have combined for 188 NCAA Tournament appearances, including winning National Championships in baseball (2010, 2014), men’s basketball (1995) and softball (2018).
Broome and Murphy Tabbed as Preseason Co-Players of the Year: The 2021-22 OVC Preseason Men’s Basketball Team is headlined by Co-Players of the Year, Morehead State second-year forward
Johni Broome and Belmont graduate student guard
Grayson Murphy. Murphy is the fourth Belmont player to pick up the award (joining Craig Bradshaw, Evan Bradds and Dylan Windler) while Broome is the first Morehead State player to earn the honor since Kenneth Faried was tabbed with the honor in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Overall, five different schools were represented on the team with Belmont leading the way with three selections, Morehead State and Murray State having two picks apiece and Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech having one pick apiece. Six of the 10 picks earned All-OVC first or second-team honors last year. Other returning first-team All-OVC selections from 2020-21 include Murray State redshirt junior guard
Tevin Brown redshirt junior forward
KJ Williams and Belmont senior center
Nick Muszynski while Tennessee Tech redshirt junior guard
Jr. Clay was a returning second-team pick. Additionally, Tennessee State senior guard
Carlos Marshall Jr. earned second-team All-OVC honors in 2019-20, but missed all last year due to injury. The team was rounded out by Southeast Missouri redshirt junior guard
Chris Harris, Morehead State redshirt junior guard
Skyelar Potter and Belmont senior guard
Luke Smith.
Belmont Picked as OVC Preseason Favorites: In a vote of OVC head men’s basketball coaches and communication directors, Belmont has been picked the preseason favorites for the 2021-22 season. It marks the fifth time in the past six seasons the Bruins have been tabbed preseason favorites. Belmont picked up 17 of a possible 20 first-place votes to tally 161 total points in being picked first. Morehead State picked up the other three first-place votes and 141 points in being ranked second, just ahead of Murray State (136 points). Southeast Missouri was tabbed fourth (101) and followed by Tennessee State (84), Austin Peay (76), SIUE (65), Tennessee Tech (62), Eastern Illinois (43) and UT Martin (34).
The 2021-22 Season: The 2021-22 season marks the 74th of competition in the OVC. Over the previous 73 years, 13 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship.
ESPN+: This year marks the fourth 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 $6.99 a month (or $69.99 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.