• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – March 14 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
2022 NCAA Division I Championship
Thursday, March 17 - First Round (East Region - Indianapolis, Ind.)
#7 Murray State (30-2) vs. #10 San Francisco (24-9), 8:40 p.m. CT (CBS)
Saturday, March 19 - Second Round (East Region - Indianapolis, Ind.)
Murray State/San Francisco vs. #2 Kentucky/#15 Saint Peters, TBD
2022 National Invitation Tournament (NIT)
Tuesday, March 15 - First Round
Belmont (25-7) at Vanderbilt (17-16), 6:00 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
TBD - Second Round
Belmont/Vanderbilt vs. Dayton/Toledo, TBD
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: Murray State finished the regular season No. 21 in the NET rankings and earned a No. 7 seed for the NCAA Tournament; it marks the second-highest seed for an OVC team, trailing only the No. 6 seed by the 2012 Murray State team ... Murray State will play San Francisco in the First Round; the Racers have won NCAA games in 1988, 2010, 2012 and 2019 ... Murray State was 18-0 in OVC play in capturing its 28th OVC Regular Season Championship; they were one of six teams to go undefeated in league play in OVC history ... The Racers then won two OVC Tournament games to capture its 18th OVC Tournament Crown ... MSU is the only OVC team to ever go undefeated in the regular season and win the OVC Tournament ... Murray State is ranked No. 20 in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls entering the NCAA Tournament ... Belmont earned an at-large bid to the NIT, its fifth overall appearance in the event and first since 2017; Belmont is 3-4 all-time in the NIT ... Murray State’s Tevin Brown established a new OVC record for career made 3-pointers on January 29; he now has 348 makes (ninth among active Division I players) ... Over the past 30 years Brown is the only Division I player to tally at least 345 3-pointers, 625 rebounds, 400 assists, and 65 blocks in their career ... Belmont’s Grayson Murphy broke the OVC career assists record (699) on January 24 at Eastern Illinois; Murphy now has 769 career assists ... On March 4 he set the OVC career steals record, breaking the former mark of 279 by TTU’s Van Usher; Murphy currently has 280 career steals ... 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 ... Morehead State’s Johni Broome has had six blocks in a game 10 times this season; he ranks third nationally in blocks/game 3.85/game) ... Broome tallied 131 blocks on the season, the third-most in OVC single-season history (seven 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 fourth nationally in double-doubles (23) and 9th nationally in rebounding (10.5/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) ... Murray State’s KJ Williams, the OVC Player of the Year, was named the USBWA National Player of the Week twice during the season, the first time an OVC player has won the award twice in the same year (only Kenneth Faried, Ja Morant and Terry Taylor had ever won the award once) ... 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 ... The OVC has had as many as eight (8) former players on active NBA rosters this season; currently five players are on rosters.
Recent Postseason Success: With only one team in the postseason last year (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.
OVC Teams in the NCAA Tournament: OVC teams are 26-72 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 in 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). Murray State is making its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Racers have also appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1964, 1969, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997,1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2018 and 2019. MSU is 4-17 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, having won games in 1988 (NC State), 2010 (Vanderbilt), 2012 (Colorado State) and 2019 (Marquette).
OVC Teams in the NIT: OVC teams are 16-25 all-time in the NIT and have had teams advance to the Quarterfinals most recently in 2014 (Belmont) and 2015 (Murray State). Belmont, who received an at-large berth, is in the event for the fifth time overall (2004, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022); the Bruins are 3-4 all-time, have won two games in 2014 and one game in 2017.
Murray State Wins 2022 OVC Tournament Championship: Murray State defeated Southeast Missouri and Morehead State to win the 2022 OVC Tournament Championship. It marked the team’s 18th Tournament crown and first since 2019. The Racers have also won OVC Tournament crowns in 1951, 1964, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2018 and 2019.
Murray State Claims OVC Regular Season Championship: Murray State won the 2021-22 OVC Regular Season Championship. 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: Murray State finished the year 18-0 in Conference action, making them only the sixth team in OVC history to go undefeated in league play. They join 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).
Undefeated Conference Seasons Part II: After going 18-0 in League play, Murray State won two games to capture the 2022 OVC Tournament Championship, making them the only team in OVC history to go undefeated during the regular season and win the tournament crown in the same year.
Racers Tie OVC Record For Most Conference Wins in a Season: Murray State’s 18 OVC victories tied the record for most in a season, joining the 2020-21 Belmont team that also won 18 games (going 18-2 in a 20-game schedule).
MSU One of Two Teams Undefeated in Conference Play; Second Nationally in Overall Win Streak: Murray State was one of two teams nationally to be undefeated in Conference play this season, joining South Dakota State. Murray State’s 20-game overall winning streak is second nationally to SDSU’s 21-game streak.
Murray State Ranked in Top 25 Polls: Entering the NCAA Tournament, Murray State is ranked No. 20 in both the Associated Press and Coaches Top 25 poll. It marks the sixth-straight week the team has been ranked. 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.
OVC Award Winners: Murray State fourth year forward
KJ Williams was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year while his coach
Matt McMahon earned OVC Coach of the Year honors in voting by league head coaches and communications directors. Additionally, Morehead State second year forward
Johni Broome was tabbed the OVC Defensive of the Year while Austin Peay’s
Elijah Hutchins-Everett was named OVC Freshman of the Year. This year’s first and second-team All-OVC squads included 15 players from eight different OVC schools. Both Belmont and Murray State had three selections apiece. The first and second-teams included three graduate students, seven juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.
OVC Basketball Championships Held at Ford Center in Evansville For Fifth Consecutive Year: The OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships presented by TicketSmarter were held March 2-5 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marked 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. This season 6,491 fans saw the men’s title game which was the fourth-largest neutral site crowd in OVC Tournament history.
McMahon Named Semifinalist for Naismith National Coach of the Year Award: Murray State head coach
Matt McMahon is one of 10 semifinalists nationally for the 2022 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year McMahon, the OVC Coach of the Year, helping the team rebuild from a 13-13 record a year ago to a 30-2 mark, undefeated Conference record, OVC Tournament Championships and Top 20 national ranking entering the NCAA Tournament.
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 769 career assists, which ranks third nationally among active players.
Murphy Sets OVC Steals Record: On March 4 against Morehead State in the OVC Tournament, Belmont graduate student guard
Grayson Murphy broke the OVC career steals record of 279 by Tennessee Tech’s Van Usher (1989-92). He now has 280 steals.
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 348 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 345 made 3-pointers, 625 rebounds, 400 assists and 65 blocks in their career.
Home Court Winning Streaks: As of March 14, Murray State has won 16-straight home games, the 11th 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 24 Division I players with a triple-double in 2021-22.
CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll: In the latest (March 7) CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, Murray State was ranked No. 2, Belmont was ranked No. 18 and Morehead State was No. 23. 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.
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 later this week.
Williams Named National Player of the Week (Feb. 28): Murray State junior forward
KJ Williams was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week by the USBWA for the second time this season on February 28. During the week he averaged 26.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals/game while hitting 55 percent (22-of-40) from the field, 50 percent (5-of-10) from 3-point range and 100 percent (4-of-4) from the free throw line. His play helped Murray State win a pair of games and finish OVC play 18-0 to capture the program’s 28th OVC regular season championship. Williams hit the 30-point plateau for the third time this season with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting (4-of-4 3-pointers) in a 76-43 win over Belmont. Two days later he had 23 points, eight rebounds, two assists, a block and steal in a come-from-behind win at Southeast Missouri. In that game Williams was 10-of-21 from the field. It marked the first time an OVC player had earned the award twice in the same season.
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.
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.
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).
Lindenwood to Join the OVC in 2022-23: Lindenwood University will join the OVC on July 1, 2022, making it only the 24th full-time member in the 74-year history of the league. The announcement was made on February 23 on its campus in St. Charles, Missouri. Lindenwood, 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. LU will be eligible to earn automatic bids to NCAA Championships beginning in 2026-27, its first full season of full Division I membership. Since joining the NCAA, Lindenwood has won four National Championships and in 2017, ranked sixth in the NCAA Directors’ Cup, which included five team conference titles. In the NCAA era, Lindenwood has claimed three regional championships, 31 conference titles (including football titles in 2019 and 2021), and eight conference tournament championships.
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.