OVC Men's Basketball Report - January 23

OVC Men's Basketball Report - January 23

• OVC Men's Basketball Report - January 23 (PDF)

This Week’s Schedule
 
Thursday, January 26
*SIUE at Tennessee Tech, 6:00 p.m. (ESPNews)
*Little Rock at Morehead State, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee State at Southeast Missouri, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Eastern Illinois at Southern Indiana, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Lindenwood at UT Martin, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN+)

Saturday, January 28
*SIUE at Morehead State, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Little Rock at Tennessee Tech, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southeast Missouri at Eastern Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southern Indiana at UT Martin, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Lindenwood at Tennessee State, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
 

 
OVC Players of the Week

CO-PLAYER
Jacob Polakovich, F • 6-9, 245, Sr. • Grand Rapids, Mich. • Southern Indiana
Polakovich, the first player to be named OVC Player of the Week more than once this season, led Southern Indiana to a pair of wins in averaging 12.5 points and 17.5 rebounds/game while hitting 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from the field. In Saturday’s win at first-place SIUE, the senior pulled down 23 rebounds, tied for the fourth-most nationally in a game this season. It marked his third 20-plus rebound game of the season (he had a NCAA-best 26 rebounds earlier in the season, as well as a 20-rebound game); Polakovich is the only Division I player with more than one 20-rebound game of the season. In that win he added 16 points (all in the second half), an assist and steal. Earlier in the week he had nine points, 12 rebounds, and an assist in 23 minutes of action at Lindenwood. His eight double-doubles on the season are the second-most in the OVC and 23rd-most nationally. He also leads the OVC in rebounding (12.2/game), which is tied for third nationally, and ranks fourth in field goal percentage (55.8%).
 
CO-PLAYER
Jr. Clay, G • 6-0, 170, Grad. • Chattanooga, Tenn. • Tennessee State
Clay became the 20th member of the OVC’s 2,000-Point Club last week, hitting the mark with a 33-point performance at Little Rock on Saturday. The 33 points are the third-most by an OVC player in a game this season; Clay scored 28 of those points after halftime and finished the game 11-of-24 from the field and 10-of-11 at the free throw line. He added six assists, four rebounds and a steal. Clay opened the week with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal against Eastern Illinois. He hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 42 seconds as the Tigers won by four points. Clay leads the OVC in scoring (18.9 points/game), is second in assists (4.6/game), fifth in 3-pointers made (2/4/game), sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4) and seventh in free throw percentage (80.9%) In Conference-only games Clay is averaging 22.5 points/game.
 
Others Nominated: Kinyon Hodges, Eastern Illinois; CJ White, Little Rock; Kalil Thomas, Morehead State; Chris Harris, Southeast Missouri; Ray’Sean Taylor, SIUE; Jayvis Harvey, Tennessee Tech; Jordan Sears, UT Martin.
 
NEWCOMER
Kinyon Hodges, G • 6-2, 180, Jr. • Cape Girardeau, Mo. • Eastern Illinois
Hodges, a transfer from Three Rivers College, won his second-straight OVC Newcomer of the Week award after averaging 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals/game while hitting 50 percent (16-of-32) from the field, 41.7 percent (5-of-12) from 3-point range and 90.9 percent (10-of-11) at the free throw line. Hodges had 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting (4-of-7 3-pointers) at Tennessee State; in that game he added six rebounds, a block and assist in 34 minutes without committing a turnover. He followed that by scoring 19 of his season-high 25 points in the first half against UT Martin. In that game Hodges hit 7-of-14 shots and 10-of-11 free throws in 38 minutes of action while adding six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Hodges ranks seventh in the OVC in scoring (14.4 points/game), 10th in field goal percentage (48.9%) and 11th in steals (1.5/game).
 
Others Nominated: Kalil Thomas, Morehead State; Trevor Lakes, Southern Indiana; Jayvis Harvey, Tennessee Tech; Jordan Sears, UT Martin.
 
FRESHMAN
Kyle Thomas, C • 6-10, 240, Fr. • Bolingbrook, Ill. • Eastern Illinois
In a pair of road games Thomas averaged 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 assists/game while hitting 60 percent (9-of-15) from the field and 83.3 percent (5-of-6) from the foul line. He tallied a season-high 16 points in 14 minutes of action against Tennessee State. Thomas hit 6-of-7 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws while adding three rebounds, an assist and steal. Against UT Martin he registered seven points on 3-of-8 shooting, while adding seven rebounds, two seals and an assist. It marks the third time this season he has been named OVC Freshman of the Week.
 
Others Nominated: Ante Beljan, Little Rock.


Other Notable Performances

Below are other notable performances from the past week.
 
• CJ White (G, Grad.), Little Rock. Averaged a double-double (16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds) while adding 6.5 assists/game. Missed a triple-double by just two assists against Tennessee Tech. Against Tennessee State, had a career-high 21 points.
 
• Chris Harris (G, R-Sr), Southeast Missouri. Averaged 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds/game last week. Recorded his first career double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds in double overtime win against Tennessee Tech.
 
• Ray’Sean Taylor (G, R-So.), SIUE. Averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals/game last week. Had a season-high 24 points against Morehead State, hitting 5-of-11 3-pointers.
 
• Jordan Sears (G, So), UT Martin. Led the Skyhawks to a pair of wins in averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds/game while hitting 70 percent (14-of-20) from the field. Had 20 points, four assists and four rebounds at SEMO and followed that with 15 points, five assists and four rebounds vs. EIU.


Notes From Around the League

OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: After four weeks of Conference play, there is a six-way tie for first place in the OVC (Morehead State, Southeast Missouri, SIUE, Southern Indiana, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin) ... Tennessee State’s Jr. Clay became the 20th member of the OVC’s 2,000-Point Club with a layup in the second half against Little Rock on January 21; Clay now has 2,021 career points, which is 17th in OVC history ... Clay also moved into a tie for eighth place in career steals (228) ... Clay leads the OVC and ranks 41st nationally in scoring (18.9 points/game) ... USI’s Jacob Polakovich had his third 20-plus rebound game of the season against SIUE, pulling down 23 rebounds (he also had a 26 and 20-rebound game); he is the only player in Division I with more than one 20-plus rebound game in 2022-23 ... USI has won four-straight games and is +10 in rebounding margin over its last nine games ... UT Martin swept the season series with SEMO, only the sixth time the Skyhawks have swept the Redhawks since joining the Division I ranks in 1992 ... SIUE’s Shamar Wright is only 25 points away from 1,000 for his career ... SIUE’s Demarco Minor is third nationally in free throw percentage (94.4%) while Little Rock’s Myron Gardner is ninth in double-doubles (10) ... EIU’s Sincere Malone has 42 steals (25th nationally), which ranks second nationally among all freshman players ... UTM’s Parker Stewart is 31st nationally in 3-pointers made/game (2.90) ... As a team UT Martin is 15th nationally in rebounding (39.81/game) and 16th in fast break points (15.24/game) and scoring offense (82.0 points/game) ... Eastern Illinois is 29th nationally in steals (9.0/game), 36th nationally in bench points/game (26.29) and 43rd in turnover margin (+2.8/game) ... SIUE is 16th nationally in free throws made/game (17.0) ... This week is “Suits And Sneakers Week,” the signature initiative of the American Cancer Society and NABC’s Coaches vs. Cancer program; it unites coaches across all levels of basketball to raise funds and awareness about the fight against cancer.
 
Minor Sets Consecutive Free Throws Made Record: SIUE sophomore guard Damarco Minor set a new OVC record for consecutive made free throws with his 47th straight against Eastern Illinois on January 12 (the streak came to an end on the next attempt). The 47-straight free throws broke the previous record of 46 held by Morehead State’s Glen Napier (set during the 1981-82 season).
 
20/20 Games: Southern Indiana’s Jacob Polakovich had 27 points and 26 rebounds in the Screaming Eagles win over Southeast Missouri on December 29. It marked the first 20/20 game by an OVC player since the 2019-20 season (when Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor and UT Martin’s Quintin Dove each had one in the month of February). Overall it was just the 11th 20/20 game by an OVC player over the past 13 seasons. The 26 rebounds was the most by an OVC player dating back to at least the 2002-03 season (the single-game record was 38 set in 1956-57). The 26 rebounds are also the most by a NCAA player this season (Division I, II or III); Polakovich has a three of 20-plus rebound games this season (26, 23, 20), making him the only Division I player to achieve that feat (and the only player to have more than one such game).
 
Lakes Ties OVC Single-Game 3-Point Record: Southern Indiana graduate student Trevor Lakes tied the OVC single-game 3-pointers record when he made 10 (of 16) in a victory over IUPUI. He is the fifth player in OVC history to achieve the feat and first since the 2018-19 season.
            Marc Polite, Eastern Illinois (vs. Arkansas State), 1999-2000
            Glenn Cosey, Eastern Kentucky (vs. EIU), 2013-14
            Nick Smith, Belmont (vs. UT Martin), 2016-17
            Corey Tillery, Tennessee Tech (vs. Warren Wilson College), 2018-19
            Trevor Lakes, Southern Indiana (vs. IUPUI), 2022-23
 
Eastern Illinois Pulls Off B1G Upset: Eastern Illinois entered the December 21 game at Iowa as a 31.5-point underdog but shot 72 percent from the floor in the second half on its way to a 92-83 victory It was the largest upset (by point spread) in the past 30 seasons. Over the past 30 years, teams that were 30 or more point underdogs had been 0-558 in such games. It also snapped Iowa’s 24-game home non-conference win streak and was the fourth win over a Power Five school in EIU’s history.
 
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 selections 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.