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OVC Men’s Basketball Report – January 2 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Thursday, January 4
*Tennessee Tech at Morehead State, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*SIUE at Little Rock, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southeast Missouri at Western Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee State at Southern Indiana, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Eastern Illinois at UT Martin, 8:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday, January 6
*Tennessee State at Morehead State, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Bethel (Tenn.)
at Southeast Missouri, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Eastern Illinois at Little Rock, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Lindenwood at Western Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee Tech at Southern Indiana, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
OVC Players of the Week
CO-PLAYER
Jamir Chaplin, G • 6-5, 200, Grad. • Norcross, Ga. • Little Rock
In a pair or road games Chaplin averaged 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals/game while hitting 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the field and 85.7 percent (18-of-21) at the free throw line. In a win at Tennessee Tech Chaplin, a transfer from South Florida, led all scorers with 25 points, hitting 8-of-14 field goals and 8-of-10 free throws. In that game he added seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. Two days later at Tennessee State, Chaplin scored a career-high 29 points (24 of his points coming in the first half), going 9-of-10 from the field (1-of-1 from 3-point range) and 10-of-11 at the free throw line. The grad student also contributed nine rebounds, two assists a block and a steal in 37 minutes of action. Chaplin has six 20-plus point games this season and ranks fifth in the OVC in scoring (16.7 points/game).
CO-PLAYER
Riley Minix, F • 6-7, 235, Grad. • Vero Beach, Fla. • Morehead State
In Morehead State’s lone game of the week, Minix scored a career-high 34 points (the second-most points by an OVC player this season) as the Eagles won 83-64 to improve to 10-4 on the season. The graduate student transfer from Southeastern (Fla.) hit 11-of-14 field goals and 10-of-11 free throws in scoring the most points by a MSU player since the 2013-14 season. Minix also added eight rebounds and two assists. He currently ranks second in the OVC in scoring (18.3 points/game), field goal percentage (50.3%) and free throw percentage (86.5%), third in rebounding (9.0/game) and fifth in blocks (1.2/game).
Others Nominated: Keenon Cole, Lindenwood; Shamar Wright, SIUE; AJ Smith, Southern Indiana; E.J. Bellinger, Tennessee State; Jayvis Harvey, Tennessee Tech; Jordan Sears, UT Martin.
CO-NEWCOMER
Jamir Chaplin, G • 6-5, 200, Grad. • Norcross, Ga. • Little Rock
In a pair or road games Chaplin averaged 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals/game while hitting 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the field and 85.7 percent (18-of-21) at the free throw line. In a win at Tennessee Tech Chaplin, a transfer from South Florida, led all scorers with 25 points, hitting 8-of-14 field goals and 8-of-10 free throws. In that game he added seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. Two days later at Tennessee State, Chaplin scored a career-high 29 points (24 of his points coming in the first half), going 9-of-10 from the field (1-of-1 from 3-point range) and 10-of-11 at the free throw line. The grad student also contributed nine rebounds, two assists a block and a steal in 37 minutes of action. Chaplin has six 20-plus point games this season and ranks fifth in the OVC in scoring (16.7 points/game).
CO-NEWCOMER
Riley Minix, F • 6-7, 235, Grad. • Vero Beach, Fla. • Morehead State
In Morehead State’s lone game of the week, Minix scored a career-high 34 points (the second-most points by an OVC player this season) as the Eagles won 83-64 to improve to 10-4 on the season. The graduate student transfer from Southeastern (Fla.) hit 11-of-14 field goals and 10-of-11 free throws in scoring the most points by a MSU player since the 2013-14 season. Minix also added eight rebounds and two assists. He currently ranks second in the OVC in scoring (18.3 points/game), field goal percentage (50.3%) and free throw percentage (86.5%), third in rebounding (9.0/game) and fifth in blocks (1.2/game).
Others Nominated: Kyndall Davis, Eastern Illinois; Isaac Ondekane, Lindenwood; Rob Martin, Southeast Missouri; Jason Jitoboh, Tennessee State; Rodney Johnson Jr., Tennessee Tech; Issa Muhammad, UT Martin; Ryan Myers, Western Illinois.
FRESHMAN
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, F • 6-8, 230, Fr. • San Antonio, Texas • Little Rock
Crocker-Johnson earned the award for the third time in four weeks after averaging 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks/game while hitting 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from the field in a pair of road games. In the team’s win at Tennessee Tech, the forward scored 13 points in 30 minutes of action while adding nine rebounds, four assists, a block and steal. Two days later he had a career-high 16 points in 24 minutes at Tennessee State. In that game Crocker-Johnson added six rebounds, three blocks and an assist.
Others Nominated: Colin Ruffin, Lindenwood; Eddie Ricks III, Morehead State; Kyle Layton, Tennessee Tech.
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
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AJ Smith (G/F, So.), Southern Indiana. Smith averaged 23.0 points and 10.0 rebounds/game while hitting 53.1 percent from the field in two contests. He had a career-high 27 points in a victory over Lindenwood, scoring 18 of those in the second half. Smith posted his sixth double-double (tied for first in the OVC) at SEMO with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
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Jordan Sears (G, Jr.), UT Martin. Led the Skyhawks to a 2-0 OVC start in averaging 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.5 steals/game. Had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists in 26 minutes at Tennessee Tech.
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Rob Martin (G, So.), Southeast Missouri. Averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds/game while hitting 55.2 percent from the field in two games. He had a career-high 29 points and hit the game-winning shot with 1.1 seconds left in overtime as the Redhawks topped USI 93-91.
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Shamar Wright (G, Fifth Year), SIUE. Wright averaged 17.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 assists in two home games. He tallied 21 points and a career-high five steals against Western Illinois. Wright now ranks second in SIUE history in steals (147) and fourth in scoring (1,316 points).
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: Conference play began with nine games last week ... Teams on the road won six of the nine matchups ... UT Martin was one of those teams who was successful on the road, winning two games to be the only 2-0 team in the OVC (Morehead State and Western Illinois are each 1-0) ... UT Martin’s 2-0 OVC start is just the fourth time in school history that the Skyhawks have started its league slate with back-to-back victories (2023-24, 2021-22, 2002-03, 1997-98); of those four times, this season and the 2021-22 campaign (also under head coach Ryan Ridder) are the only instances where both OVC wins occurred on the road ... The first ESPNU game the OVC linear TV package is this Thursday as UT Martin hosts Eastern Illinois ... Southern Indiana’s Jeremiah Hernandez had 35 points in an overtime loss at Southeast Missouri; it marks the most points by an OVC player this season (and ranks 19th nationally) ... Two days later Morehead State’s Riley Minix had a career-high 34 points against SEMO ... Western Illinois has won five games in a row and six of its last seven contests; the team has allowed 71 or fewer points in each of its past eight games ... WIU’s Drew Cisse leads the country with 165 total rebounds, is sixth in defensive rebounds per game (7.71), seventh in offensive rebounds per game (4.07) and fourth in rebounds per game (11.78) … As a team, Western Illinois is seventh nationally in blocks (6.2/game) ... SIUE’s Ray’Sean Taylor now ranks 12th on the school’s career scoring list (1,056) ... Lindenwood’s Keenon Cole has scored in double figures in 14-straight games ... Nationally, Morehead State ranks fifth in field goal defense (36.9%), seventh in rebound margin (+12.6/game), 23rd in 3-point defense (28.1%), 27th in scoring defense (63.4%) and 3-pointers made (9.7/game), 34th in scoring margin (+14.9/game) and 45th in assists (16.6/game) ... UT Martin ranks second in defensive rebounds/game (32.33), 11th in fastbreak points (16.93/game) and 20th in scoring offense (85.2 points/game) ... Morehead State’s Drew Thelwell is 19th nationally in assists (6.1/game) while teammate Riley Minix is 16th nationally in double-doubles (6), tied with USI’s AJ Smith ... WIU’s Ryan Myers is eighth nationally in 3-point percentage (46.1%).
Recent Postseason Success: Following the 2022-23 season, OVC teams have won at least one national postseason game in 13 of the past 14 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, while Morehead State added to that with a NIT win in 2023.
OVC Basketball Championships To Be Held at Ford Center in Evansville For Seventh Consecutive Year: The OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will be held March 6-9 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the seventh-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. It was announced in March 2023 the event was extended through 2026 with an option for 2027.
All Teams Eligible for OVC Tournament: Both reclassifying teams, Lindenwood and Southern Indiana, were 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 semifinalist that had the highest remaining seed going into the tournament.
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. This marks the 13th year the format has been used (it was not used in 2021), and teams with a double bye (e.g. No. 1 or 2 seed) have won the tournament seven times. The No. 1 seed has won five times, the No. 2 seed twice, the No. 3 seed twice, the No. 4 seed once, the No. 5 seed once (SEMO last year) and the No. 8 seed once (Austin Peay in 2016).
New Team: After welcoming three new teams last year, the OVC welcomes another new program in 2023-23. Western Illinois joined the OVC on July 1 after previously being in the Summit League. They are just the 25th full-time member in the 76-year history of the OVC.
OVC Players in the NBA: Six former OVC men’s basketball players were on National Basketball Association (NBA) Opening Night rosters for 2023-24. In 2021, Cameron Payne helped Phoenix advance to 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, Philadelphia 76ers (Tennessee State)
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (Murray State)
• Cameron Payne, Milwaukee Bucks (Murray State)
• Ben Sheppard, Indiana Pacers (Belmont)
• Terry Taylor, Chicago Bulls (Austin Peay)
• Dylan Windler, Cleveland Cavaliers (Belmont)
OVC to Produce 10-Game Linear Television Package and Use “Wild Card” Selections: The OVC will once again produce a national television package in 2023-24 that will include nine men’s basketball games and one women’s basketball contest that will air on the ESPN Family of Networks. The regular season games will all air on ESPNU, as will the OVC Tournament semifinals. 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.
Freeman Named Preseason Player of the Year: The 2023-24 OVC Preseason Men’s Basketball Team was headlined by Morehead State senior guard
Mark Freeman, who was the 2022-23 OVC Player of the Year. Last year he averaged 15.0 points and 3.7 assists/game in leading the Eagles to the OVC Regular Season Championship and a NIT victory over Clemson. Overall seven different schools were represented on the Preseason All-OVC Team which included 12 individuals. The others included Lindenwood’s
Keenon Cole, Little Rock’s
DeAntoni Gordon, Morehead State’s
Drew Thelwell, SIUE’s
Damarco Minor,
Ray’Sean Taylor and
Shamar Wright, Tennessee State’s
Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. and
Kinyon Hodges, Tennessee Tech’s
Jayvis Harvey and UT Martin’s
Jordan Sears and
KK Curry.
Morehead State Picked as OVC Preseason Favorites: In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men’s basketball coaches and communication directors, Morehead State has been picked the preseason favorites for the 2023-24 season. It marks the second-straight year the Eagles have been tabbed the favorites. The Eagles picked up 20 of 22 first-place votes (teams could not vote for themselves); Tennessee State picked up the other votes. MSU tallied 200 points and was followed by SIUE (162), who was picked second. Tennessee State (153) was picked third and followed by UT Martin (149), Southeast Missouri (124), Tennessee Tech (120), Little Rock (85), Western Illinois (80), Southern Indiana (63), Lindenwood (40) and Eastern Illinois (34).
Men’s Basketball Experimental Rules for Second Half Media Timeouts in Conference Play: For the second-straight year in Conference men’s basketball games, the OVC 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 Experimental Rule will also be used in the NIT this season.
The 2023-24 Season: The 2023-24 season marks the 76th year of competition in the OVC. Over the previous 75 years, 13 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship.
ESPN+: This year marks the sixth 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 $10.99 a month (or $109.99 per year) or as part of a bundle with Disney+ and ad-supported Hulu ($15.99/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.