• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – January 22 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Thursday, January 25
*Lindenwood at Little Rock, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee Tech at Eastern Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southeast Missouri at UT Martin, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Western Illinois at Southern Indiana, 8:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday, January 27
*Western Illinois at Morehead State, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southeast Missouri at Little Rock, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee Tech at SIUE, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Lindenwood at UT Martin, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Riley Minix, F • 6-7, 230, Grad. • Vero Beach, Fla. • Morehead State
Minix earned his third Player of the Week honor of the season (the most by an OVC player this season) after he averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals/game and hit 56.3 percent (18-of-32) from the field, 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from 3-point range and 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the free throw line. He scored 26 points against each UT Martin and Southern Indiana to push Morehead State back into first place in the league standings. In a blowout of UTM, he added a career-high six assists and five rebounds as he hit 11-of-19 shots. Two days later he knocked down a trio of 3-pointers and was 9-of-10 at the line against Southern Indiana, adding six rebounds and two steals. Among OVC players Minix ranks second in field goal percentage (52.7%), free throw percentage (87.7%) and blocks (1.26/game) and third in scoring (18.5) and rebounding (9.1).
Others Nominated: Kyndall Davis, Eastern Illinois; Keenon Cole, Lindenwood; KK Robinson, Little Rock; Damarco Minor, SIUE; Jeremiah Hernandez, Southern Indiana.
NEWCOMER
Riley Minix, F • 6-7, 230, Grad. • Vero Beach, Fla. • Morehead State
Minix earned his third Player of the Week honor of the season (the most by an OVC player this season) after he averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals/game and hit 56.3 percent (18-of-32) from the field, 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from 3-point range and 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the free throw line. He scored 26 points against each UT Martin and Southern Indiana to push Morehead State back into first place in the league standings. In a blowout of UTM, he added a career-high six assists and five rebounds as he hit 11-of-19 shots. Two days later he knocked down a trio of 3-pointers and was 9-of-10 at the line against Southern Indiana, adding six rebounds and two steals. Among OVC players Minix ranks second in field goal percentage (52.7%), free throw percentage (87.7%) and blocks (1.26/game) and third in scoring (18.5) and rebounding (9.1).
Others Nominated: Tiger Booker, Eastern Illinois; KK Robinson, Little Rock.
FRESHMAN
Eddie Ricks III, G • 6-7, 205, Fr. • Clarksville, Tenn. • Morehead State
Ricks gave Morehead State a lift off the bench in a pair of victories as he averaged 13.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals/game while hitting 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the field and 60 percent (3-of-5) from 3-point range. Against UT Martin he tallied 15 points (the most he has scored in an OVC game this year) on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-3 from long range. Ricks also had two steals, a block and an assist in 25 minutes of action. He followed that with 11 points, three rebounds and a steal in 23 minutes at Southern Indiana.
Others Nominated: Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Little Rock; Jaylen Jones, Tennessee State.
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
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Jeremiah Hernandez (G, Jr.), Southern Indiana. Hernandez averaged 29.0 points per game and hit 33-of-35 (94.3%) free throws in a pair of games. He had 28 points against Little Rock and 30 versus Morehead State (the second time this year he has had 30 or more points in a game).
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KK Robinson (G, Sr.), Little Rock. In the team’s win at Southern Indiana, Robinson had 20 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and two steals in 37 minutes of action. He hit 5-of-8 field goals and a pair of 3-pointers.
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Damarco Minor (G, Jr.), SIUE. Minor averaged 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a pair of road games while hitting 50 percent (14-of-28) from the field and 60 percent (7-of-9) form 3-point range. He had 17 points in a win over Lindenwood and 21 at SEMO.
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Keenon Cole (F, Sr.), Lindenwood. In a pair of games he averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds/game while hitting 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the field. He has scored 20 or more points in a game seven times this season.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: Morehead State is back in first place in the league standings after a pair of wins last week ... The Eagles hold a half game lead over Western Illinois, who suffered its first OVC loss on Saturday, falling to Tennessee State by one point in the final five seconds ... Those two teams will play on Saturday in Morehead, where the Eagles have won 15-straight home games (the fourth-longest streak nationally) ... Both teams are 10-2 over their last 12 games ... Morehead State has the top NET in the league at 110 entering the week ... In the latest NCAA statistical rankings, Western Illinois ranks second nationally in rebounding (44.26/game), fourth in blocks (6.4/game) and sixth in rebounding margin (+11.1/game), while Morehead State ranks fourth in rebounding margin (+11.6/game), eighth in field goal defense (38.5%), 11th in scoring defense (63.1 points/game), 14th in rebounding (41.55/game), 19th in 3-point defense (29.1%) and 20th in scoring margin (+14.3/game) ... Individually, WIU’s Drew Cisse is first nationally in offensive rebounds/game (4.63), third in total rebounds/game (12.0) and 11th in blocks/game (2.42) while teammate Ryan Myers is fifth in 3-point percentage (46.5%) ... MSU’s Drew Thelwell is 28th in assists/game (3.03)while teammate Riley Minix is eighth in double-doubles (8), which is tied with USI’s A.J. Smith ... EIU’s Tiger Booker is 27th in steals (2.27/game), Little Rock’s Jamir Chaplin is 33rd in field goal percentage (58.7%) while UT Martin’s Jordan Sears is 37th nationally in scoring (19.4 points/game).
Home Winning Streaks: As of Monday (Jan. 22), Morehead State has won 15-straight home games, tied for the sixth-longest streak nationally.
20 - Virginia
18 - Cleveland State
16 - North Texas, Houston, Towson
15 -
Morehead State, San Diego State, Drake
14 - Kansas, UConn
Triple-Doubles: Little Rock senior guard
KK Robinson recorded the 24th all-time triple-double in OVC history on January 4 against SIUE. He tallied 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in the home court victory. There has been at least one triple-double in the OVC in seven of the eight seasons (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24).
Minix Named to Lou Henson Watch List: Morehead State forward
Riley Minix has been named to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List by CollegeInsider.com. The award honors the top Mid-Major Player nationally and is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of CollegeInsider.com.
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 welcomed another new program in 2023-24. 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.
Cole Named USWBA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week (Jan. 16): Lindenwood senior
Keenon Cole was named one of five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week award winners by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). This came after he averaged 31.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals/game while hitting 50 percent (16-of-32) from the field and 87.1 percent (27-of-31) at the line in two games. Cole scored 42 points, the most by a Division I player in a game this season, in the team’s 74-68 win at Southeast Missouri. It also marked the most by a Lindenwood player in its Division I era and the most by an OVC player since February 2019. For the 2023-24 season, the USBWA has expanded its national player of the week program that has been affiliated with the Oscar Robertson Trophy since the 2009-10 season. In past seasons, the USBWA has recognized just one player each week. The last OVC player to be named OVC Player of the Week was Murray State forward KJ Williams in February 2022.
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, Los Angeles Lakers (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.