• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – January 29 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Tuesday, January 30
*Southeast Missouri at Lindenwood, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Thursday, February 1
*Morehead State at Tennessee State, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*UT Martin at Eastern Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Western Illinois at Lindenwood, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Little Rock at SIUE, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southern Indiana at Tennessee Tech, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, February 3
*Morehead State at Tennessee Tech, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Little Rock at Eastern Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southern Indiana at Tennessee State, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*UT Martin at SIUE, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Western Illinois at Southeast Missouri, 3:45 p.m. (ESPN+)
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Issa Muhammad, F • 6-9, 245, Sr. • Atlanta, Ga. • UT Martin
In a pair of UT Martin wins, Muhammad averaged 14.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 blocks/game while shooting 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the field. In Saturday’s win over Lindenwood he had 14 points, a game-high 17 rebounds and a career-best five blocks in 34 minutes of action. He became just the second OVC player this season to have a double-double while adding at least five blocks. Muhammad also hit two free throws with 53 seconds left to help secure the win. He opened the week with 14 points, 11 rebounds and a steal in 28 minutes against Southeast Missouri. Among OVC players Muhammad ranks fourth in rebounding (8.76/game).
Others Nominated: Tiger Booker, Eastern Illinois; Keenon Cole, Lindenwood; Jamir Chaplin, Little Rock; Riley Minix, Morehead State; Ray’Sean Taylor, SIUE; Jeremiah Hernandez, Southern Indiana; Christian Brown, Tennessee State; Ryan Myers, Western Illinois.
NEWCOMER
Issa Muhammad, F • 6-9, 245, Sr. • Atlanta, Ga. • UT Martin
In a pair of UT Martin wins, Muhammad, transfer from New Mexico State, averaged 14.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 blocks/game while shooting 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the field. In Saturday’s win over Lindenwood he had 14 points, a game-high 17 rebounds and a career-best five blocks in 34 minutes of action. He became just the second OVC player this season to have a double-double while adding at least five blocks. Muhammad also hit two free throws with 53 seconds left to help secure the win. He opened the week with 14 points, 11 rebounds and a steal in 28 minutes against Southeast Missouri. Among OVC players Muhammad ranks fourth in rebounding (8.76/game).
Others Nominated: Tiger Booker, Eastern Illinois; Darius Beane, Lindenwood; Jamir Chaplin, Little Rock; Riley Minix, Morehead State; 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 fifth time this season after averaging 6.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals/game as Little Rock won a pair of games. The forward hit 66.7 percent (6-of-9) from the field in games against Lindenwood and Southeast Missouri. In 17 minutes against Lindenwood Crocker-Johnson knocked down both of his shots (including a 3-pointer) to finish with five points, three rebounds, an assist, steal and block. Two days later he played 30 minutes against SEMO, tallying eight points, 10 rebounds, three assists and a steal. That marked his third double-digit rebounding game of the year.
Others Nominated: Kyle Layton, Tennessee Tech.
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
•
Riley Minix (F, Grad.), Morehead State. In team’s lone game, tallied 17 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a victory over Western Illinois. He hit 7-of-11 shots (63.6%) as MSU took over sole possession of first place. Minix has scored in double figures in 20 of 21 games this season.
•
Jamir Chaplin (F, Grad.), Little Rock. In two wins Chaplin averaged 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists/game while hitting 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from the field. He scored 22 points against Lindenwood and has nine-straight double figure scoring games.
•
Tiger Booker (G, Sr.), Eastern Illinois. Averaged 22.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 rebounds/game. Ina win over Tennessee Tech, he had 24 of his 26 points in the second half.
•
Ray’Sean Taylor (G, R-Jr.), SIUE. In win over Tennessee Tech, Taylor had 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.
•
Jeremiah Hernandez (G, Jr.), Southern Indiana. Recorded his second 30-point outing of the season, scoring 30 against Western Illinois; he hit 12-of-14 free throws.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: Just under the halfway point of the Conference schedule, Morehead State is on top of the league standings at 7-1 ... The Eagles topped Western Illinois on Saturday to take over sole possession of first place ... MSU has won 16-straight home games, the fifth-longest streak nationally entering the week (both of the Eagles games this week are on the road) ... Morehead State is the highest ranked OVC team in the NET rankings, coming in at No. 103 as of Monday ... After Western Illinois, there are four teams tied for third in the standings at 5-3 (SIUE, Tennessee State, UT Martin and Little Rock); three of those teams have identical 12-9 overall records while Little Rock is 11-10 ... SIUE has won four of its last five games and are now 9-1 at home on the season after beating Tennessee Tech on Saturday ... Lindenwood’s Keenon Cole has scored in double digits in every game this season, the longest streak for a Lions player since 2020-21 ... Lindenwood has used eight different starting lineups this year ... MSU’s Kalil Thomas and Jordan Lathon both reached the 1,000-point mark for their college careers last Saturday ... MSU’s Preston Spradlin has tied Wayne Martin for third place in coaching wins at MSU with 130 ... UTM’s Issa Muhammad and WIU’s Drew Cisse are the only OVC players to have a double-double with at least five blocks in a single game in 2023-24 ... In the latest NCAA statistical rankings Morehead State ranks third nationally in rebounding margin (+11.2/game), sixth in field goal defense (38.0%), seventh in scoring defense (62.5 points/game allowed), eighth in rebounding (41.48/game), 14th in scoring margin (+14.3/game) and 15th in 3-point defense (29.1%), while Western Illinois is third in rebounding (43.38/game), fifth in blocks (6.1/game), sixth in offensive rebounds/game (14.9) and 22nd in 3-point defense (29.3%) ... UT Martin ranks first nationally in defensive rebounds/game (31.33), 16th in total rebounding (41.24/game), 23rd in fastbreak points (15.1/game) and 29th in scoring offense (81.8 points/game) while Eastern Illinois is 16th in turnover margin (+4.1/game) ... Individually, MSU’s Drew Thelwell is 11th nationally in total assists (130), 14th in assists/game (6.2) and 26th in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.1/game) while teammate Riley Minix is 20th in double-doubles (9) and 31st in free throw percentage (88.3%) while WIU’s Drew Cisse is first in offensive rebounds (4.86/game), third in total rebounds (11.9/game) and 19th in blocks (2.24/game) while teammate Ryan Myers is seventh in 3-point percentage (45.3%) ... Little Rock’s Jamir Chaplin is 30th nationally in field goal percentage (59.4%), EIU’s Tiger Booker is 23rd in steals (2.29/game) and UTM’s Jacob Crews is 14th in 3-point percentage (43.5%).
Home Winning Streaks: As of Monday (Jan. 29), Morehead State has won 16-straight home games, tied for the fifth-longest streak nationally.
21 - Virginia
17 - North Texas, Houston, Towson
16 -
Morehead State, San Diego State, Drake
15 - 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.