• OVC Men's Basketball Report - February 12 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Tuesday, February 13
*Tennessee State at Tennessee Tech, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Thursday, February 15
*Morehead State at Little Rock, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southeast Missouri at Eastern Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Lindenwood at SIUE, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southern Indiana at UT Martin, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Western Illinois at Tennessee Tech, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, February 17
*Southern Indiana at Little Rock, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Lindenwood at Eastern Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Western Illinois at Tennessee State, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southeast Missouri at SIUE, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Morehead State 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 fifth OVC Player of the Week award of the season by averaging 28.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks/game in a pair of Morehead State victories. The graduate student hit 64.3 percent (18-of-28) from the floor, 50 percent (4-of-8) from 3-point range and 80 percent (16-of-20) from the free throw line. In Thursday’s national television win over SIUE he had 30 points (his second 30-point performance of the season) on 8-of-13 shooting (4-of-6 3-pointers) and 10-of-13 free throws while adding 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Two days later he had 26 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in a win over Eastern Illinois. Minix now has 12 double-doubles on the season, which leads the OVC and ranks 14th nationally. Minix also leads the OVC and ranks 37th nationally in scoring (19.6 points/game) and his 35th nationally in rebounding (9.4/game).
Others Nominated: Kyndall Davis, Eastern Illinois; KK Robinson, Little Rock; Josh Earley, Southeast Missouri; AJ Smith, Southern Indiana; Kinyon Hodges, Tennessee State; Josiah Davis, Tennessee Tech; Issa Muhammad, UT Martin.
NEWCOMER
Riley Minix, F • 6-7, 230, Grad. • Vero Beach, Fla. • Morehead State
Minix, a transfer from Southeastern University, earned his sixth OVC Newcomer of the Week award of the season by averaging 28.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks/game in a pair of Morehead State victories. The graduate student hit 64.3 percent (18-of-28) from the floor, 50 percent (4-of-8) from 3-point range and 80 percent (16-of-20) from the free throw line. In Thursday’s national television win over SIUE he had 30 points (his second 30-point performance of the season) on 8-of-13 shooting (4-of-6 3-pointers) and 10-of-13 free throws while adding 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Two days later he had 26 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in a win over Eastern Illinois. Minix now has 12 double-doubles on the season, which leads the OVC and ranks 14th nationally. Minix also leads the OVC and ranks 37th nationally in scoring (19.6 points/game) and his 35th nationally in rebounding (9.4/game).
Others Nominated: Kyndall Davis, Eastern Illinois; KK Robinson, Little Rock; Rob Martin, Southeast Missouri; Josiah Davis, Tennessee Tech; Issa Muhammad, UT Martin.
FRESHMAN
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, F • 6-8, 230, Fr. • San Antonio, Texas • Little Rock
Crocker-Johnson earned the award for the third-straight week and seventh time this season after he averaged 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds/game and hit 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from the field and 100 percent (5-of-5) from the free throw line in a pair of victories. The freshman recorded his third double-double of the season in a 20-point victory over UT Martin, as he had 12 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes of action. In that game he hit 4-of-7 shots (2-of-2 3-pointers) and added an assist (with no turnovers). In the team’s win at Western Illinois Crocker-Johnson had seven points, two rebounds a and a blocked shot. He has helped Little Rock to a 7-3 record over the past 10 games which has helped the Trojans move into a tie for second place.
Others Nominated: Eddie Ricks III, Morehead State.
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
•
Josiah Davis (G, So.), Tennessee Tech. Averaged 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists/game while hitting 53.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from 3-point range. Had career-high 20 points in both games and tallied career-high 13 rebounds at Lindenwood.
•
Kyndall Davis (G/F, Sr.), Eastern Illinois. Averaged 19.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals/game while hitting 46.4 percent from the field and 73.3 percent from the line. Had 20 points and 12 rebounds in win at USI and 19 points and 10 rebounds at Morehead State.
•
KK Robinson (G, Sr.), Little Rock. In two wins he averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists/game and hit 52.2 percent from the field. Had 23 points (19 in the second half) in win at Western Illinois.
•
AJ Smith (G/F, So.), Southern Indiana. Posted his 10th and 11th double-double of the season (second-most in the OVC) while averaging 17.0 points and 11.5 rebounds/game.
•
Josh Earley (F, Sr.), Southeast Missouri. Averaged 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists/game while hitting 64.3 percent from the field. Had career-high 22 points (16 in the second half) against Tennessee State.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: Morehead State improved to 11-1 in OVC play and has a three-game lead over the league ... There is a four-way tie for second place with Little Rock, Tennessee State, UT Martin and Western Illinois ... Morehead State has won 18-straight home games which is tied for the second-longest nationally ... MSU has the top NET in the OVC at 102 as of Monday ... MSU has reached the 20-win plateau on the season for the fourth-straight year, a first in school history ...MSU’s Drew Thelwell has been a part of 88 wins with the Eagles, the most of any player in program history ... UT Martin is now 5-2 in OVC road games in 2023-24; the school record for OVC road victories is six (set in both 2008-09 and 2007-08) ... Nationally, Morehead State ranks third in field goal defense (38.4%), fourth in rebound margin (+10.6), sixth in scoring defense (61.8 points/game) and 3-point defense (28.3%), 14th in scoring margin (+14.0/game) and 16th in total rebounding (40.52/game) ... Western Illinois ranks fifth nationally in total rebounds/game (42.44), seventh in offensive rebounds (14.52/game), eighth in blocks (5.9/game) and rebound margin (+9.7/game) and 17th in 3-point defense (29.4%) while UT Martin is first in defensive rebounds/game (30.88) and 10th in rebounding (41.2/game) ... MSU’s Drew Thelwell is ninth nationally in assists (157), 11th in assists/game (6.3) and 25th in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.02) while teammate Riley Minix is 14th in double-doubles (12) and 37th in scoring (19.6 points/game) ... TSU’s Jason Jitobosh is 14th in total blocks (54) while WIU’s Drew Cissie is 20th in total blocks (51), third in total rebounds (291), first in offensive rebounding (4.6/game) and fourth in total rebounding (11.6/game) ... WIU’s Ryan Myers is 10th in 3-point percentage (43.6%), Little Rock’s Jamir Chaplin is 29th in field goal percentage (58.7%), UTM’s Jordan Sears is 39th in scoring (19.5 points/game) and EIU’s Tiger Boker is 29th in steals/game (2.19).
Home Winning Streaks: As of Monday (Feb. 12), Morehead State has won 18-straight home games, tied for the second-longest streak nationally.
23 - Virginia
18 -
Morehead State, Houston, Drake, Kansas
17 - UConn, San Diego State
15 - Auburn, High Point
Hernandez Cashes in at Charity Stripe: Southern Indiana’s
Jeremiah Hernandez has made 164-of-202 free throws this season. His 164 makes are more than every other player in the OVC has attempted except for Lindenwood’s Keenon Cole (who has attempted 172). Hernandez ranks seventh nationally in made free throws and his 17 made against Morehead State (Jan. 20) ranks the fifth-most nationally. Hernandez has also made 16 free throws in a game twice this season.
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.