• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – January 6 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Tuesday, January 7
*SIUE at Eastern Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Thursday, January 9
*Morehead State at Little Rock, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee Tech at Eastern Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee State at Lindenwood, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southern Indiana at Southeast Missouri, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*UT Martin at Western Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, January 11
*Southern Indiana at Little Rock, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*UT Martin at Lindenwood, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee State at Western Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Morehead State at Southeast Missouri, 3:45 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee Tech at SIUE, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Ray’Sean Taylor, G • 6-1, 180, Grad. • Collinsville, Ill. • SIUE
Taylor became SIUE’s Division I era leading scorer in leading SIUE to a 2-0 record during the week. The graduate guard averaged 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals/game while hitting 50 percent (16-of-32) from the field. He had 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting in a nationally televised victory over Western Illinois, the first over the Leathernecks for the team since 2012. Taylor added four rebounds, two assists and a steal in the win. He followed that with 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists in a win over Lindenwood.
Others Nominated: Zion Fruster, Eastern Illinois; Markeith Browning II, Lindenwood; Kenny White Jr., Morehead State; Damoni Harrison, Southern Indiana; Brandon Weston, Tennessee State; Daniel Egbuniwe, Tennessee Tech; Marko Maletic, Western Illinois.
NEWCOMER
Marko Maletic, G • 6-6, 208, Sr. • London, Ontario, Canada • Western Illinois
Maletic, a transfer from Toledo, averaged 26.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists/game while hitting 54.5 percent (18-of-33) from the field, 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from 3-point range and 80 percent (4-of-5) at the free throw line in a pair of road games. The senior had a game-high 28 points at SIUE, hitting 10-of-16 field goals, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range. He followed that with 25 points in a victory at Eastern Illinois. In that contest Maletic hit 7-of-10 3-pointers and grabbed five rebounds. He has had six or more 3-pointers in a game five times this season and is shooting 49.1 percent from 3-point range, a mark that ranks first in the OVC and fourth nationally. His 3.47 3-pointers per game is also first in the OVC and 12th nationally.
Others Nominated: Zion Fruster, Eastern Illinois; Markeith Browning II, Lindenwood; Johnathan Lawson, Little Rock; Damoni Harrison, Southern Indiana; Brandon Weston, Tennessee State; Matthew Sells, Tennessee Tech; Andrija Bukumirovic, UT Martin
FRESHMAN
Jadis Jones, G • 6-5, 200, Fr. • New Madrid, Mo. • Lindenwood
Jones earned his fifth Freshman of the Week honor of the season after averaging 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks/game in a pair of road contests. He connected on 10-of-14 (71.4%) free throws during the week. Jones had 10 points (hitting 7-of-10) at the line in an overtime contest with EIU; in that game he added five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He followed that with nine points and six rebounds at SIUE.
Others Nominated: Malik Olafioye, Eastern Illinois; Filip Radakovic, UT Martin.
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
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Zion Fruster (G, Jr.), Eastern Illinois. Averaged 22.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists/game while hitting 57.5 percent from the field. Had back-to-back 20-plus point games in OVC games against Lindenwood and Western Illinois.
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Damoni Harrison (G, Jr.), Southern Indiana. Posted back-to-back 20-point games in averaging 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists/game. Had team-best 24 points versus Morehead State.
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Markeith Browning II (G, Grad.), Lindenwood. In two contests, averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 blocks/game. Had season-best 21 points at Eastern Illinois and added 16 points and seven rebounds vs. SIUE.
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Johnathan Lawson (G, Jr.), Little Rock. Hit game-winning shot with two seconds remaining at UT Martin. He scored eight of his 14 points in the final 1:37 of that game while adding six rebounds and two steals.
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Matthew Sells (G, Sr.), Tennessee Tech. Scored season-best 17 points in victory over Morehead State on Saturday, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers. Added 14 points, also hitting four 3-pointers, against Southern Indiana.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: After Saturday’s action there are no more undefeated teams in League play, as Little Rock, Morehead State and Southeast Missouri each suffered road losses ... Those three teams now have one loss in OVC play, along with Tennessee Tech ... SIUE guard Ray’Sean Taylor became the Cougars all-time leading scorer at the Division I level on January 2 against Western Illinois; Taylor has scored nearly 1,600 points entering this week ... SIUE won the nationally televised game against WIU, only its second win in 13 all-time games against the Leathernecks ... Nationally, Little Rock ranks 11th in field goal defense (37.7) and 18th in blocks (5.4/game), while Tennessee State is fifth in rebounds (43.53/game), seventh in offensive rebounds (15.13/game) and 24th in rebounding margin (+7.8/game) ... UT Martin is eighth in rebounding (42.67/game) and 15th in 3-point attempts/game (30.3) ... Southeast Missouri is second in 3-point defense (26.4%) while Eastern Illinois is 15th in turnovers forced/game (16.29) ... WIU’s Marko Maletic is fourth nationally in 3-point percentage (49.1%) and 12th in 3-pointers made/game (3.47) ... TSU’s Brandon Weston ranks sixth in free throws made (96), while Little Rock’s Johnathan Lawson is sixth in minutes/game played (36:40) ... EIU’s Kooper Jacobi ranks 23rd in rebounding (9.4/game).
3-Pointers in Every Game: As of January 6 there are four OVC players who have made at least one 3-pointer in every game this season. They are
Ray’Sean Taylor (SIUE),
Marko Maletic (Western Illinois),
Jaylon Johnson (Tennessee Tech) and
Zion Fruster (Eastern Illinois. Taylor, who became the SIUE Division I career scoring leader last week, has made a 3-pointer in 89 of his 101 career games.
Eastern Illinois at Little Rock Game Rescheduled for January 27: The Eastern Illinois at Little Rock game originally scheduled for December 21 was postponed following the tragic death of Little Rock student manager Josh Claxton in a car accident. The game has been rescheduled for Monday, January 27 at a neutral site at Lindenwood (where Little Rock plays on January 25).
WIU’s Smith Records 25th and 26th Triple-Double in OVC History: Western Illinois senior guard
Sean Smith recorded the 25th triple-double in OVC history on December 4 against St. Ambrose. Smith had 24 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the victory. Two days later in a victory over East-West University, Smith had another triple-double, this time with 10 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. He is only the third player in OVC history to have multiple triple-doubles in the same season (UT Martin’s Lester Hudson and Murray State’s Ja Morant are the others) and the first to do it in back-to-back games. Nationally, there are six players to have a triple-double this season and Smith is the only one with two. There has been at least one triple-double by an OVC player in each of the past five seasons.
Guinyard Named National Player of the Week (December 17): UT Martin junior guard Tarence Guinyard was named one of five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week award winners by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) on December 17. He averaged 31.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists/game while hitting 65.6 percent (21-of-32) from the field, 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from 3-point range and 78.9 percent (15-of-19) at the free throw line in a pair of games. At Alabama State, he helped UT Martin overcome a 23-point deficit with 6:59 to go in regulation to force overtime, scoring 29 of the Skyhawks’ final 52 points over a stretch of 17:57. In that game he added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench. Four days later against Champion Christian, he delivered career-highs in points (31), rebounds (8) and assists (5) in just 22 minutes of playing time. In that game he hit 11-of-15 field goals (including 4-of-4 3-pointers) and was 5-of-5 at the free throw line.
Smith Named National Player of the Week (December 10): Western Illinois senior guard
Sean Smith was named one of five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week award winners by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) on December 10. Smith recorded two triple-doubles during the week, with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 10 rebounds against St. Ambrose and 10 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over East-West University. For the week he averaged 17.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 10.0 assists/game while hitting 52 percent (13-of-25) from the field, 40 percent (4-of-10) from 3-point range and 100 percent (4-of-4) at the free throw line.
Recent Postseason Success: Following the 2023-24 season, OVC teams have won at least one national postseason game in 13 of the past 15 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 in 2022 Murray State won in the NCAA Tournament, followed by Morehead State winning in the NIT in 2023. No OVC team won a game in 2024.
OVC Basketball Championships Held at Ford Center in Evansville For Eighth Consecutive Year: The OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships presented by United Fidelity Bank will be held March 5-8 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the eighth-straight season the event will be held in the building. 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. 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 14th 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 three times, the No. 4 seed once, the No. 5 seed once and the No. 8 seed once (Austin Peay in 2016).
Foreign Connections: Every single OVC men’s basketball program has at least one player who lists their hometown in a foreign country. Overall there are 33 players on OVC men’s basketball rosters who list their hometown as not from the United States.
OVC Players in the NBA: Four former OVC men’s basketball players were on National Basketball Association (NBA) Opening Night rosters for 2024-25. 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). Riley Minix, the 2023-24 Player of the Year and OVC Male Athlete of the Year, is a rookie with the Spurs this season.
• Riley Minix, San Antonio Spurs (Morehead State)
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (Murray State)
• Cameron Payne, New York Knicks (Murray State)
• Ben Sheppard, Indiana Pacers (Belmont)
OVC to Produce 9-Game Linear Television Package and Use “Wild Card” Selections: The OVC will once again produce a national television package in 2024-25 that will include eight 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.
Little Rock Picked as OVC Preseason Favorites: In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men’s basketball coaches and communication directors, Little Rock was picked as the preseason favorites. The Trojans, who were one of three teams who shared last year’s regular season championship (along with Morehead State and UT Martin), picked up 20 of 22 first-place votes (teams could not vote for themselves) to receive 200 total points. Western Illinois was picked second (receiving 172 points) while SIUE picked up the other two first-place votes and 151 points in being picked third. Tennessee State was tabbed fourth (134 points) and followed by Morehead State (131), Eastern Illinois (87), Southeast Missouri (86), Southern Indiana (79), Lindenwood (67), UT Martin (52) and Tennessee Tech (51).
The 2024-25 Season: The 2024-25 season marks the 77th year of competition in the OVC. Over the previous 76 years, 14 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship.
ESPN+: The OVC has a 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 $11.99 a month (or $119.99 per year) or as part of a bundle with Disney+ and ad-supported Hulu ($16.99/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.