• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – February 10 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Tuesday, February 11
*Southeast Missouri at Little Rock, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Thursday, February 13
*Tennessee Tech at Little Rock, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Morehead State at Lindenwood, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*UT Martin at SIUE, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southern Indiana at Western Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, February 15
*Morehead State at Western Illinois, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southern Indiana at Lindenwood, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*UT Martin at Eastern Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee State at SIUE, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee Tech at Southeast Missouri, 3:45 p.m. (ESPN+)
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Johnathan Lawson, G • 6-7, 190, Jr. • Memphis, Tenn. • Little Rock
Lawson, a transfer from Creighton, averaged 21.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 1.5 assists/game while hitting 50 percent (15-of-30) from the field, 60 percent (9-of-15) from 3-point range and 4-of-4 at the free throw line in a pair of road victories that put the team into a tie for first place in the OVC standings. In a win at Southern Indiana the junior had 19 points on 5-of-8 3-point shooting, while also adding five rebounds, four steals and two assists. In Saturday’s win at Morehead State in front of a national television audience, Lawson knocked down 4-of-7 3-pointers on his way to 24 points. In that contest he added three rebounds, three steals and an assist while committing only one turnover in 37 minutes of action. Lawson ranks fifth nationally in minutes played/game (37:02) and 10th in 3-point percentage (45.0%). This marks his second Player of the Week award of the season, making him one of only two league players to win multiple awards this season.
Others Nominated: Kenny White Jr., Morehead State; Rob Martin, Southeast Missouri; Ray’Sean Taylor, SIUE; Damoni Harrison, Southern Indiana; Aaron Nkrumah, Tennessee State; Tarence Guinyard, UT Martin.
NEWCOMER
Johnathan Lawson, G • 6-7, 190, Jr. • Memphis, Tenn. • Little Rock
Lawson, a transfer from Creighton, averaged 21.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 1.5 assists/game while hitting 50 percent (15-of-30) from the field, 60 percent (9-of-15) from 3-point range and 4-of-4 at the free throw line in a pair of road victories that put the team into a tie for first place in the OVC standings. In a win at Southern Indiana the junior had 19 points on 5-of-8 3-point shooting, while also adding five rebounds, four steals and two assists. In Saturday’s win at Morehead State in front of a national television audience, Lawson knocked down 4-of-7 3-pointers on his way to 24 points. In that contest he added three rebounds, three steals and an assist while committing only one turnover in 37 minutes of action. Lawson ranks fifth nationally in minutes played/game (37:02) and 10th in 3-point percentage (45.0%).
Others Nominated: Brendan Terry, Southeast Missouri; Ring Malith, SIUE; Damoni Harrison, Southern Indiana; Aaron Nkrumah, Tennessee State; Tarence Guinyard, UT Martin.
FRESHMAN
Jadis Jones, G/F • 6-5, 200, Fr. • New Madrid, Mo. • Lindenwood
In a pair of road games Jones averaged 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals/game while hitting 75 percent (12-of-16) at the free throw line. In a one-point victory at UT Martin (the team’s first road win of the season), Jones had 11 points (on 7-of-9 free throw shooting) and tied a season-high with 11 rebounds in 36 minutes of action. The freshman followed that with nine points, five rebounds, an assist and steals at Tennessee State. It marks the ninth time this season Jones has been named OVC Freshman of the Week, two off the all-time record (set by EKU’s Matt Witt in 2002-03). Overall Lindenwood has won 12 of the 13 freshmen awards this season, one off the school single-season record.
Others Nominated: Filip Radakovic, UT Martin.
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
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Aaron Nkrumah (G, Jr.), Tennessee State. Helped Tennessee State to a pair of wins by averaging 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists/game. He had an 18-point, 12-rebounds performance vs. Lindenwood.
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Rob Martin (G, Jr.), Southeast Missouri. Helped SEMO into a tie for first place by averaging 21.0 points and 4.5 assists/game and hitting 54.8% from the field. He scored 27 points in a win at Morehead State.
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Ray’Sean Taylor (G, Grad.), SIUE. Averaged 20+ points for the fourth-straight week, tallying averages of 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals/game in a pair of wins. Had 28 points at Tennessee Tech.
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Damoni Harrison (G, Jr.), Southern Indiana. In two home games he averaged 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals/game. Finished week with 25 points vs. SEMO.
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Tarence Guinyard (G, Jr.), UT Martin. Had team-highs of 20 points, six rebounds and three assists in win over Western Illinois.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: With three weeks left in the regular season, Little Rock, Southeast Missouri and SIUE are tied for first place ... Little Rock shared the OVC regular season crown last year, SEMO shared its lone title in the 1999-00 season and SIUE has never won an OVC regular season title ... SIUE’s 10 OVC wins is the most in program history ... SIUE allowed only 41 points against EIU last week, the second-fewest points it had ever allowed in an OVC game ... Last Thursday SEMO won by 29 points (80-51) at Morehead State, marking the largest win by an OVC opponent in MSU’s Johnson Arena since January 21, 2006; SEMO has now won three of its last four games at MSU ... SEMO’s win at USI on Saturday was the program’s 400th since moving to the Division I level ... SEMO’s 10 OVC wins are the most under fifth year head coach Brad Korn ... Last Thursday Lindenwood completed a four-point play with 16.4 seconds left to win at UT Martin and earn its first road victory of the season ... In that loss, UTM held Lindenwood to 27.1 percent shooting (16-of-59); entering that day NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams were 130-0 when limiting a team to 27.1 percent shooting or worse in 2024-25 ... UT Martin has played five overtime contests in 2024-25 (four in OVC play), which is one away from tying the program’s all-time record (six in the 1998-99 season) ... There have been 12 Player of the Week selections this season and 10 different teams have claimed an award (with only Little rock and SIUE having more than one) ... On January 15 the NCAA Division I Council adopted a proposal that requires schools moving into Division I to meet objective measures that focus on the student-athlete experience and support a school’s successful transition to Division I and would change the timeline from four to three years; current reclassifying teams Lindenwood and Southern Indiana can use the new timeline
IF they meet all other criteria and could potentially be eligible for NCAA postseason play next year ... Nationally, Little Rock ranks fifth in field goal defense (37.8%), 14th in blocks (5.3/game), 28th in steals (9.0/game) and 33rd in scoring defense (65.4 points/game), UT Martin is 23rd in bench points/game (29.72), Southeast Missouri ranks seventh in 3-point defense (28.6%), SIUE is 17th in field goal defense (39.6%) and 28th in scoring defense (65.0 points/game) while Tennessee State is fifth in rebounding (41.6/game) ... Individually in the national rankings, SIUE’s Ray’Sean Taylor is 32nd in points/game (19.2), WIU’s Marko Maletic is second in 3-point percentage (47.9%), SEMO’s Rob Martin is 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.21), TSU’s Brandon Weston is fifth in free throws made (139), EIU’s Kooper Jacobi is 23rd in rebounding (9.3/game) and 24th in double-doubles (9) while Litte Rock’s Johnathan Lawson is fifth in minutes played/game (37:02) and 10th in 3-point percentage (45.0%).
3-Pointer in Every Game: As of February 10 only one OVC player has made at least one 3-pointer in every game this season: Tennessee Tech’s
Jaylon Johnson.
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.
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).
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.
Division I Council Adopts New Reclassification Criteria: On January 15 the NCAA Division I Council adopted a proposal that requires schools moving into Division I to meet objective measures that focus on the student-athlete experience and support a school’s successful transition to Division I. The change reduces the reclassification period from four to three years for Division II schools and four years for Division III schools. Members currently in the reclassification process (Lindenwood and Southern Indiana) can use the new timeline
IF they meet all other criteria. Progression through the process is dependent upon meeting each year’s benchmarks. If the benchmarks are met, teams would be eligible for NCAA postseason events in the 2025-26 school year.
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.
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.