• OVC Men’s Basketball Report – January 5 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Tuesday, January 6
*Lindenwood at SIUE, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Thursday, January 8
*UT Martin at Morehead State, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee Tech at Eastern Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Little Rock at SIUE, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Southeast Missouri at Southern Indiana, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee State at Western Illinois, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, January 10
*Southeast Missouri at Morehead State, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Little Rock at Lindenwood, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee Tech at Western Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
*UT Martin at Southern Indiana, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Travis Harper II, G • 6-6, 190, R-Sr. • Columbus, Ga. • Tennessee State
Harper helped Tennessee State to a pair of victories (and 3-1 start to the OVC season) by averaging 25.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals/game while hitting 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from the field, 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from 3-point range and 100 percent (6-of-6) at the foul line. He opened the week by tying the Tennessee State single-game record (one off the OVC mark) with nine 3-pointers in an 88-76 road win over Tennessee Tech. Harper connected on 9-of-14 triples in that game to finish with 29 points. The nine made 3-pointers are tied for the 10th-most in a Division I game this season. The senior followed that performance with 21 points, eight rebounds, three steals and a block in an 84-79 win at Little Rock. Harper is currently leading the OVC in scoring at 17.1 points/game.
Others Nominated: Zion Fruster, Eastern Illinois; Milos Nenadic, Lindenwood; Johnathan Lawson, Little Rock; Jon Carroll, Morehead State; BJ Ward, Southeast Missouri; Tolu Samuels, Southern Indiana; JaJuan Nicholls, Tennessee Tech; Matas Deniusas, UT Martin; Lucas Lorenzen, Western Illinois.
NEWCOMER
Dontrez Williams, G • 6-5, 195, So. • Sikeston, Mo. • Lindenwood
Williams, a transfer from Abilene Christian, averaged 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals/game in leading Lindenwood to a 2-0 record (and 4-0 start in OVC play). The sophomore hit 17-of-30 (56.7%) from the field and 4-of-8 (50%) from 3-point range. He had a career-high 21 points in Saturday’s win over Southern Indiana, scoring 16 of his points in the second half. He added five rebounds and three assists in that game. He began the week with 20 points and two steals in a victory over Morehead State.
Others Nominated: Andre Washington, Eastern Illinois; Jon Carroll, Morehead State; Tolu Samuels, Southern Indiana; Dante Harris, Tennessee State; Lucas Lorenzen, Western Illinois.
FRESHMAN
Matas Deniusas, F • 6-9, 220, Fr. • Vilnius, Lithuania. • UT Martin
Deniusas led UT Martin to a pair of victories last week by averaging 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks/game while hitting 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from the field. With the wins the Skyhawks improved to 11-4 overall and 3-1 in OVC play this season. In Saturday’s come-from-behind win over EIU, Deniusas capped off a run of 11-straight Skyhawk points with a go-ahead 3-pointer with 59 seconds to play, finishing the game with 19 points and a career-best nine rebounds. He began the week with 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 26 minutes of action against Western Illinois. It marks the seventh award (in nine total weeks) for Deniusas, which is the most-ever for a UTM player.
Others Nominated: none.
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
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Milos Nenadic (C, Grad.), Lindenwood. Scored 21 and 22 points in a pair of games last week as Lions won twice to improve to 2-0 in OVC play. Hit 69.2 percent (18-of-26) from the field.
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Johnathan Lawson (G, R-Sr.), Little Rock. Had 20 points, six assists, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks in victory over Tennessee Tech.
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BJ Ward (G, Jr.), Southeast Missouri. Helped Redhawks to a 2-0 week by averaging 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals/game.
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Jon Carroll (F, Jr.), Morehead State. Blocked would-be game-winning shot in one-point road win at SIUE. For the week averaged 16.0 points and 8.5 rebounds/game.
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Lucas Lorenzen (G, Jr.), Western Illinois. Poured in 19.5 points/game in two contests, hitting 8-of-19 (42.1%) from 3-point range.
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Dante Harris (G, Grad.), Tennessee State. Averaged 11.5 points, 6.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds/game as TSU was 2-0.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: Lindenwood is now 4-0 in OVC play and in sole possession of first place after the first full two weeks of Conference action ... The Lions are 7-0 overall at home this year (3-0 in OVC games) ... Four teams are just one game back at 3-1, including Morehead State, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State and UT Martin ... TSU’s Travis Harper II hit nine 3-pointers in last week’s win over Tennessee Tech, which tied the school single-game record and was one trifecta away from tying the OVC single-game mark ... TSU, under the direction of first-year head coach Nolan Smith, has reached nine wins overall, its fastest to that mark since the 2022-23 season ... During January 3’s win over Eastern Illinois, UT Martin’s Andrija Bukumirovic posted a stat line of seven points with career-highs of 14 rebounds, six blocks, four assists and four steals; according to Stathead Basketball, that marked the first such game with at least 12 rebounds, six blocks, four assists and four steals in NCAA Division I men’s basketball since at least the 2004-05 season and the first time that a Skyhawk had at least six blocks against a NCAA Division I opponent since Myles Taylor rejected seven shots against Jackson State on Nov. 22, 2013 and the most against an OVC rival since at least 2002.
All Teams Eligible for Postseason Play: Lindenwood and Southern Indiana have completed their reclassification to Division I and are now eligible to earn to compete in NCAA sanctioned postseason play (NCAA and NIT Tournaments).
Recent Postseason Success: OVC teams have won at least one national postseason game in 13 of the past 16 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), but a new streak began with Murray State winning a NCAA Tournament game in 2022 and continued with Morehead State winning a NIT game in 2023.
OVC Basketball Championships Set For Ford Center in Evansville For Ninth Consecutive Year: The OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will be held March 4-7 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the ninth-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. In October 2025 an agreement was reached to extend the partnership through the 2032 Championship.
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.
OVC Players in the NBA: Seven former OVC players started the 2025-26 season on NBA rosters. That included three players who were drafted last year, Johni Broome (Morehead State), Will Richard (Belmont) and Taelon Peter (Tennessee Tech). 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).
• Johni Broome, Philadelphia 76ers (Morehead State)
• Myron Gardner, Miami Heat (Little Rock)
• Riley Minix, San Antonio Spurs (Morehead State)
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (Murray State)
• Taelon Peter, Indiana Pacers (Tennessee Tech)
• Will Richard, Golden State (Belmont)
• Ben Sheppard, Indiana Pacers (Belmont)
Three in 2025 NBA Draft: Three players who played in the OVC were selected in the 2025 NBA Draft. That included Johni Broome (Morehead State/Auburn - Philadelphia 76ers), Taelon Peter (Tennessee Tech/Liberty - Indiana Pacers) and Will Richard (Belmont/Florida - Golden State Warriors). It marked the first time since 1987 that three OVC players were selected in the Draft, and first time since 1971 that three players were selected in the first two rounds of the Draft.
OVC to Produce Linear Television Package with ESPN: As part of its newly signed multi-year media deal with ESPN, the OVC will once again produce a national television package in 2025-26 that will include eight men’s basketball games that will air on the ESPN Family of Networks. The regular season games and the men’s tournament semifinals will air on ESPNU; 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.
Select OVC Games to Simulcast on Gray Media Stations: As part of the Conference’s new multi-year contract with ESPN, this season select men’s and women’s basketball games will simulcast in 20 Gray Media TV markets in five states (in addition to airing on ESPN+). That includes markets in Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, Peoria, Quincy, Rockford, Evansville, Ft. Wayne, South Bend and Lexington. Prior to each game a listing of the stations that will broadcast each game will be made available at OVCSports.com.
Little Rock Picked as OVC Preseason Favorites: In a vote of OVC head men’s basketball coaches and communication directors, Little Rock was picked the preseason favorites for the 2025-26 season. It marks the second-straight year the Trojans have been tabbed the favorites. The Trojans picked up 12 of 22 first-place votes to receive 188 points. Southeast Missouri, last year’s regular season champions, picked up six first-place votes and 177 points, while SIUE (163 points) and Tennessee State (135 points) each picked up a first-place point and were tabbed third and fourth respectively. Lindenwood and Morehead State (100 points) tied for fifth place, Tennessee Tech (80) was seventh, UT Martin (79) eighth and Southern Indiana (67) received the other two first-place votes and were picked ninth. The poll was rounded out by Eastern Illinois (63) and Western Illinois (57).
The Season is Here: The 2025-26 season marks the 78th of competition for the Ohio Valley Conference. Over the previous 77 years, 14 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship.
ESPN+/ESPN Unlimited: The OVC signed a new multi-year media rights agreement with ESPN ahead of the season that continues the long-standing partnership to air games on the Family of Networks. 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). For the first time ever, ESPN now offers its full suite of 12 networks and services directly to fans within an enhanced ESPN App that integrates game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, commerce, multiview options, a synchronized two-screen experience, a vertical video feature called Verts and a personalized SportsCenter For You. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, these new features and functionality are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a special offer at launch for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months.