Ohio Valley Conference Men s Basketball Report

Transcription

1 Ohio Valley Conference Men s Basketball Report February 26, 2018 Ohio Valley Conference FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 215 Centerview Drive, Suite 115 Contact: Kyle Schwartz Brentwood, Tennessee Phone: (615) OVCSports.com/OVCDigitalNetwork.com CONFERENCE OVC STANDINGS (In games through February 25) OVERALL W L Pct. Home Away Streak W L Pct. Home Away Neutral Last10 Streak Murray State * W W11 Belmont * W W1 Austin Peay * L L1 Jacksonville State * W W2 Tennessee Tech * L L1 Tennessee State * L L3 Southeast Missouri # L L2 Eastern Illinois * W W1 SIUE * L L3 Eastern Kentucky L L1 UT Martin W W1 Morehead State W W2 * Clinched spot in OVC Tournament Field # Due to a NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) historic penalty, Southeast Missouri is ineligible for the OVC or NCAA Tournaments this year. THIS WEEK S SCHEDULE 2018 OVC Basketball Championship Presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com Ford Center - Evansville, Indiana Wednesday, February 28 (First Round) #5 Tennessee Tech vs. #8 SIUE, 6:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network) #6 Tennessee State vs. #7 Eastern Illinois, 8:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network) Thursday, March 1 (Quarterfinals) #4 Jacksonville State vs. Winner of Game 1, 6:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network) #3 Austin Peay vs. Winner of Game 2, 8:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network) Friday, March 2 (Semifinals) #1 Murray State vs. Winner of Game 3, 7:00 p.m. (ESPNU) #2 Belmont vs. Winner of Game 4, 9:00 p.m. (ESPNU) Saturday, March 3 (Championship) Semifi nal Winners, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN2) LAST WEEK S RESULTS Thursday, February 22 *@Morehead State 70, UT Martin 53 *Austin Peay 82 *@Eastern Kentucky 91, Southeast Missouri 88 *Murray State Illinois 66 *@Tennessee Tech 69, Tennessee State 64 *@Jacksonville State 75, Belmont 67 Saturday, February 24 *@Morehead State 70, Eastern Kentucky 66 *@Eastern Illinois 68, SIUE 56 *UT Martin Missouri 66 *@Belmont 84, Tennessee State 59 *Murray State Peay 64 *Jacksonville State Tech 57 * Indicates OVC Contest ALL TIMES CENTRAL OVC Men s Basketball Weekly Release - February 26 1

2 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Championships Presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com February 28 - March 3 Ford Center Evansville, Indiana Men s Championship Bracket WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 THURSDAY, MARCH 1 FRIDAY, MARCH 2 (First Round) (Quarterfinals) (Semifinals) SATURDAY, MARCH 3 (Championship) #5 Tennessee Tech GAME 1-6:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network) #8 SIUE GAME 3-6:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network) #4 Jacksonville State GAME 5-7:00 p.m. (ESPNU) #1 Murray State #2 Belmont GAME 7-7:00 p.m. (ESPN2) OVC Champion and NCAA Automatic Qualifier #3 Austin Peay GAME 6-9:00 p.m. (ESPNU) #6 Tennessee State GAME 4-8:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network) GAME 2-8:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network) #7 Eastern Illinois All Times Central OVC Men s Basketball Weekly Release - February 26 2

3 OVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY Tournament Champions Western Kentucky Murray State Eastern Kentucky Tennessee State Murray State Tennessee State Western Kentucky Murray State Western Kentucky Austin Peay Western Kentucky Murray State Eastern Kentucky Murray State Murray State Murray State Western Kentucky Southeast Missouri Western Kentucky Eastern Illinois Tennessee Tech Murray State Middle Tennessee Austin Peay Western Kentucky Murray State Middle Tennessee Eastern Kentucky Western Kentucky Murray State Eastern Kentucky Eastern Kentucky Western Kentucky Austin Peay Western Kentucky Morehead State Middle Tennessee Murray State Morehead State Morehead State Morehead State Murray State Middle Tennessee Belmont Akron Eastern Kentucky Austin Peay Belmont Murray State Austin Peay Middle Tennessee Jacksonville State Murray State TBD Murray State Tournament Championship Breakdown Murray State 15 Western Kentucky 10 Eastern Kentucky 6 Middle Tennessee 5 Austin Peay 5 Morehead State 4 Belmont 2 Tennessee State 2 Akron 1 Eastern Illinois 1 Jacksonville State 1 Southeast Missouri 1 Tennessee Tech 1 All-Time Tournament Records By Team Akron ( ) Austin Peay (1962-present) Belmont (2012-present) East Tennessee State ( ) Eastern Illinois (1996-present) Eastern Kentucky (1948-present) Evansville ( ) Jacksonville State (2003-present) Louisville ( ) Marshall ( ) Middle Tennessee State ( ) Morehead State (1948-present) Murray State (1948-present) Samford ( ) Southeast Missouri State (1991-present) SIUE (2012-present) Tennessee State (1986-present) Tennessee Tech (1949-present) UT Martin (1992-present) Western Kentucky ( ) Youngstown State ( ) OVC Men s Basketball Weekly Release - February 26 3

4 OVC TOURNAMENT TEAM SPECIFIC-NOTES GENERAL TOURNAMENT NOTES This marks the 55th overall OVC Men s Basketball Tournament; the event is the fourth-oldest Division I Championship nationally behind only the Southern, ACC and SEC...After being in Nashville for 23 of the past 24 years, this marks the fi rst time the event has been held in Evansville, Indiana...This year is only the second tournament not held in either the state of Kentucky or Tennessee (1986 in Akron, Ohio was the other)...this is the eighth event in a row (since 2011) that has included a merit-based bracket where the top two seeds get double byes to the semifi nals...the last four years, however, the winning team been one of the two teams that received the double byes... The winner of this year s event will be the fi rst to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament (the OVC s title game is the fi rst among Division I conferences)...last year Jacksonville State topped No. 5 Southeast Missouri, No. 1 Belmont and No. 2 UT Martin to win its fi rst tournament title...there have been four different teams win OVC Tournament crowns over the past four years...there has not been a repeat OVC Tournament champion since when Murray State capped a three-year run; that is the longest stretch in OVC history without a repeat champ. AUSTIN PEAY All-Time Record: Titles: 5 (1987, 1996, 2003, 2008, 2016) Austin Peay is back in the OVC Tournament fi eld after missing the event a year ago...the Govs have won four-straight OVC Tournament games... Two years ago the Governors made history by becoming the fi rst No. 8 seed to win the tournament; APSU won four games in four days (beating the No. 1, 2, 3 and 5 seeds along the way) to claim its fi fth OVC crown... This season the Govs are under the direction of fi rst-year head coach Matt Figger, who took over a team predicted 11th and led them to a third-place fi nish...the No. 3 seed is the highest for Austin Peay since 2011; it marks the 15th time the Govs have been a top three seed since seeding began in the 1970s...Austin Peay will meet either Eastern Illinois or Tennessee State in the quarterfi nals; the Govs swept Eastern Illinois this season and lost its only meeting with TSU. BELMONT All-Time Record: 6-3 Titles: 2 (2013, 2015) Competing in its sixth OVC Tournament this season, the Bruins have now earned one of the top two seeds fi ve times; the year they did not earn a top two seed (2015), they were the No. 3 seed and ended up winning the OVC Title...Belmont has lost its last two OVC Tournament games (falling in the semifi nals to Austin Peay in 2016 and to Jacksonville State last year)... The Bruins group of four seniors fi nished their career 31-2 in home OVC contests...belmont will play either Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois or Tennessee State in the semifi nals; the Bruins were a combined 4-1 against those teams this season (falling only at TSU). EASTERN ILLINOIS All-Time Record: 6-13 Titles: 1 (2001) Eastern Illinois is back in the OVC Tournament fi eld after missing the event last season...the Panthers were winless in the 2016 Tournament but advanced to the quarterfi nals in In 2010 the team advanced to the semifi nal round and pushed eventual champion Murray State to the limit before falling Since joining the OVC in 1996, EIU has claimed one tournament title, winning the 2001 title with a win over Austin Peay... The Panthers have faced Tennessee State only once in OVC Tournament play, falling in a fi rst round home game in MURRAY STATE All-Time Record: Titles: 15 (1951, 1964, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012) Murray State s 15 OVC Tournament Championships are the most in OVC history...after playing in the fi rst round in back-to-back seasons, Murray State fi nished atop the OVC standings to receive a double bye to the semifi nals... Since the merit-based format began in 2011, the Racers have received the double bye six times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018)...The Racers are looking for its fi rst crown since The Racers will play either Jacksonville State, Tennessee Tech or SIUE in the semifi nals...msu was a combined 5-1 against those teams this season (losing at Jacksonville State). SIUE All-Time Record: 0-2 Titles: none SIUE is back in the OVC Tournament fi eld for the fi rst time since 2015, and fi rst time under third-year head coach Jon Harris...The Cougars are 0-2 alltime, having lost to Tennessee Tech as the No. 8 seed in 2014, and falling as the No. 7 seed to Eastern Illinois in During the regular season, SIUE and Tennessee Tech played just once, with SIUE losing at home after a 3-pointer at the buzzer was no good. TENNESSEE STATE All-Time Record: Titles: 2 (1993, 1994) Tennessee State is in the OVC Tournament fi eld for the third-straight year under fourth-year head coach Dana Ford...The Tigers have lost three-straight games in the event, including its fi rst contest in each of the past two seasons (falling to eventual champion Austin Peay in 2016 and to Southeast Missouri in overtime last year)...tsu advanced to the semifi nal round in 2013, before falling to eventual champion Belmont...Overall this marks the team s 28th OVC Tournament appearance...tsu was 2-0 against Eastern Illinois this season and have won 3 of the last 4 against the Panthers...EIU and TSU have only played once in the OVC Tournament, with TSU winning in the fi rst round of the 1998 Tournament (played on EIU s home court); TSU would fall to Murray State in the title game that year...the TSU team is looking for its fi rst OVC Tournament Championship since 1994; no players on TSU s current roster were born when TSU won its last tournament championship and Head Coach Dana Ford was three months shy of his 10th birthday. TENNESSEE TECH All-Time Record: Titles: 1 (1967) Tennessee Tech is in search of its fi rst OVC Tournament title since 1967, when the tournament was held at the beginning of the season and did not include an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament...This marks the team s third-straight tournament appearance...a year ago the Golden Eagles lost to Murray State in double overtime in the fi rst round...tech was in the OVC Tournament Championship game in 2011, falling to Morehead State; the team was also tournament runners-up in 2002 and Tennessee Tech won its lone game of the season against SIUE and have won three in a row overall against the Cougars. JACKSONVILLE STATE All-Time Record: 5-4 Titles: 1 (2017) Prior to last season, Jacksonville State had only won two OVC Tournament games ever...then a year ago the Gamecocks, making its fi rst appearance since 2012, beat No. 5 Southeast Missouri, No. 1 Belmont and No. 2 UT Martin to win its fi rst OVC crown and make its fi rst NCAA Division I Tournament appearance...the team is looking to become the fi rst repeat OVC Tournament champions since (Murray State)...Jacksonville State has won 20 games in back-to-back seasons for the fi rst time in its Division I era...the Gamecocks will play with SIUE or Tennessee Tech in the quarterfi nals; JSU swept Tennessee Tech this year, but lost its only matchup with SIUE, falling on the road OVC Men s Basketball Weekly Release - February 26 4

5 THIS WEEK S adidas OVC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK PLAYER Jonathan Stark, G 6-0, 180, Sr. Munford, Tenn. Murray State Stark averaged 23.0 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds/game while hitting 44.1 percent (15-of-34) from the fi eld, 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from 3-point range and 81.8 percent (9-of-11) from the free throw line as Murray State won a pair of road games to claim its 25th OVC regular season championship. In the fi nal game of the regular season, Stark hit 10-of-19 fi eld goals (4-of-10 3-pointers) and 7-of-9 free throws on his way to 31 points against rival Austin Peay. It marked his fourth 30-plus point game of the season. The senior also added fi ve assists and four rebounds in the victory. He opened the week with 15 points, four assists, and four rebounds in a win over Eastern Illinois. Stark ranks 15th nationally in scoring and leads the OVC in that category in all games (21.7) and Conference-only games (25.1). Among OVC leaders he is also fi rst in 3-pointers made/game (3.6), second in free throw percentage (89.0%), fi fth in assists (4.0/game) and seventh in steals (1.4/game) and 3-point percentage (42.2%). Others Nominated: Dylan Windler, Belmont; Ray Crossland, Eastern Illinois; Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky; A.J. Hicks, Morehead State; Denzel Mahoney, Southeast Missouri; Jalen Henry, SIUE; Delano Spencer, Tennessee State; Shaq Calhoun, Tennessee Tech; Matthew Butler, UT Martin. CO-NEWCOMER Marlon Hunter, G 6-3, 195, Jr. Memphis, Tenn. Jacksonville State In two wins last week, Hunter, the transfer from Odessa College, averaged 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals/game while hitting 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the fi eld. He opened the week with a career-high 10 fi eld goals (10-of-18) on his way to 21 points in a win over Belmont on national television. Hunter added three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in the win. He added a team-high 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting at Tennessee Tech. In that contest Hunter added fi ve rebounds, an assist and a steal. CO-NEWCOMER A.J. Hicks, G 6-0, 185, Jr. Norcross, Ga. Morehead State Hicks, a transfer from Columbia State, opened the week with a school record nine steals in a win over UT Martin. He is one of just four Division I players to record nine steals in a game this season. In that game he scored 15 points, dished out seven assists and grabbed two rebounds as the Eagles snapped an eight-game losing streak. The junior added 19 points, eight rebounds, fi ve assists and three steals as MSU ended the season with a win over rival Eastern Kentucky. For the week Hicks averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 6.0 steals/game while hitting 40 percent (8-of-20) from the fi eld and 69.6 percent (16-of-23) from the free throw line. Others Nominated: Averyl Ugba, Austin Peay; Shaq Buchanan, Murray State; Shaq Calhoun, Tennessee Tech; Delfi ncko Bogan, UT Martin. FRESHMAN Ja Morant, G 6-3, 170, Fr. Dalzell, S.C. Murray State Morant averaged 14.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists/game while hitting 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from the fi eld, 40 percent (2-of-5) from 3-point range and 86.7 percent (13-of-15) from the free throw line as Murray State won a pair of road games to claim its 25th OVC regular season championship. Morant had 15 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a road win over Eastern Illinois. In that game he hit 2-of-4 3-pointers and 5-of-5 free throws while also adding a steal in 38 minutes. The freshman also played 38 minutes at Austin Peay, registering 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a steal. In that game he was 8-of-10 at the free throw line. Morant ranks second in the OVC in assists (6.4/ game) and 10th in rebounding (6.8/game). Others Nominated: Terry Taylor, Austin Peay; Mack Smith, Eastern Illinois; JacQuess Hobbs, Eastern Kentucky; Ledarrius Brewer, Southeast Missouri; Parrish Hewitt, UT Martin adidas OVC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK PLAYER Nov. 13 Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky Jan. 8 Nov. 20 Dylan Windler, Belmont Jan. 15 Nov. 27 Aleksa Jugovic, Tennessee Tech Jan. 22 Dec. 4 Christian Mekowulu, Tennessee State Jan. 29 Dec. 11 Fatodd Lewis, UT Martin Feb. 5 Dec. 18 Amanze Egekeze, Belmont Feb. 12 Dec. 26 Jonathan Stark, Murray State Feb. 19 Jan. 2 Averyl Ugba, APSU & Jonathan Stark, MUR Feb. 26 Jonathan Stark, MUR & Jalen Henry, SIUE Averyl Uga, Austin Peay Dylan Windler, Belmont Christian Mekowulu, Tennessee State Averyl Uga, Austin Peay Nick Mayo, EKU & Denzel Mahoney, SEMO Dylan Windler, Belmont Jonathan Stark, Murray State OVC MEDIA INFORMATION Kyle Schwartz Asst. Commissioner/Strategic Communications Office: (615) Cell: (615) kschwartz@ovc.org Web: ONLINE PRESS BOX: The OVC Basketball Online Press Box is a one-stop shop for gathering information about the OVC and its member schools. Media can access it OVCSports.com/basketballpressbox. SOCIAL MEDIA: Get breaking news about the OVC by following the OVC through Social Media. Check out the OVC sites at twitter.com/ovcsports and Also check out and the league s blog at WEEKLY NOTES: The OVC will release its Players of the Week and weekly notes report each Monday throughout the season by 5 p.m. CT. The report is available via , and is posted on the league s Web site in text and PDF versions. Statistics are updated after each gameday on the OVC Website. OVC SID DIRECTORY AUSTIN PEAY Colby Wilson (931) Cell Phone (615) wilsonrc@apsu.edu Website LetsGoPeay.com Press Row Number (931) BELMONT Greg Sage (615) Cell Phone (615) greg.sage@belmont.edu Website BelmontBruins.com Press Row Number (615) EASTERN ILLINOIS Rich Moser (217) Cell Phone (217) rlmoser@eiu.edu Website EIUpanthers.com Press Row Number (217) EASTERN KENTUCKY Steve Fohl (859) Cell Phone (859) steve.fohl@eku.edu Website EKUSports.com Press Row Number (859) JACKSONVILLE STATE Tyler Brown (256) Cell Phone (423) tabrown@jsu.edu Website JSUGamecockSports.com Press Row Number (256) MOREHEAD STATE Matt Schabert (606) Cell Phone (606) m.schabert@moreheadstate.edu Website Press Row Number (606) MURRAY STATE Dave Winder (270) Cell Phone (270) dwinder@murraystate.edu Website GoRacers.com Press Row Number (270) SOUTHEAST MISSOURI Jeff Honza (573) Cell Phone (618) jhonza@semo.edu Website GoSoutheast.com Press Row Number (573) NEWCOMER Nov. 13 Dominique Williams, UT Martin Nov. 20 Daniel Kinchen, SIUE Nov. 27 Averyl Ugba, Austin Peay Dec. 4 Jajuan Starks, Eastern Illinois Dec. 11 Daniel Kinchen, SIUE Dec. 18 Londell King, Morehead State Dec. 26 Averyl Ugba, APSU & Jackson Davis, EKU Jan. 2 Averyl Ugba, Austin Peay Jan. 8 Jan. 15 Jan. 22 Jan. 29 Feb. 5 Feb. 12 Feb. 19 Feb. 26 Averyl Ugba, APSU & Shaq Calhoun, TTU Averyl Ugba, Austin Peay Jason Burnell, JSU & David McFarland, SIUE Averyl Ugba, Austin Peay Averyl Ugba, Austin Peay Kamar McKnight, TSU & Delfincko Bogan, UTM Averyl Ugba, Austin Peay Marlon Hunter, JSU & A.J. HIcks, MOR SIUE Joe Pott (618) Cell Phone (314) jpott@siue.edu Website Press Row Number (618) TENNESSEE STATE Gavin Nevill (615) Cell Phone (610) tnevill@tnstate.edu Website TSUTigers.com Press Row Number (615) FRESHMAN Nov. 13 Nick Hopkins, BEL & Dedric Boyd, EKU Nov. 20 Terry Taylor, Austin Peay Nov. 27 Dayton Gumm, Austin Peay Dec. 4 Terry Taylor, Austin Peay Dec. 11 Parrish Hewitt, UT Martin Dec. 18 Terry Taylor, Austin Peay Dec. 26 Ja Morant, Murray State Jan. 2 Ja Morant, Murray State Jan. 8 Jan. 15 Jan. 22 Jan. 29 Feb. 5 Feb. 12 Feb. 19 Feb. 26 Terry Taylor, Austin Peay Dedric Boyd, Eastern Kentucky Mack Smith, Eastern Illinois Terry Taylor, Austin Peay Mack Smith, Eastern Illinois Ja Morant, Murray State Ledarrius Brewer, Southeast Missouri Ja Morant, Murray State TENNESSEE TECH Mike Lehman (931) Cell Phone (224) mlehman@tntech.edu Website TTUSports.com Press Row Number (931) UT MARTIN Ryne Rickman (731) Cell Phone (270) rrickman@utm.edu Web site UTMSports.com Press Row Number (731) OVC Men s Basketball Weekly Release - February 26 5

6 NOTES FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE OVC Overview/This Week s Highlights: Murray State fi nished the season 16-2 in Conference play to claim its record 25th OVC regular season championship and fi rst since The Racers will be the No. 1 seed for the 2018 OVC Tournament and receive a double bye to the semifi nals; since the OVC went to a merit-based bracket in 2011, the Racers have received the double bye six times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018)...Murray State has won a record 15 OVC Tournament Championships, with its last title coming in 2012; it is the longest stretch without a tournament title for the Racers since winning its third crown in 1988 (which ended a 24-year drought)...murray State enters the postseason with an 11-game winning streak, the second-longest mark in the country (behind only 12-straight wins from Michigan State)... Murray State has 10 road victories this season, one of nine Division I teams to reach double fi gures in that category...belmont, who topped Murray State in the regular season, fi nished one game back at 15-3 and is the No. 2 seed; the Bruins also receive a double bye to the semifi nals...belmont has won two OVC Tournament crowns (2013, 2015) in its fi rst fi ve years in the OVC...Belmont tied the OVC single-game record with 20 3-pointers against Tennessee State in the regular season fi nale...as of Sunday, Murray State had the top RPI in the OVC (68), while Belmont was second at 76; as a league, the OVC ranked 20th...Murray State was the highest ranked team in the KenPom rankings (65th)...Belmont s Austin Luke currently ranks third in OVC history in assists (660), 39 assists away from the all-time record...murray State senior guard Jonathan Stark, who ranks 15th nationally in scoring, is now the Racers all-time two-year scoring leader (1,353)...In its fi rst year under head coach Matt Figger, Austin Peay earned the No. 3 seed for the OVC Tournament and won 17 regular season games, its most since the season...jacksonville State, the defending tournament champions, has won 20 games in back-to-back seasons for the fi rst time in its Division I history; the last the program won 20 games in back-to-back seasons was in 1991 and 1992 when they competed at Division II...JSU coach Ray Harper has had a winning record in 19 consecutive seasons as a head coach (Kentucky Wesleyan, Oklahoma City University, Western Kentucky, Jacksonville State)...UT Martin s Terrence Parker had 20 rebounds in a game last week, one shy of the program s Division I record; the 20 rebounds are tied for the most in the OVC this season and tied for 12th-most nationally...morehead State s A.J. Hicks established a school record with nine steals in a game last week; the nine steals are the most by a Division I player this season All-OVC Teams Announced on Tuesday: The announcement of the 2018 All-OVC Basketball Teams along with the Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 27. The announcement will come fi rst via Twitter (@OVCSports), between Noon and 1 p.m. CT. A complete press release and posting on OVCSports.com will come after 1 p.m. Murray State Wins 25th OVC Regular Season Championship: Murray State fi nished the year with a 16-2 league record which gave the team the OVC regular season championship. It is the 25th overall OVC Championship for the team and fi rst since MSU has now won crowns in 1951, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and OVC Tournament Set for Ford Center in Evansville: The OVC Men s and Women s Basketball Championships presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com will be held February 28 through March 3 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the fi rst time the event has been held at the Ford Center after 23 of the past 24 events were held in Nashville (2002 being the exception). The Ford Center, which opened in 2011, is a 10,000-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 as well as the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The Ford Center has serves as host to numerous sporting events and concerts on an annual basis. Evansville is the third-largest city in the state of Indiana with a population of nearly 120,000 in the city limit and 300,000 people in the metropolitan area. Winning Streaks: In games through Sunday, Feb. 25, Murray State has an 11-game winning streak which marks the second-longest streak nationally Michigan State 11 - Murray State, Gonzaga 10 - Middle Tennessee, St. Bonaventure 8 - Lehigh, South Dakota State 2018 OVC TOURNAMENT The 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Men s & Women s Championships presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com will be held February 28 - March 3 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the fi rst time the event has been held at the Ford Center, after 23 of the past 24 events were held in Nashville (2002 being the lone year the event was not held in Music City). 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 as well as the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The seating confi guration for the OVC Basketball Championships will be 5,412. The tournament features eight men s and eight women s teams with the men s teams playing a merit-based format with the No. 1 and 2 seeds getting double byes into the semifi nals and the No. 3 and 4 seeds getting a bye into the quarterfi nals and the women s team playing a traditional 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc. bracket. The fi rst round and quarterfi nal games (which start at 1 and 3 p.m. for the women, and 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. for the men) can be seen on the OVC Digital Network. The men s semifi nals will be held on Friday, March 2 at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. and televised on ESPNU. The men s championship game on Saturday, March 3 is at 7 p.m. and televised live on ESPN2. The women s semifi nals are set for 1 and 3 p.m. on March 2 (ESPN3) and the women s championship game is on March 3 at 2:00 p.m. CT (ESPN3). Complete information: CREDENTIALS. Once again credentials will be requested through an online system (see OVCSports. com). The deadline to request credentials is MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26 at 3 p.m. CT. No credentials will be mailed; they can be picked up at the Ford Center Media Entrance, which is located on SE 6th Street (just off Walnut Street), on the south side of the building, near the loading dock. Belmont Ties OVC Record for 3-Pointers in a Game: Belmont tied the OVC single-game record for made 3-pointers in a win over Tennessee State on Feb. 24. The Bruins made 20 3-pointers which tied the mark also held by Southeast Missouri (vs. Austin Peay in ) and Eastern Kentucky (vs. Warren Wilson in ) Windler Records 30/20 Game: Belmont junior Dylan Windler had 36 points and 20 rebounds in a win over Morehead State on Feb. 17. It is one of just three 30/20 games in Division I this season, joining Marvin Bagley of Duke and Jo Lual-Acuil of Baylor. It is one of just two 30/20 games in the OVC in the past 17 years, and fi rst since Austin Peay s Chris Horton had 37 points and 21 rebounds in the 2016 OVC Tournament. Belmont s Luke Climbs OVC Career Assists List: Belmont senior guard Austin Luke currently has 660 career assists, which ranks third in OVC history. He is 39 assists away from the all-time record. He is the fi rst person to join the OVC s Top 10 since the 2014 season. NCAA Stats Leaders: In the most recent set of NCAA statistical leaders (Feb. 25), Belmont is ranked third nationally in 3-pointers made (11.6/game) and 23rd in fi eld goal percentage (48.7%). Murray State is 11th in scoring margin (+11.6/game), 18th in 3-point defense (31.1%), 22nd in fi eld goal percentage (48.9%) and 28th in rebounding margin (+5.8/game). Jacksonville State is 13th in fi eld goal defense (39.9%), 18th in scoring defense (64.6 points/game) and 28th in blocked shots (4.9/game). Austin Peay is 14th in forced turnovers/game (16.33) while Tennessee Tech is 13th in rebounds/game ( Individually, Belmont s Dylan Windler is 15th in double-doubles (14), 35th in rebounding (9.3/game) and 45th in fi eld goal percentage (55.7%) while teammate Austin Luke is sixth in assists (7.3/game). Murray State s Ja Morant is 14th in assists (6.4/game) and 44th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.58) while teammate Jonathan Stark is eighth in 3-pointers made/game (3.55), 15th in scoring (21.7 points/game), 21st in free throw percentage (89.0%) and 46th in 3-point percentage (42.2%). Austin Peay s Terry Taylor is 10th in offensive rebounding (3.73/ OVC Men s Basketball Weekly Release - February 26 6

7 game) while UT Martin s Matthew Butler is 11th in minutes played/game (37:42), SIUE s Daniel Kinchen is 11th in free throw percentage (90.1%) and Jacksonville State s Malcolm Drumwright is 18th in assistto-turnover ratio (2.89). CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll: In the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll (Feb. 19), Murray State was ranked No. 10 while Belmont was No. 13. Gonzaga picked up 31 fi rst-place votes to be ranked No. 1. Now in its 19th season, the Mid-Major poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid- American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, WAC and West Coast. It is voted upon by coaches from those conferences, with one coach per conference casting a vote (Eastern Illinois coach Jay Spoonhour is the OVC representative). OVC Men s Basketball Eliminates Divisions, Increases Conference Schedule to 18 Games: After fi ve years of East/West Divisional play, men s basketball in the OVC has returned to standings that rank teams 1-12 overall. Divisional play began in after the league expanded to 12 teams for the fi rst time. After six years of teams playing 16 Conference games, OVC teams will play an 18-game Conference schedule beginning this season. OVC basketball teams last played an 18-game schedule from through Recent Postseason Success: OVC teams have won at least one game in each postseason for ninestraight years, the longest stretch in league history. 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 and Belmont (NIT) and UT Martin (CIT) scored wins in Windler Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Team: Belmont junior Dylan Windler was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Windler holds a 3.84 grade-point average in his chosen major of accounting; he is the 21t Belmont men s basketball student-athlete to earn the honor. UTM s Lewis, Murray State s Morant Record 16th and 17th Triple-Doubles in OVC History: UT Martin junior Fatodd Lewis recorded the 16th triple-double in OVC history on Dec. 10 as UT Martin topped UC Clermont He had 34 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists. On Dec. 28, Murray State freshman Ja Morant added the 17th triple-double in league history when he had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in a win over Eastern Illinois. Below is a list of all-time OVC triple-doubles. Lorenzo Coleman, Tennessee Tech vs. Oral Roberts (12/21/94) - 18 pts., 11 reb., 10 bl. Van Usher, Tennessee Tech vs. Eastern Kentucky (2/24/92) - 16 pts., 10 reb., 14 asst. Bud Eley, Southeast Missouri vs. Morehead State (1/4/99) - 24 pts., 14 reb., 10 blocks Trenton Hassell, Austin Peay vs. Morehead State (2/2/99) - 19 pts., 13 reb., 10 asst. Trenton Hassell, Austin Peay vs. Tennessee State (2/26/00) - 19 pts., 11 reb., 10 asst. Trenton Hassell, Austin Peay vs. UT Martin (2/22/01) - 27 pts., 13 reb., 12 asst. Brandon Griffin, Southeast Missouri vs. Oakland City (12/13/03) - 12 pts., 12 reb., 10 asst. Walker Russell, Jacksonville St. vs. Eastern Kentucky (2/28/06) - 21 pts., 11 reb., 11 asst. Lester Hudson, UT Martin vs. Central Baptist (11/13/07) - 25 pts., 12 reb., 10 asst., 10 stl. Lester Hudson, UT Martin vs. Southeast Missouri (2/16/08) - 26 pts., 12 reb., 10 asst. Isacc Miles, Murray State vs. UT Martin (2/24/09) - 13 pts., 10 reb., 11 asst. Chris Horton, Austin Peay vs. Berea (11/16/14) - 15 pts., 13 reb., 10 blocks Deville Smith, UT Martin vs. Northwestern State (3/19/15) - 21 pts., 12 reb., 11 asst. Kedar Edwards, UT Martin vs. Bethune-Cookman (12/17/16) - 15 pts., 10 reb., 11 asst. Xavier Moon, Morehead State vs. Central Arkansas (12/19/16) - 25 pts., 10 reb., 11 asst. Fatodd Lewis, UT Martin vs. UC Clermont (12/10/17) - 34 pts., 16 reb., 12 asst. Ja Morant, Murray State vs. Eastern Illinois (12/28/17) - 11 pts, 10 reb., 14 asst. OVC to Produce 15-Game National Television Package: The OVC will produce a national television package in that will include 14 men s basketball games (and one women s basketball contest) that will air on either the ESPN Family of Networks or the CBS Sports Network. The Conference will once again have seven men s games (and one women s game) on the ESPN Family of Networks, including four regular season games as well as the OVC Tournament semifi nals and championship game. The OVC will also have a seven-game package on CBS Sports Network. Three OVC Players on Lou Henson Award Watch List: Three OVC players have been named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List. The award is given to the Mid-Major Player of the Year by CollegeInsider. com. The three OVC players were Belmont senior Austin Luke, Eastern Kentucky junior Nick Mayo and Murray State senior Jonathan Stark. The Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award will be announced on March 31, 2018 at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Event in San Antonio, site of the men s NCAA Basketball Championship. OVC ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS POINTS SCORED 1582 Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky 1356 Malcolm Drumwright, Jacksonville State 1353 Jonathan Stark, Murray State 1311 Amanze Egekeze, Belmont 1307 Aleksa Jugovic, Tennessee Tech 1091 Denzel Mahoney, Southeast Missouri 1045 Jalen Henry, SIUE 1009 Terrell Lewis, Eastern Illinois 977 Matthew Butler, UT Martin 961 Dylan Windler, Belmont 956 Terrell Miller, Murray State REBOUNDS 624 Dylan Windler, Belmont 597 Christian Cunningham, Jacksonville State 571 Amanze Egekeze, Belmont 563 Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky 514 Keenan Simmons, SIUE 501 Terrell Miller, Murray State 496 Jalen Henry, SIUE 475 Christian Mekowulu, Tennessee State 460 Norbertas Giga, Jacksonville State 457 Muusa Dama, Eastern Illinois ASSISTS 660 Austin Luke, Belmont 501 Terrell Lewis, Eastern Illinois 384 Malcolm Drumwright, Jacksonville State 289 Jonathan Stark, Murray State 286 Aleksa Jugovic, Tennessee Tech 221 Matthew Butler, UT Martin 209 Jonathan Dalton, Southeast Missouri 206 Kajon Mack, Tennessee Tech 195 Christian Ellis, SIUE 189 Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky 186 Ja Morant, Murray State 186 Montell Goodwin, Eastern Illinois 185 Armani Chaney, Tennessee State STEALS 110 Terrell Lewis, Eastern Illinois 95 Aleksa Jugovic, Tennessee Tech 90 Mason Ramsey, Tennessee Tech 87 Austin Luke, Belmont 83 Jonathan Stark, Murray State 81 Malcolm Drumwright, Jacksonville State 80 Armani Chaney, Tennessee State 80 Dylan Windler, Belmont 79 Curtis Phillips, Tennessee Tech 73 Darreon Reddick, Tennessee State 73 Kajon Mack, Tennessee Tech 73 Ray Crossland, Eastern Illinois 71 Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky 70 Amanze Egekeze, Belmont BLOCKED SHOTS 153 Christian Cunningham, Jacksonville State 122 Nick Mayo, Eastern Kentucky 116 Keenan Simmons, SIUE 96 Muusa Dama, Eastern Illinois 84 Christian Mekowulu, Tennessee State 79 Jalen Henry, SIUE 76 Dylan Windler, Belmont 71 Aboubacar Diallo, Eastern Illinois 70 Zach Charles, Eastern Kentucky 61 Amanze Egekeze, Belmont 58 Micaiah Henry, Tennessee Tech 53 Norbertas Giga, Jacksonville State EKU s Mayo Named to Karl Malone Award Watch List: Eastern Kentucky junior Nick Mayo was one of 20 players named to the 2018 Karl Malone Award Watch List in the preseason. The award is given annually to the top power forward in Division I men s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the 20 candidates for the list. By mid-february, the Watch List will be narrowed to just 10. In March, fi ve fi nalists will be presented to Mr. Malone and the Hall of Fame s selection committee. The winner of the 2018 Karl Malone Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy s in Los Angeles, California on Friday, April 6. Byrd Ranks 5th Among Active NCAA Coaches: Belmont head coach Rick Byrd (who is in his sixth year in the OVC and 32nd overall at Belmont) has 777 career victories, which ranks fi fth among active Division I head coaches (and 15th all-time). Byrd is one of just fi ve active Division I coaches to have coached at the same school for 25 or more years (the others are Syracuse s Jim Boeheim, Duke s Mike Krzyzewski, Oakland s Greg Kampe and Davidson s Bob McKillop). OVC Players in the NBA: There are currently six former OVC players on NBA rosters (with a sixth currently injured). Those players included former Morehead State All-American Kenneth Faried (who is in his seventh season with the Denver Nuggets and who is signed through the as part of a four-year, $50 million 3-POINTERS MADE 228 Aleksa Jugovic, Tennessee Tech 212 Amanze Egekeze, Belmont 211 Terrell Lewis, Eastern Illinois 209 Jonathan Stark, Murray State 176 Malcolm Drumwright, Jacksonville State 172 Matthew Butler, UT Martin 156 Austin Luke, Belmont 141 Delano Spencer, Tennessee State 137 Montell Goodwin, Eastern Illinois 126 Terrell Miller, Murray State 121 Denzel Mahoney, Southeast Missouri 118 Darreon Reddick, Tennessee State 116 Dylan Windler, Belmont 108 Dillon Avare, Eastern Kentucky Statistics include only years players competed in OVC OVC Men s Basketball Weekly Release - February 26 7

8 dollar extension), former Tennessee State standout Robert Covington (who is in his fi fth season in the league, fourth with the Philadelphia 76ers and just signed a four-year extension worth $61.6 million), former Belmont All-American Ian Clark (who is in his fi fth overall season and who won a NBA Championship with Golden State last year and who is in his fi rst year with New Orleans), former Murray State All-American Cameron Payne (who is in his third year in the NBA after being a lottery pick of the Oklahoma City Thunder before being traded to the Chicago Bulls) and former Murray State two-time OVC Player of the Year and All-American Isaiah Canaan (in his fi fth year overall and fi rst with the Phoenix Suns). Former Southeast Missouri State guard Antonius Cleveland was with the Dallas Mavericks on a two-way contract earlier this season before suffering an injury, and recently signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks. Murray State s Stark Tabbed as Preseason Player of the Year: The OVC Preseason Men s Basketball team was headlined by Murray State senior Jonathan Stark who was named the OVC Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches and SID s. Overall seven different schools were represented on the team with Belmont, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Murray State having two selections apiece and Southeast Missouri, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin having one pick apiece. The squad features six players who were either fi rst or second-team selections last season. The team was comprised of eight seniors, one junior and two sophomores. In addition to Stark the others named to the team included UT Martin s Matthew Butler, Jacksonville State s Malcolm Drumwright and Norbertas Giga, Belmont s Amanze Egekeze and Austin Luke, Eastern Kentucky s Nick Mayo and Asante Gist, Tennessee Tech s Aleksa Jugovic, Southeast Missouri s Denzel Mahoney and Murray State s Terrell Miller. Belmont Picked as OVC Preseason Favorite: In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men s basketball coaches and sports information directors Belmont has been picked the preseason favorite for the season. It marks the third-straight year the Bruins have been tabbed preseason favorites. Belmont, who has won four of the past fi ve OVC regular season championships, picked up 18 of 24 fi rst-place votes in being picked the preseason favorites. The Bruins received 235 total points in being picked fi rst. Jacksonville State, the defending OVC Tournament champions, picked up three fi rst-place votes and were tabbed second with 213 points. Murray State received the other three fi rst-place votes and 212 points in being picked third. The preseason poll was rounded out by Eastern Kentucky (139), Tennessee Tech (137), Eastern Illinois (135), Tennessee State (125), UT Martin (114), Morehead State (89), Southeast Missouri (82), Austin Peay (63) and SIUE (40). OVC to Host 2018 NCAA Men s Basketball Championship 1st/2nd Rounds: For the fi rst time since 2012, the Ohio Valley Conference, in partnership with the Nashville Sports Council, will host the First and Second Rounds of the 2018 NCAA Men s Basketball Championship. The event will be held March 16 & 18 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The 2018 event will mark the fi fth time the NCAA men s basketball tournament has been at Bridgestone Arena since 2000 (2000, 2003, 2005 and 2012). More recently, the OVC served as host for the 2014 NCAA Women s Basketball Final Four at the arena. The Season: The season marks the 70th of competition in the OVC. Over the previous 69 years, 13 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship. OVC Digital Network: The OVC launched the OVC Digital Network (OVCDN) in August The OVCDN is the exclusive home for live web streamed athletic contests involving OVC schools. This marks the 12th year the OVC has streamed live events, but the sixth year the events have been offered free of charge and in an HD format. Fans can log onto OVCDigitalNetwork.com and access the streams without any registration. The events are available on any computer, tablet or smart phone. In November 2015 the league also announced the addition of a channel on the Roku streaming player as well, making it even easier for fans to watch events on their television OVC Men s Basketball Weekly Release - February 26 8

9 SUPERLATIVES Triple-Doubles Fatodd Lewis, UT Martin (1) 34 points, 16 rebounds, 12 rebounds vs. UC Clermont (Dec. 10) Ja Morant, Murray State (1) 11 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists vs. Eastern Illinois (Dec. 28) Double-Doubles Dylan Windler, Belmont (14) 18 points, 11 rebounds at Washington (Nov. 10) 24 points, 11 rebounds vs. Vanderbilt (Nov. 13) 11 points, 10 rebounds at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 16) 23 points, 14 rebounds vs. Houston Baptist (Nov. 18) 17 points, 10 rebounds at Providence (Nov. 22) 13 points, 11 rebounds vs. Lipscomb (Nov. 27) 20 points, 10 rebounds vs. Green Bay (Dec. 2) 17 points, 11 rebounds vs. Milwaukee (Dec. 13) 19 points, 11 rebounds at Western Kentucky (Dec. 19) 12 points, 11 rebounds vs. Jacksonville State (Jan. 6) 13 points, 14 rebounds at Morehead State (Feb. 3) 14 points, 11 rebounds at Tennessee Tech (Feb. 10) 36 points, 20 rebounds vs. Morehead State (Feb. 17) 21 points, 14 rebounds vs. Tennessee State (Feb. 24) Terry Taylor, Austin Peay (10) 13 points, 13 rebounds vs. Oakland City (Nov. 15) 29 points, 10 rebounds vs. UNC Asheville (Nov. 19) 15 points, 11 rebounds at Oklahoma State (Nov. 29) 19 points, 11 rebounds vs. SIUE (Dec. 28) 12 points, 11 rebounds vs. Eastern Illinois (Dec. 30) 29 points, 14 rebounds vs. Southeast Missouri (Jan. 6) 18 points, 12 rebounds at Jacksonville State (Jan. 13) 16 points, 13 rebounds at Tennessee State (Jan. 18) 19 points, 12 rebounds vs. Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 25) 19 points, 12 rebounds at Southeast Missouri (Feb. 3) Terrell Miller, Murray State (9) 13 points, 10 rebounds vs. Brescia (Nov. 10) 21 points, 10 rebounds at Wright State (Nov. 18) 16 points, 10 rebounds vs. Southern Illinois (Nov. 25) 24 points, 15 rebounds vs. Auburn (Dec. 19) 15 points, 10 rebounds at Tennessee Tech (Jan. 13) 16 points, 11 rebounds at Belmont (Jan. 18) 21 points, 11 rebounds vs. Morehead State (Jan. 25) 14 points, 12 rebounds vs. Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 27) 20 points, 12 rebounds at Eastern Illinois (Feb. 22) Averyl Ugba, Austin Peay (9) 17 points, 11 rebounds vs. Oakland City (Nov. 15) 21 points, 10 rebounds vs. SIUE (Dec. 28) 17 points, 11 rebounds vs. Eastern Illinois (Dec. 30) 13 points, 10 rebounds vs. UT Martin (Jan. 4) 35 points, 11 rebounds at Jacksonville State (Jan. 13) 18 points, 15 rebounds vs. Morehead State (Jan. 27) 28 points, 17 rebounds at UT Martin (Feb. 1) 15 points, 11 rebounds vs. Jacksonville State (Feb. 17) 12 points, 12 rebounds vs. Murray State (Feb. 24) Christian Cunningham, Jacksonville State (8) 16 points, 11 rebounds at Richmond (Nov. 13) 12 points, 11 rebounds vs. Alabama State (Nov. 30) 12 points, 12 rebounds vs. Louisiana-Monroe (Dec. 9) 11 points, 10 rebounds vs. USC Upstate (Dec. 16) 14 points, 12 rebounds vs. Chattanooga (Dec. 21) 10 points, 15 rebounds vs. Southeast Missouri (Jan. 27) 12 points, 10 rebounds at Eastern Illinois (Feb. 1) 10 points, 13 rebounds at Tennessee Tech (Feb. 24) Christian Mekowulu, Tennessee State (6) 16 points, 18 rebounds vs. Fisk (Nov. 28) 26 points, 15 rebounds vs. Lipscomb (Dec. 2) 14 points, 10 rebounds at Alabama State (Dec. 12) 15 points, 11 rebounds at Texas (Dec. 18) 27 points, 10 rebounds vs. Eastern Illinois (Jan. 27) 18 points, 11 rebounds vs. Belmont (Feb. 8) Londell King, Morehead State (6) 10 points, 10 rebounds vs. Marshall (Nov. 16) 10 points, 12 rebounds at Central Arkansas (Nov. 27) 15 points, 12 rebounds at Tennessee Tech (Dec. 28) 15 points, 14 rebounds at Jacksonville State (Dec. 30) 10 points, 11 rebounds at UT Martin (Jan. 13) 14 points, 11 rebounds vs. UT Martin (Feb. 22) Lamontray Harris, Morehead State (6) 16 points, 10 rebounds vs. Alice Lloyd (Nov. 30) 15 points, 10 rebounds at Southeast Missouri (Jan. 11) 19 points, 11 rebounds at UT Martin (Jan. 13) 14 point, 11 rebounds vs. Jacksonville State (Jan. 18) 17 points, 13 rebounds vs. Tennessee Tech (Jan. 20) 15 points, 12 rebounds vs. Eastern Kentucky (Feb. 24) Norbertas Giga, Jacksonville State (5) 11 points, 13 rebounds at Chattanooga (Nov. 21) 15 points, 10 rebounds at Mississippi State (Nov. 26) 11 points, 10 rebounds vs. USC Upstate (Dec. 16) 14 points, 13 rebounds vs. Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 28) 17 points, 14 rebounds vs. Morehead State (Dec. 30) Fatodd Lewis, UT Martin (5) 15 points, 11 rebounds vs. North Carolina Central (Nov. 15) 23 points, 14 rebounds at Arkansas State (Dec. 5) 25 points, 11 rebounds vs. Blue Mountain (Dec. 20) 27 points, 12 rebounds vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Dec. 22) 18 points, 10 rebounds vs. Austin Peay (Feb. 1) Ja Morant, Murray State (5) 10 points, 12 rebounds at Saint Louis (Dec. 12) 16 points, 10 assists vs. Marist (Dec. 16) 17 points, 11 rebounds at Detroit Mercy (Dec. 22) 11 points, 10 assists vs. Austin Peay (Feb. 8) 10 points, 12 rebounds at SIUE (Feb. 10) Muusa Dama, Eastern Illinois (5) 14 points, 10 rebounds vs. St. Francis (Ill.) (Dec. 21) 18 points, 13 rebounds at Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 6) 12 points, 13 rebounds vs. UT Martin (Jan. 18) OVC VS. OTHER CONFERENCES American Athletic 0-0 America East 0-0 ACC 0-2 Atlantic Sun 6-4 Atlantic Big East 0-5 Big Sky 0-2 Big South 1-1 Big Ten 0-6 Big Big West 1-0 Colonial 0-0 Conference USA 4-6 Great West 0-0 Horizon 6-4 Independents 0-0 Ivy 0-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic 2-0 Mid-American 1-4 MEAC 7-2 Missouri Valley 3-6 Mountain West 1-1 Non-Division I Teams 19-0 Northeast 0-0 Pac Patriot 0-0 SEC 1-6 Southern 3-3 Southland 2-1 SWAC 4-2 Summit 2-3 Sun Belt 4-1 West Coast 1-1 Western Athletic 3-0 TOTAL NON-CONFERENCE RECORD OVC RECORD BOOK WATCH CAREER ASSISTS 1. Bruce Jones, EKU ( ) Van Usher, TTU ( ) Austin Luke, BEL (2014-present) Norman Jackson, APSU ( ) Matt Witt, EKU ( ) John DeCamillis, EKU ( ) Lucas Nutt, SEMO ( ) Colby Pierce, APSU ( ) Anthony Avery, TTU ( ) Walker Russell, JSU ( ) Terrell Lewis, EIU (2014-present) 501 ASSISTS IN A SEASON 1. Duane Washington, MTSU ( ) Van Usher, TTU ( ) Van Usher, TTU ( ) Bruce Jones, EKU ( ) Austin Luke, BEL ( ) Austin Luke, BEL ( ) Zac Swansey, TTU ( ) 212 Chad Townsend, MUR ( ) Norman Jackson, APSU ( ) 211 Walker Russell, JSU ( ) 211 CAREER 3-POINTERS MADE 1. Joe Sibbitt, APSU ( ) Isaiah Canaan, MUR ( ) DeWayne Powell, UTM ( ) Henry Domercant, EIU ( ) Matt Witt, EKU ( ) 283 Maze Stallworth, MOR ( ) Mike Rose, EKU ( ) J. Robert Merritt, SAM ( ) Todd Babington, APSU ( ) Frank Davis, TTU ( ) 251 Frank Allen, MUR ( ) 251 Marland Smith, SEMO ( ) Aleksa Jugovic, TTU (2014-present) POINTERS MADE IN A SEASON 1. Lester Hudson, UTM ( ) J. Robert Merritt, SAM ( ) Josh Heard, TTU ( ) Jonathan Stark, MUR ( ) Lester Hudson, UTM ( ) Henry Domercant, EIU ( ) 104 Adam Leonard, EKU ( ) 104 Jeff McGill, EKU ( ) Jonathan Stark, MUR ( ) 103 De Teri Mayes, MUR ( ) OVC Men s Basketball Weekly Release - February 26 9