2024 OVC Tournament Preview & Conference Awards

CBB Review prepares you for every conference tournament leading up to Selection Sunday on Mar. 17. Up next: The OVC Tournament.

The OVC has undergone a fair bit of movement in recent years, seeing the departure of Murray State, Belmont, Jacksonville State, Eastern Kentucky, and Austin Peay all since 2021. They’ve added Lindenwood, Little Rock, Southern Indiana, and most recently, Western Illinois. This year, four teams (Morehead State, Western Illinois, UT Martin, and Little Rock) have conference winning percentages higher than .700, and it’s been a top-heavy season in the Ohio Valley. Evansville, however, awaits, and the gauntlet is unforgiving. 

2024 OVC Conference Awards

Player of the Year: Riley Minix, Morehead State

Freshman of the Year: Jaylen Jones, Tennessee State

Transfer of the Year: Riley Minix, Morehead State

Coach of the Year: Darrell Walker, Little Rock

First Team:

• G: Jordan Sears, UT Martin (21.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 44.6 3P%)
• G: Khalen Robinson, Little Rock (15.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 83.7 FT%)
• G: Jacob Crews, UT Martin (19.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 41.9 3P%)
• G: Riley Minix, Morehead State (20.5 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.3 SPG)
• C: Drew Cisse, Western Illinois (8.6 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 2.0 BPG)

Second Team:

• G: Tiger Booker, Eastern Illinois (16.1 PPG, 3.3 APG, 2.7 RPG, 2.1 SPG)
• G: Damarco Minor, SIUE (15.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 86.0 F%)
• G: Jamir Chaplin, Little Rock (14.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG)
• F: Keenon Cole, Lindenwood (18.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 0.7 APG)
• F: Jason Jitoboh, Tennessee State (9.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 2.9 BPG)

OVC Tournament Simulation

First Round – Wed., Mar. 6

5. Tennessee State (17-14, 10-8) vs. 8. Southern Indiana (8-23, 5-13) – 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+

The Tigers and Screaming Eagles (great nickname, by the way) aren’t super distant in terms of metrics, (297th in KenPom vs. 327th) and the season series was split 1-1. The senior backcourt trio of Christian Brown, E.J. Bellinger, and Kinyon Hodges should be the difference in this rubber match, though. Tennessee State moves on.

George’s pick: 5. Tennessee State

6. SIUE (16-15, 9-9) vs. 7. Eastern Illinois (14-17, 8-10) – 10 p.m. on ESPN+

SIUE picked up wins over Nicholls, Green Bay, and Morehead State earlier this year, as well as a head-to-head victory over Eastern Illinois in December. But the most recent meeting between these two teams saw the Panthers defeat the Cougars just last week behind 33 points for Panther guard Tiger Booker. He’s averaging over 16 PPG and could be the difference-maker in this rematch. Booker vs. Damarco Minor rubber match? Sign me up. The Panthers of Charleston have the recent advantage, though. 

George’s pick: 7. Eastern Illinois

Second Round – Thur., Mar. 7

4. Western Illinois (20-11, 13-5) vs. 5. Tennessee State – 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+

The season series was split, interestingly enough with the road team winning each matchup. Western is 7-3 in their past 10 games, while TSU is 5-5. The Leathernecks are fantastic on the boards, leading the OVC, while the Tigers are adept at both forcing turnovers (great) and committing them (not-so-great). Tennessee State is a veteran-led team, but Western Illinois, led by Ryan Myers and Drew Cisse, has been the more consistent option as of late.

George’s pick: 4. Western Illinois

3. Morehead State (23-8, 14-4) vs. 7. Eastern Illinois – 10 p.m. on ESPN+

The Eagles were the preseason pick to win the OVC, and despite Mark Freeman’s pre-season injury, they technically have the most games won in-conference, tied with UT-Martin and Little Rock, at least. Riley Minix is nearly averaging a 20-point double-double and Drew Thelwell is averaging 2.0 *more* APG than any other player in the conference. Morehead State swept the season series against the Panthers, winning by 26 points on the road in Charleston. It’s hard to see any team other than Morehead State winning this one. 

George’s pick: 3. Morehead State

Semifinals – Fri., Mar. 8

1. Little Rock (20-11, 14-4) vs. 4. Western Illinois – 8 p.m. on ESPNU

Meet the hottest team in the OVC, the Little Rock Trojans. The Leathernecks already have, as Little Rock defeated Western Illinois in February as part of a current 9-game winning streak. Guard KK Robinson leads the team in points and assists, and they’re one of two OVC teams in the KenPom top 200 nationally. Back in February, Western out-rebounded Little Rock by a 40-29 margin. If they want to pull out a victory this time around, they’ll have to do that again. Does it happen? I’m not betting against Little Rock in this big-time matchup.  

George’s pick: 1. Little Rock

2. UT Martin (21-10, 14-4) vs. 3. Morehead State – 10:30 p.m. on ESPNU

This gives off championship vibes, but viewers will get this matchup in the semifinals, as a treat. We’ll get to see OVC points leader Jordan Sears face off against Riley Minix for a third time this year. Across the first two meetings, which the two teams split, the duo combined for 101 points just by themselves. The Skyhawks enter having won 11 of their past 12 games, while Morehead State brings a 3-game winning streak into the tournament. It’s a coin flip, but on a neutral court, give me Morehead. 

George’s pick: 3. Morehead State

Championship – Sat., Mar. 9

1. Little Rock vs. 3. Morehead State – 8 p.m. on ESPN2

Little Rock v. Morehead State. Darrell Walker v. Preston Spradlin. 14-4 v. 14-4. Little Rock won the first meeting this season by a slim 69-69 margin at home. Since then, Makhel Mitchell has recorded 10+ points and 7+ rebounds in all five games for Little Rock, including three double-doubles and 2.6 BPG in that span. The Arkansas transfer could be the difference-maker while Minix and Robinson are going shot for shot in the backcourt. Then again, Minix has recorded 9 straight double-doubles as a 6-foot-7 guard. When in doubt, recency bias. The Trojans have won nine in a row, and that streak would be in the double-digits if these teams meet again in the final. 

George’s pick: 1. Little Rock