The Ohio Valley conference tournament is about to be underway and this should be an interesting tournament from start to finish. There is one team with better odds than anybody else in the conference and we could very well see them cutting the nets down and heading to the NCAA tournament.
The Bracket
Betting Odds
Morehead State +140
Tennessee Tech +380
UT Martin +650
Tennessee St +750
SIUE +900
Southeast Missouri State +1100
Southern Indiana +1300
Lindenwood +10000
Teams To Watch
UT Martin
The Skyhawks could have themselves a nice little run in the OVC tournament. UT Martin is led by their three-headed monster in senior guard Parker Stewart, senior guard KJ Simon, and sophomore guard Jordan Sears. Stewart averages 16.7 points per game, Simon averages 14.8 points per game and Jordan Sears averages 14.7 points per game. These three are a huge part of this team’s success so far this season. UT Martin averages 81.1 points per game (20th in the nation). They also allow 75.4 points per game as well. One other thing for UT Martin is that they are top 25 in the country in rebounds per game (39.1). The Skyhawks have the potential to be a threat in this tournament.
Does Morehead State Have Enough?
The Morehead State Eagles have a good little core, but they are not a super deep team. Morehead State is led by senior guard Mark Freeman who averages 14.8 points per game with a 43/39/87 shooting split. However, they don’t average a ton of points. They average 70.6 points per game which is ranked 219th in the nation. However, they are good defensively. The Eagles only give up 66.5 points per game. If the Eagles are going to win the OVC conference title for the sixth time in school history, they are going to need their defense to step up in a big way.
Who’s Going To Be The Winner?
As much as I think Morehead State is going to win. I am going away from the chalk and I am riding with UT MARTIN +650. The Skyhawks are ready to win the Ohio Valley Conference for the first time ever. They have never made the NCAA tournament as well. Ride the Skyhawks to the promise land as they win their first ever Ohio Valley Conference tournament title.
The Don’s Game By Game Predictions
First Round
5 Southeast Missouri State over 8 Lindenwood
6 SIU-Edwardsville over 7 Southern Indiana
Quarterfinals
5 Southeast Missouri State over 4 Tennessee State
3 UT Martin over 6 SIU-Edwardsville
Semifinals
1 Morehead State over 5 Southeast Missouri State
3 UT Martin over 2 Tennessee Tech
Finals
3 UT Martin over 1 Morehead State