Climbing the Mountain

(St. Louis, MO) – Music City Madness is a sprint for some teams and a potential marathon for others. For the top two seeds (Murray State and Eastern Kentucky) it is a two game blitz.

For first round combatants, it is a four game grind and a true test of the mettle, depth and resiliency. Wednesday Morehead State and Southeast Missouri open the tournament, followed by an Eastern Illinois/Southern Illinois Edwardsville tilt.

The winner of that first game then must face the surprise team of the Ohio Valley Conference, UT Martin. Should they survive that battle, undefeated Murray State waits, rested and ready to defend their regular season title. A tall task for either of these teams.

Eastern Illinois and SIUE share a similar gauntlet on the other side of the bracket. Wednesday’s winner faces perennial power Belmont in the quarter-finals and defending tournament champ Eastern Kentucky awaits in the OVC final four.

The OVC is one of those rare conferences where teams have to earn their way into the conference tournament. Eight of twelve make their way to Nashville, and several have high hopes.

Four teams face elimination on Wednesday night. Five teams in the OVC have winning records and have a chance at post-season play. The other three are playing for their competitive lives.

In Wednesday’s late game we find two teams that have moved into relevance in the OVC. Southern Illinois Edwardsville has moved from Division II, to probationary status, to full membership in the OVC. 2015 marks the second straight season for the Cougars to earn their way to Nashville.

Eastern Illinois (16-13, 9-7) was the early surprise team in league play. Jay Spoonhour’s team won their first six league games. Injuries and illnesses cut the Panthers off at the knees, but they are healthy again and playing well. With forward Chris Olivier back in full motion the Panthers have looked good in their final three games. They had two narrow losses to upper level teams and a victory over Southeast Missouri in those contests.

Spoonhour’s team qualified for Music City Madness for the second straight year after missing each tournament since 2010. Spoonhour says his team is glad to make the tournament and have a healthy squad.

 

 

SIUE (12-15, 8-8) has also qualified for two straight years. Head Coach Lennox Forrester says his team is hoping to make a deep run in this weekend’s celebration of OVC hoops.

 

 

Will there be a team arise from the Wednesday night games and challenge mighty Murray State or energetic Eastern Kentucky? No OVC team has succeeded agains the Racers, and EKU has won three straight and eight of their last nine games.

Let the action begin, and may those lower seeded teams climb the mountain.

Do Good