Eight OVC Opening Night Opportunities

Whipping Boys or Giant Killers?

(St. Louis, MO) – Ohio Valley Conference teams will be huge underdogs in virtually all their opening night games. Playing on such large stages means there are eight OVC opening night opportunities.

In six of those eight contests, league members will battle ‘power conference’ (AAC, ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC & Pac 12) foes on the road and in celebrative/hostile environments. Four OVC squads are visiting nationally ranked teams.

Big Ten Opening Night Opportunities

League favorite Morehead State visits No. 13 Indiana. While the Eagles have undergone some roster changes, they remain a formidable OVC team, but Indiana is loaded and oddsmakers call this a 20.5 point difference. Coach Mike Woodson returns four starters including big man Trayce Jackson-Davis. The Eagles won’t be the only team that matches up poorly to one of the nation’s best post players.

Eastern Illinois was picked ninth in the preseason poll and the Panthers visit No. 23 Illinois. The Illini don’t have Kofi Cockburn anymore, but replacement Coleman Hawkins will be ready to do damage and Brad Underwood’s team is solid. EIU’s Jermaine Hamlin began his career at Illinois. The Panthers are a 29-point dog.

SEC Opening Night Opportunities

Tennessee Tech visits No. 11 Tennessee. Rick Barnes has built the Volunteers into a national product. Last season the Vols won 27 games (14 in the SEC) and won and NCAA Tournament game. They return four starters and are a 32 point favorite over John Pelphrey’s squad.

ESPN forgot that Southern Indiana is a Division 1 team and didn’t put out a line. Stan Gouard’s team gets its first taste of D1 hoops in Columbia, facing a team that is out to prove its self. Mizzou has a new coach and a host of new players, including two former Misssouri Valley Conference stars in Missouri State’s Isiaih Mosley and Northern Iowa’s Noah Carter.

Steel Belt Opening Night Opportunities

While the Atlantic Ten isn’t a so-called ‘power conference’ No. 24 Dayton is the national favorite to win the league and the Flyers host Lindenwood. During Kyle Gerdeman’s first-ever official D1 game, his Lions will enter as 29.5 underdogs. Anthony Grant’s Flyers won 24 games last season and return all five starters.

Tennessee Martin heads to the Atlantic Coast Conference to take on Pittsburgh. While the Panthers aren’t ranked, they are installed as an 11.5 point favorite. This is a home-coming of sorts for UTM’s Parker Stewart. The sixth-year senior began his collegiate career at Pitt before returning to the Skyhawks to play for his father Anthony.

Under the radar Opening Night Opportunities

Southeast Missouri heads to the Sunshine State to face South Florida. The Bulls are not highly rated, but play in the outstanding American Athletic Conference. Brian Gregory’s team has been declining in recent seasons and needs to get off to a good start. Brad Korn’s Redhawks are a ten-point underdog. This is a game that bears watching.

Little Rock begins its first season in the OVC with a game against an MVC team in Southern Illinois (Carbondale). ULR is a 17-point underdog, but the Trojans are a much better team than outsiders think. SIU is one of Valley favorites and this will be a good test for both squads.

Walk Over Opening Night Opportunities

Southern Illinois Edwardsville (Harris-Stowe) and Tennessee State (Fisk) open their respective seasons with ‘walk-over, get-your-team-ready-for-real-competition’ games. There is nothing wrong with that, but these are little more than extended exhibition games that happen to count. It’s likely that these two teams will be the only OVC squads with wins after day-one of the season.

If, however, any other league team wins a game on Monday night, it will be an opportunity seized and a huge feather in its cap. Should two OVC squads win one of these lopsided odds kinds of games, the league will be putting the nation on notice.

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