OVC Competition Gets Started

(St. Louis, MO) – Huge games launch the highly competitive Ohio Valley Conference season. Schedule makers didn’t waste any time in getting important clashes on the calendar. OVC competition gets started Thursday night.

The full slate of games brings interesting matchups on opening night. Some of the preseason favorites clash immediately while teams that will be battling for a playoff spot later in the season meet each other this week.

Early Opportunities

Four teams open the season with back-to-back home games, while a pair of teams open with two road contests.

Two of the top three teams in the preseason poll meet in Nashville. Belmont (9-2)  hosts Jacksonville State in an early season show down and then welcomes Tennessee Tech to the Curb Center. Belmont (#1) and JSU (#3) were picked as prime candidates to take the OVC regular season crown.

The road warrior Gamecocks (8-5) have played 10 of their first 13 games away from home. They open the conference schedule with two more games in hostile environments. Ray Harper’s team handed the Bruins their only home conference loss last season.

Both teams have been playing without key contributors. Belmont freshman Caleb Hollander missed the team’s loss to Purdue and JSU transfer Detrick Mostella has missed the last six games.

Murray State opens with two home games including Saturday’s matchup between ‘Player of the Year’ candidates Nick Mayo (Eastern Kentucky) and the Racers’ Ja Morant. MSU is the defending OVC champion and was picked second in the preseason poll.

Second Division

Most league watchers believe Belmont, JSU, Murray State and Austin Peay are the clear upper echelon of the league. If that’s true, the other eight teams are fighting for four post-season spots. The Governors open with two home games.

Surprising Eastern Illinois (7-6) lost their first two games, but have won seven of their last 11 contests. Two of their six losses came to Big 12 teams, while they swept Western Illinois and defeated Bradley. The Panthers open with two home games against rivals UT Martin (Thursday) and Southern Illinois Edwardsville.

Jay Spoonhour has made use of newcomers Josiah Wallace, Rade Kukobat and Ben Harvey around hold-over Mack Smith to record the OVC’s best three-point shooting team.

Eastern Kentucky has drawn the short straw as the OVC competition gets started. The Colonels open at Austin Peay (picked fourth) and then travel to Murray, Kentucky for that game with the Racers.

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