OVC Growing Stability

OVC Falling Apart? Not So Fast!

(St. Louis, MO) – Growing stability is suddenly the adjective you hear about Ohio Valley Conference athletics. After the loss of Belmont, Murray State and Austin Peay two seasons ago, many were writing off the 75-year-old league. Those losses followed closely the Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State departures. Hand wringing was prevalent.

Since those potentially catastrophic league image losses, the OVC has proceeded to build some growing stability. Or to semi-quote Mark Twain, “the news of the OVC’s demise has been greatly exaggerated.”

University presidents and Commissioner Beth DeBauche have rolled up their sleeves, went to work and with very significant success. The additions of Lindenwood, Little Rock and Southern Indiana last season were significant. Former D2 teams Lindenwood and USI proved they belong in Division One basketball and Little Rock won the women’s regular season title.

Western Illinois becomes a league member this year. DeBauche’s ability to grow the league and strengthen the conference’s regional footprint has been striking. WIU’s rich tradition and history of competing with current OVC teams made the Leathernecks a very solid newcomer.

While the Belmont, Murray State and Austin Peay departures significantly hurt the league tournament’s attendance numbers, Evansville city officials and the OVC announced a contract extension for the league’s men’s and women’s tournament. Growing stability will require a marketing push, but the league tournament will continue at Ford Center through 2026.

Coaching Extensions

Three up-and-coming men’s coaches recently inked contract extensions and point to more growing stability. On the heels of a historic season, Southern Illinois Edwardsville extended the contract of head coach Brian Barone. During his fourth season in Edwardsville, Barone led the Cougars to a program record 19 wins and nine conference victories. SIUE also earned its first-ever OVC Tournament win.

Barone’s extension runs through the 2025-26 season.

Morehead State’s Preston Spradlin will be staying put. After leading the Eagles to their third straight twenty-win season and an OVC regular season title, Spradlin was rewarded with an contract extension through the 2026-27 campaign. MSU may now be the cream of the OVC’s men’s basketball crop and exhibits a growing stability.

Spradlin’s teams have won 68 games during the last three seasons and have finished second, third and first in the league race and have played postseason basketball in two of the last three years. During Spradlin’s six, plus seasons, his 114-100 (.533) is surpassed by his .579 winning percentage (73-53) during conference action.

Another rising star is UT Martin’s Ryan Ridder. He too, was offered a contract extension. The 38-year-old Ridder led the Skyhawks to their fifth best D1 win total (19) with ten of those victories coming during OVC play.

UTM signed Ridder through the 2027-28 season after a season that saw Skyhawks rank in the nation’s top 15 in several categories. Ridder (75-81 D1 record) was a highly successful junior college coach before his three seasons at Bethune-Cookman and his current assignment.

Improving The Product

Southern Illinois Edwardsville’s new and improved floor is part of a ten-year, $2.3 million in improvements to First Community Arena, which has included an improved scoreboard and fan amenities.

Southern Indiana’s addition to the OVC brought with it perhaps the best basketball facility in the conference. Screaming Eagle Arena is a spectacular basketball facility.

Tennessee State’s recently announced a deal with WSNR radio to carry the school’s football and men’s basketball games was a significant step forward for Tiger sports and Nashville fans.

The OVC is on the rise academically. For a league that at times has earned a ‘weak in the classroom’ reputation, all eight OVC squads that could have a four-year Division 1 APR evaluation exceeded the NCAA’s 930 ‘Academic Progress Report’ score.

Across the Division 1, men’s basketball teams averaged 967 while the OVC came fractionally over that mark at 967.125. Southeast Missouri, which several seasons ago was on academic probation has earned a perfect 1000 score and Morehead State, SIUE and Little Rock all earned academic rates higher than the national average.

Graduation Success Rates are an NCAA measurement to accurately reflect graduation rates in an era of high levels of student athlete mobility. The latest measurements reflect students who entered college in 2015. During that time period OVC men’s basketball improved from 74 to 91 percent which ranked tied for sixth among all conferences.

Growing stability abounds on numerous OVC fronts.

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