Two Undefeated and Two Winless Teams Meet
(Palm Springs, CA) – There will be a standings shake up as the OVC hits full stride. The Ohio Valley Conference’s Thursday-Saturday weekly conference schedule brings countless opportunities for quick changes in rankings and momentum.
Undefeated Teams Meet
Surprising Eastern Illinois (9-6, 2-0), winners of two, overtime games travels to Jacksonville State for a first place showdown with the Gamecocks. Ray Harper’s team (10-5, 2-0) has done the improbable, opening with two road wins.
EIU’s Josiah Wallace is the reigning ‘Newcomer of the Week’ and is the league’s seventh leading scorer (15.0 ppg).
JSU and the Panthers are tied with Murray State (11-2, 2-0) and Austin Peay (10-5, 2-0) for the OVC lead. The return of Detrick Mostella to the JSU lineup has bolstered their attack and the hopes of a regular season title. Mostella has scored 34 points in two OVC contests.
Rookie Coaches Looking For a Win
At the other end of the standings are two, first-year coaches looking for their first OVC victory. Eastern Kentuky’s (7-8, 0-2) A.W. Hamilton wasn’t done any favors by the schedule makers. Thursday the Colonels play their third straight road conference game. The first two were at league favorites Austin Peay and Murray State.
EKU visits Tennessee State (3-11, 0-2) and their new head coach Brian ‘Penny’ Collins. One of these ‘rookies’ will earn their first conference win. EKU’s Nick Mayo has been dynamic. He scored 36 points in his team’s loss at Murray State and is averaging 23.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
TSU has dropped its first two OVC games by a TOTAL of nine points. Collins’ team has been more than competitive. Tripp Davis has caught fire scoring 29 points in two OVC games after averaging 7.3 points during the non-conference schedule.
Do Good
Twitter Feed
Three more road wins so far in @ValleyHoops as @BradleyUMBB @BelmontMBB & @UIC_MBB capture road wins. Looks like @DrakeBulldogsMB will do so too. #FatherHarry
Well @RacersWBB followed the men's example and swept Iowa in the @ValleyHoops race! Racers are 6-1 & if @BelmontWBB holds on to their Iowa sweep, the Bruins and Racers will be tied for first. What a trip for those two teams! #FatherHarry
After today's action, @EIUWBB is 8-0 in @OVCSports play. 4 teams @usiwbb @TTUWBB @LRTrojans @LindenwoodWBB are tied at 6-2. Six other teams are under .500. Great race to the finish lies ahead. #FatherHarry
Really entertaining game between @BelmontMBB & @UEAthletics_MBB. Under four minutes left in a one point game. Gabriel Pozzato back in the Aces' lineup. Rogers is playing like I've expected. Triples are dropping. It's fun and @kylejpeach bringing it on #ThePlus #FatherHarry
