OVC – How Do Your Predictions Look Now?

Non-conference Schedule Brings Mixed Results

(St. Louis, MO) – As the Ohio Valley Conference heads into the final weekend of non-conference play, the league seems less top-heavy than at any time in recent history. After the conference won 73 non-conference games last season, it has accumulated just 58 such such victories to date.

Nine non-conference games remain and several against lower division teams. The record should improve. But what have we learned so far?

Are the Top Four As Dominant?

The two OVC power brokers (Belmont and Murray State) still may run through the league, but at a combined 14-9 their records outside the conference hasn’t been as impressive as in recent seasons. Austin Peay and Jacksonville State (combined 10-14) are in transition seasons and have started slowly. JSU has started to turn the tide lately.

Star power still matters and Belmont has the best roster in the league. Murray State’s Tevin Brown is an explosive, multifaceted player. APSU’s Terry Taylor has won the league’s ‘Player of the Week’ award four times in the last five weeks. Those three teams still have the types of players that can change everything overnight.

Austin Peay’s schedule has been murderous. During one three-game stretch, they played at Western Kentucky, Tulsa and Vanderbilt. In December they played At Arkansas, at West Virginia and Duquesne at a neutral site. Those are their six losses. They travel to Georgia on Monday.

Four of JSU’s defeats were on the road at SMU, VCU, Purdue and Tennessee. Neither Belmont, nor Murray State have played as many high-level opponents.

Upstarts On the Way

Tennessee State and Eastern Illinois have the second and third best non-conference records. The Tigers are 8-5 and 5-0 at home. EIU is 6-5 and are undefeated at Lantz Arena, but they’ve only played three home games. Those two were picked seventh and ninth respectively.

Obviously, not all schedules are created equal, but both of the ‘upstarts’ are significantly improved.

They face one another on opening night of conference play.

What About the Rest?

UT Martin was picked fifth in the preseason poll and coach Anthony Stewart built an impossible non-league schedule. After winning two of their first three games, the Skyhawks have dropped six of the their last seven. Stewart’s squad won one of four games as part of the Cancun Challenge, including road games at Wichita State and Northern Iowa. They finished the ‘Challenge’ by defeating Boston University.

Morehead State won their first four games, but have dropped seven of their next eight contests.

Eastern Kentucky, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee Tech and Southern Illinois Edwardsville are still finding their way.

The league’s preseason poll looked like this.

1. Belmont                                                     7. Eastern Illinois
2. Murray State                                             8. Morehead State
3. Jacksonville State                                    9. Tennessee State
4. Austin Peay                                              10. Southern Illinois Edwardsville
5. UT Martin                                                 11. Southeast Missouri
6. Eastern Kentucky                                    12. Tennessee Tech

How do those predictions look now?

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