Thursday is Showdown Night

4 of Top 5 OVC Teams Clash

(St. Louis, MO) – Thursday is showdown night in the Ohio Valley Conference. Four of the top five teams go head-to-head in a race shaping evening of games. Three OVC teams are undefeated (Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and Murray State) and two (Belmont and Eastern Illinois) have one loss.

The standings will look differently on Friday morning.

Murray State @ Eastern Illinois – 7:00 pm – ESPN+

Surprising EIU (10-7, 3-1) have not had a league game decided by more than seven points. Two of the Panthers’ wins came in overtime and in their only loss, they gave Jacksonville State all they wanted. Coach Jay Spoonhour’s team has five players averaging at least 8.8 points per game and seven that are averaging better than 3.5 rebounds. They have balance.

After a year of devastating injuries EIU has been mostly healthy. Leading scorer Josiah Wallace (14.9 ppg) has twice been the league’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’ and the Panthers have more size this year than in the recent past.

Cam Burrell (6’7), Aboubacar Diallo (6’9) and Rade Kukobat (6’9) give Spoonhour an inside presence on both ends of the floor.

Ja Morant and Murray State have been storming through the OVC like Captain America through Hydra. The Racers (13-2, 4-0) are averaging 92.5 points per OVC game and have averaged 95.5 points over their past six games. Morant leads the nation in assists (10.7 per game) and is fourteenth in scoring (23.1 per game).

His high-light reel is growing.

 

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For your viewing pleasure…..the Ja Morant POSTER!!!! pic.twitter.com/BcgiHPNE7b

— Adam Wells (@TheAdamBWells) January 11, 2019

 

But he’s not alone. Shaq Buchanan and freshman Tevin Brown both average over 13 points per game. While Morant has earned five OVC ‘Player of the Week’ awards, Brown has garnered three ‘Freshman of the Week’ notifications. The Alabama native leads the league in both made three-pointers (3.47 per game) and three-point percentage (.433). Buchanan leads the league in steals (2.4 per game).

The Racers’ closest victory was an 18 point win over Southeast Missouri.

Belmont @ Jacksonville State – 7:15 pm – ESPN+

These two met on opening night in Nashville where the Gamecocks (12-5, 4-0) defeated the Bruins (12-3, 3-1) for the second straight year. JSU took both league games from the Bruins last season and have won four straight against the OVC power.

The two head coaches, Belmont’s Rick Byrd (790) and Jacksonville State’s Ray Harper (486) have combined to win 1,276 collegiate games.

After heavy graduation losses, Byrd rebuilt his team around seniors Dylan Windler and Kevin McClain and three freshmen starters. All five Bruin starters average double figures in scoring. Preseason ‘Player of the Year’ Windler leads the team in scoring (18.7 ppg) and rebounding (9.0).

Windler, McClain and JSU’s Jason Burnell and Christian Cunningham were named to the all-OVC preseason team.

The 6’7 Burnell leads the Gamecocks in scoring (14.5 ppg), rebounding (8.5) and assists (3.5). Transfers Ty Hudson (Clemson) and Detrick Mostella (Tennessee) both average around ten points per game and Marlon Hunter comes in at 12.5 points per contest. JSU lost their first three games and have won 12 of their last 14 outings.

Harper’s team is second to Murray State in points allowed (66.1) and first in defensive field goal percentage (.398). He has taken his team to post season play in each of his first to seasons and builds tough-minded, take-no-prisoners types of teams.

For the Bruins, Thursday is showdown night.

Austin Peay (12-5, 4-0) plays at Southern Illinois Edwardsville (5-11, 1-3).

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