Underappreciated Ohio Valley Conference

(St. Louis, MO) – When will the national and regional pundits realize the Ohio Valley Conference plays some good basketball? This is one of the must under appreciated and under rated leagues in all of college basketball.

Murray State just won their 22^nd straight game. Their point guard, Cameron Payne can play and START for anyone in the nation. Head Coach Steve Prohm is on the verge of winning his 100^th game in four seasons with the Racers. Their winning streak is second only to mighty Kentucky nationally.

How about the numbers? The Racers are 12^th nationally in scoring, ninth in field goal percentage and 18^th in assists. Payne is the 18^th best scorer in the country while handing out the 20^th most assists.

Everybody that knows me and pays attention to this site, knows that I am a Missouri Valley guy, through and through. Murray’s winning streak began with a win over Drake and included three more victories over MVC schools.

They defeated Southern Illinois, Illinois State and Evansville. Those last two teams are a combined 36-20 and are likely headed for post season play.

So the uninitiated reader is thinking the OVC is a one team league. Au Contraire’! ‘the O’ has had a solid season, with several teams growing into legitimacy. No one can argue the pedigree of Belmont who has a chance to win at least 20 games for the fifth straight year, or Eastern Kentucky who had sub 100 RPI numbers the past two years.

Belmont makes more three point baskets than all but five NCAA Division 1 teams. Junior guard Evan Bradds leads the country in field goal percentage. Many will remember that the Bruins defeated North Carolina in Chapel Hill last season.

Eastern Kentucky plays defense like few teams across the fruited plain. They are fifth nationally in steals and second in turnover margin. Star guard Corey Walden’s only peer in the league is Payne. Walden trails Payne by exactly one point per game, good for 33^rd nationally; he is the third best stealer of basketballs in the country. By-the-way, the Colonels are the fourth best free throw shooting team in America, and they defeated Miami (the U), on the road.

Charles Jackson of Tennesee Tech and Chris Horton of Austin Peay both rank in the nation’s top ten in accumulating double-doubles, and Horton is sixth in rebounding.

Sure there is ground to make up and not everything is rosy in ‘the O’, but this league is one to be reckoned with this post season and beyond.

Here is the question for the conscience of the Selection Committee. If Murray State would stub their toe at Music City Madness, would they have the wisdom to add the Racers as an ‘at large’ team. They should and it would be an integrity test, I hope they would pass.

Do Good