Begins: March 4
Championship Game: March 7
Television Coverage: ESPNU, ESPN2
Tournament Bracket: http://www.ovcsports.com/documents/2015/2/28/2015%20OVC%20Men%27s%20Basketball%20Tournament%20Bracket.pdf
Overview:
There will not be many teams more favored to win their conference tournament than Murray St. The Racers have not lost a game in Ohio Valley play entering the OVC Tournament. Murray St. might be the prohibitive favorite, but whoever wins the OVC Tournament and gets the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will give their opponent pause. An Ohio Valley team has won at least 1 NCAA Tournament game in 4 of the last 6 years. This season, the conference is ranked 23rd overall in the RPI with Murray St. leading the way at 65th in the RPI.
Favorite to Win: Murray St. (26-4, 16-0)
It's hard to pick against Murray St. The Racers are a perfect 16-0 entering the tournament and have won each game by an average of more than 12 points. It's the offense that carries the Racers. They average 78.8 points per game, which is 13th nationally. They also shoot 48.3% from the field, the 16th best percentage in the country. They are led by Sophomore guard Cameron Payne who leads the team in points (20.2 per game), assists (5.7 per game), and steals (2.0 per game). And if you're looking for a Senior leader, that would be Jarvis Williams who is second on the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game and leads the team in rebounds at 8.3 per game. It's really a balanced attack, though. They have 9 players who have played in at least 27 games and average at least 11 minutes per contest, and four players average double figure scoring.
Most Likely to Upset Favorite: Eastern Kentucky (19-10, 11-5)
If you're not one to pick the favorite, Eastern Kentucky is your best bet at an upset. The Colonels have won 8 of 9 games including a win over Belmont and a season sweep of Morehead St. They're playing well, but the real reason they are the most likely candidate to knock off Murray St. is because they came close to doing it already. In their one meeting this season, Eastern Kentucky took Murray St. to overtime - on the road. They lost the game, but proved to themselves - and to Murray St. - that they can hang with the best team in the conference. That experience could come in handy if the two teams meet again in the OVC Tournament. Also, don't forget that Eastern Kentucky was a surprise winner of the OVC Tournament last year upsetting Belmont to get to the NCAA Tournament.
Dark Horse to Win: Tennessee-Martin (18-11, 10-6)
The Dark Horse pick is Tennessee-Martin. True, the Skyhawks lost twice to Murray St. during the regular season, but they played the Racers tough. In the first meeting, on the road, Tenn-Martin lost by just 3 and held Murray St. to 65 points. In the regular season finale, they lost to Murray St. by just 6 and held the Racers to 73 points. They know what it takes to beat Murray St. Can they execute enough to get the job done? That remains to be seen. But if an unlikely team is going to put together a streak and make a run at the OVC's automatic bid, it will be Tennessee-Martin.
Expected Tournament Bid(s): Conference Tournament Champion
As good a season as Murry St. has had, this is a one-bid league. If the Racers are upset in the NCAA Tournament, they will be going to the NIT. The RPI is a decent 65, but they have no wins over the top 50 and just one win over the top 100. They played a whopping 22 games against teams with an RPI over 150 and lost two of those games. That is not to say that Murray St. isn't good or can't win a game or two in the Big Dance, but they just do not have the resume to be considered for an at-large bid.
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