CBB: OVC Conference Tournament Preview

Favorites (odds below +500)

Morehead State Eagles (+115): Morehead State is consistently at the top of this conference each year. This year has been no different. They maintained a clean non-conference performance only losing to Big 10/SEC teams (including a close heartbreaker to Indiana) and mostly dominated through OVC play. The downside is they had a 3 game losing skid, which dropped them from the 1 seed to the 3 seed. The losing streak was due to their best player being out but it now means they need to win one more game to win the conference tournament compared to their competition. Still the Eagles feel like the favorite here.

Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (+190): Little Rock hasn’t been in this kind of contention in a few years, but the last time they were they pulled an upset in the tournament, can the Trojans return? They were anonymous during a lot of the season but they emerged late with a 9 game win streak. The Trojans had an electric offense all season, but the catalyst for their win streak is their dramatic shift defensively. Little Rock didn’t have a great defense most of the year but they’re playing the best defense in the conference since February which allowed them to steal the regular season crown.

UT-Martin Skyhawks (+450): The Skyhawks are a member of the never made the tournament club but this year might be their best shot to make it. The Skyhawks have the most exciting offense in the conference with 2 of the top scorers. This team is dangerous because they can get hot from 3, and likewise they can die by the 3 as well. The Skyhawks are getting hot, winning their last 7 games and 11 of their last 12. Overall they’ve won 21 games so this already qualifies as the best season in program history.

Sleepers (+500 or above)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (+1100): Western Illinois is another member of the never made the tournament club. They are new to the OVC this year but had a great season with 20 wins and they really only finished just a game back of the big 3. Western Illinois didn’t seem particularly close to beating the top 3, they one win over UT Martin but otherwise lost to those teams.

Tennessee State Tigers (+3000): It felt like Tennessee State was going to be a top contender for the conference but it didn’t quite pan out. They enter the conference tournament cold losing 4 of their last 6. They do have the talent to go on a run if they can pull it together.

SIU-Edwardsville Cougars (+3000): SIU-Edwardsville never could put together the consistency to truly contend for the regular season title but they do have wins over both Morehead State and Little Rock which shows they have the upside to make a run, but their inconsistency means they could just as easily flame out in the first game.

My Pick:

Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (+190): This was a tough choice because Morehead State has been there and done it before but I just like what this Little Rock team has been doing lately. They’ve clearly changed as a team since the defensive turnaround. This is the kind of team to watch in March because there’s not a lot of non-conference film on what they’re doing now.