Final Day of the OVC Season
(St. Louis, MO) – There is a lot on the line as Ohio Valley Conference teams play their final games today. Tennessee State has a great deal to play for. TSU could claim a share of the league title or fall all the way to fourth in the postseason tournament seedings.
Southeast Missouri could climb to second in the seedings and the battle for the last two playoff spots are all up for grabs!
Here Are The Locks
Morehead State will be the OVC Championships’ top seeded team. Southern Illinois Edwardsville will wear the number five and Lindenwood will be sixth…. That’s it! (I reported this incorrectly – TSU will have swept UT Martin and Morehead split their games with the Skyhawks. So, the Tigers will earn the number one see with a win at UT Martin.)
What is On the Line?
If Tennessee State wins at UT Martin today (1 pm on ESPNU), the Tigers tie for the conference title, but will be the tournament’s number two seed. TSU and Morehead split their regular season games and each would have split their games with the next highest seeded teams, SEMO and UTM.
The determining factor would fall all the way to how they fared against SIUE. While TSU split with the Cougars, the Eagles won both times and thus would earn the top tournament’s top seed!
If TSU loses at UTM today, and SEMO would win at home versus Tennessee Tech, a three-way tie between those teams would need to be broken. Head-to-head results are the first tie-breaker and since SEMO split with TSU and swept UT Martin, the Redhawks would receive the number two seed.
Since UT Martin swept SIUE, the Skyhawks would receive the third seed and the Tigers would fall to fourth.
If SEMO and UT Martin tie for third and fourth the Redhawks gain the edge by their sweep of the Skyhawks during the regular season.
Who’s Gaining Access?
Three teams are vying for the final two playoff spots. No matter how they get there, if Eastern Illinois, Little Rock and Tennessee Tech remain tied for seventh and eighth, EIU is in by virtue of their two wins over TTU.
In any tied scenario the Panthers can pack their bags for Evansville. Their sweep of TTU breaks that tie and their record against Tennessee State (1-1) is better than Little Rock’s (0-2). They were both swept by Morehead and SEMO.
Only today’s game between Lindenwood and Western Illinois has no bearing on the standings.
The OVC Tournament starts Wednesday in Evansville.
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Opening round of #ArchMadness is today. The only quarterfinal we know is @UIC_MBB v @RacersHoops tomorrow at 2:30. We look at their contrasting styles heading into the @MVCsports tournament. #FatherHarry
Don't look now, but @BustingBrackets tells us some of the hottest teams coming into #ArchMadness aren't the teams at the top of the bracket. @ValpoBasketball, @SIU_Basketball & @UNImbb shouldn't be overlooked. #FatherHarry
ICYMI: @BelmontMBB & @BradleyUMBB are two of the best at being committed to development and succeeding at the same time. #ArchMadness
Congrats to @RogerPowellJr, @CoachJonny_B & @NdotSmitty being named to the Ben Jobe Award finalist list. Well deserved!
