The 2022 OVC Tournament is set to get underway Wednesday, March 2nd. Last year’s Ohio Valley Conference basketball tournament saw Morehead State thrash top-seeded Belmont in the championship game to win their fifth OVC title. With Murray State still clinging to an undefeated conference record heading into the tournament, the Racers have a chance to finish the season undefeated in the OVC. Morehead State will look to defend their title while preseason favorite Belmont wants to secure the conference’s automatic bid and go dancing. The following contains the OVC Tournament bracket, standings and schedule, as well as a preview of what we can expect to see.
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Ohio Valley Basketball Standings
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Seed |
| Murray State | 18-0 | 28-2 | 1 seed |
| Belmont | 15-3 | 25-6 | 2 seed |
| Morehead State | 13-5 | 21-10 | 3 seed |
| SE Missouri State | 8-9 | 13-17 | 4 seed |
| Tennessee State | 8-10 | 13-17 | 5 seed |
| Austin Peay | 8-10 | 12-16 | 6 seed |
| Tennessee Tech | 7-10 | 10-20 | 7 seed |
| SIU Edwardsville | 5-13 | 11-20 | 8 seed |
| UT Martin | 4-14 | 8-22 | N/A |
| Eastern Illinois | 3-15 | 5-26 | N/A |
Ohio Valley Basketball Tournament Schedule
Dates: March 2-5
TV Schedule: ESPN+ (First Round, Quarterfinals); ESPNU (Semifinals); ESPN2 (Championship)
Venue: Ford Center – Evansville, IN
Byes: Top-4 get single, Top-2 get double
Defending Champion: Morehead State
Ohio Valley Tournament Bracket
First Round
- (5) Tennessee State 77, (8) SIU Edwardsville 62
- (7) Tennessee Tech 78, (6) Austin Peay 51
Second Round
- (4) Southeast Missouri State 79, (5) Tennessee State 55
- (3) Morehead State 73, (7) Tennessee Tech 56
Semifinals
- (1) Murray State 88, (4) Southeast Missouri State 74
- (3) Morehead State 53, (2) Belmont 51
Championship
- (1) Murray State 71, (3) Morehead State 67
Murray State advances to NCAA Tournament
Ohio Valley Conference Breakdown
This year, the OVC has revamped their conference tournament to now include byes in their tournament. Instead of a normal eight-team bracket, the top two seeds Murray State and Belmont will have double byes and will only need two wins to win the title. The third and fourth-seeded Morehead State and Southeastern Missouri get a single bye and will only need to win three games to win the title. Morehead State will look to defend their crown and win their sixth conference title.
Of the 10 total teams in the Ohio Valley Conference, only Murray State and Belmont finished the regular season with a top-100 ranking in the College Basketball Net. The Racers enter the OVC tournament with a No. 24 overall net ranking. Belmont enters the OVC tournament with a No. 60 overall net ranking. Murray State holds an impressive 5-1 record in Quad I and II games. Belmont has struggled in Quad I games with a record of 1-3 with their lone win coming against Saint Louis on the road.
The OVC basketball preseason poll did a good job predicting the top teams and the order of the bottom half of the conference. Belmont received 27 of 30 first-place votes while Morehead State received the other three. Murray State was slated to finish third and ended up being overachievers as they jumped both the two teams ahead of them in the preseason polls thanks to an undefeated conference season. No team finished more than a spot lower than they were in the preseason poll.
Team Stats | 2022 Ohio Valley Basketball Tournament
(1) Murray State Racers
Net Ranking: 24 (No. 1 in OVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 26 (No. 1 in OVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 111.5 (No. 44)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 94.7 (No. 27)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -3.58 (No. 248)
(2) Belmont Bruins
Net Ranking: 60 (No. 2 in OVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 80 (No. 2 in OVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 110.2 (No. 67)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 99.8 (No. 101)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -2.08 (No. 207)
(3) Morehead State Eagles
Net Ranking: 119 (No. 3 in OVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 127 (No. 3 in OVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 105.0 (No. 148)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 101.2 (No. 126)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -3.06 (No. 229)
(4) Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
Net Ranking: 258 (No. 4 in OVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 247 (No. 4 in OVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 105.2 (No. 143)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 112.1 (No. 326)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -3.81 (No. 255)
(5) Tennessee State Tigers
Net Ranking: 273 (No. 6 in OVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 262 (No. 5 in OVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 100.2 (No. 248)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 108.2 (No. 267)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -6.22 (No. 317)
(6) Austin Peay Governors
Net Ranking: 280 (No. 7 in OVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 276 (No. 7 in OVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 96.7 (No. 304)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 105.8 (No. 216)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -1.06 (No. 179)
(7) Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
Net Ranking: 269 (No. 5 in OVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 270 (No. 6 in OVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 100.9 (No. 234)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 109.4 (No. 289)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -1.66 (No. 194)
(8) SIU Edwardsville Cougars
Net Ranking: 287 (No. 8 in OVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 294 (No. 8 in OVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 95.4 (No. 317)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 105.9 (No. 220)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -3.36 (No. 241)
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