Six things to know about the Ohio Valley Conference tournament at Ford Center

EVANSVILLE — Ford Center will feature the first tickets punched to the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments this weekend as the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament returns to town for the sixth consecutive year.

Here are six things to know about March Madness beginning in Evansville, which will retain the tournament through 2026 with an option for 2027, the OVC announced Tuesday.

“It may sound a bit cliche, but on any given evening we're playing basketball, any team in this league could win a game,” OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche said. “This tournament really sets up to be something spectacular.”

USI provides a local rooting interest

It would be poetic for the University of Southern Indiana to win a conference tournament in town to cap its first season as an NCAA Division I member. This is the ultimate goal because the Eagles cannot qualify for the NCAA tournament or NIT while completing a four-year transition.

Although the USI women's team missed the cut, the men could be considered a darkhorse pick to make a run as the No. 7 seed. Especially because USI (16-15, 9-9 OVC) has the pieces necessary to win in March: It ranks third in the conference in scoring, first in rebounding and second in 3-point shooting.

Four Eagles average double figures and they’ve been tough to face in Evansville, where they were 10-4 at home. They also should benefit from a friendly crowd, possibly replicating the tremendous atmospheres from their 2019 Division II Elite Eight run.

USI will face Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in the quarterfinals and the winner advances to play UT-Martin. USI split with each, winning both home games and losing the two out of town.

There will be a pregame party for USI fans at Tiki on Main (524 Main Street) at 6 p.m. USI Athletics Director Jon Mark Hall and coach Stan Gouard will make appearances. Prizes, giveaways and complimentary chips and salsa will be included.

Last year’s runner-up is now the favorite

There was a tight race throughout conference play as four teams were tied for second heading into the final weekend. Morehead State won the regular-season crown outright to end a 39-year title drought.

This is after MSU lost four of five starters from last season’s team that went 23-11 overall and narrowly lost the OVC tournament championship to Murray State. The Eagles have won at least 20 games in three straight seasons and rank first in wins among Division I programs in Kentucky during that time — yes, even surpassing the likes of Murray and Kentucky.

Morehead State is the most recent team in this year’s field to make an NCAA tournament appearance. SEMO (2000), Tennessee State (1994) and Tennessee Tech (1963) have longer droughts.

Who else could contend for an NCAA tournament berth?

Aside from Morehead State’s 2021 title, 10 of the last 11 OVC tournament champions are no longer members after conference realignment. That opens the door for different contenders to emerge this week.

The OVC in 2011 implemented a stepladder format giving the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds a bye to the semifinals. It’s been quite beneficial considering those seeds have combined for eight championships. But because madness happens in March, let’s look at how oddsmakers handicapped the week.

• Favorites: Morehead State +140 (a $10 wager would profit $14), Tennessee Tech +380

• Contenders: UT Martin +650, Tennessee State +750, SIUE +900

• Longshots: Southeast Missouri State +1100, USI +1300, Lindenwood +10000

If USI or Lindenwood makes a run to the final, the opponent will earn the automatic bid.

What about the top players to watch?

• Mark Freeman, Morehead State: The OVC Player of the Year paced the Eagles with 14.8 points, 3.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. A 5-foot-11 guard, he transferred from Illinois State after previously playing at Tennessee State.

• Jr. Clay, Tennessee State: The 6-foot senior led the league in scoring (18.8) and assists (5.6) while also averaging 4.8 rebounds. He’s the first five-time all-conference player in OVC history, though his first four honors came while he was at Tennessee Tech.

• Parker Stewart, UT-Martin: His transfer from Indiana was a homecoming to the program where he previously played for his late father Anthony Stewart, who died in 2020. Stewart averages 16.7 points and can take over a game on both ends.

• Jacob Polakovich, USI: He ranks second in the country in rebounds per game behind Purdue’s Zach Edey, the frontrunner for National Player of the Year. Polakovich has tallied 20-plus rebounds five times and only one other player has more than one: IU's Trayce Jackson-Davis (three).

• Lariah Washington, Eastern Illinois: She led the OVC in scoring this season with 16.7 points per game, having topped the 30-point mark twice. She also averages 5.1 rebounds and three assists.

A new champion also will emerge on the women’s side

After Belmont won four of the first five tournaments played at Ford Center, a different champion will earn its NCAA tournament berth. The Bruins left the league last year along with Murray State to join the Missouri Valley Conference.

OVC newcomer Little Rock won the regular-season conference title to secure the top seed, though Tennessee Tech is the highest-rated team in the NCAA NET rankings and was last year's tournament runner-up. Those two programs each finished with single-digit losses along with Eastern Illinois.

So, which of those three favorites will win? Little Rock averages the fewest points in the conference but plays the best defense. A championship run would be won at that end considering the likes of Tennessee Tech and Eastern Illinois average 15 more points per game.

Here's the full Ohio Valley Conference tournament schedule

All games will be streamed on ESPN+ unless otherwise noted.

Wednesday

• Women: #5 UT Martin vs. #8 Morehead State, 1 p.m.

• Women: #6 SIUE vs. #7 Tennessee State, 3:30 p.m.

• Men: #5 Southeast Missouri vs. #8 Lindenwood, 6:30 p.m.

• Men: #6 SIUE vs. #7 Southern Indiana, 9 p.m.

Thursday

• Women: #4 Southeast Missouri vs. G1 winner, 1 p.m.

• Women: #3 Tennessee Tech vs. G2 winner, 3:30 p.m.

• Men: #4 Tennessee State vs. G1 winner, 6:30 p.m.

• Men: #3 UT-Martin vs. G2 winner, 9 p.m.

Friday

• Women: #1 Little Rock vs. G3 winner, 1 p.m.

• Women: #2 Eastern Illinois vs. G4 winner, 3:30 p.m.

• Men: #1 Morehead State vs. G3 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)

• Men: #2 Tennessee Tech vs. G4 winner, 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Saturday

• Women’s championship, 2 p.m.

• Men’s championship, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: OVC Tournament in Evansville with NCAA berths on the line