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College Basketball Preview - Ohio Valley Conference

Thu 3rd, November 2011

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -

OUTLOOK: Every year there seems to be another team in the Ohio Valley Conference that creeps into the spotlight when March comes calling. Last year Murray State won the regular season title, but the team that earned the NCAA Tournament bid was Morehead State.

Expect the same type of fireworks this season. Austin Peay finished third last year, but collected 20 wins and finished 13-5 in conference action. This year the Governors have a slew of talent back in the fold and look every bit the part of conference favorite. However, a regular season title is only half the battle, and there are a few other teams not only capable of winning that championship, but also capable of representing the conference in the NCAA Tournament.

Two such teams are the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Murray State Racers. The Golden Eagles were better than advertised last year and finished fourth in the league with 12 wins and grabbed 20 overall victories for the first time since 2002. Even with Mike Sutton gone as head coach, the Golden Eagles should soar under Steve Payne, who worked under Sutton at TTU. The Racers, who always seem to be in the mix in the Ohio Valley are going through a similar transition, as Steve Prohm will move from assistant to head coach, taking over for Billy Kennedy.

There is a clear drop off after those three teams. Tennessee State and Morehead State have some talent and if things come together there is a chance for a big run from one of the programs. The bottom half of the conference is there for a reason, as they simply do not have the arsenal to keep up with the likes of Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech, or Murray State.

CHAMPION: Tennessee Tech

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Austin Peay, 2. Tennessee Tech, 3. Murray State, 4. Morehead State, 5. Tennessee State, 6. Eastern Kentucky, 7. Southeast Missouri State, 8. Eastern Illinois, 9. UT-Martin, 10. Jacksonville State, 11. SIU-Edwardsville.

TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:

AUSTIN PEAY: Dave Loos is no stranger to the OVC, in fact, the head coach for Austin Peay is entering his 21st season. Clearly the veteran has enjoyed his fair share of talented teams, and this year's squad is definitely among them. Leading the charge for the Govs will be TyShwan Edmonds, who is coming off a season in which he averaged 17.1 ppg. Edmondson is clearly the team's best scorer, but the return of a healthy Anthony Campbell should give this squad a huge boost. Campbell only played 10 games a year ago (13.9 ppg), so a full season of his talents should definitely help Austin Peay's chances at a league title. Coach Loos has the luxury of running Josh terry and John Fraley out on the floor as well. Neither are great scorers, posting 11.0 and 9.6 ppg, respectively, last season, but both play an important role in their own way. Terry is a tenacious defensive player, who recorded 60 steals a year ago, while Fraley is a bulky center that averaged 7.4 rpg. Coach Loos will likely need to get Fraley some help down low, but other than that this squad is definitely ready to have a magical season.

TENNESSEE TECH: Coach Payne steps into a perfect spot at TTU, as the team is on the verge of possible league greatness and he is now at the center of the show. Coach Payne will likely let veterans like Kevin Murphy and Zac Swansey run the show, while players such as Jud Dillard and Zach Bailey will be called upon to make contributions throughout the season. Dillard and Bailey earned some starting experience last year and should be ready for a much heavier workload this year. The team will likely ride the play of Murphy though, who has been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the league's Player of the Year award. Murphy averaged 17.0 ppg last season, but he did commit 108 turnovers, which is a number he must reduce. As for Swansey, he is the straw that stirs the drink for TTU. The guard only averaged 9.7 ppg last season, but he is a pure shooter and can get hot at any moment. On top of that his court vision is second to none in the league and that was proven with his 212 assists a year ago. If coach Payne can continues what former coach Sutton began, the Golden Eagles should be in line for a big year.

MUURAY STATE: Prohm might be the new coach for Murray State, but he is no stranger to the program, since he was an assistant under Kennedy. That is great news for Murray State, because the transition should be minimal, meaning more of the same, which is tenacious defense along with timely scoring. Murray State should continue its tough defensive play, but the question for this year's team will be where is the offense going to come from? Isaiah Canaan is the top returning scorer and is coming off a strong season in which he posted 11.7 ppg, while shooting 40.3 percent from long range. More will be asked of Canaan this season though. Another player that will need to step up his production from last year is Ivan Aska. Aska will be looked upon to supply the bulk of the scoring in the paint, and that could be too much for the big man to handle since he tallied just 7.6 ppg last year. This is not a very deep team, but there is talent on the roster and considering how well Murray State plays defense, the Racers should be near the top by season's end.

MOREHEAD STATE: The Eagles will be hard pressed to duplicate last year's success. The Eagles won the OVC Tournament and made a trip to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Louisville in dramatic fashion in the first round. That was followed by a loss to Richmond, but nonetheless, it was a magical run for Morehead State. A repeat is not likely because there is a big piece of the puzzle missing with the departure of All-American Kenneth Faried. The big forward was a double-double machine at Morehead State and set numerous records before departing. Now coach Donnie Tyndall will need to figure out not only how to replace one of the best players in program history, but also find a replacement for Demonte Harper, who was second on the team in scoring last year. There is a trio of guards that could get the job done, beginning with Terrance Hill, who started all 35 games and finished with 10.7 ppg. Hill will need to improve his shot selection though if he intends on leading this team offensively. Ty Proffitt also started 35 games a year ago, but he only averaged 7.9 ppg and dished out 61 assists. That was third behind Harper's 120 and Lamont Austin's 63. Austin played more of a reserve role last year, but his minutes should increase in 2011-12.

TENNESSEE STATE: The Tigers were able to finish above .500 this past season, but the team will be looking for a better showing this time around with a slew of experienced players back in the mix. The top four scorers return, beginning with Kenny Moore, who posted 14.6 ppg, to go along with 6.9 rpg. Robert Covington follows with 13.3 ppg and a team-best 7.5 rpg. Moore and Covington could be the best one-two frontcourt punch in the conference, and they should continue to terrorize the rest of the OVC this year. Coach John Cooper is also fortunate to have a solid tandem in the backcourt in Wil Peters and Patrick Miller. Miller averaged 11.4 ppg last season and dished out 89 assists, but must be more consistent offensively, because shooting 37.9 percent will simply not cut it this season. As for Peters, he could be the most complete player on the roster. Peters only posted 10.5 ppg a year ago, but he is dangerous from behind the arc, and is also a strong floor general, dishing out a team-best 125 assists. Look for Peters to continue to lead the team on the court, and if all four players can remain healthy, the Tigers could claw their way to the top of the standings.

EASTERN KENTUCKY: The Colonels were a .500 program last year in league play and with the team's top two scorers from last year gone, it is going to be a tough run for EKU this year. The team is hoping the arrival of Mike DiNunno will help. DiNunno put forth two impressive seasons at Northern Illinois before transferring in. The guard is deadly from long range and also possesses solid court vision. He will need to step in instantly and give the Colonels a boost offensively. DiNunno will likely be paired with Joshua Jones in the backcourt. Jones was not an overwhelming presence offensively, but he did post 10.7 ppg and that number should balloon now that he has a more significant role on the team. Finding success in the paint will be the team's biggest issue this year and with only four forwards on the roster this could be a weak spot all season long for EKU. Look for freshman Eric Stutz to see significant time up front.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE: The Redhawks were a mess defensively last season and if this squad plans on avoiding another 20-plus loss campaign, then this is an area that needs to be fixed. There is some promise for this team offensively though, and it all begins with Leon Powell. The forward is a menace for any opponent and led the team last season with 14.1 ppg and 7.7 rpg. Expect another big year from the forward, who will likely carry the Redhawks each game. What could give the Redhawks a boost is a healthy Nick Niemczyk. Niemczyk only played in five games last season, but his shooting ability was evident early on, as he connected on 13-of-30 three-point attempts. If he can remain on the floor for SEMO, teaming up with Marland Smith, then the Redhawks would possess a dangerous backcourt that could balance out Powell's play along the front line.

EASTERN ILLINOIS: The Panthers could only average 60.3 ppg last season, and a number like that is not going to win a team many games. That was definitely the case for EIU last year, which finished with only nine victories. Once again Jeremy Granger will have to carry the brunt of the workload for EIU, and should be able to handle the pressure after posting 14.5 ppg, to go along with a team-best 98 assists. However, Granger can not do it all by himself, so the Panthers will need to find production from other areas. This year it could come from the frontcourt. James Hollowell and Alfonzo McKinnie could form into a potentially dangerous tandem. Hollowell led the team last year with 5.6 rpg, but he tallied just 8.4 ppg. As for McKinnie, he played more of a reserve role, but will likely find himself starting when the season begins.

TENNESSEE-MARTIN: Last year the Skyhawks lost 21 games and with the top two scorers from that team gone, it could be another long season for UT-Martin. Terrence Smith is the top returning scorer for the Skyhawks, posting 11.3 ppg a year ago, to go along with a team-best 103 assists. Smith will have to carry the load this season for the Skyhawks, but other players will need to step up. Look for Troy King to build off of his productive freshman year where he averaged 9.6 ppg. However, the forward will need to improve drastically on the boards after averaging just 3.2 rebounds per game.

JACKSONVILLE STATE: Coach James Green has a rebuilding project on his hands with 11 new players on the roster. Stephan Hall is the only real player returning with any experience and he will be relied upon to carry the team this year. Last season he posted 11.1 ppg and also grabbed five rebounds per contest. Help will come in the form of youngsters like Brian Williams and Frankie Bougher. Both sophomores should see a dramatic increase in playing time. Nick Cook is another sophomore that will likely be a focal point in the paint, and hopefully he can give the team some solid production down low.

SIU-EDWARDSVILLE: This is an exciting year for the Cougars, as they will begin their first season as a part of the Ohio Valley Conference. However, they have a long road ahead of them in terms of becoming relevant. One of the reasons is because the team returns only one of its double-figures scorers from a year ago in Corey Wickware. Wickware posted 11.6 ppg last season and also dished out 2.8 apg. He will have to lead the charge on the floor for SIUE, while the team gets comfortable in its new surroundings in the OVC.