The Ohio Valley Tournament starts this evening. Belmont is the one-seed looking for their third championship in five years. Can anyone stop the Bruins?
The Ohio Valley Tournament bracket is one of the stranger ones in the country. The top two seeds won’t actually play until the semifinals on March 3rd. The top seed is Belmont. The Bruins enter the postseason at 15-1 in OVC play and are looking for their third tournament title in five years. Last year’s champ Austin Peay did not make the 8-team field. Can anyone stop the favored Bruins?
The top seed is Belmont. The Bruins enter the postseason at 15-1 in OVC play and are looking for their third tournament title in five years. Last year’s champ Austin Peay did not make the 8-team field. Can anyone stop the favored Bruins?
The teams on the Bruins’ side of the bracket are SE Missouri State, Tennessee State, and Jacksonville State. Of those teams, Tennessee State is the best option with the league’s to adjusted defense, but Belmont is far better than most of the potential opponents and should breeze into the finals. Senior forward Evan Bradds anchors a balanced attack with 20.8 points and 8.6 rebounds. Tennessee State would need big performances from seniors Wayne Martin and Tahjere McCall if the Tigers were to have any chance. Expect Belmont to make Saturday’s championship game.
Tennessee-Martin is the second seed on the other side of the bracket. The Skyhawks have much tougher competition between Morehead State, Murray State, and Tennessee Tech. The first rounds have good games, but I’ll take the Murray State to reach the semifinals. Expect a great game between the Racers and Skyhawks that ultimately goes UT-Martin’s way.
That gives fans a matchup between Tennessee-Martin and Belmont. The Bruins won the regular season matchup in Nashville, but the final will be held in the slightly more neutral Nashville Municipal Auditorium. Belmont will have a strong advantage in their home city, but UT-Martin is no slouch. They have several strong players including Jacolby Mobley and Matthew Butler, but the most important Skyhawks might be wings Javier Martinez and Chandler Rowe. The seniors are two of the top three rebounders on the squad and Rowe leads the Skyhawks in blocks. They will likely be the guys most responsible for stopping Bradds on defense.
Next: America East Conference: Can anyone stop Vermont?
I think Martin-Belmont would be a great championship game. Belmont is trying to stay on top, but the Skyhawks are searching for their first ever NCAA appearance. I like Martin to make a serious run, but Belmont has too much experience on its side to pick against the Bruins. Coach Rick Byrd and company have simply been too consistent in recent years to think they’ll go down a second straight year.