Ohio Valley basketball: 2018 Conference tournament preview
By Logan Butts
OVC Bracketology
As with most of the mid-major leagues, the OVC will be a one-bid league. In the latest edition of Busting Brackets’ Bracketology, the Bruins are the team predicted in the field as a 14-seed. They would be taking on in-state foe Tennessee in the in the Midwest Region.
If that matchup were to happen, college basketball fans in the state would be glued to the TV. Belmont coach Rick Byrd, who has been at the school since the 80s, has turned down rumors for years that linked him to the head coaching job at UT and other major conference schools. It would be fascinating to see him coach against the Vols on the big stage.
Murray is 68th in the latest RPI rankings, while Belmont is 76th. The next closest OVC school is Tennessee Tech at 161. Murray grabbed two top-100 RPI wins (Southern Illinois, Illinois State), while the Bruins earned three (Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Murray).
If the Bruins or Racers earn a 13 or 14 seed, they could be prime for an upset (another in Murray’s case and a first in Belmont’s case).