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OVC Basketball: 2021 conference tournament preview, postseason outlook

By Brock Zimmermann

Belmont's Adam Kunkel (5) puts the Belmont Bruins sticker on the big-ticket after beating the Murray State Racers in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship game at Ford Center Saturday evening, March 7, 2020.Ovc Championship 12
Belmont's Adam Kunkel (5) puts the Belmont Bruins sticker on the big-ticket after beating the Murray State Racers in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship game at Ford Center Saturday evening, March 7, 2020.Ovc Championship 12 /
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Ohio Valley Basketball Morehead State Eagles forward Julius Dixon Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Ohio Valley Basketball Morehead State Eagles forward Julius Dixon Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /

The men’s OVC Basketball Tournament will begin on Wednesday, March 3, and concludes with the championship on Saturday, March 6. The four-day tournament will take place at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

The OVC has once again opted for an 8-seed tournament this year, leaving four of the 12 conference members at home, except this year there won’t be any byes for higher-seeded teams. Normally the two highest seeds receive a double-bye into the semifinals, and the 3-4 seeds get one bye into the quarterfinals.

With so many bluebloods on the bubble this year, the OVC is almost certainly a one-bid conference barring some wild finishes from across the country. The committee will most likely give the struggling power five teams the at-large bid over an arguably more deserving mid-major runner-up.

Even with three teams managing 20 win single-digit loss seasons, this most likely will result in an all-or-nothing season with lots of power five teams likely to own the bubble and the NIT. All three of the top teams split the season series against each other and all have a legitimate shot to win the conference tournament.

Non-qualifying teams:

Eastern Illinois: 9-18 (6-14)

UT-Martin: 8-16 (6-14)

Tennessee Tech: 5-22 (5-15)

Tennessee State: 4-19 (3-17)