Morehead State Basketball: Eagles can make real noise in Big Dance

Filled with regional schools just west of Appalachia, the Ohio Valley Conference is usually a one-bid league. This year, Morehead State State took the crown after nearly running the table in conference play.

As the (likely) only OVC team going to the NCAA Tournament, there’s pressure on Morehead to make their conference look respectable in the Big Dance. Fortunately, the OVC routinely makes strong showings on the national stage. Just in the past decade, some notable March Madness moments came thanks to OVC teams:

2011: Morehead State, featuring All-American Kenneth Faried, upsets 4-seed Louisville on a Demonte Harper buzzer-beater.

2012: Murray State goes 30-1 in the regular season and wrecks Colorado State in the first round of the NCAA Tourney.

2019: Ja Morant goes for a triple-double as Murray State blows out Marquette.

With players like those mentioned above, OVC winners of years past have enjoyed star power to lead them through March. While this year’s Morehead team has taken a more balanced approach, freshman Johni Broome may be their next elite player.

Broome is Morehead’s leading scorer and rebounder (averages 13.9 PTS and 9 REB per game) and has 13 double-doubles this season.  He has seemingly improved every week. In the OVC Championship win over Belmont, Broome went for 27 PTS and 12 REB. At 6’10”, he has the size to match up with any high-major frontcourt.

As a group, Morehead State won’t overwhelm you with one specific strength – but they don’t have any real weaknesses, either. They keep it simple. Defensively, they don’t force turnovers but they’ll make you take bad shots. Offensively, they pass well and hit their shots. They’ll outrebound you on both ends. And every player knows his role. There will be many teams in the NCAA Tournament that don’t do all of these things.

They have three solid scorers in the backcourt – DeVon Cooper, Ta’lon Cooper, and Skyelar Potter. While they don’t usually push the tempo (MSU is in the bottom 20% nationally in pace), they have the depth to play with fast-paced teams. Nine players average 10+ minutes per game. They don’t need to control the tempo to win, either. Just ask Belmont, who allowed 80+ points to Morehead twice in eight days.

For those who enjoy feel-good stories, be ready to hear broadcasters rave about Morehead State head coach, Preston Spradlin. For the last 20 years, Spradlin has embodied the pride of mountain basketball in Kentucky – from playing high school ball in Pikeville and collegiately at Alice Lloyd, to becoming the University of Kentucky director of basketball operations, and a head coaching position at Morehead.

Only in his mid-30s, Spradlin has a promising coaching career in front of him. In this year’s NCAA Tournament, Spradlin ought to have the full support of eastern Kentucky – one of the world’s most passionate groups of basketball fanatics.

Although Morehead State struggled to start the season, they have won 19 of their last 20. Clearly, they’re peaking at the right time and 13 or 14 seed should be in play. If Morehead is anything like OVC champs of the past, their first-round matchup had better be ready to fight.