Team To Beat – Tennessee State
The Tigers are the OVC’s hottest team and most explosive offensive squad (81.0 ppg). Nolan Smith’s team has won four straight games and nine of their last eleven. The trio of Harper, Nkrumah and point guard Dante Harris is dynamic. Harris is the OVC’s second leading distributor (5.1 assists per game) and the Tigers lead the OVC in shooting percentage and steals. They swarm on defense and the last four straight victories all came against OVC contenders.
TSU swept UT Martin and Lindenwood and split with Morehead State, SEMO and SIUE.
Top Contender – Morehead State
If there is a hotter team than Tennessee State it is Morehead State. The Eagles have won seven straight games, including handing TSU its most recent loss. MSU and Tigers had two great battles with each team winning on its home floor. Morehead dropped a five-point, overtime game in Nashville and handed TSU an eight-point loss in Morehead, Kentucky.
George Marshall (15.1 ppg) has been a steady offensive leader all year and Jon Carroll (12.5 and 8.3) has been a rebounding force for second-year coach Jonathan Mattox.
Morehead is the OVC’s second best shooting and rebound margin team.
Dark Horse – UT Martin
The Skyhawks were the OVC’s best team for roughly three months of the season, but February was not kind to Jeremy Shulman’s team. UTM dropped five of its final seven games, but the fourth-seeded Skyhawks’ formula is still a good one.
They rebound and defend as well as any team in the OVC. UTM leads the OVC in scoring defense (61.7), defensive field goal percentage (.384) and rebounding margin (+5). Shulman’s squad is also second in steals and blocked shots.
The shoe-in Freshman of the Year Matas Deniusas and transfer Andrija Bukumirovic are the UTM headliners. UT Martin has good size, but the Skyhawks aren’t overly deep. Winning three games in three days could be tough for this team.