The Ohio Valley Conference keeps March tight and intense.
Four days. One arena. One automatic bid.
The 2026 OVC Men’s Basketball Championship runs March 4 through March 7 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The format rewards the top seeds in a big way. The top two jump straight to Friday’s semifinals. Seeds three and four begin Thursday. The bottom four teams start on Wednesday and must win four games in four days to reach the NCAA tournament.
There is no margin for error.
The final standings and the field
Conference record first, overall record second:
- Tennessee State Tigers: 15-5 21-9
- Morehead State Eagles: 15-5 19-12
- Southeast Missouri State Redhawks: 14-6 19-12
- UT Martin Skyhawks: 13-7 21-10
- SIU Edwardsville Cougars: 12-8 19-12
- Lindenwood Lions: 11-9 17-14
- Little Rock Trojans: 9-11 12-19
- Eastern Illinois Panthers: 8-12 13-18
Tennessee State earned the No. 1 seed through the tiebreaker after winning seven of its final eight games. Morehead State grabbed the No. 2 seed and a share of the regular-season title. Both sit comfortably in the semifinals.
The teams left out
Three programs did not qualify for the tournament:
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles: 8-12 13-18
Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles: 4-16 7-23
Western Illinois Leathernecks: 1-19 5-26
Tennessee Tech just missed the cut after tiebreakers. Southern Indiana and Western Illinois never found their footing in league play.
The 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧 is set for the 2026 OVC Men's Basketball 🏀 Championship presented by @united_fidelity.
— Ohio Valley Conference (@OVCSports) March 1, 2026
Complete schedule: https://t.co/rwwPM5OjDF #OVCit | #OVCTourney pic.twitter.com/nEzZPuTNLx
How the bracket plays out
Wednesday, March 4
SIU Edwardsville vs. Eastern Illinois
Lindenwood vs. Little Rock
Thursday, March 5
UT Martin vs. SIUE or Eastern Illinois
Southeast Missouri vs. Lindenwood or Little Rock
Friday, March 6
Tennessee State vs. UT Martin bracket winner
Morehead State vs. Southeast Missouri bracket winner
Saturday, March 7
Championship game at 8 p.m. on ESPN2
What makes this interesting
The double bye is real leverage.
Tennessee State and Morehead State only need two wins. Everyone else must play at least three times. If you start Wednesday, you need four wins in four days.
Southeast Missouri and UT Martin feel like the biggest threats to crash the final. Both closed the regular season strong and have enough offense to win back-to-back games.
The question is whether momentum can overcome rest.
Four days in Evansville. Eight teams still standing.
By Saturday night, one will be cutting down the nets at the Ford Center and heading to the NCAA tournament.