-Jim Root

(check out the Ohio Valley preseason preview here)

Final Standings:

3MW’s All Conference Team:

Player of the Year: Terry Taylor, Sr., Austin Peay
Coach of the Year: Casey Alexander, Belmont
Newcomer of the Year: Johni Broome, Fr., Morehead St.
Freshman of the Year: Johni Broome, Fr., Morehead St.

Season Storylines:

Looking back at my preseason preview, and I can’t help but think: why would I question the credentials of a certain “Bruins, Belmont?” In Casey Alexander’s second year, Belmont rampaged its way through the OVC; the only losses came in the season’s final two games without star center Nick Musznyski, aka “Moose.” With zero seniors in the rotation, the Bruins could be even better next year, but for now, they’re the clear favorite — pending Moose’s health. The big news surfaced this morning that he will indeed play in the event, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on how sharp he looks.

Austin Peay and Murray State were supposed to be the Bruins’ biggest challengers, but they stumbled early and often, never truly finding the form of which their rosters seemed capable. Both have upside given the individual talent on their rosters (I would not want to face angry senior Terry Taylor), but it’s hard to get too enthused about their prospects after disappointing for most of the year.

Instead, Morehead State rode the incredible contributions of freshman wrecking ball Johni Broome, who stepped in for the injured Tyzhaun Claude and lifted the Eagles’ defense to the top of the confence, capped off by an overtime victory over the league-winning Bruins in the finale. Jacksonville State’s newcomer-laden roster nearly beat Belmont once itself, and the only other squad besides Morehead to actually accomplish that, Eastern Kentucky, surged to third despite basically playing all year without Jomaru Brown and Brandon Knapper.

Only the top eight teams qualified for the conference tournament, so our deepest apologies to Eastern Illinois and the state of Tennessee (the trio of Tennessee Martin, Tennessee Tech, and Tennessee State made up the OVC cellar). It feels unfair to lump EIU into that group, as injuries completely ruined what should have been a promising season for a veteran-laden group. Injuries forced Coach Jay Spoonhour to use a staggering 19 different starting lineups, featuring 12 different players in those lineups. That’s ridiculous, and a big part of me hopes EIU’s seniors run it back next year to take another swing at things.

Tournament Preview

Note: all games at a neutral site in Evansville, IN

Tournament Predictions

(1) Belmont over (8) SIUE
(5) Murray State over (4) Jacksonville State
(3) Eastern Kentucky over (6) Austin Peay
(2) Morehead State over (7) SEMO

(1) Belmont over (5) Murray State
(2) Morehead State over (3) Eastern Kentucky

(1) Belmont over (2) Morehead State