{"id":335549,"date":"2025-12-08T19:39:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T19:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/335549\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T19:39:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T19:39:07","slug":"ovc-mens-basketball-report-december-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/335549\/","title":{"rendered":"OVC Men’s Basketball Report – December 8"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n \u2022\u00a0OVC Men\u2019s Basketball Report \u2013 December 8<\/a> (PDF)<\/p>\n

This Week\u2019s Schedule

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\nTuesday, December 9

\nCulver-Stockton at Lindenwood, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)

\nLittle Rock at West Virginia, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)<\/p>\n

Wednesday, December 10

\nEastern Kentucky at Eastern Illinois, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)

\nUT Martin at Southern Illinois, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)<\/p>\n

Saturday, December 13

\nWestern Illinois at North Dakota, 1:00 p.m. (Summit League Network)

\nBethel (Tenn.) at Tennessee Tech, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)

\nTennessee State vs. UNLV, 8:30 p.m. (Henderson, Nev.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, December 14

\nEastern Illinois at #4 Iowa State, 12:00 p.m. (ESPN+)

\nEureka College at SIUE, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)

\nSaint Xavier (Ill.) at Southeast Missouri, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)

\nChampion Christian at UT Martin, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

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\nOVC Players of the Week
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\nPLAYER
\nRing Malith, F \u2022 6-9, 180, Sr. \u2022 Twic, South Sudan \u2022 SIUE
\nMalith averaged 25.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks while hitting 56.3 percent (18-of-32) from the field, 41.7 percent (5-of-12) from 3-point range and 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the free throw line in a pair of games. The senior recorded his first career 30-point game, tallying 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting (and 9-of-11 at the free throw line) in a 72-63 win at North Florida. He sparked the Cougars to an 18-2 run to finish the game, and scored the final nine points of the contest, giving the team its third road win of the young season. He also added 10 rebounds (to net his seventh career double-double), two steals, two blocks and two assists in 32 minutes of play. He closed the week leading the Cougars with 20 points against Western Michigan. In that game he hit 8-of-15 field goals and added four assists, two rebounds and two steals. Malith currently ranks third in the OVC in field goal percentage (50.8%) and fourth in scoring (16.6 points\/game).
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\nOthers Nominated: Kooper Jacobi, Eastern Illinois; Jadis Jones, Lindenwood; Johnathan Lawson, Little Rock; Cardell Bailey, Southern Indiana; Dani Pounds, Tennessee Tech; Andrija Bukumirovic, UT Martin; Lucas Lorenzen, Western Illinois.
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\nNEWCOMER
\nDani Pounds, F \u2022 6-8, 225, Jr. \u2022 Atlanta, Ga. \u2022 Tennessee Tech
\nPounds, a transfer from Old Dominion, averaged 20.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals\/game while hitting 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from the field and 8-of-8 at the free throw line in a pair of road games. The junior had a career-high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting (and 6-of-6 free throws) as Tennessee Tech beat West Georgia 87-59, avenging a two-point loss to the Wolves from November. In that game he added seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks in just 21 minutes of action. He opened the week with 19 points (on 8-of-14 shooting), seven rebounds, two steals and a block at Lipscomb. Pounds ranks third in OVC in free throw percentage (85.0%).
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\nOthers Nominated: Meechie White, Eastern Illinois; Dontrez Williams, Lindenwood; Kachi Nzeh, Little Rock; Cardell Bailey, Southern Indiana; Lucas Lorenzen, Western Illinois.
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\nFRESHMAN
\nMatas Deniusas, F \u2022 6-9, 220, Fr. \u2022 Vilnius, Lithuania \u2022 UT Martin
\nDeniusas won the award for the fifth-straight week after leading UT Martin to a 2-0 record as they improved to 7-2 on the season. The forward averaged 20.0 points, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals\/game while hitting 42.9 percent (12-of-28) from the field and 40 percent (6-of-15) from 3-point range as UTM topped Charleston Southern and Alabama State. Deniusas scored a season-best 25 points against Charleston Southern, becoming the first Skyhawk rookie to reach that plateau since the 2011-12 season. In that game he connected on a quartet of 3-pointers and was 9-of-10 at the free throw line and added a block in 32 minutes. He capped the week with 15 points (on 6-of-12 shooting) and a pair of steals against the Hornets. Deniusas ranks seventh in the OVC in scoring (14.7).
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\nOthers Nominated: Makai Kvamme, Western Illinois.
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\n\u00a0
\nOther Notable Performances
\nBelow are other notable performances from the past week.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Jadis Jones (G, So.), Lindenwood. Guided Lions to two wins (including OVC opener at EIU) in averaging 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds\/game and hitting 68.4% (13-of-19) from the field. Had game-high 23 points at Eastern Illinois.

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\n\u2022 Johnathan Lawson (G, R-Sr.), Little Rock. Scored 33 points, the most by an OVC player this season, against rival Arkansas State. Hit 13-of-19 field goals (6-of-9 3-pointers) and added three rebounds and two steals.

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\n\u2022 Kachi Nzeh (F, Jr.), Little Rock. The Penn State transfer had 30 points, hitting 11-of-17 shots, against Arkansas State. Added five rebounds, four blocks and an assist in 38 minutes of action.

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\n\u2022 Kooper Jacobi (F, Grad.), Eastern Illinois. Had 20 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 9-of-17 shots, in OVC opener against Lindenwood.

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\n\u2022 Andrija Bukumirovic (G\/F, Jr.), UT Martin. Tallied a pair of double-doubles, including 15 points and 13 rebounds in win over Charleston Southern and 10 points and 11 rebounds in victory against Alabama State.

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\n\u2022 Cardell Bailey (G, Sr.), Southern Indiana. Scored 26 points at Western Michigan and for the week averaging 19.5 points and 4.5 rebounds\/game.

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\nNotes From Around the League

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\nOVC Overview\/This Week\u2019s Highlights: The first Conference game of the season was played on Saturday as Lindenwood overcame a halftime deficit to top Eastern Illinois … There are no League games this week, but OVC play returns the following week with eight games … There are only 11 games on the schedule this week (Morehead State and Southern Indiana do not play any games) … UT Martin won a pair of games last week to improve to 7-2 on the season; it marks just the second time in the program\u2019s 34-year NCAA Division I Era, joining the 2016-17 UT Martin squad) … UTM is the topped rank OVC team in the NET rankings, coming in at No. 139 as of Monday … Three different players reached the 30-point plateau last week, including SIUE\u2019s Ring Malith (31 at North Florida) and Little Rocks\u2019 Johnathan Lawson (33 vs. Arkansas State) and Kachi Nzeh (30 points vs. Arkansas State) … In addition to his career-high 30 points, Malith also added 10 rebounds and helped spark an 18-2 run to finish the game as the Cougars won 72-63 … USI\u2019s Ismail Habib leads all OVC players with five 20-plus point games … UTM\u2019s Andrija Bukumirovic leads the Conference with six double-digit rebounding games this season … Eastern Illinois plays its third Top 25 team of the season this week, traveling to No. 4 Iowa State; the team has also played Purdue (when they were No. 1) and Kentucky (when they were ranked No. 8) … Lindenwood\u2019s Jadis Jones had had a double-double in three of his last four games; he averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds\/game last week and for the season ranks No. 17 nationally in field goal percentage (65.8%) … Tennessee State ranks sixth nationally in steals (11.2\/game), 13th in fast break points (19.2\/game) and offensive rebounding (14.89\/game), Tennessee Tech is 17th in bench points (37.5\/game), UT Martin is 19th in 3-point defense (27.0%) and 23rd in scoring defense (65.0 points\/game allowed) and Little Rock is 24th in 3-point percentage (38.9%).

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\nAll Teams Eligible for Postseason Play: Lindenwood and Southern Indiana have completed their reclassification to Division I and are now eligible to earn to compete in NCAA sanctioned postseason play (NCAA and NIT Tournaments).

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\nRecent Postseason Success: OVC teams have won at least one national postseason game in 13 of the past 16 postseasons. Morehead State won a NCAA game in 2009, Murray State won in the NCAA Tournament in 2010, Morehead State won in the NCAA\u2019s in 2011, Murray State won in the NCAA\u2019s in 2012, Eastern Kentucky won in the CIT in 2013, Belmont (NIT) and Murray State (CIT) won games in 2014, Eastern Illinois (CIT), Eastern Kentucky (CIT), Murray State (NIT) and UT Martin (CIT) scored victories in 2015 (the four different teams to record a victory in the single postseason was an OVC record), Morehead State (CBI) and UT Martin (CIT) won in 2016, Belmont (NIT) and UT Martin (CIT) scored wins in 2017, Austin Peay (CIT) and Jacksonville State (CBI) won in 2018 and Belmont and Murray State in 2019 (NCAA) before no postseason was held in 2020. A streak of 11-straight years ended in 2021 (when only one team made the reduced postseason), but a new streak began with Murray State winning a NCAA Tournament game in 2022 and continued with Morehead State winning a NIT game in 2023.

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\nOVC Basketball Championships Set For Ford Center in Evansville For Ninth Consecutive Year: The OVC Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s Basketball Championships will be held March 4-7 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the ninth-straight season the event will be held in the building. The Ford Center, which opened in 2011, is an 11,000-seat arena located in the core of Evansville\u2019s downtown district. The 290,000-square foot facility serves as home of the University of Evansville\u2019s men\u2019s basketball team and the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The Ford Center also serves as host to numerous sporting events and concerts on an annual basis. In October 2025 an agreement was reached to extend the partnership through the 2032 Championship.

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\nOVC Tournament Championship Format: Once again the OVC Tournament will include a merit-based format. The format, which began in 2011, has the top eight men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams qualifying for the tournament. The No. 1 and 2 seeds will receive two byes to the semifinals while the No. 3 and 4 seeds will receive one bye into the quarterfinals. The first round will include the No. 5 seed against the No. 8 seed and the No. 6 seed against the No. 7 seed. The women\u2019s bracket also uses a merit-based bracket.

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\nOVC Players in the NBA: Seven former OVC players started the 2025-26 season on NBA rosters. That included three players who were drafted last year, Johni Broome (Morehead State), Will Richard (Belmont) and Taelon Peter (Tennessee Tech). In 2020 Ja Morant was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, making him one of three players from a non-Power 5 Conference to win the award since 1983-84 (joining Damian Lilliard of Weber State in 2012-13 and Larry Johnson of UNLV in 1991-92).

\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Johni Broome, Philadelphia 76ers (Morehead State)

\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Myron Gardner, Miami Heat (Little Rock)

\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Riley Minix, San Antonio Spurs (Morehead State)

\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (Murray State)

\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Taelon Peter, Indiana Pacers (Tennessee Tech)

\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Will Richard, Golden State (Belmont)

\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Ben Sheppard, Indiana Pacers (Belmont)

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\nThree in 2025 NBA Draft: Three players who played in the OVC were selected in the 2025 NBA Draft. That included Johni Broome (Morehead State\/Auburn – Philadelphia 76ers), Taelon Peter (Tennessee Tech\/Liberty – Indiana Pacers) and Will Richard (Belmont\/Florida – Golden State Warriors). It marked the first time since 1987 that three OVC players were selected in the Draft, and first time since 1971 that three players were selected in the first two rounds of the Draft.

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\nOVC to Produce Linear Television Package with ESPN: As part of its newly signed multi-year media deal with ESPN, the OVC will once again produce a national television package in 2025-26 that will include eight men\u2019s basketball games that will air on the ESPN Family of Networks. The regular season games and the men\u2019s tournament semifinals will air on ESPNU; the Men\u2019s Championship game will air on ESPN2. Each of the regular season games will be \u201cwild card selections\u201d with the matchup picked approximately two weeks ahead of the game.

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\nSelect OVC Games to Simulcast on Gray Media Stations:\u00a0 As part of the Conference\u2019s new multi-year contract with ESPN, this season select men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball games will simulcast in 20 Gray Media TV markets in five states (in addition to airing on ESPN+). That includes markets in Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, Peoria, Quincy, Rockford, Evansville, Ft. Wayne, South Bend and Lexington. Prior to each game a listing of the stations that will broadcast each game will be made available at OVCSports.com.

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\nLittle Rock Picked as OVC Preseason Favorites: In a vote of OVC head men\u2019s basketball coaches and communication directors, Little Rock was picked the preseason favorites for the 2025-26 season. It marks the second-straight year the Trojans have been tabbed the favorites. The Trojans picked up 12 of 22 first-place votes to receive 188 points. Southeast Missouri, last year\u2019s regular season champions, picked up six first-place votes and 177 points, while SIUE (163 points) and Tennessee State (135 points) each picked up a first-place point and were tabbed third and fourth respectively. Lindenwood and Morehead State (100 points) tied for fifth place, Tennessee Tech (80) was seventh, UT Martin (79) eighth and Southern Indiana (67) received the other two first-place votes and were picked ninth. The poll was rounded out by Eastern Illinois (63) and Western Illinois (57).

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\nThe Season is Here: The 2025-26 season marks the 78th of competition for the Ohio Valley Conference. Over the previous 77 years, 14 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship.

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\nESPN+\/ESPN Unlimited: The OVC signed a new multi-year media rights agreement with ESPN ahead of the season that continues the long-standing partnership to air games on the Family of Networks. This season over 200 men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball regular season Conference games and non-conference games will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $11.99 a month (or $119.99 per year). For the first time ever, ESPN now offers its full suite of 12 networks and services directly to fans within an enhanced ESPN App that integrates game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, commerce, multiview options, a synchronized two-screen experience, a vertical video feature called Verts and a personalized SportsCenter For You. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, these new features and functionality are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a special offer at launch for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99\/month for the first 12 months.

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