CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content
OVC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Little Rock
- Western Illinois
- SIUE
- Tennessee State
- Morehead State
- Eastern Illinois
- SEMO
- Southern Indiana
- Lindenwood
- UT Martin
- Tennessee Tech
MEDIA DAY OVC PLAYERS TO WATCH:
-EASTERN ILLINOIS -SR, G Nakyel Shelton, SR, F Kooper Jacobi
-LINDENWOOD – SR, G Markeith Browning II, JR, G/F Jeremiah Talton
-LITTLE ROCK – SR, G KK Robinson, SR, G Jordan Jefferson
-MOREHEAD STATE – SR, F Dieonte Miles, SO, G Trent Scott
-SEMO – SR, G Teddy Washington Jr., Jr, G Rob Martin
-SIUE – SR, G Ray’Sean Taylor, SR, G Desmond Polk
-SOUTHERN INDIANA – SO, F Stephen Olowoniyi, JR, G Jayland Randall
-TENNESSEE STATE – SR, F Ahmir Langlais, JR, G Justus Jackson
-TENNESSEE TECH – JR, F Daniel Egbuniwe, SR, F Rodney Johnson Jr.
-UT MARTIN – SR, F Vladimer Salaridze, JR, G Josue’ Grullon
-WESTERN ILLINOIS – SR, G Ryan Myers, SR, G Sean Smith
.
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Little Rock finished in a tie for 1st place last year and won 13 of their final 14 before losing to Morehead State in the OVC Championship game. KK Robison/Makhel Mitchell return to the roster, both of whom were big time contributors and likely will be again this year. Isaiah Lewis transfers in after having a big year at Murray State last year and will be a big piece for the Trojans as well. Little Rock is the preseason favorites because, quite frankly, no one else has as many talented players as they do. They look to be the hands down favorite to me.
No one else is really all that close to Little Rock. They will likely sprint away from the rest of the conference.
-Western Illinois has just one starter back from last year’s 21-win team. Ryan Myers is a solid player and a very good outside shooter, but some of the new guys are going to have to step up in order for this team to have success. They do have some players who were standouts in the JUCO ranks, so the cupboard is not completely bare.
-I like Brian Barone as a coach. Having said that, while he has certainly had some success at SIUE, he has not had quite as much as I thought he would over the last two years. Just one starter is back so the Cougars are in a rebuilding mode. Much of their roster is made up of guys with limited D-1 minutes along with some JUCO and NAIA transfers, so it is hard to tell what kind of team they will have this year.
-Tennessee State is having to replace their entire starting lineup. In fact pretty much the entire team is brand new as just one player returns. They did hit the portal and have a few guys with a decent amount of D-1 experience, but no one that really jumps off the page. Several standout players from lower divisions also join the squad. They are picked 4th in the preseason, which is not bad, but it is really hard to say how good they will be with so many new pieces.
-Morehead State has won 20+ games for each of the last four years and played in two NCAA Tournaments during that stretch. Having said that, Preston Spradlin (who was the head coach during that run) has departed for James Madison, and Morehead State’s roster has been overhauled. Dieonte Miles is the only returning starter and he averaged just 5ppg last year. Kade Ruegsegger was a standout player at the NAIA level last year, but other than that they just do not have any prolific or experienced players. Johnny Mattox takes over as head coach and he may have a difficult rebuilding project in front of him.
-Eastern Illinois just cannot seem to get it going. They won just 10 D-1 games last year, and while they do have three starters returning and perhaps have more experience than most of the teams in the league, the expectations still are not all that high. Kooper Jacobi gives them some strength at the forward position, and Nakyel Shelton was also a double-digit scorer last year, so their experience could help them get a few more wins this year.
-After making the NCAA Tournament two years ago, SEMO won just 9 total games last year and was an abysmal 4-14 in conference play. They do not seem to be all that improved this year, so I am a little surprised they are picked to finish as high as they are.
-Both Southern Indiana and Lindenwood are entering their 3rd year of the 4 year transition to D-1. The transition process is painful, especially in the second and third years. It is that period of time when all of their key players from before are gone, and it is hard to replace them because they are still on a postseason ban. Neither team won 10 games a year ago, and in looking at them both this year it is hard to picture them finishing very high in the standings.
-UT Martin finished in a tie for 1st place last year. This year, almost NO ONE is back. They have a new head coach in Jeremy Shulman, and rather than go into the portal he opted to sign 8 JUCO players. Many were solid contributors at the JUCO level, and I think they will do okay at the D-1 level. I do not think they will win the league, but I like them to finish a lot higher than this.
-Tennessee Tech is just bad. I do not quite understand why they are as bad as they are. John Pelphrey appeared to be a solid hire when he first arrived at Tennessee Tech, but in all five seasons he has been there they have been awful. They have so-so players that seem to play worse than what you would expect. They’re picked to finish last this year, and I agree. That is probably where they will finish.