OVC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Little Rock
- SEMO
- SIUE
- Tennessee State
- Lindenwood (tied 5th)
- Morehead State (tied 5th)
- Tennessee Tech
- UT Martin
- Southern Indiana
- Eastern Illinois
- Western Illinois
MEDIA DAY RETURNING ALL-OVC TEAM:
-Jadis Jones – SO, G – Lindenwood
-Johnathan Lawson – SR, G – Little Rock
-Tuongthach Gatkek – SR, F – Little Rock
-Brendan Terry – SR, F – SEMO
-Aaron Nkrumah – SR, G – Tennessee State
NOTES FROM DAVID:
-The OVC used to be one of the top Under the Radar Conferences. Now, more often than not, it seems to land on the #16 line, and with Little Rock and Tennessee Tech departing after this season the conference is once again being plagued by realignment and the future look of it is unknown.
-Little Rock looked to be not just the favorites last year, but the favorites by a large margin, so it was a little surprising when they finished just 12-8 in conference play. They are once again the preseason favorites this year, and while they certainly do have some solid players returning in the likes of Jonathan Lawson and Tuongthach Gatkek, as well as some exciting new additions from JUCO and some solid-looking freshmen, the question is: can it come together better than it did a year ago?
-I think SEMO is the best team in the league and is in the best position to end up seeded better than 16th if they were to win the conference and make the NCAA Tournament. They were the 1st-place team a year ago and after a bit of a rocky start they won 11 out of 12 before losing in the OVC Championship game. With three starters back from that team including Brendan Terry (who is one of the best players in the conference), I think they can build on that success and be even better this year. They also add Luke Almodovar, who averaged over 20ppg and was a phenomenal outside shooter in the NAIA last year, and he should be another guy that can contribute. I just do not understand how this team was not the preseason favorite. But…whatever. None of this preseason stuff really matters anyway.
-SIUE has been an amazing story since transitioning to D-1, and Coach Brian Barone has done an incredible job. They won 22 games a year ago, including winning the OVC Tournament and advancing to their first-ever NCAA Tournament. Ring Malith returns, and he is a solid frontcourt player who can both score and rebound. CJ Hall, who was a standout player at the NAIA level, should be a really nice addition to the roster as well, and Dehrio McCaskill, who had a great year as a freshman, is also back. I like this team. A lot. I think they are well-coached and have the pieces they need to once again be a contender.
-Tennessee State returns three starters from a team that was playing well down the stretch last year, so there is reason for optimism. Aaron Nkrumah, Carlous Williams, and Travis Harper all averaged double-figures a year ago and were good all-around players, so they do have some experience.
-Lindenwood is coming off their most successful season since transitioning up to D-1 and are now eligible for the postseason this year. The problem is they will have a very hard time getting to the postseason. Two starters are back including Jadis Jones (who had a really solid season as a freshman last year), but as far as the rest of the roster, a lot of guys will have to step into bigger roles in order for them to be successful.
-For the second year in a row Morehead State is having to replace almost their entire roster. They are coming off just a 15-win season after winning 20+ for the previous four years and are turning to the transfer portal to try and find guys who who can come in and contribute. Tamaury Releford (West Georgia) and Jacob Wilson (UL Monroe) were both contributing players at the D-1 level a year ago and they have some others that were standout players from JUCO and D2. Right now I would say here are more questions than answers as far as what kind of season they are going to have.
-Tennessee Tech just cannot seem to get it going. Coach John Pelphrey had a lot of success in his career prior to taking over the Golden Eagles program, but has not done anything of note at Tennessee Tech. This year, the expectations are once again low. While they do have some guys transferring in who were standouts at the JUCO level, they do not appear to have anyone that has actually proven themselves as a solid D-1 player.
-UT Martin was a modest 9-11 last year and barely snuck into the conference tournament. They do have three starters back, and that experience should result in some improvement, but the expectations are not high.
-Southern Indiana being picked 9th is one of the biggest head-scratchers of all time. They had a rough year last year, but they have overhauled the roster for this year. The low expectations are probably due to how poor their last two seasons have been, but I actually like some of their pieces this year. Trey Thomas comes in from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and while his team was not good last year, he as a player was fantastic and he will make an immediate impact for the Screaming Eagles. Ahamad Bynum was also a very solid player at UTEP last year, and Ismal Habib comes in after putting up some decent numbers at Portland State. Southern Indiana is not my pick to win the league, but I think they can finish in the top-three or four. They are certainly a hell of a lot better than 9th. Thomas will likely end up being one of the better players in the conference. I guess whoever voted in this poll did not catch much of the SWAC last year. Which, I guess is understandable. (***Writer’s Note*** since writing this I have learned that Ahamad Bynum left the team this summer)
-Eastern Illinois just cannot seem to get anything going. It has been a while since they had a winning season, and all signs are pointing to it not happening again this year. Only four players return from last year’s roster, and while two of them were starters and solid players (Kooper Jacobi and Zion Fruster), the rest of the roster is unproven.
-When Western Illinois joined the OVC, I thought it was a good move for them and that they would quickly become one of the better programs in the league. So naturally they have been picked to finish last this year. No starters return from a team that was not that good a year ago, and they are not being replaced by anyone who appears to be a proven contributor at the D-1 level.
