Ohio Valley Conference

Thursday, Jan. 8
*Jacksonville State at Eastern Kentucky, 6:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*Tennessee Tech at Morehead State, 6:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
* Tennessee State at Murray State, 7:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*Austin Peay at UT Martin, 7:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
Saint Xavier at SIU Edwardsville, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 10
*Austin Peay at Murray State, 2:00 p.m. (TV: ESPNU)
*Jacksonville State at Morehead State, 3:15 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*Tennessee State at UT Martin, 6:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*Tennessee Tech at Eastern Kentucky, 6:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*Eastern Illinois at Southeast Missouri, 7:45 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

CO-PLAYER
Lester Hudson, G ? Sr., 6-2, x ? Memphis, Tenn. ? UT Martin
Hudson scored a career-high 41 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Skyhawks 84-65 road victory over Central Arkansas. Hudson hit 14-of-29 (48.2%) shots, 5-of-10 (50%) from 3-point range and 8-of-9 (88.8%) from the free throw line to spark UT Martin to its fifth straight victory (four of which came away from home). Hudson scored 19 points in the first half, including nine of the team’s first 11 points. It marked the first time he had scored 40 points in a game in his career. It marks the third straight week and fourth time this season Hudson has earned Player of the Week honors. He has won the award eight times over the past two years.

Others Nominated: Wes Channels, Austin Peay; Tyler Laser, Eastern Illinois; Mike Rose, Eastern Kentucky; Danero Thomas, Murray State; Calvin Williams, Southeast Missouri; Will Barnes, Tennessee Tech.

NEWCOMER
T.J. Marion, G ? Jr., 6-4, 195 ? Aurora, Ill. ? Eastern Illinois
Marion scored in double figures in both Eastern Illinois wins last week as the Panthers topped Missouri Valley College at home and went on the road to beat Jacksonville State in OVC play. Marion averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game while hitting 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from the floor and 87.5 percent (7-of-8) from the free throw line. He scored 15 points and matched his season-high with seven assists in the road win over JSU; he also pulled down six rebounds in that game. Against Missouri Valley, Marion had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. It marks the third time this season he has earned Newcomer of the Week honors.

Others Nominated: Robert Murry, Morehead State; Delrico Lane, UT Martin.

FRESHMAN
Parker Smith, G ? Fr., 6-3, 165 ? Gainesville, Ga. ? Tennessee State
Smith scored a career-high 26 points to lead Tennessee State to a 69-63 OVC victory over Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. He hit 7-of-10 from the floor, 6-of-9 from behind the arc and 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the victory. He also scored seven points in a five-point loss at Georgia Tech and averaged 16.5 points for the two games.

Others Nominated: Anthony Campbell, Austin Peay; Brandon Crawford, Jacksonville State.

Notes From Around the League

OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: OVC play continues on Monday night as the team’s are in the midst of a set of Conference games to open the New Year...After three games (for most teams), Morehead State is on top of the league with a perfect 3-0 record...The Eagles topped Austin Peay on Saturday, handing the Governors their first loss of the OVC season...Preseason favorite Murray State will play at preseason No. 2 UT Martin on Monday night; Murray State is 1-1 while UTM is 0-2 and looking for its first Conference win of the season...UTM’s Lester Hudson now ranks third nationally in scoring (25.8) and is coming off a career-high 41 points in his last game...Morehead State sophomore center Kenneth Faried ranks seventh nationally in rebounding (11.9) while his eight double-doubles through 14 games this year is sixth-most among Division I players...This week will be a busy week for OVC teams, as most squads will play three Conference games in a six-day time span.

Hudson Only Player to Score 20 or More Points in Every Game This Season: OVC Preseason Player of the Year Lester Hudson is the only player nationally to score 20 or more points in every game this season. Hudson has reached that plateau in all 12 UTM games. His season high is 41 points at Central Arkansas and his season-low is 20 points against Tennessee and USC. Hudson enters this week ranked third nationally in scoring (25.8 points/game).

Morehead State’s Faried Has Second Best Rebounding Game of the Season Nationally: Morehead State’s Kenneth Faried grabbed a career-high 24 rebounds against Florida A&M on Nov. 23. So far this season that performance ranks as the second most rebounds by one player in a game at the Division I level. It trails only a 25-rebound performance by Chris Gadley of Canisius. Faried has also had two 17-rebound performances in 2008-09. Faried is averaging 11.9 rebounds per game this season, which ranks sixth nationally (he is averaging 13.7 rebounds per game in 3 OVC contests this season).

Faried Ranks Among Nation’s Leaders on Double-Doubles: Morehead State sophomore center Kenneth Faried has eight double-doubles through 14 games this season. That currently ranks as the sixth-most nationally as of Jan. 5. The nation’s leader is Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin and he is followed by Santa Clara’s John Bryant (10), Arizona’s Jordan Hill (10), Pitt’s DeJuan Blair (9) and Kentucky Patrick Patterson (9). Faried is one of four players with eight double-doubles at this point of the season.

Moving up the Coaching Victory Chart: Austin Peay head coach Dave Loos now has 301 career victories while in the OVC, a mark that ranks second in league history. He is just 18 wins shy of Cal Luther (319 wins at Murray State and UT Martin) for the all-time mark. He is by far the active leader in the category as well, as only two other current OVC coaches - UT Martin’s Bret Campbell and Tennessee Tech’s Mike Sutton have reached the 100-win plateau at their respective OVC schools.

UT Martin’s Hudson Candidate for Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award: Lester Hudson, a 6-2, 190-pound guard at The University of Tennessee at Martin was one of 30 senior male NCAA college basketball players announced as a candidate for the 2008-09 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, presented annually to an NCAA Division I student-athlete. Based on criteria focusing on the "Four C’s" of classroom, character, community and competition, the award winners will be selected by national balloting of head basketball coaches, national media and college basketball fans. Lowe’s, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, will present the winners with trophies during the weekends of the respective NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings. The list of 2008-09 basketball candidates includes a range of universities and conferences across the country. From each of the two lists of 30 nominees, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in February 2009. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote.

Loos Named to Division I Men’s Basketball Issues Committee: Dave Loos, Austin Peay State University’s athletics director and head men’s basketball coach, has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Issues Committee. Loos will fill the unexpired term of Delaware State’s Rick Costello. His appointment begins immediately and runs through Sept. 1, 2012. Loos currently is in his 19th season as Austin Peay head coach and is the only Division I basketball coach serving as the university’s athletics director?Loos is in his 12th as APSU’s athletics director. The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Issues Committee is charged with oversight of all issues pertaining to NCAA Division I men's basketball. The committee works closely with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on legislation and other issues, as well as the National Basketball Association and USA Basketball. The committee's primary duties are to ensure the appropriate oversight of the sport, with an emphasis on recruiting activities and to enhance the development and public perception of the sport. The committee also makes policy recommendations per topics unrelated to legislative and playing rules issues.

Hudson Named to Early Season Naismith Watch List: UT Martin senior guard Lester Hudson was one of 50 players on the Naismith Trophy Early Season Watch List as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2008-09 college basketball season. The watch list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in February, 2009. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Detroit, Mich. In February, the Naismith Trophy voting academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, will narrow its early season list to the Top 30 players in the nation. Those players, and others who distinguish themselves throughout the season, will be eligible for the final ballot in March.

Former TTU Point Guard Named Head Coach of NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers: Tony DiLeo, the starting point guard for the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles during two years in the mid 70s, has been named head coach of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. DiLeo played at Tech as a freshman in the 1973-74 season, and as a sophomore in 1974-75, both under head coach Connie Inman. He transferred to LaSalle in his hometown of Philadelphia for his final two seasons. Playing in 50 games for the Golden Eagles, DiLeo dished out 272 assists, which ranked as the second-most in school history, only eight behind Wayne Pack¹s school record. More than 30 years later, DiLeo’s total still ranks 14th in the career record book. DiLeo, currently the team’s Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager, will remain in the position through the end of the 2008-09 season. DiLeo is in his 19th season with the Sixers organization and his fifth as the team’s Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager.

Hudson Named to John R. Wooden Award Watch List: Lester Hudson, a senior guard at The University of Tennessee at Martin, is one of 50 preseason candidates for the 2008-09 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year trophy. The list of candidates for the Wooden Award is composed of 50 student-athletes who, based on last year’s individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor. Among the other candidates for the Wood Award are Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, last year’s Wooden Award winner; Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody; and Davidson guard Stephen Curry. In all, 42 schools and 13 conferences are represented on the Wooden Award Pre-Season list. Leading the way is the Big East with 12 candidates. Hudson is the only candidate for the award from the Ohio Valley Conference. In mid-January, the Wooden Award Committee will release the Midseason Top 30 list, followed in March by the national ballot, consisting of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round during the NCAA Tournament. Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his university that he is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird (1979), Michael Jordan (1984), Tim Duncan (1997) and 2007 recipient Kevin Durant of Texas.

Hudson and Robinson Earn Preseason Recognition From CollegeInsider.com: UT Martin senior guard Lester Hudson and Tennessee State sophomore guard Gerald Robinson earned preseason All-American honors from CollegeInsider.com. Hudson was named to the 16-player All-American team while Robinson was one of 25 players named to the Mid-Major All-American squad. Both Division I coaches and NBA scouts were part of the selection process along with the CollegeInsider.com staff. Hudson was one of just 16 selections to the All-America team, which included the likes of North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough, Davidson’s Stephen Curry and Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson. Robinson was one of 25 selections to the Mid-Major All-American Team.

Hudson Named to CollegeHoops.net Preseason Mid-Major All-America Team: UT Martin senior guard Lester Hudson was named to CollegeHoops.net First-Team Mid-Major All-America squad. Hudson joins Davidson’s Stephen Curry; Saint Mary’s Patrick Mills; Butler’s Matt Howard and Saint Mary’s Diamon Simpson on the first-team.

The 2008-09 Season: The 2008-09 season marks the 61st of competition for the Ohio Valley Conference. Over the previous 60 years, 11 different teams have claimed an OVC regular season championship, including three different schools in the past four years.

Murray State Picked as Preseason Favorite: In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men’s basketball coaches and sports information directors, Murray State was picked as the 2008-09 preseason favorite in the 10-team league. The Racers, who received 11 of 20 first-place votes, finished second in the OVC last season (13-7) and return nine players and four starters from the team. It marks the 12th time in the last 20 years that Murray State has been picked the preseason favorite and the first time since the 2005-06 season. Murray State totaled 149 points and was closely followed by UT Martin who received six first-place votes (142 points). It marks the highest preseason ranking the Skyhawks have received since joining the OVC in 1992. Previously UTM had been picked no higher than sixth in the preseason predictions (four different times). Defending champion Austin Peay received two first-place votes and was tabbed third (129 points) while Morehead State received one first-place vote and was picked fourth (118), its highest preseason selection since 2003-04. Tennessee State was picked fifth (108), followed by Tennessee Tech (77), Eastern Kentucky (59), Southeast Missouri State (57), Eastern Illinois (35) and Jacksonville State (26).

UT Martin’s Hudson Tabbed as Preseason Player of the Year: The 2008-09 All-OVC Preseason Men’s Basketball team was headlined by UT Martin senior guard Lester Hudson, the 2007-08 OVC Player of the Year. Hudson was tabbed a nearly unanimous Preseason Player of the Year after earning the award at the end of last season. Overall seven different schools were represented on the team with Morehead State, Tennessee State and UT Martin each placing two individuals on the team. The team included six seniors, a junior and three sophomores while featuring three repeat selections from last year’s All-OVC squads. Hudson finished last year ranked in the Top 10 nationally in each points per game (25.7 - 4th), steals (2.8 - 4th) and 3-pointers made per game (3.8 - 10th). He also became the first Division I men’s basketball player to record a quadruple-double in a game. Hudson was joined by two other players who were selections on the 2007-08 All-OVC team - Austin Peay forward Drake Reed (the 2006-07 OVC Player of the Year and last year’s preseason Player of the Year) and Eastern Kentucky guard Mike Rose. Reed averaged 14.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season while leading APSU to the OVC regular season and tournament championships. Rose led EKU with 15.3 points per game while also adding 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game. All five individuals who were named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team last season made this year’s preseason team. That includes Hudson, his UT Martin teammate Marquis Weddle (17.1 ppg, 99 made 3-pointers), Morehead State’s Leon Buchanan (13.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 53.5 FG%) and Kenneth Faried (10.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 51.6 FG%) and Tennessee State’s Gerald Robinson (15.2 ppg, 60 made 3-pointers). Rounding out the Preseason All-OVC team was Tennessee State’s Jerrell Houston (11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), Tennessee Tech’s Daniel Northern (12.8 ppg, OVC-best 9.3 rebounds per game and OVC-best 2.8 blocks per game) and Murray State’s Danero Thomas (12.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg).

Preseason Predictions: Is being picked the preseason favorite, always a good thing? Over the past 29 years of preseason polls that were available, the league’s head coaches and sports information directors correctly pick the eventual OVC regular season champion 62 percent of the time, picking the correct winner 18 times over the last 29 years. Over the past nine years, the preseason poll has correctly picked the winner every other year. Last season the poll correctly picked Austin Peay to claim the championship.

A New Face: Jacksonville State’s James Green is the lone new coach in the OVC last year, as he takes over the Gamecock program after previously coaching at Mississippi Valley State.

SIU Edwardsville Joins the OVC: On July 1 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville became the 11th member of the Ohio Valley Conference. SIU Edwardsville, who is in the reclassification process to Division I, will begin regular season competition in the OVC during the 2011-12 academic year and will be eligible for postseason competition in 2012-13. The exception is the SIUE softball program, which will be eligible for both regular season and tournament competition in 2010-11; the softball program was the department’s women’s sport designee to be fast-tracked to Division I, making it eligible to compete at Division I prior to other SIUE sports. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Ill., which is just northeast of St. Louis (the 18th largest media market in the United States.

Replay Systems for OVC Basketball Venues Enter Year Two: On Dec. 21, 2007, the Ohio Valley Conference mandated the use of courtside replay systems at all OVC basketball venues. The systems were put into place in January and used through the remainder of the 2007-08 season. They are in effect once again in 2008-09. The systems are used in situations that are outlined by NCAA rules.

OVC Players in the Pros: As of September 2008, there was one former Ohio Valley Conference player on an NBA roster - Austin Peay’s Trenton Hassell. Hassell will enter his eighth season in the NBA and second with the New Jersey Nets. He also played with the Chicago Bulls (who drafted him 30th overall in the 2001 Draft and where he played two seasons), Minnesota Timberwolves (four seasons) and Dallas Mavericks (37 games in 2007-08). During his 539-game career he has averaged 6.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while hitting 44.7 percent of his field goal attempts.

A Look Back to 2007-08: For the second consecutive year the Austin Peay Governors claimed the OVC Regular Season Championship but this time around the team completed the sweep and also claimed the tournament crown. After losing in the Tournament Championship Game on a last-second shot in 2007, Austin Peay finished the job and topped Tennessee State 74-54 to claim their fifth OVC Tournament Championship. APSU would go on to play No. 2 seed Texas in the NCAA Tournament, falling to the Longhorns in the game played in Little Rock, Ark. Over the past two seasons the Govs have compiled a 32-8 OVC record. UT Martin guard Lester Hudson was named an All-American by several outlets after having an outstanding year. Hudson became the first Division I men’s player to record a quadruple-double in a game when he had 25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals in a win over Central Baptist College. He also broke the OVC single-season record for 3-pointers made (124) in a season and finished in the Top 100 nationally in each points, rebounds, assists, steals and 3-pointers made/game - the only Division I player to accomplish that feat. He declared for the NBA Draft but decided to return to school following pre-draft workouts. Hudson’s teammate Marquis Weddle was named to OVC Freshman of the Year while Morehead State’s Donnie Tyndall took home Coach of the Year honors.

OVCSports.TV: For the third consecutive year, fans can watch nearly ever Conference matchup and all non-conference home contests this season at OVCSports.TV. The venture with JumpTV Sports allows fans to access live and on-demand streaming video and audio of conference matchups (excluding only national television games which are not available) on their home computer. The premium Web site was launched in July 2006 and has streamed nearly 1,000 events in its first two years, including all Conference matchups in football and men’s and women’s basketball as well as select baseball, soccer, softball and volleyball games and OVC Championship events. Packages are available on a yearly, seasonal, monthly or per-event basis.

ESPNU BracketBusters: In its seventh year, ESPNU BracketBusters is an ESPN television property that was tremendously successful with its first six events in February of 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. The event has allowed Division I conferences to participate in a cutting-edge format that involves "wild card" pairings from the pool of participating teams, with half of the ESPNU BracketBusters teams pre-designated as "home" and the remaining half as "road" teams. For the fourth straight year, all 10 Ohio Valley Conference schools will participate in the ESPNU BracketBusters series. Five schools will host games this season while the other five will go on the road. Austin Peay has competed in the most BracketBusters games (5) while UT Martin is the only team with a perfect record in the event (3-0).

Team Notes

Austin Peay: Austin Peay split a pair of games last week, winning in non-conference action against Oakland City and losing its 2009 OVC debut at home to Morehead State...After winning both of its OVC games on the road in 2008, the Govs were topped by the Eagles, who are now alone in first place in the league (3-0)...Junior Wes Channels supplied the offense for APSU, pouring in a career-high 30 points as he connected on 6-of-11 3-point attempts (the six makes matched a career-high)...He was 3-of-4 from 3-point range against Oakland City and for the week averaged 21.5 points and 4.0 assists...The OVC loss at home marked the first for the team since the 2006-07 season finale when Morehead topped the Govs...Freshman Anthony Campbell came off the bench against Morehead to score a career-high 16 points, knocking down 6-of-8 field goal attempts (and 3-of-4 from 3-point range)...Overall Austin Peay has lost five of its last six games, including losses to nationally-ranked Louisville, Arkansas, Stephen F. Austin and Belmont...APSU returns to action on Monday night when the team hosts Eastern Kentucky...The week also includes games at UT Martin and Murray State this coming weekend.

Eastern Illinois: Eastern Illinois won both of its games last week, topping Missouri Valley College in non-conference action and then went on the road to best Jacksonville State and improve to 2-1 in OVC play...After back-to-back losses to Chicago State and Bowling Green, the Panthers snapped its losing streak by shooting a combined 45.3 percent from the field and out-rebounding its opponents 89-57 (+16)...Junior T.J. Marion was named OVC Newcomer of the Week for the third time this season after averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in the two contests; he scored 15 points and had a season-high seven assists in the win over Jax State...Sophomore guard Tyler Laser averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game last week; he had a season-high 22 in the win over JSU, including hitting 9-of-9 from the free throw line as EIU prevented a late Gamecock rally...Ousmane Cisse added his first double-double of the season against JSU, netting 12 points and 10 rebounds; he averaged 9.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in last week’s games...Romain Martin averaged 20.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last week, as he scored 28 in the win over MVC...Eastern Illinois will look to improve to 3-1 in OVC play on Monday night when the Panthers visit Tennessee Tech...The team will also play at Southeast Missouri State on Saturday night.

Eastern Kentucky: After a layoff that saw the Colonels not play for 11 days between games, Eastern Kentucky returned to action on Saturday night and suffered a 69-63 defeat at Tennessee State to fall to 1-2 in OVC play...That followed a disappointing home loss to Indiana-Northwest prior to the holiday break and stretched EKU’s losing streak to three games overall dating back to Dec. 20...Senior Mike Rose did all he could to help the Colonels against TSU, as he scored 31 points (two off his career-high) on 11-of-20 (55%) field goal shooting...Rose hit 5-of-10 (50%) from 3-point range and added five rebounds, three assists and a steal...Rose currently ranks second in the OVC in scoring (20.4 points/game); the last EKU player to average 20 or more points per game in a season was Antonio Parris (20.5 points in the 1986-87 season)...Over its last two games the Colonels are just 15-of-31 (48.8%) from the free throw line...Eastern ranks fourth nationally in 3-pointers made per game (10.4), 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.45) and third in turnovers (10.7/game...EKU will look to rebound and break its losing streak on Monday night at Austin Peay; the Colonels will then return home for two games this coming weekend, hosting Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech.

Jacksonville State: Jacksonville State began last week by topping Berry College 98-49 and then saw its home winning streak come to an end as the team suffered its first home defeat of the year, falling 78-69 to Eastern Illinois in a game televised on ESPNU...Jonathan Toles led the way for JSU with a 14.5 points/game average; he was one of four Gamecocks to average double figures for the week...Freshman Brandon Crawford earned his first career start in the two JSU games last week...He netted 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting against Berry, making him one of five Gamecocks to score in double figures; he also pulled down six rebounds and had two steals...He followed that up with 10 points against EIU, despite playing just 25 minutes due to foul trouble...Jax State will look to rebound on Monday night when they host Southeast Missouri...The Gamecocks will then hit the road to play at Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State this weekend.

Morehead State: Morehead State went on the road and won twice last week, extending its winning streak to three games overall...Since losing its first six games of the season, the Eagles are 6-2 in their last eight games, only losing games to Illinois State (who is undefeated on the season) and James Madison...The team is now 3-0 in the OVC and are the only remaining undefeated team in Conference play...Sophomore center Kenneth Faried continued his early season dominance, averaging 15.5 points and 17.0 rebounds in the two games and earning OVC Co-Player of the Week honors; Faried had seven points and 17 rebounds at East Tennessee State and added 24 points and 17 boards in a win at Austin Peay...Faried now has eight double-doubles this season, which ranks sixth nationally; his 11.9 rebounds a contest ranks seventh nationally...Junior Robert Murry averaged 9.5 points and 2.5 steals per game while hitting 50 percent (7-of-14) from the field last week...Maze Stallworth averaged 22.5 points in the two wins last week; he scored 22 at ETSU and 23 against Austin Peay...Morehead shot the ball well in its road games last week, hitting 52-of-59 attempts (88.1%)...Morehead State finishes its road trip on Monday night at Tennessee State and will return home to host Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State this weekend.

Murray State: Murray State played once last week, traveling to Chattanooga to battle Niagara in the UTC Dr. Pepper Classic; the Racers had a 12-point lead three minutes into the second half but ended up losing 80-71...Murray State put four players in double figures with Danero Thomas’ 18 points leading the way; Thomas also had four rebounds and three steals...Murray State will end an eight-game stretch playing away from home on Monday night when they play at UT Martin...The Racers have not played a home game since topping St. Catharine 76-66 on Nov. 29; since then they have played at Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State, at Missouri, three games at the San Juan Shootout, and Niagara in Chattanooga...Following the UTM game, the Racers will return to the Regional Special Events Center to host Tennessee State and Austin Peay this weekend; the Austin Peay game will be televised on ESPNU...It will be the first home game in 40 days.

Southeast Missouri: Southeast Missouri dropped games against SIU Edwardsville and at Tennessee Tech last week...The Redhawks have now lost three games in a row and eight of nine overall...In a Dec. 31 game with future OVC foe SIU Edwardsville, Southeast Missouri had an early lead before falling behind by 13 points in the second half; but the team outscored the Cougars 18-5 over the next five minutes to tie the game...SEMO would build as big as a four-point lead with 1:14 to play before SIUE would hit a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left that proved to be the game-winner...Calvin Williams continued his good play for the Redhawks, averaging 23.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game last week...Williams had 22 points and nine rebounds against SIUE and 24 points and 11 rebounds at Tennessee Tech...Southeast Missouri will finish its road trip on Monday when the team plays at Jacksonville State...The team wraps up the week by hosting Eastern Illinois on Saturday.

SIU Edwardsville: SIU Edwardsville continued its month-long road trip last week by losing at No. 25 Missouri and then beating UMKC and Southeast Missouri on the road and finishing the week with a road loss at Iowa State...Against UMKC, SIU shot 66 percent from the field and Aaron Garriott scored 24 points off the bench to spark the victory...At future OVC foe Southeast Missouri, Aamir McCleary hit an off-balance 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left to give the team a 70-69 victory...Prior to the 3-pointer, the team had missed a pair of free throws with eight seconds left, but the second miss was rebounded by Mark Yelovich who deflected it to McCleary for the game-winning shot...McCleary added 16 points and eight rebounds at Iowa State in a loss to the Cyclones...SIU Edwardsville will play its first home game since Dec. 4 when it hosts Saint Xavier on Thursday night.

Tennessee State: Tennessee State snapped a five-game losing streak on Saturday night, topping Eastern Kentucky to improve to 2-1 in OVC play...The game marked the first home contest for the team since losing to Belmont on Dec. 1; since then the Tigers had played seven straight road games, including losing by five points at Georgia Tech earlier in the week...Parker Smith scored a career-high 26 points in the victory, hitting 7-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-9 from 3-point range; Smith added seven points in the loss at Georgia Tech and was named OVC Freshman of the Week for the first time this week...Junior transfer Jeremiah Crutcher dished out a career-high 11 assists in the victory over EKU...Jerrell Houston added 18 points and seven rebounds while Gerald Robinson scored 10...TSU shot 55.1 percent from the field for the game...Tennessee State will host Morehead State on Monday night and then travel to Murray State and UT Martin this weekend.

Tennessee Tech: Tennessee Tech opened the week by traveling to Louisiana-Monroe (a team the Golden Eagles had played at home earlier this season) and finished the week by hosting Southeast Missouri in OVC play...At ULM, Will Barnes scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting and DJ Lindsay added 13 points but Tech came up short, 85-78...Barnes followed that effort with 18 points in a 103-76 victory over Southeast Missouri on Saturday...For the week Barnes averaged 22.5 points, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game while hitting 7-of-10 (70%) from 3-point range...Frank Davis was 6-of-10 from 3-point range and added 18 points and six assists while Daniel Northern had 17 points and seven boards...Tech scored 103 points in the win, marking the 26th time they had won an OVC contest by hitting the century mark...The Golden Eagles had 34 assists (on 41 made baskets) in the game, marking the second most assists in a game in the school’s history...Tennessee Tech returns to action on Monday night when they host Eastern Illinois...Later in the week Tech will battle Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky on the road.

UT Martin: UT Martin continued its hot play, winning its fifth straight game last week, topping Central Arkansas 84-65 on the road...During the five-game win streak the Skyhawks have won one game at home, three in true road venues and one at a neutral site...Senior guard Lester Hudson was named OVC Co-Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 41 points in the win over UCA...Hudson hit 14-of-29 (48.2%) from the field, 5-of-10 (50%) from 3-point range and also added 10 rebounds...It marked only the fourth time in school history that a player had scored 40 or more points in a game...Hudson earned his third straight OVC Player of the Week honor; it was the fourth time overall this season he has won the award and the eighth time in his two-year career he has been bestowed the honor...Hudson currently ranks third nationally in scoring (25.8)...The Skyhawks return to OVC action on Monday night, looking for their first Conference victory of the season after starting the year 0-2 with road losses at Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State...Monday the opponent is preseason favorite Murray State...The home stand continues later in the week with home games against Austin Peay and Tennessee State.