Spring Break
Column: League needs consistency
Kevin Murphy / Sports Editor
Issue date: 1/15/09 Section: Sports
Granted, it is only January and about five games into the conference season, but so far the Ohio Valley Conference looks weak in men's basketball.
There are great players across the league like Tennessee Martin's Lester Hudson (NBA-caliber), Austin Peay's Drake Reed, Eastern Kentucky's Mike Rose and Morehead State's Kenneth Faried.
But the problem is that OVC teams have yet to put together some consistent wins like the rest of the men's basketball teams across the country.
And while coaches may say the league is parallel, it really means there are many average-to-weak teams in the league.
One way to measure a league is by its non-conference wins.
But, the OVC struggled through the non-conference season again.
There were highlights.
The Jacksonville State men's basketball team started out on a hot streak.
They posted wins against the Big South leader - Virginia Military Institute and Massachusetts - a team that beat defending national champion Kansas.
But then the Gamecocks dropped their next two conference games.
Tennessee Martin posted a win against Middle Tennessee State.
Austin Peay beat Belmont, an NCAA Tournament participant for the last three years, and Belmot almost beat Duke in the first round last season. However, the Govs also lost to College Basketball Invitational participant Ohio.
Murray State beat Western Kentucky earlier this season. WKU is a team that beat Louisville this season and beat Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Coaches have said any team can win on any given night.
Well, frankly, that is a team remaining consistent.
And while that's easier said than done, teams need to remain consistent. The OVC, in terms of men's basketball, doesn't have that teams that do that.
The OVC hasn't won a game in the NCAA Tournament since 1989 when Middle Tennessee State won.
The OVC representative in the NCAA Tournament hasn't won a first round game in the last 18 years, the longest such streak of any Division I conference.
But OVC teams have until March to sharpen things up, make a run in the conference tournament and maybe even win a game in the tournament.
The OVC will get a chance to see where they're at in late February with the ESPNU Bracketbuster.
All the OVC schools will be participating for the fourth straight year, but the OVC has posted only a 13-22 record in five years.
Three of those wins have come from the Skyhawks.
The best thing for an OVC team to do is to establish some consistency in the conference, and impress the seeding committee in March.
Kevin Murphy can be reached at 581-7944 or at kjmurphy@eiu.edu.
There are great players across the league like Tennessee Martin's Lester Hudson (NBA-caliber), Austin Peay's Drake Reed, Eastern Kentucky's Mike Rose and Morehead State's Kenneth Faried.
But the problem is that OVC teams have yet to put together some consistent wins like the rest of the men's basketball teams across the country.
And while coaches may say the league is parallel, it really means there are many average-to-weak teams in the league.
One way to measure a league is by its non-conference wins.
But, the OVC struggled through the non-conference season again.
There were highlights.
The Jacksonville State men's basketball team started out on a hot streak.
They posted wins against the Big South leader - Virginia Military Institute and Massachusetts - a team that beat defending national champion Kansas.
But then the Gamecocks dropped their next two conference games.
Tennessee Martin posted a win against Middle Tennessee State.
Austin Peay beat Belmont, an NCAA Tournament participant for the last three years, and Belmot almost beat Duke in the first round last season. However, the Govs also lost to College Basketball Invitational participant Ohio.
Murray State beat Western Kentucky earlier this season. WKU is a team that beat Louisville this season and beat Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Coaches have said any team can win on any given night.
Well, frankly, that is a team remaining consistent.
And while that's easier said than done, teams need to remain consistent. The OVC, in terms of men's basketball, doesn't have that teams that do that.
The OVC hasn't won a game in the NCAA Tournament since 1989 when Middle Tennessee State won.
The OVC representative in the NCAA Tournament hasn't won a first round game in the last 18 years, the longest such streak of any Division I conference.
But OVC teams have until March to sharpen things up, make a run in the conference tournament and maybe even win a game in the tournament.
The OVC will get a chance to see where they're at in late February with the ESPNU Bracketbuster.
All the OVC schools will be participating for the fourth straight year, but the OVC has posted only a 13-22 record in five years.
Three of those wins have come from the Skyhawks.
The best thing for an OVC team to do is to establish some consistency in the conference, and impress the seeding committee in March.
Kevin Murphy can be reached at 581-7944 or at kjmurphy@eiu.edu.
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