BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The field for the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Presented by United Fidelity Bank has been set.
For only the fourth time in the 76-yard history of the league there was a three-way tie for first-place in the league standings.Little Rock, in its second year as an OVC member, earned the No. 1 seed after finishing 14-4 and winning a three-way tiebreaker with the University of Tennessee at Martin and Morehead State. This came one year after the Trojans failed to make the eight-team OVC Tournament field. Little Rock won nine games in a row (and 12 of 13) to end the regular season. The Trojans earned a double bye to the semifinals and open play on Friday night.UT Martin also finished 14-4 and earn a share of the regular season crown and the No. 2 seed after the tiebreaker process. It marked the second overall regular season crown for UTM and first since 2008-09. The Skyhawks are the No. 2 seed for the first time since earning it in each 2016 and 2017. The Skyhawks won seven-straight and 11 of 12 games to close the regular season and earned a double bye to the semifinals.Morehead State (14-4) will be the No. 3 seed and earn a single bye to the quarterfinals. The Eagles earned its second-straight and 11th overall OVC regular season title. MSU won 10 of its final 13 games of the regular season, including three-straight to cap the year. Overall the Eagles finished with 23 overall victories, the fourth-straight year they reached the 20-win plateau (a first in league history).The final team to receive a first round bye is Western Illinois, the newest OVC member (joining in July 2023). The Leathernecks won five of six games down the stretch to cap the regular season at 13-5 and earn the No. 4 seed. WIU will open on Thursday night against the winner of the No. 5/8 contest.The field is rounded out by No. 5 Tennessee State, No. 6 SIUE, No. 7 Eastern Illinois and No. 8 Southern Indiana.Southern Indiana, who is reclassifying to Division I, is eligible to win the OVC Tournament Championship. Should USI win the tournament title, the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament shall be awarded to the tournament runner-up.This year marks the seventh-straight year the event has been held at the Ford Center, which opened in 2011 and is located in the core of Evansville’s downtown district. The event is scheduled to be at the venue through at least 2026.This event marks the 61st time the OVC Men’s Basketball Championship has been held; it is the fourth-oldest Division I basketball championship tournament.This year’s first round can be seen on ESPN+, the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company Direct-to-Consumer & International segment. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $10.99 a month (or $110 per year) or as part of a bundle with Disney+ and ad-supported Hulu ($14.99/month). ESPN+ is an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices).The semifinals will air live on ESPNU while the championship game will air live on ESPN2 and live nationally on the Westwood One Radio Network.As part of an ongoing commitment to safety and security, aligning with the best practices at major entertainment and athletics venues, there is a bag policy in effect at the Ford Center. Fans are encouraged to visit www.OVCSports.com/BagPolicy for complete details on the policy.2024 OVC Men’s Basketball Championship Presented United Fidelity Bank (Ford Center – Evansville, Indiana)First Round – Wednesday, March 6Game 1 – #5 Tennessee State vs. #8 Southern Indiana, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)Game 2 – #6 SIUE vs. #7 Eastern Illinois, 9:00 p.m. (ESPN+)Quarterfinals – Thursday, March 7Game 3 – #4 Western Illinois vs. Winner of Game 1, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)Game 4 – #3 Morehead State vs. Winner of Game 2, 9:00 p.m. (ESPN+)Semifinals – Friday, March 8Game 5 – #1 Little Rock vs. Game 3 Winner, 7:00 p.m. (ESPNU)Game 6 – #2 UT Martin vs. Game 4 Winner, 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)Championship – Saturday, March 9Game 7 – Semifinal Winners, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN2/Westwood One)
