Conference Preview: Ohio Valley

Murray State roared through the Ohio Valley Conference last season, posting a 17-3 mark in league play. The Racers dominance continued in the OVC Tournament as they advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time and sixth time in 10 seasons.

Murray State even nearly pulled off a first-round upset of North Carolina, falling 69-65.

But the floor fell out from underneath them shortly thereafter.

Coach Mick Cronin left for Cincinnati, five players graduated and another five either flew the coop or were booted off the team, including Trey Pearson, the team's second-leading scorer last season.

In steps Billy Kennedy, who arrives after six seasons as head coach at SE Louisiana. In his last two seasons at the school he guided the Lions to a 44-18 mark and to their first NCAA Tournament in 2005.

Kennedy has Shawn Witherspoon, the OVC's second-leading rebounder, and welcomes two transfers (Ed Horton and Dwayne Paul) from Birmingham Southern, so the team isn't bereft of talent. But the Racers will be hard-pressed to stage a repeat of last season.

In the long run, it's a good bet Murray State will remain among the OVC's elite. This season, however, could be a little bumpy.

Team to beat

Samford: The Bulldogs are the most experienced squad in the conference, welcoming back seven of the top eight players from a team that finished second during the regular season and advanced to the OVC championship game.

That's the good news. The bad news is that the missing player is last season's OVC Player of the Year J. Robert Merritt.

Still, all that experience should serve the Bulldogs well in their bid to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000 with Randall Gulina (12.6 ppg) and Travis Peterson (11.2 ppg) counted on to pick up some of the scoring slack in Samford's Princeton-style offense.

The Bulldogs also boast Merritt's younger brother Joe Ross Merritt and he's expected to step up his game as well.

But while the offensive talk is all well and good, when it comes right down to it, defense is the name of the game at Samford. Helped by the deliberate pace of the offense, the Bulldogs had one of the best scoring defenses in the NCAA, giving up an average of 60.1 ppg, 22nd nationally.

Shoot a strong percentage and hunker down on defense and Samford's should be tough to beat in the OVC.

Watch out for

Southeast Missouri State: The Redhawks are a very interesting team.

They weren't much to speak of last season, finishing second from the bottom in the conference at 4-16 and 7-20 overall, but they have a new coach and a couple of intriguing transfers.

Scott Edgar is the new man in charge. He spent last season as an assistant at Tennessee, but before that he was coach at UAB for three years, leading the Blazers to two NCAA Tournaments and advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2004. He's also a two-time OVC Coach of the Year, having spent four seasons at Murray State in the early 90s.

He gets some immediate help in his effort to turn the Redhawks into winners with the addition of athletic transfers Michael Rembert (Bradley) and Brandon Foust (Oklahoma). Paul Paradoski is one of the league's top point guards and Terrick Willoughby is a versatile swingman.

Tennessee Tech could also give Samford a run for its money. The Golden Eagles, 19-12 a season ago, lost three starters, but they have a surprisingly experienced squad. Eight players received at least 15 minutes per game last season and their top two scorers -- Anthony Fisher (12.9 ppg) and Belton Rivers (12.0 ppg) -- return. Strangely enough, both came off the bench last season.

Player of the Year

Clarence Matthews, Tennessee State: If the Tigers are going to be competitive in the OVC, the burden is going to fall heavily on Matthews' broad shoulders.

He's already the league's top returning rebounder (8.5 rpg) and top shooter (54.5 percent). This season -- with Bruce Price injured again -- he could be among the league's scoring leaders. A season ago he averaged 13.7 ppg.

If Matthews is unable to handle the load, another favorite for top player honors is Murray State's Witherspoon, who was the preseason pick of coaches and SIDs. Aside from his strong effort on the boards, he's a terrific defender (1.68 steals per game) and passer (2.38 assist-to-turnover ratio). Jacksonville State's Courtney Bradley, one of the league's top returning scorers (15.3 ppg) and rebounders (7.6 rpg), should be in the mix as well.