2025 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament

The 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament is at the Ford Center in Evansville, IN for the eighth straight year and features eight of the 11 conference members. Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, and Southern Indiana all failed to qualify. This is another conference where the title game may not matter. If Lindenwood, who is in the transitional period to Division I, wins the tournament, the championship game runner-up would get the bid.

Southeast Missouri State is the clear No. 1 seed here, finishing well ahead of everybody else in the conference. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds get byes to Semifinals, so it is a big advantage.

 

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How to Watch the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament

When: March 5-8

Where: Ford Center in Evansville, IN

Format: No. 1 and No. 2 seeds get byes to the Semifinals; No. 3 and No. 4 seeds get byes to the Quarterfinals

Watch: ESPN+, ESPNU, ESPN2; Championship Game on ESPN2 on Mar. 8 at 9 p.m. ET

College Basketball Odds | College Basketball Betting Splits | Greg Peterson’s Daily Lines | Steve Makinen’s Power Ratings

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Bracket

Coming soon.

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds

1. Southeast Missouri State (+150)

2. SIU Edwardsville (+270)

3. Tennessee State (+400)

4. Little Rock (+550)

5. Tennessee Tech (+4000)

6. Lindenwood (+6000)

7. Morehead State (+6000)

8. UT Martin (+3000)

(odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)

Favorite To Win Ohio Valley Conference Tournament

Conference realignment really took a toll on the OVC, specifically with Belmont and Murray State joining the Missouri Valley. Since those teams left, Southeast Missouri State and Morehead State have been the two conference champs. Morehead is deep down the board this year, but Brad Korn’s SEMO State squad checks in as the favorite here.

Bart Torvik’s rankings put SEMO State about 25 spots ahead of Tennessee State, who came on strong late in the year. KenPom actually has Little Rock as the second-best team in this league, followed by SIU Edwardsville and then Tennessee State. Erik Haslam of Haslametrics agrees with KenPom’s order. But, for all of them, SEMO State is the clear top team.

It’s easy to see why, as the Redhawks are first in adjusted offensive efficiency and second in adjusted defensive efficiency. They also rank first or second in eFG% offense, TO% on offense, defensive rebounding percentage, free throw percentage, 2P% offense, and 3P% defense.

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Darkhorse

At +550, Little Rock is hardly a darkhorse, but they do lead the conference in adjusted defensive efficiency per Torvik and force the highest rate of turnovers in conference play. I do think Tennessee State has a better Quarterfinal draw, as the winner of Tennessee Tech/UT Martin strikes me as a tougher game than the winner of Lindenwood/Morehead State. Tennessee State would also avoid SEMO State until the championship game, but that’s reflective in the price difference with the Tigers at +400 and the Trojans at +550.

UT Martin at 30/1 is interesting because their games are so high-variance. They take a 3 on 47.2% of shot attempts and have forced opponents into a 3 on 48.2% of their shot attempts. Little Rock doesn’t like to shoot 3s. It could help them into a matchup against SEMO State, where the Redhawks are playing their first game of the tournament on a neutral floor.

Players to Watch in Ohio Valley Conference Tournament

I haven’t said much about SIU Edwardsville, but they’re led by Ray’Sean Taylor, whose 19.2 PPG lead the conference by a good margin. In fact, the next two leading scorers, Nakyel Shelton and Marko Maletic are from teams that didn’t qualify for the tourney.

Two Redhawks are in the top 10 in scoring, with Rob Martin (14.5 PPG, 4.6 APG) and Teddy Washington Jr. (14.4 PPG). Defense is pretty optional in this conference, with 34 players that have averaged double figures. There are a lot of inefficient offenses in this conference, though, too, and teams that play at a variety of paces. The one constant is that a lot of teams work the bench in, so a lot of guys see the floor. 

The OVC also ranks 10th in FT Rate in conference games, as a lot of games can become foul fests late. Keep that in mind betting totals in the tournament.

Betting Pick to Win The Ohio Valley Conference Tournament

I find SIU Edwardsville to be a bit of a weak No. 2 seed. The Cougars are fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency and fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency in conference play. They aren’t a great shooting team either. I like Tennessee State to come out of the bottom of the bracket. Brian Collins has made the right adjustments after his team started 2-5 and their 12 wins in league play are the most they’ve had in the Collins era.

They are second and fourth, respectively, in the efficiency metrics and second in eFG% offense and defense. They’ve lost by two points to SEMO State twice. If they get there, they will give the Redhawks a game and be very live with a +400 price. I think SEMO State ultimately wins, but Tennessee State has the second-best shot and I like their path to the finals.

Pick: Tennessee State +400

Makinen Power Ratings for Ohio Valley Conference

Coming soon.

  • Teams that have had the advantage of an earlier round bye are on a 20-4 SU and 15-9 ATS (60%) surge in the OVC bracket.
  • Totals in the 150s in the Ohio Valley tournament have gone 10-2 Under (83.3%) in the last 12 chances.
  • Eleven of the last 16 OVC tournament semifinal games have gone Under the total (68.8%).
  • Ohio Valley Conference title game underdogs are on a 12-2 ATS (85.7%) run, but Little Rock (+4.5) did lose to Morehead State last year, 69-55.

More Steve Makinen Conference Tournament Betting Trends.

Check out the other previews in our 2025 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.

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