2009 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Predictions

March Madness officially begins with the 2009 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The first round tips off on Tuesday, March 3rd at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Semifinal action goes down Friday March, 6th with the championship game the following day. First round action can be seen on OVCSports.TV, semifinal action on ESPN U, and the championship game on ESPN 2. Can the Austin Peay Governors repeat as tournament champs? Jimmy Boyd makes his predictions on this year’s OVC Tournament in this article.

The Favorite: Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks
Tennessee-Martin is the only Ohio Valley Conference team with 20 wins entering the tournament (21-8) and won the regular season championship by a game over both Murray State and Austin Peay with a 14-4 mark. Tennessee Martin was a No. 4 seed a season ago and was defeated by just 1-point by No. 1 seed Austin Peay in the semifinal round. The Skyhawks and the Governors clashed twice during the regular season with each team winning on the others home floor. Both games were tight with one being decided in overtime. Austin Peay could be standing in the Skyhawks way of a OVC tournament championsip again. Do it all guard Lester Hudson is the man for the Skyhawks, averaging 26.6 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. Hudson came up big in the Skyhawks overtime win at Austin Peay with 30 points and 10 boards. Guard Marquis Weddle has shown that he is capable of lighting it up as well. He averages 14.5 points per contest.

Another Team That Can Win: Austin Peay Governors
I really can’t see another team having a shot besides Tennessee-Martin, Austin Peay, and Murray State, but I give the edge to the first two. Austin Peay won its fourth Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship last season and will have an excellent chance to get the automatic NCAA Tournament bid again as the Governors seem to have the Skyhawks number. If it weren’t for a three-game losing streak starting in late January, the Governors would have won the league again. It all starts with 6′5” forward Drake Reed, who averages 22.4 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per contest. He has been dominant down the stretch run, putting up 30 or more in five of Austin Peay’s last eight games. His partner in crime is 6′3” guard Wes Channels. Channels averages 16.8 points per game and 3.2 assists per contest. He can score it but does not mind deferring to teammates. He does whatever his team needs on that night to win.

Recap of 2008 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament:
Other than its second round nailbiter with Tennessee-Martin, it was a cake walk conference tournament for top seed Austin Peay. The Governors thumped Eastern Kentucky by 25 in the first road and won the championship game by 18 over Tennessee State to secure an NCAA Tournament berth. It was Austin Peay’s fourth tournament title and the third for head coach Dave Loos. It was Austin Peay’s first conference tournament title since 2003. The Governors received a No. 15 seed in the Big Dance and were eliminated in the first round by No. 2 seed Texas.

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Check the college basketball odds each day at Locksmith Sports to see which books offers the best basketball betting lines. And be sure to consult Jimmy’s NCAA basketball picks for the most winners this March.

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