Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Preview: Prediction, Odds, Standings and Bracket

March is upon us and conference tournaments start this week with arguably the best mid-major team in the country Murray State anchoring the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

The Racers... raced through the OVC this season, boasting an 18-0 record and will be looking to pump up their tourney résumé with a conference title. However, Belmont and Morehead State are lurking with revenge on their mind in a potential Final later this week.

Let's take a look at the tournament odds via WynnBET Sportsbook, as well as the schedule, prediction, and a dark horse team to keep an eye on.

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Odds

• Murray State: -170
• Belmont: +210
• Morehead State: +1000
• Southeast Missouri State: +2500
• Tennessee State: +6000
• Austin Peay: +10000
• Tennessee Tech: +10000
• SIU Edwardsville: +20000

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Standings and Bracket

Here's a look at the standings and bracket for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament:

Murray State and Belmont have a bye to the semifinals while Morehead State and Southeast Missouri get a first round bye.

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Schedule (Dates, Times, Channel)

The OVC tourney will start on March 2 with the finals going down at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana on March 5.

The first two rounds are on ESPN+ while the semifinals and finals will air on ESPN2.

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Prediction and Pick

Murray State is the odds on favorite for a reason, they went undefeated against the conference and will have plenty of time to get ready to win two more games on a neutral floor. The Racers are trending towards a top six seed in the tournament and are top 50 on both sides of the ball per KenPom.

For what it's worth, the predictable path for Murray State (based on seeding) is SEMO, who they came back in the second half to beat on the road on Saturday and then Belmont. MSU closed a -770 favorite on the road Saturday and -155 favorite in a blowout win over the Bruins. I expect the market to move swiftly towards the Racers in a rematch against Belmont, who they beat by 20+ each time while they will be about -1000 against SEMO.

If you believe Murray State can win, the math points to laying the pre tournament price rather than doing a rollover parlay.

PICK: Murray State -170

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Dark Horse

Morehead State will come from the bottom of the bracket, setting up a semifinal matchup against Belmont, who they beat at home and lost to by 1 on the road this season.

There's a significant drop off between Belmont and Morehead, but too much for my liking. I haven't been impressed with the Bruins all season and the Eagles match up well with Belmont's interior offense. Morehead State has the best two-point defense in the OVC and dominate the offensive glass. They also nearly beat Murray State a few weeks back, so I see value in backing the third choice to make a run in Evansville.

You can find all of Reed's bets HERE!