The Ohio Valley Conference Tournament will run from Wednesday, March 6 through Saturday, March 9 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It’s a tight race at the top right now, with three separate teams earning a 14-4 record in conference play this season.
Morehead State, UT Martin, and Little Rock are the top three seeds in the OVC, but only the latter two earned a two-round bye, taking them straight to the semifinals. With just one NCAA Tournament bid on the line for the Ohio Valley Conference, this will be a dramatic few days in Evansville.
This is a single-elimination tournament format, and only eight of the conference’s 11 teams qualified to reach the postseason.
2024 Ohio Valley Tournament
Ohio Valley Tournament Bracket
Wednesday, March 6
Game 1: No. 5 Tennessee State 78, No. 8 Southern Indiana 64
Game 2: No. 6 SIUE 68, No. 7 Eastern Illinois 57
Thursday, March 7 (Quarterfinals)
Game 3: No. 4 Western Illinois 61, No. 5 Tennessee State 59
Game 4: No. 3 Morehead State 78, No. 6 SIUE 63
Friday, March 8 (Semifinals)
Game 5: No. 4 Western Illinois 57, No. 1 Little Rock 82
Game 6: No. 3 Morehead State 84 No. 2 UT Martin 78
Saturday, March 9 (Championship)
Game 7: No 3 Morehead State 69, No. 1 Little Rock 55
Morehead State wins the OVC and an NCAA Tournament automatic bid
All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Pre-Quarterfinals odds to win
Morehead State +105
Little Rock +220
UT Martin +425
Western Illinois +1000
Tennessee State +2200
SIU-Edwardsville +3000
Opening odds to win
Morehead State +125
Little Rock +225
UT Martin +380
Western Illinois +900
Tennessee State +2500
SIU-Edwardsville +3500
Eastern Illinois +10000
Southern Indiana +12000
Ohio Valley March Madness Bids
The OVC will likely only earn the automatic bid, and will not be eligible for at-large bids. That means that despite the tight race among the conference’s top teams, only one can go on to represent the OVC in the Big Dance this March. Last year Southeast Missouri State won the conference title, but their record was not good enough to reach the conference tournament in 2024.
The double-bye system however rewards the best two teams in the conference for their regular season performance, so a matchup between Little Rock and UT-Martin for a Big Dance berth is likely in the offing.