Around the Ohio Valley - March 30

Austin Peay: Golf is in full swing as the season has just over a month left. The Lady Govs shaved 16 strokes off their opening round to finish 3rd in the SIU Invitational on Monday. However, one member of the Lady Govs Golf has had an interesting achievement off the course. Catie Tucker has been accepted to the Experimental Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Tennessee. It is rare for students to be accepted into such a program straight out of their undergraduate work, a first for any APSU undergrad actually. Get these stories and more from Lady Govs Golf here.

Eastern Illinois: In the spirit of great things that are happening off the field, I make mention of all the EIU student-athletes who have been reaching out to the community lately. Fundraising for the Charleston Food Bank, reading to elementary students and sending four veterans to the OVC Basketball Championship are among the activities that student-athletes have been involved with.

Eastern Kentucky: Are you missing OVC football already? Hear what Jeremy Caldwell has to say about EKU spring practice so far.

Jacksonville State: The Anniston Star details a few interesting stories coming out of JSU. Visit the site to see how JSU sent a message to other OVC golf programs by grabbing an exciting win at the Grub Mart Intercollegiate. Also, read about the story of current head baseball coach Jim Case, and how replacing a legend like Rudy Abbott isn't easy.

Morehead State: Rob Ginter gives some comedic thoughts on Donnie Tyndall's recent contract extension in The Morehead News and explains why he is glad that Donnie is not "gonnie". While scrolling through the site make sure to catch up with baseball, softball and golf as these programs have been receiving recognition of late.

Murray State: Caroline Lagerborg was named the 2010-2011 Margaret Simmons Female Athlete of the Year. The award is given to the student-athlete that best demonstrates the characteristics of former Murray State track and field coach Margaret Simmons. "Caroline has the trait of perseverance," stated her coach Velvet Milkman. Read more on goracers.com.

Southeast Missouri State: The Redhawks have announced their 2011 football schedule and will open up against Southern Illinois. Meanwhile, SEMO has a series of different events to promote on campus with the first annual Athletic Alumni Reunion, a tournament at Houck Fieldhouse that kicks off the volleyball season and the Southeast Athletics Night all approaching soon. Get familiar with all the events and activities at gosoutheast.com.

SIU Edwardsville: Erika Taylor leads the OVC with 120 1/3 innings pitched and 125 strikeouts. She was named the Pitcher of the Week for her efforts last week as she continues to build on an impressive season. In golf SIUE was up against stiff competition at the Butler Invitational, the Cougars tied Dayton for fourth place with some impressive play. The SIUE website has the latest updates on these stories and more.

Tennessee State: Check out tsutigers.com to see how 5 student-athletes have been named OVC Athletes of the Week in their respective sports. From track and field to golf to tennis, the tigers have been on a roll. TSU recently held a pro day on campus for for top senior athletes around the area to show off in front of NFL and CFL scouts. Pictured below is Marques Wilkins as he is measured for the broad jump.

Tennesse Tech: Golden Eagle baseball is due to present Faith Day at Bush Stadium, which will

be hosted on three different conference weekend games. In other baseball news, Chad Oberacker

has topped the Golden Eagles career list in total hits as he went 4-5 against the University of Kentucky.

Check out ttusports.com to read more about Faith Day, Oberacker and recently retired Mike Sutton

being named as a finalist for the Skip Prosser Award.

UT Martin: UTM is looking forward to the start of a new tradition Thursday. The Players Trophy

will be handed out for the first time as Murray State takes on UTM at the Skyhawk Varsity Courts.

This trophy will serve as a traveling reminder of who captured victory in the last annual meeting

between the two OVC conference foes.

Around the Ohio Valley - March 23

Austin Peay: Two APSU track and field athletes, Courtney Jordan and Ashley Carson, were honored for their leadership efforts at the recent Hattie Walker Wilhoite Recognition Program. Some background on Hattie Walker Wilhoite is that she earned her master’s degree in education in 1957 becoming the first African American to graduate from APSU and taught English for 38 years at Burt School after graduation. Jordan is a 5-time member of the Dean’s List and plans on pursuing a master’s degree upon graduation. Carson has an impressive 3.54 GPA and has served over 2 years in the Army before coming to APSU... I can't go without mentioning APSU's basketball season. Big Dog's Blog covers the Govs like nobody else, get his unique perspective on how the season came to an end and why he thinks APSU are the favorites for an OVC title next season.

Eastern Illinois: Read about how EIU won the OVC Indoor Track and Field Championships on both the men's and the women's side recently, and how Zye Boey was named an All-American in the process...EIU women wrapped up their basketball season after falling to Chicago State in the WBI. The Panthers close their year with a 18-13 record, but the future looks promising with players like Ta'Kenya Nixon who is featured below.

Eastern Kentucky: EKU finished 6th in the OVC this year under the guidance of the Jeff Neubauer. Neubauer accomplished this season what only two other coaches have before him at EKU, 100 wins. See some other interesting facts and highlights of their 2010-2011 season here..EKU softball program and Head Coach Jane Worthington earned the 500th victory in the program's history recently. EKU's website features a story on the accomplishment and wraps up their midweek action.

Jacksonville State: You might say that JSU baseball is doing big things after they defeated Auburn in front of an overflow crowd at Rudy Abbott Field. They rallied in the eighth inning to claim a 5-4 victory over to #20 team in the nation as Blake Seguin, pictured here from JSU's webiste, provided the game winning hit...Also, you can view pictures of JSU football as spring practice gets under way at the Anniston Star.

Morehead State: MoreheadNews.com features articles on programs that are awarding outstanding academic performances. Among the stories is the Board of Regents honoring soccer, volleyball and cheerleaders and MSU's announcement of the new Eagle Excellence Award...So we know that pulling off an upset in the NCAA tournament earns you some national recognition, but who knew that it would earn Donnie Tyndall a new four-year contract and make him the highest paid coach in the OVC? Msueagles.com reports that Brain Hutchinson announced the news on Tuesday. From winning the OVC tournament, to beating Louisville and then appearing on the Dan Patrick show Tyndall is having a month to remember. Good fortune is on his side, and so is Charlie Sheen who picked MSU to beat Louisville.

Murray State: Donnie Tyndall isn't the only OVC basketball coach being awarded, Billy Kennedy will be receiving the John Lotz "Barnabas" Award presented by the FCA. The presentation of the award will be made at the FCA Coaches Luncheon in Houston at the NCAA Final Four. I should mention that the Ledger & Times reports that Billy Kennedy has talked to Wyoming about the open head coaching position there. There is surely more to come on this subject, but in the meantime look over the article to see who said what.

Southeast Missouri State: Read The New York Times truly inspiring article on Jordan Underwood to see why, as Calgary University professor Joan Vickers states, "This young man's brain had to change the neural networks to determine where the strike zone is."...SEMO barely missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Regionals as a team, but are sending three athletes to the University of Oklahoma to compete in the Regionals individually. Read about what this intells for student-athletes Brianna Gaddie, Christina Sundgren and Taylor Westrick.

SIU Edwardsville: SIUE is inducting six new former athletes into Hall of Fame and one team as well. Check out siuecougars.com to see the list...Newcomers to the OVC, SIUE softball is off to a 2-3 record in the conference. The highlights below showcase SIUE vs. Murray State and features a good defensive work and a play at the plate.

Tennessee State: TSU has two big events to promote. First there is the Legends Game, also referred to as the Blue and White Spring Football game. The event will be held at Hale Stadium and you can check out tsutigers.com for more info...Dominique Rogers-Cromartie is also presenting the Celebrity Basketball Slam Jam on TSU's campus. Proceeds will be donated to DRC Foundation.

Tennessee Tech: News surfaced today that TTU Head Coach Mike Sutton has retired. If you aren't familiar with his story the clip below is taken from a few years ago, but it captures the nature of Sutton's encouraging story.

UT Martin: UTM's tennis is on a roll as they defeated TSU yesterday to improve their winning streak to 3 games. Catch the full report at utmsports.com...So, it had to end at some point. UT Martin women feel to Duke in the NCAA tournament. You can't fault a team who set record after record and achieved the program's first ever NCAA tournament appearance. The team traded blow for blow during the first half, but Duke proved to be too much. Catch the full report and Head Coach Kevin McMillan's comments here.

Big things ahead

Kenneth Faried tweets Morehead is in Denver and, "ready to do big things." They better be when they take on the Cardinals Thursday. Louisville holds a 31-11 all time record against Morehead, beating them the last 13 meetings including a NCAA tournament game in 2009.

However, Rick Pitino is not overlooking MSU stating, "We played Morehead State a couple of years ago when they were younger, and now they are seniors. They are as good of a basketball team as any in the country, they have Big East type players in certain positions. They have great talent and great experience. We have ourselves one tough ball game."

So what does Donnie Tyndall have to say? Find out below.

For Morehead, Louisville is a huge program to compete against and surely a daunting task. UT Martin's women have arguably a more intimidating match up on their hands when they take on Duke this Saturday. Taking on a team that just beat UNC to win the ACC tournament and solidified themselves as an No. 2 seed is enough to put a lump in one's throat, so try doing it when the game is scheduled to be played at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

UT Martin is surely having a hard time swallowing this. A team with only 2 years of collective NCAA Div. I experience and nine true freshman are shaking in their boots when they think about facing the 2011 No. 1 recruiting class and the Wooden Award finalist Jasmine Thomas, you would think. Wrong. Head Coach Kevin McMillan explains below.

After such a tight race in the regular season and a highly competitive championship tournament, much was made of the strength within the conference. This is reflected in the programs that are still playing post-season basketball outside of the NCAA tourny.

Murray State's men takes on Missouri State in the NIT tonight at 7pm CTS on Espn3, and Tennessee Tech's women take on Auburn in the WNIT Thursday at 7pm CTS on Ovcsports.tv.

You can still keep up with Austin Peay and Tennesse Tech's men who are competing in the CBI and the CIT, respectively. Also keep tabs on Eastern Illinois's women who are hosting Chicago State in the WBI.

Insider's look at the OVC Basketball Championship

From the catwalk to the parking deck of the Municipal Auditorium comes the unique perspective of the OVC Basketball Championship. The dust may not truly settle until the post season tournament formats are announced, but one thing is for certain, basketball in the OVC is on the up and up.

What OVC fans witnessed was the strength and competitiveness of the conference, as five games were decided by six points or less. What OVC fans may have missed was these attributes spill over behind the scenes.

Post game press conferences proved to be the place that showcased the desire, camaraderie and hard work that makes up the OVC. TSU head coach Tracee Wells and player Jasmin Shuler elaborated on what the season meant to them with tears in their eyes. That same night saw their counter part on the men's side, Head Coach John Cooper, stick up for Kenny Moore when asked about missing a crucial free throw in the last few minutes when their team lost to UTM. Two days after TSU had been brought to tears, Brooke Faulkner was in the same situation as she reflected back on her career at APSU after a loss to TTU in the semifinals. Truly good to see was TTU's Mike Sutton come into the Morehead press conference to congratulate Kenneth Faried and wish him well.

Behind the scene moments also provided comic relief. When EIU head coach Brady Salle was asked about loosing three straight tournament games to APSU he responded, "I need to start arm wrestling ( APSU Head Coach Daniels) Carrie. Maybe I could take her, I am not sure."

The 2010-2011 basketball season and the tournament sums up where OVC basketball is heading. Tight games like TTU edging out Murray State shows the level of competition. UT Martin winning the women's championship with so many freshman highlights the bright future of the conference. I have to point out that in all the behind the scenes moments I captured, I never heard a coach or player criticize the refs or the other team, and I think this speaks well of the professionalism around the league.

From witnessing the Morehead State mascot do the dougie at halftime to listening in as George Plaster did his radio show live from the Municipal I had a blast watching the OVC tournament unfold. I am sure next season will only get better.

The latest updates on college basketball bracketology can be found here. To see where Morehead State ends up tune in Sunday to CBS at 6pm ET for the men's NCAA tournament announcement, to keep tabs on UT Martin watch ESPN at 7pm ET for the women's selection. The NIT will more than likely see Murray State on the men's side and Tennessee Tech on the women's side featured, with that announcement coming at 9pm ET Sunday night as well.