UTM seeded 4th, women 6th for OVC Tournament

The UT Martin women will help tip off the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, and the Skyhawk men will get started the following day.
UTM’s women will play SIU Edwardsville today at 3 p.m. in the opening round. Four women’s teams play two games in the afternoon, and then four men’s teams play two games tonight.
As the sixth seed, UTM’s women are playing on the opening day and will need four wins to earn an NCAA Tournament spot.
The Skyhawk men finished the regular season in fourth place, earning a single bye, and will play the SIUE-Eastern Illinois winner in the quarterfinals 6 p.m. Thursday.
UTM’s men will need three wins to earn its first-ever Division I NCAA tourney bid.
MEN
The field for the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament was set on the final day of the regular season.
Tennessee State (21-9, 15-5) won seven of its final eight games to earn a share of the OVC regular season championship, its third overall and first since the 1994-95 season.
The Tigers, under the direction of first-year head coach Nolan Smith, earned the No. 1 seed after a tiebreaker and received a double bye to the semifinals on Friday night.
After the tiebreaker, Morehead State (19-12, 15-5) earned the No. 2 seed and also received a bye to the semifinals. The Eagles earned a share of its 12th OVC regular season title and third in the past four years (2023, 2024, 2026).
After winning the regular season title last year, Southeast Missouri finished as the No. 3 seed this year. The Redhawks (19-12, 14-6) won 10 of its final 12 regular season games and will get a single bye to the OVC Quarterfinals.
UT Martin (21-10, 13-7) earned the final bye to the quarterfinals in finishing as the No. 4 seed.
The field is rounded out by No. 5 SIUE, No. 6 Lindenwood, No. 7 Little Rock and No. 8 Eastern Illinois. All four teams begin play tonight.
This event marks the 63rd time the OVC men’s tourney has been held. It is the fourth-oldest Division I basketball championship tournament.
This year’s first round can be seen on ESPN+. The semifinals will air live on ESPNU while the championship game will air live on ESPN2 and live nationally on the Westwood One Radio Network.
WOMEN
The field for the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament was set on the final day of the regular season Saturday.
Western Illinois claimed a share of the OVC regular season championship and will be the No. 1 seed after finishing 16-4. The Leathernecks earn the top spot due to a tiebreaker, as WIU split with Morehead State.
It is the first OVC title in program history in any sport and the first since winning the Summit League title in 2016-17. The Leathernecks produced a 24-5 overall record and earned a double bye to the semifinals, opening play on Friday afternoon.
Lindenwood defeated WIU on the final day to earn a share of the OVC regular season title and will serve as the No. 2 seed after finishing 16-3 in OVC action, 24-7 overall, and also receives a double bye to the semifinals.
Southern Indiana (14-6) will be the No. 3 seed and earn a single bye to the quarterfinals, where they will open play on Thursday afternoon. The No. 4 seed, also earning a single bye, is Morehead State (13-7).
The field is rounded out by No. 5 Little Rock, No. 6 UT Martin, No. 7 SIUE and No. 8 Southeast Missouri. The Cougars claimed the seventh spot and the Redhawks the eighth due to a three-way tiebreak with Tennessee Tech and SIUE. All four teams open play this afternoon.
This year’s event marks the 45th time the OVC women’s tourney has been held. the OVC will provide the first entrant to the 2026 NCAA Tournament. All women’s games can be seen on ESPN+.
This year marks the ninth straight year the men’s and women’s events have been held at the Ford Center, which opened in 2011 and is located in the core of Evansville’s downtown district. The event is scheduled to be at the venue through at least 2032.
United Fidelity Bank serves as the main sponsor for the OVC tournaments.