Southeast men's basketball team picked fourth in division, women picked 10th in OVC media poll

The Belmont men's and UT Martin women's basketball teams were voted the favorites to win the Ohio Valley Conference titles this season in a media poll released Friday.

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team was picked to finish fourth in the OVC West Division standings with the defending regular-season conference champion Murray State picked to win the division.

The Southeast women's team was predicted to finish 10th in the 12-team league.

Belmont senior guard Craig Bradshaw was selected the OVC men's basketball preseason player of the year and Austin Peay senior guard Tiasha Gray was picked as the OVC women's basketball preseason player of the year.

The conference's preseason poll and preseason all-conference team, which is voted on by head coaches and sports information directors, will be released on Tuesday during the OVC's media day in Nashville.

OVC men's basketball predicted order of finish

West Division

1. Murray State (11 first-place votes) -- 85 points

2. UT Martin (4) -- 76

3. Eastern Illinois -- 58

4. Southeast Missouri State -- 44

5. SIU Edwardsville -- 28

6. Austin Peay -- 24

East Division

1. Belmont (14 first-place votes) -- 89 points

2. Morehead State (1) -- 68

3. Eastern Kentucky -- 59

4. Tennessee Tech -- 45

5. Jacksonville State -- 32

6. Tennessee State -- 22

OVC women's basketball predicted order of finish

1. UT Martin (6 first-place votes) -- 162 points

2. SIU Edwardsville (4) -- 161

3. Jacksonville State (2) -- 145

4. Tennessee State (3) -- 134

Belmont -- 134

6. Morehead State -- 94

7. Austin Peay -- 93

8. Eastern Illinois -- 67

9. Eastern Kentucky -- 66

10. Southeast Missouri State -- 53

11. Tennessee Tech -- 33

12. Murray State -- 28