Classic OVC Men's Basketball Standings

Ranked according to Ken Pomeroy:

86.  Murray St:  13-3

123.  Middle Tenn. St:  9-5

150.  W. Kentucky:  9-5

199.  Austin Peay:  8-5

273.  E. Kentucky:  4-11

304.  Morehead St:  7-8

308.  Tennessee Tech:  6-9

Classic Conferences -- Men's Basketball

Here's how Ken Pom ranks the Classic SEC.  (Kentucky fans may want to screenshot this -- it could be a while before UK is in the top 20 again):

8.  Vanderbilt:  9-0

13.  Alabama:  7-2

14.  Florida:  5-3

18.  Tennessee:  7-3

20.  Kentucky:  5-4

23.  Georgia:  8-1

29.  Auburn:  7-3

40.  Louisiana St:  8-1

53.  Mississippi:  5-4

83.  Mississippi St:  4-5

138.  Georgia Tech:  6-4

188.  Tulane:  6-3

Here's the Classic ACC:

 4.  Duke:  10-0

21.  Virginia:  8-2

22.  N. Carolina:  8-1

25.  Clemson:  7-2

37.  N. Carolina St:  6-3

46.  Wake Forest:  7-3

86.  S. Carolina:  6-3

99.  Maryland:  6-4

The Classic Missouri Valley:

15.  Louisville:  8-1

43.  Saint Louis:  8-1

67.  Memphis St:  4-4

76.  Cincinnati:  6-3

81.  Tulsa:  8-1

88.  Wichita St:  6-4

122.  Bradley:  6-4

127.  Drake:  6-4

136.  N. Texas:  7-3

And, the Classic Ohio Valley:

111.  Murray St:  7-3

134.  W. Kentucky:  6-2

152.  Mid. Tenn. St:  5-4

193.  Austin Peay:  4-5

260.  Tennessee Tech:  4-6

273.  E. Kentucky:  2-7

323.  Morehead St:  3-7

Classic SEC Standings

The 2025 college football regular season has ended.  Here is how CBS ranks the 12 members of the Classic SEC:

4.  Georgia:  11-1

7.  Mississippi:  11-1

10.  Alabama:  10-2

13.  Vanderbilt:  10-2

22.  Tulane:  10-2

23.  Georgia Tech:  9-3

25.  Tennessee:  8-4

50.  Louisiana St:  7-5

63.  Auburn:  5-7

66.  Mississippi St:  5-7

69.  Kentucky:  5-7

70.  Florida:  4-8

Here are my awards:

Coach of the Year:  Clark Lea, Vanderbilt

Player of the Year:  Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

Game of the Year:  Alabama's 24-21 victory over Georgia in Athens on September 27.

Next season, Ole Miss, Tulane, LSU, Auburn, Kentucky, and Florida -- 6 of the 12 teams listed above -- will all have different coaches than they had this season.

Western Kentucky finishes 8-4 with a rank of Number 74.

W. Kentucky 78 - 83 Vanderbilt (Final) (Nassau, Bahamas)

There is a type of college basketball game that is relatively common in the South, although I don't see it in much of the rest of the country.  The game lasts at least 2 1/2 hours, features at least 50 free throws, and a lot of time waiting for the referees to complete monitor reviews.

Today, down in the Bahamas, Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky played exactly this type of game.  Both teams were undefeated.  Western's wins were over Tennessee Tech, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee State, and Bethel.  Vandy had beaten Lipscomb, Central Florida, Eastern Kentucky, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Texas Southern.  So this was a good test for both squads.

In the end, Vandy won 83-78, but it took a long time to get there.  There were 70 free throws in the game (37 for Vandy and 33 for Western).  Each team had 17 turnovers.  Western had 42 rebounds to 37 for Vandy.  And there were a bunch of monitor reviews.  Western was led by Teagan Moore, a 6' 5" redshirt sophomore who played at Owen Country H.S.  He finished with 24 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds, and led a furious charge that saw the Hilltoppers score 35 points in the last 10 minutes of the game.  But Vandy responded with 28 points from Duke Miles, a 6' 2" graduate student who attended Robert E. Lee H.S. in Montgomery, Ala.  The Commodores also led by double-digits for much of the second half, and thus had enough of a margin to hold off the Hilltopper rally.

Western was ranked at Number 202 on Ken Pom when the season began, but they are now up to 137.  Vandy fell to Number 18.  Both teams have two more games in the Bahamas over the next two days.  Based on what I saw today, both of these ancient and passionate fanbases have reason for optimism -- but they will need the patience to deal with all those free throws.

Classic SEC Basketball Standings

In the whole history of the Classic SEC, there has never been a race like this one:

2.  Auburn:  17-1

5.  Florida:  16-2

6.  Tennessee:  16-2

8.  Alabama:  15-3

17.  Mississippi:  15-3

20.  Kentucky:  14-4

22.  Mississippi St:  15-3

35.  Georgia:  14-4

48.  Vanderbilt:  15-3

68.  Louisiana St:  12-6

After their 102-97 loss to Alabama in Rupp Arena, the Cats are 14-4 overall, 3-2 in the SEC, and 20 on Ken Pom.  They are second in the country in offensive efficiency (125.1), but 84th in defensive efficiency (101.7), and 135th in luck.

Meanwhile, Arkansas is 11-7 overall and 0-5 in the SEC.  They are 53d on Ken Pom, and 262d in luck.

Louisville, on the other hand, has moved to the top of the Classic Metro:

29.  Louisville:  14-5

38.  Memphis St:  14-4

40.  Cincinnati:  12-5

60.  Florida St:  13-5

118.  Saint Louis:  11-7

155.  Tulane:  10-9

170.  Virginia Tech:  8-10

Murray and Western are both struggling in the Classic OVC:

110.  Mid. Tenn. St:  13-5

127.  Murray St:  10-9

135.  W. Kentucky:  11-7

239.  E. Kentucky:  9-10

264.  Morehead St:  12-7

299.  Austin Peay:  7-12

308.  Tenn. Tech:  9-10

Classic SEC Basketball Standings

Here are the Ken Pom rankings and records for the Classic SEC.  This is obviously the strongest year in history for the Classic SEC:

1.  Auburn:  15-1

5.  Florida:  15-1

6.  Tennessee:  15-1

8.  Alabama:  14-2

20.  Mississippi St:  14-2

21.  Kentucky:  13-3

24.  Mississippi:  14-2

35.  Georgia:  14-2

52.  Vanderbilt:  13-3

71.  Louisiana St:  11-5

Here's the Classic OVC:

106.  Murray St:  10-7

121.  Mid. Tenn. St:  12-5

128.  W. Kentucky:  11-6

224.  E. Kentucky:  8-9

273.  Morehead St:  10-7

301.  Tenn. Tech:  9-8

304.  Austin Peay:  6-11

And here's the Classic Metro Seven.  I love seeing Memphis, U of L, and Cincinnati all back together:

33.  Memphis St:  13-3

34.  Louisville:  12-5

38.  Cincinnati:  10-5

66.  Florida St:  11-5

117.  Saint Louis:  10-6

161.  Virginia Tech:  7-9

175.  Tulane:  9-8

A few more facts about the Big Blue.  Kentucky is ranked 3d in offensive efficiency, at 124.1, and ranked 87th in defensive efficiency, at 101.3.  The Cats are number 105 in luck.

Arkansas is number 49 on KenPom.  The Razorbacks are 75th in offensive efficiency (111.8) and 26th in defensive efficiency (96.0).  They are 197 in luck.

Oh, Princeton

You hardly ever hear anyone--even anyone from Princeton--call it "kuh-WELL" County anymore. It's almost, absolutely almost always "CALD-well" County. But that changed over the second half of the last century, and, if you don't believe me, would you take the word of the 1960 Caldwell County High School cheerleaders?

I cannot believe that this amazing BBC movie directed by Denis Mitchell exists and that I had not discovered it until an hour ago or so. For Pete's sake, do yourself a favor, stop everything you're doing and watch it in case the internet or you or whatever doesn't exist later this afternoon.

I'm pretty sure that's Princeton Dotson's Dwight Smith shooting jumpers in closeup at about 20:30.

Warning Explicit Content

Selection Sunday

This is usually my favorite day of the sports year. 

Classic OVC Standings

Murray State is probably going to finish with a losing record, but the Racers still have a chance to overtake Morehead State on the Ken Pom rankings.  Western really hurt themselves with that loss at MTSU:

122.  Morehead St:  21-8

128.  Murray St:  12-17

144.  W. Kentucky:  19-8

184.  E. Kentucky:  17-11

200.  E. Tenn. St:  14-15

222.  Austin Peay:  15-14

286.  Mid. Tenn. St:  12-16

328.  Tennessee Tech:  10-19

By the way, in case you wonder how hard it is to stay on top, here are the current Ken Pom rankings for the four teams that reached the Final Four in 2013:

85.  Syracuse:  18-10

109.  Michigan:  8-20

167.  Wichita St:  11-17

190.  Louisville: 8-19

Speaking of Louisville, here is the Classic Metro:

47.  Cincinnati:  16-11

48.  S. Carolina:  22-5

55.  Virginia Tech:  15-12

77.  Memphis St:  20-8

79.  Florida St:  14-13

135.  Tulane:  13-13

190.  Louisville:  8-19

221.  So. Mississippi:  16-13

On the whole, the Classic Metro is having one of the worst seasons I can remember.  Statistically, Cincinnati and South Carolina are very similar, but Cincinnati is ranked number 343 in "luck," while South Carolina is 5th.  The Gamecocks are 6-2 in games decided by five points or less, while the Bearcats are 3-8.  (Kentucky is 2-5 in such games).  As a result, the AP has South Carolina as the number 18 team in the country, while UC is on pace to miss the NCAA Tournament altogether.

On the other hand, the Classic SEC has six of its ten teams in the top 30, and I'm not sure that's ever happened before:

5.  Auburn:  21-6

6.  Tennessee:  21-6

7.  Alabama:  19-8

17.  Kentucky:  19-8

27.  Florida:  19-8

28.  Mississippi St:  19-8

74.  Mississippi:  19-8

83.  Georgia:  15-12

89.  Louisiana St:  14-13

202.  Vanderbilt:  7-20

Here you can see why that LSU loss stings so much.  On paper, at least, it should have been a lot easier to beat LSU than it will be to win on Tuesday in Starkville.  But the same LSU team that went 9-20 from 3-point range against UK made only 3-17 against Mississippi State.  If LSU had gone 3-17 from 3-point range against the Cats, that game would have been a lot different.

Classic OVC Standings

With only a few weeks left in the season, we have a three-way race for the title in the Classic OVC:

118.  Morehead St:  20-7

130.  Murray St:  11-16

139.  W. Kentucky:  19-7

179.  E. Kentucky:  15-11

207.  E. Tenn. St:  13-14

216.  Austin Peay:  15-13

282.  Mid. Tenn St:  11-15

329.  Tennessee Tech:  9-18

Meanwhile, here's the Classic SEC:

5.  Tennessee:  19-6

6.  Alabama:  18-7

7.  Auburn:  20-6

21.  Kentucky:  18-7

27.  Florida:  18-7

35.  Mississippi St:  17-8

68.  Mississippi:  19-6

78.  Louisiana St:  13-12

86.  Georgia:  14-11

201.  Vanderbilt:  7-18

From 2000 to 2017, Vandy went to the NCAA Tournament eight times and only finished outside the top 80 on five occasions.  Since 2018, Vandy hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament at all and has only finished inside the top 80 once.  The Dores have had two disastrous coaching hires in a row, and they really need to get the next hire right.

One final point about college basketball:  I think UConn is going back-to-back and I don't think it's going to be very close.

Classic OVC Standings

Western Kentucky went on the road last week and beat LaTech (81-76) and Jacksonville St. (70-59), and the Hilltoppers are right back in this thing.  Meanwhile, Murray finally won a close game, beating Evansville 73 to 70 on a buzzer beater.  So now the standings look like this:

110.  Morehead St:  20-5

130.  Murray St:  10-15

139.  W. Kentucky:  17-7

191.  E. Kentucky:  13-11

212.  E. Tenn. St:  12-11

232.  Austin Peay:  13-13

288.  Mid. Tenn. St:  9-15

336.  Tennessee St:  8-17

By the way, Morehead State has lost to Alabama, Purdue, Penn State, and Indiana.  All those games were on the road.  They are 20-1 against everyone else.  

The Classic OVC Champion will be determined by whichever team is ranked the highest when the NCAA Tournament begins.

Classic OVC Standings

Murray State lost at home to Indiana State, 72 to 63, on Saturday, while Western lost heartbreakers at New Mexico State (72-70) and Texas-El Paso (93-87).  So both teams lost ground to Morehead State, which rolled over Tenn-Martin (84-66) and So. Indiana (81-70).

126.  Morehead St:  15-5

140.  Murray St:  8-11

154.  W. Kentucky:  13-6

190.  E. Kentucky:  9-9

209.  Austin Peay:  10-10

220.  E. Tenn. St:  9-10

301.  Mid. Tenn. St:  6-13

328.  Tennessee Tech:  7-12

Meanwhile, here's the Classic SEC, which is looking crowded at the top:

4.  Tennessee:  14-4

5.  Auburn:  16-2

8.  Alabama:  12-6

16.  Kentucky:  14-3

34.  Mississippi St:  13-5

39.  Florida:  12-6

67.  Georgia:  13-5

78.  Mississippi:  15-3

85.  Louisiana St:  11-7

186.  Vanderbilt:  5-13

Kentucky has 14 games left on the schedule, and four of them are conference games against teams ranked in Ken Pomeroy's top 8:

Feb 3:  TENNESSEE

Feb 17:  at Auburn

Feb 24:  ALABAMA

Mar 9:  at Tennessee

Classic OVC Standings

This is getting tight:

132.  Morehead St:  13-5

146.  Murray St:  7-10

148.  W. Kentucky:  13-4

198.  E. Kentucky:  8-9

214.  E. Tenn. St:  9-8

221.  Austin Peay:  8-10

286.  Mid. Tenn.; St:  6-11

320.  Tennessee Tech:  7-11

Meanwhile, here's the Classic SEC after UK's 97-92 overtime loss in College Station:

4.  Auburn:  14-2

6.  Alabama:  11-5

8.  Tennessee:  12-4

19.  Kentucky:  12-3

29.  Mississippi St:  12-4

60.  Florida:  11-5

70.  Mississippi:  15-1

75.  Georgia:  12-4

82.  Louisiana St:  10-6

191.  Vanderbilt:  5-11

OK, let's compare this year's UK team to the last really great team the Cats had -- the 2019 team with Tyler Herro and others who went to the Elite Eight and lost in overtime to Auburn.

Offensive Efficiency:

2019:  117.6 (14th in the country)

2024:  119.6 (8th in the country)

This year's team is slightly better on offense, but it gets there in a very different way.  In 2019, the Cats were 8th in offensive rebound percentage and 14th in free throw rate.  On the other hand, they only shot 35.4 percent from 3-point range and only 52.9 percent from 2-point range.  This year's team shoots 39.8 percent from 3-point range and 55.3 percent from 2-point range.  They only turn the ball over 12.8 percent of the time, while the 2019 team turned it over 18.6 percent of the time.  Put it all together and it's a slight edge for this year's team.

Defensive Efficiency:

2019;  90.1 (8th in the country)

2024:  98.7 (54th in the country)

This is the problem, right here.  The Cats are not good on defense, as everyone saw last Saturday.  And the problem is on the interior.  In 2019, UK's opponents made 46.6 percent of their 2-point shots -- this year that figure is 49.0.  In 2019, UK's opponents got offensive rebounds 25.5 percent of the time -- this year that figure is 28.5.  Last year, UK was 28th in the country in giving up free throws -- this year it is 162d.

Can it get better?  Maybe, but we aren't seeing much improvement so far.

Classic OVC Standings

As of Monday, the Classic OVC looked like this:

127.  Morehead St:  12-4

153.  W. Kentucky:  12-3

165.  Murray St:  6-9

199.  E. Tenn. St:  9-6

219.  Austin Peay:  8-9

240.  E. Kentucky:  6-9

277.  Mid. Tenn. St:  6-9

318.  Tennessee Tech:  6-11

Last night, Western fell at Sam Houston State, 78 to 74, so the Tops dropped to 158.  Meanwhile, Murray won its fourth game in a row, pounding Missouri State (on the road) 77 to 53.  So the Racers are now 7-9 and they have zoomed up to 136.

Morehead is still at 127, and Ken Pom has them favored in every one of their games for the rest of the season.

Classic OVC Standings

Western Kentucky has now won six games in a row, but they have yet to catch Morehead.  Still, it seems clear that for this season, the Classic OVC is down to a two-team race:

143.  Morehead St:  9-4

156.  W. Kentucky:  10-3

230.  Murray St:  3-9

233.  E. Tenn. St:  7-5

241.  Austin Peay:  7-7

263.  E. Kentucky:  4-8

267.  Mid. Tenn. St:  5-8

322.  Tennessee Tech:  5-8

Morehead leads both the current OVC and the Classic OVC, which shows how little everyone else accomplished by leaving the OVC behind.

Meanwhile, here's the Classic Metro:

32.  Memphis St:  10-2

40.  Cincinnati:  10-2

49.  Virginia Tech:  9-3

67.  S. Carolina:  11-1

97.  Florida St:  6-5

108.  Tulane:  8-3

188.  Louisville:  5-7

236.  So. Mississippi:  6-6

Speaking of Louisville, let's check in on all the former Big East schools who thought it would be a good idea to join the ACC.  Right now, according to Ken Pom, none of those teams is ranked in the top 40, and only three of them are in the top 80:

44.  Pittsburgh:  9-3

49.  Virginia Tech:  9-3

64.  Miami (Fla.):  9-2

86.  Syracuse:  9-3

87.  Boston Coll:  9-3

97.  Florida St:  6-5

188.  Louisville:  5-7

224.  Notre Dame:  5-7

Classic OVC Standings

They had a thriller in the Classic OVC on Saturday, as Western edged Austin Peay 65-64 in Bowling Green.  Meanwhile, Morehead remains on top of the heap:

155.  Morehead St:  8-3

162.  W. Kentucky:  9-3

180.  Murray St:  3-7

237.  Mid. Tenn. St:  5-6

238.  Austin Peay:  6-7

239.  E. Tenn. St:  6-4

243.  E. Kentucky:  4-6

311.  Tennessee Tech:  5-7

Meanwhile, UK moved up to number 9 in the AP Poll, but they are still number 21 on Ken Pom.  He currently predicts that the Cats will go 12-6 in conference and 22-9 overall.  Meanwhile, check out the Classic SEC:

7.  Tennessee:  8-3

8.  Auburn:  8-2

9.  Alabama:  6-4

21.  Kentucky:  8-2

30.  Mississippi St:  9-2

38.  Florida:  7-3

86.  Georgia:  7-3

90.  Mississippi:  10-0

107.  Louisiana St:  6-5

229.  Vanderbilt:  4-6

Vandy is the worst major Classic Conference team in America.  They are below Rice (186), Oregon St. (205), and Georgetown (177).

Classic OVC Standings

This week, Morehead State leads both the current OVC and the Classic OVC:

156.  Morehead St:  7-3

168.  W. Kentucky:  7-3

173.  Murray St:  3-5

220.  E. Kentucky:  4-4

242.  Mid. Tenn. St:  5-6

248.  E. Tenn. St:  5-4

264.  Austin Peay:  5-6

318.  Tennessee Tech:  3-7

I do like seeing the four Kentucky teams at the top of the standings.

So far, Murray State has played three Classic OVC matchups.  They beat Tennessee Tech 78-72 in Murray on November 10.  They lost to Western 86-81 in Murray on November 14.  And the lost at Austin Peay, 53 to 49.  The Racers are struggling and Ken Pom thinks they will finish 13-18.  On the other hand, he thinks Western will finish 17-13.

Classic OVC Basketball Standings

It's not shaping up to be a banner year for the Classic OVC or the Classic Metro:

Classic OVC:

158.  Murray St:  3-4

176.  Morehead St:  6-3

177.  W. Kentucky:  6-3

229.  Mid. Tenn. St:  4-5

231.  E. Kentucky:  3-3

237.  E. Tenn. St:  4-4

271.  Austin Peay:  3-6

323.  Tennessee Tech:  3-6

Classic Metro:

29.  Cincinnati:  7-0

41.  Memphis St:  5-2

54.  S. Carolina:  7-0

66.  Virginia Tech:  6-3

71.  Florida St:  4-3

89.  Tulane:  6-1

161.  Louisville:  4-4

192.  So. Mississippi:  4-4

Meanwhile, all the ground gained by UK after the loss to Kansas was lost in the defeat to UNC-Wilmington:

Classic SEC:

11.  Tennessee:  4-3

13.  Alabama:  5-2

18.  Auburn:  5-2

22.  Kentucky:  6-2

25.  Florida:  4-3

38.  Mississippi St:  6-2

82.  Georgia:  5-3

93.  Mississippi:  7-0

97.  Louisiana St:  5-3

183.  Vanderbilt:  4-4

Note that Vanderbilt would be in fourth place in the Classic OVC.

Classic OVC Basketball Standings

Here are the latest men's basketball standings in the Classic OVC, based on Ken Pomeroy's rankings:

129.  Mid. Tenn. St:  3-1

147.  W. Kentucky:  3-1

162.  Murray St:  2-1

163.  E. Kentucky:  2-1

230.  Austin Peay:  2-2

232.  Morehead St:  2-3

267.  E. Tenn. St:  2-2

327.  Tennessee Tech:  1-4

If we conclude that the team with the highest final ranking on Ken Pom was the Classic OVC Champion for that year, then the list of champions (with Ken Pom ranking) back to 1999 looks like this:

1999:  Murray St. (70)

2000:  Murray St. (93)

2001:  W. Kentucky (58)

2002:  W. Kentucky (44)

2003:  W. Kentucky (56)

2004:  Murray St. (61)

2005:  W. Kentucky (86)

2006:  Murray St. (89)

2007:  W. Kentucky (116)

2008:  W. Kentucky (43)

2009:  W. Kentucky (88)

2010:  Murray St. (53)

2011:  Morehead St. (89)

2012:  Murray St. (35)

2013:  Mid. Tenn. St. (44)

2014:  Mid. Tenn. St. (89)

2015:  Murray St. (57)

2016:  Mid. Tenn. St. (119)

2017:  Mid. Tenn. St. (43)

2018:  Mid. Tenn. St. (45)

2019:  Murray St. (51)

2020:  E. Tenn. St. (56)

2021:  W. Kentucky (99)

2022:  Murray St. (36)

2023:  Mid. Tenn. St. (116)

So in the last 25 years, the breakdown is:

Murray St:  9 titles (99, 00, 04, 06, 10, 12, 15, 19, 22)

W. Kentucky:  8 (01, 02, 03, 05, 07, 08, 09, 21)

Mid. Tenn. St:  6 (13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 23)

E. Tenn. St:  1 (20)

Morehead St:  1 (11)

By this measure, the best Classic OVC team of the last 25 years was the 2012 Murray State team, which went 31-2 and lost to Marquette in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.  The 2022 Murray State team, which went 31-3 and lost to Saint Peter's in the Second Round, was almost as good.

Western's best team of the last 25 years was the 2008 team, which went 29-7.  The Hilltoppers beat Drake 101-99 (in overtime) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, and then beat San Diego 72-63 in the Second Round, before losing to U.C.L.A. 88-78 in the Sweet 16.

Classic OVC Basketball Standings

As of today, Ken Pom ranks the members of the Classic OVC as follows:

117.  Middle Tenn. St:  2-0

133.  E. Kentucky:  2-0

141.  Murray St:  2-0

176.  W. Kentucky:  1-1

230.  Austin Peay:  1-1

232.  Morehead St:  1-2

261.  E. Tenn. St:  1-1

314.  Tennessee Tech:  0-2