OVC adds to the unpredictability of NCAA tourney

The NCAA men's basketball tournament is off to another rousing start, thanks in part to an Ohio Valley Conference team pulling off a thrilling upset for the second straight year.

No. 13 seed Morehead State stunned No. 4 Louisville 62-61 on Thursday as Demonte Harper hit a 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds left. A year ago it was No. 13 seed Murray State beating No. 4 Vanderbilt on a shot at the buzzer.

I didn't predict Morehead to knock off Louisville -- actually I didn't even fill out a bracket, shame on me -- but I did write after the Eagles won the OVC tournament that I thought they probably gave the league its best chance of an NCAA tournament upset because of the presence of rebounding machine Kenneth Faried and another high-level talent in Harper.

While senior wing Harper stepped up after struggling with his shooting most of the game, senior forward Faried recorded his 85th career double-double with 12 points and 17 rebounds. He also blocked Louisville's final shot.

An OVC squad now has won an NCAA tournament game three years in a row as Morehead captured the play-in contest in 2008-09. That's pretty heady stuff for a conference that isn't regarded highly on a national level.

It's always good for the OVC when one of its squads does well because the league will be looked upon in a much more favorable light nationally.

Morehead, however, couldn't follow up on its huge victory as the Eagles lost to No. 12 seed Richmond 65-48 on Saturday.

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Most people know this is among my favorite times of the year because I'm a certified college hoops junkie.

And what has made watching this NCAA tournament even better is that four networks are combining to televise every game.

While that means you've got to be quick and adept with your remote control, now you don't have to wait until the last few minutes of a great game for CBS to cut in.

I'm loving it.

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While Morehead did the OVC proud, Missouri had a disappointing NCAA tournament. The Tigers were routed by Cincinnati 78-63 on Thursday.

The Tigers started the season strong but limped to the finish line, capped by the loss to the Bearcats.

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You certainly could make the argument that the best high school boys basketball in the state this season was played in Southeast Missouri. All but one of the five classes featured final four representatives from this region.

The list, of course, is topped by state champions Scott County Central and Sikeston.

SCC captured its third consecutive Class 1 crown Saturday, 69-54 over Dadeville as the Braves capped another dominant title run.

That came the weekend after neighboring Sikeston claimed its first state title. The Bulldogs rolled to the Class 4 championship.

Throw in Charleston finishing third in Class 3 and Bernie taking second in Class 2 and it was certainly a banner year for a region that is used to success at the state level.

Kudos to all the aforementioned squads, especially SCC and Sikeston for emerging as the best in the state.

And now that the high school basketball season is over, the big story on the local prep hoops scene is what major university SCC senior standout Otto Porter will choose.

Porter, ranked among the nation's top 50 prep players by ESPN.com and among the country's top unsigned prospects, reportedly has narrowed his choices to Missouri, Kansas and Georgetown.

The spring signing period begins in mid-April and the silky-smooth, 6-foot-9 Porter will be the center of attention locally until he makes his destination official.

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Former Scott County Central standout Bobby Hatchett came one win short of being a national champion.

Hatchett is a backup freshman point guard for Midland (Texas) College, which lost to Southern Idaho in Saturday's national junior college title game.

Hatchett didn't put up big numbers for a Midland squad that always is loaded with high-level Division I recruits, but he was a key player off the bench.

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Former Southeast guard Jimmy Drew, who played two years under former Redhawks coach Scott Edgar, had a solid senior season for DePaul of the Big East Conference.

Drew started 17 games this year, including 16 of 18 league contests. His overall final statistics featured averages of 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds.

Drew, an Anna-Jonesboro (Ill.) High School graduate, played in just nine games for DePaul during the 2009-10 season, his first after transferring from Southeast. He never averaged more than 4.2 points during his career with the Redhawks.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.