The Ohio Valley Conference schedule is finally underway for the 11 members of the Division I basketball conference.

The season is young, and the positions of each team will most likely change throughout the course of the next few months, but as of now, here are the current standings.

Murray State

The Racers are one of the hottest teams in the nation. They have posted a 16-0 record to this point in the season and have moved up to No. 15 in the Associated Press poll.

In conference play, Murray State has been just as dominating. At 4-0, the Racers are the only remaining undefeated team. They rank first in the OVC in scoring offense and defense, and their scoring margin is +15.6.

Eastern Kentucky

The Colonels have gotten out to a fast start in conference play, posting a 4-1 record. Overall, Eastern Kentucky is 10-7, but it is 6-0 at home.

Its defense ranks second in conference giving up 63.6 points per game.

Tennessee Tech

Tennessee Tech is currently riding a three-game winning streak and is 3-1 early this season in OVC play. With an 11-6 record it has shown the ability to win non-conference games.

The Golden Eagles are second in the conference in scoring, averaging 73.5 points per game. They are also undefeated at home in conference games.

Southeast Missouri State

The Redhawks find themselves in a tie for third early this season. With a 3-1 record in the OVC, the 8-8 Redhawks are the best shooting team in the conference.

They also are fourth in the OVC in scoring and are 2-0 at home against conference foes.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville

The newly inducted Cougars have been a surprise this season. Currently, they are tied for third with a 3-1 record.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville is second in the OVC in three-point percentage at 38 percent, and the long range shooting has helped it get off to this fast start. Despite the good start to conference play the Cougars are still 5-8 overall.

Eastern

The Panthers have not had much action in the OVC early on, but they have posted a 1-1 record in conference play.

Eastern sits at 8-6 overall and is third in the conference in scoring.

The Panthers are the best free-throw shooting team in the OVC at 77 percent for the team. They are also tied for first in rebounding.

Morehead State

With Kenneth Faried now a member of the Denver Nuggets, Morehead State has struggled out of the gates. At 8-9 overall, and 2-2 in conference play, the Eagles are tied for sixth in the standings.

The Eagles are tied for second best in scoring defense giving up 63.6 points per game.

Tennessee State

Tennessee State has had a tough start to the season. The Tigers are 1-3 in the OVC with all three losses coming on the road.

The Tigers are third in the conference in rebounding and first in the conference in rebounding margin at +3.2.

Jacksonville State

The Gamecocks are not off to the start they would have hoped for. At 1-4 in conference play, they find themselves ninth in the standings.

Jacksonville State has posted a 6-12 record this season; however, it has not won a game on the road, yet.

Austin Peay

The Governors’ fall is as big of a surprise as Murray State’s dominance. After being picked to win the OVC, Austin Peay has gotten off to a terrible start.

The Governors are 3-13 overall and 0-3 in the OVC. One reason for their struggles this season is their defense ranks last in the conference, giving up 75.1 points per game.

Tennessee-Martin

Tennessee-Martin has struggled more than any team in the OVC this season. The Skyhawks are 3-15 overall and 0-5 in play.

Both the offense and defense have struggled. The units second to last in both categories. And Tennessee-Martin ranks last in margin at -11.7.

Rob Mortell can be reached at 581-7944 or at rdmortell@eiu.edu