City Officials, OVC leadership Kick Off “OVC Championship Week” in Evansville

Evansville, Ind. – Today, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke joined Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Commissioner Beth DeBauche and the OVC host committee, led by Deputy Mayor Steve Schaefer and Old National Bank’s Jim Sandgren, to officially kick off “OVC Championship Week” in southwestern Indiana. 

The men’s and women’s OVC Basketball Championships presented by United Fidelity Bank will get underway tomorrow, Wednesday, March 1 and conclude Saturday, March 4 at Evansville’s Ford Center.

March Madness begins in Evansville as 16 teams will battle to be the first to claim their spot in the NCAA Division I tournament. After concluding conference play on Saturday, the Morehead State men and Little Rock women claimed the top seeds. Only the top 8 teams from each gender make the tournament; see page 2 for seeding details.

Mayor Winnecke announced that the Admissions Fair will return this year on Thursday night to attract local high school students. In addition, the women’s and men’s championship games are again scheduled for 2 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. with the Boom Squad performing at the Ford Center plaza before the men’s championship game.

“What a privilege to be able to again welcome OVC staff, teams and fans to Evansville, and a special welcome to the newest OVC member universities – Lindenwood University, the University of Southern Indiana and University of Arkansas at Little Rock – who have a chance to be a part of the tournament for the first time,” said Mayor Winnecke. “The Ford Center has been the perfect venue to showcase these Division I athletes. I’m hopeful basketball fans throughout the Tri-State take advantage of the ticket discounts and downtown activities to watch these teams compete.”

“The City of Evansville continues to embrace the tournament athletes, staff and spectators, and the OVC membership is grateful for the warm welcome and wonderful hospitality,” said DeBauche. “With three new schools having a chance to participate this year, I’m hopeful even more spectators join us for what’s sure to be an exciting, highly competitive tournament.”

Ticket Information

Several single-game promotions listed below are available directly through the Ford Center Box Office. Single-session and all-session passes can be purchased at the box office or at www.ticketmaster.com. 

Wednesday, March 1 

• Women’s Session (1 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.)
• Men’s Session (6:30 p.m. & 9:00 p.m.)

Thursday, March 2

• Women’s Session (1 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.)
• Men’s Session (6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.)

– more –

Friday, March 3 

• Women’s Session (1 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.)
• Men’s Session (7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.) – Youth Basketball Night (Children 12 and under who wear a basketball jersey receive free admission with a purchase of a discounted $15 adult ticket)

Saturday, March 4 

• Women’s Championship (2 p.m.) – German American Bank Family Day (4 tickets, 4 sodas, 4 hot dogs for $40)
• Men’s Championship (7:00 p.m.) – German American Bank Family Night (4 tickets, 4 sodas, 4 hot dogs for $60)

All other games: Individual game tickets (includes a 2-game session except for Saturday) are only $30 for the men’s games and $15 for women’s games.

OVC Tournament Seedings

Men’s Tournament Women’s Tournament

1. Morehead State 1. Little Rock
2. Tennessee Tech 2. Eastern Illinois
3. UT Martin 3. Tennessee Tech
4. Tennessee State 4. Southeast Missouri
5. Southeast Missouri 5. UT Martin
6. SIUE 6. SIUE
7. Southern Indiana 7. Tennessee State
8. Lindenwood 8. Morehead State

Tournament bracket and game times can be found at www.ovcsports.com/Evansville. 

Admissions Fair

The OVC Admissions Fair, sponsored by United Fidelity Bank, will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 2 in the Ford Center concourse. High school students will have access to admissions counselors from all 10 OVC schools to learn about courses and programs offered at each institution.

To register for the free event, high school students should visit: http://ovcsports.com/admissionsfair. 

All attendees will receive a free ticket to the Thursday night’s OVC men’s basketball quarterfinals, which will immediately follow the college fair at 6:30 p.m. The tickets will be provided to the registered students at the fair.