The 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Media Day had hit a late-afternoon lull at the Evansville DoubleTree. Then Austin Peay State University head men’s basketball coach Matt Figger decided he wanted to go hassle Murray State head coach Matt McMahon.
It was just one of the highlights from Figger’s second turn in the spotlight, and this year he had a player in tow. Sophomore Terry Taylor, the 2018 OVC Freshman of the Year, was a preseason All-OVC pick and invited to take part in the event; alongside his head coach, Taylor sat down for one-on-one interviews, video for the league and a live spot with Bob Belvin for the OVC Digital Network, in addition to some Instagram stories.
In addition to Taylor’s honor, the Govs were picked fourth in the league’s preseason polls by both the media and in the coaches and sports information director’s poll. That’s a far cry from last season’s 11th-place prediction, which preceded a year in which the Govs won 19 games, advanced to the OVC Tournament semifinals and were invited to the CIT, where they won the John McClendon Classic.
The Govs kick off the regular season at home with a Nov. 6 contest against Oakland City before embarking on a 30-day, seven-game road trip spanning four states and two countries, Nov. 9-Dec. 8.
Courtesy of APSU Athletics