Saturday, March 7th, 8:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Sommet Center (19,395) - Nashville, Tennessee. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: Morehead State 12-1, Austin Peay 9-5. Away Record: Morehead State 4-12, Austin Peay 9-6. Neutral Record: Morehead State 2-2, Austin Peay 1-1. Conference Record: Morehead State 12-6, Austin Peay 13-5. Series Record: Austin Peay leads, 48-46.

GAME NOTES: The championship game of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament pits the second-seeded Austin Peay Governors against the fourth-seeded Morehead State Eagles. The winner of this game will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Morehead State surprised everyone with a 63-55 triumph over top-seeded Tennessee-Martin in last night's semifinal round. The Eagles, who are now 18-15 overall, have won this event twice, but the most recent title came way back in 1984.

As for Austin Peay, it crushed third-seeded Murray State by a 67-50 final on Friday. The Governors, 19-12, are the defending champs of this tournament and have captured the championship four times.

Morehead State recorded a pair of double-digit victories over Austin Peay during the regular season, cutting the Governors' lead in the all-time series between the teams to 48-46.

Kenneth Faried poured in 22 points to power Morehead State to the thrilling victory over Tennessee-Martin last night. Faried also ripped down 17 rebounds from his center position, while forward Maze Stallworth contributed 13 points. The Eagles earned a 40-27 edge on the boards and a 19-11 advantage in points from the foul line. Strong defense was also key to the win, as they limited the Skyhawks to 37.5 percent shooting from the field. Leon Buchanan was the leading scorer for the Eagles during the regular season with 15.3 ppg, and Faried averaged 13.5 ppg and 12.6 rpg through 31 games. In the victory over Eastern Kentucky in the first round of this event, Faried pulled down 17 rebounds, and the fact that he has hit that mark in two straight OVC Tournament games is certainly noteworthy.

Drake Reed scored 18 points to lead Austin Peay over Murray State last night, and Wes Channels certainly helped the cause with 17 points. The Governors played tremendous defense in the clash, limiting the Racers to 32.8 percent field goal efficiency. A 20-12 edge in points from the foul line was another contributing factor in the Austin Peay win. Reed is a dynamic scorer who is posting 22.0 ppg this season on 56.6 percent shooting from the floor. He is pulling down 7.5 rpg as well and is a solid passer. Channels paces the club with 98 assists, and he brings 16.7 ppg to the floor. The Governors are generating 75.7 ppg, slightly better than the 74.2 ppg that they are surrendering.

Morehead State was clearly better than Austin Peay in both regular season meetings, and there is no reason to expect a different result tonight. Faried will dominate the paint once again.

Predicted Outcome

Morehead State 77, Austin Peay 68