The Lindenwood Lions went 9-22 last season, after making the postseason the year before. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
The Ohio Valley Conference released its 2024-25 men’s basketball preseason predicted order of finish poll Wednesday morning. Lindenwood was picked to finish ninth, after going 9-22 and finishing in last place last season.
This year will be Lindenwood’s third season as an NCAA Division I team. The Lions finished in eighth place in 2022-23 and qualified for the postseason OVC Championship Tournament.
Lindenwood received 67 points in the poll, which put them ahead of Tennessee-Martin and Tennessee Tech, who finished 10th and 11th. Arkansas-Little Rock was the team picked to win the OVC this season. The Trojans received 20 of the 22 first-place votes and 200 points in the poll.
Western Illinois was picked second (receiving 172 points), while SIU-Edwardsville picked up the other two first-place votes and 151 points to finish third. Tennessee State was tabbed fourth (134 points), followed by defending league champion Morehead State (131), Eastern Illinois (87), Southeast Missouri State (86), and Southern Indiana (79).
The OVC once again includes 11 teams and each team will play every other league team twice for a full 20-game conference schedule. League play will begin in December and go all the way until the beginning of March, which will lead into the OVC Tournament, March 5-8 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
Sophomore Jeremiah Talton is Lindenwood’s top returning scorer from last year. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
The Ohio Valley Conference also selected two ‘Players To Watch” from each OVC school to start the upcoming season. Jeremiah Talton and newcomer Markeith Browning II were tabbed as Lindenwood’s players to watch for the 2024-25 season.
Talton, a junior forward from Quincy, Ill., is in his second season at Lindenwood and will be the Lions’ returning leading scorer, after averaging 7.0 points per game last season. Talton posted 10 games of over 10 points in 2023-24, including a career-high 18 vs. SIUE.
Talton will also be Lindenwood’s top returning three-point shooter. Last year, he made 37.6 percent of his attempts from three anf 41 total, which was second-most on the team.
Browning II will join Lindenwood after spending the previous three seasons at Milwaukee, where he appeared in 54 games and made 29 starts. Browning averaged 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds at Milwaukee. He reached double-figures in points in 22 games in his career, including a career-high 25 points in a game last season against Green Bay.
2024-25 OVC Men’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Little Rock (20 first-place votes) – 200 points
2. Western Illinois – 172
3. SIUE (2) – 151
4. Tennessee State – 134
5. Morehead State – 131
6. Eastern Illinois – 87
7. Southeast Missouri – 86
8. Southern Indiana – 79
9. Lindenwood – 67
10. Tennessee-Martin – 52
11. Tennessee Tech – 51
Lindenwood will begin play with an exhibition game at Hyland Arena against Hannibal-La Grange on October 29. The regular season will kick off with a game against Oklahoma on Monday, November 4.
Lindenwood’s home opener will be November 7 against the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy. Tip off that evening is slated for 6 p.m.
2024-25 LINDENWOOD LIONS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 4, 2024 (Monday) | 8:00 p.m. | Away | Oklahoma | Norman, OK |
| November 7, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | UHSP | Hyland Arena |
| November 14, 2024 (Thursday) | 3:00 p.m. | Neutral | New Orleans | Moon Township, PA |
| November 15, 2024 (Friday) | 6:00 p.m. | Away | Robert Morris University | Moon Township, PA |
| November 17, 2024 (Sunday) | 12:00 p.m. | Neutral | Stonehill College | Moon Township, PA |
| November 21, 2024 (Thursday) | 7:00 p.m. | Away | Valparaiso | Valparaiso, IN |
| November 27, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5:30 p.m. | Away | Missouri | Columbia, MO |
| December 4, 2024 (Wednesday) | TBA | Home | East-West University | Hyland Arena |
| December 7, 2024 (Saturday) | 7:00 p.m. | Away | Mississippi | Oxford, Miss |
| December 10, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Harris-Stowe | Hyland Arena |
| December 14, 2024 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | IU-Indy | Hyland Arena |
| December 19, 2024 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Tennessee Tech | Hyland Arena |
| December 21, 2024 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Western Illinois | Hyland Arena |
| January 2, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Eastern Illinois | Charleston, Ill. |
| January 4, 2025 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Away | SIU-Edwardsville | Edwardsville, Ill. |
| January 9, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Tennessee State | Hyland Arena |
| January 11, 2025 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Tennessee-Martin | Hyland Arena |
| January 16, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Southern Indiana | Evansville, IN |
| January 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Away | Morehead State | Morehead, Ky. |
| January 23, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Southeast Missouri State | Hyland Arena |
| January 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Little Rock | Hyland Arena |
| January 30, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | SIU-Edwardsville | Hyland Arena |
| February 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Eastern Illinois | Hyland Arena |
| February 6, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Tennessee-Martin | Martin, Tenn. |
| February 8, 2025 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Tennessee State | Nashville, Tenn. |
| February 13, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Morehead State | Hyland Arena |
| February 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Southern Indiana | Hyland Arena |
| February 20, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:00 p.m. | Away | Little Rock | Little Rock, Ark. |
| February 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 3:45 p.m. | Away | Southeast Missouri State | Cape Girardeau, Mo. |
| February 25, 2025 (Tuesday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Western Illinois | Macomb, Ill. |
| March 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 3:00 p.m. | Away | Tennessee Tech | Cookeville, Tenn. |
| March 5-8, 2025 (Wednesday) | TBA | Neutral | Ohio Valley Conference Tournament | Evansville, Ind. |