Story by Bryan Edwards, Staff writer

For 23 of the last 24 years, the OVC men’s and women’s basketball tournaments have been held in Nashville, Tennessee but the tournament has found its new home for the near future.

The Ohio Valley Conference announced that the annual conference tournaments will be played at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

Murray State President and chair of the OVC Board of Presidents Robert Davies said that he is excited about the move.

“I look forward to the OVC Championship being played in Evansville at the Ford Center,” Davies said. “This facility is the ideal place to showcase our conference and will be a memorable experience for our student athletes. I’m confident that out Murray State alumni and fans will continue to show amazing support for our Racers. I also look forward to the emerging partnership with the community of Evansville and know this will be an exciting event for the participants and spectators.”

The OVC Tournament has been held in the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee since 2002 and was home for the tournament as well between 1993-2001. The tournament was moved to Louisville, Kentucky in 2002 and moved back to Nashville for the 2003 postseason tournament.

The Ford Center is a 10,000-seat arena that is home to the University of Evansville men’s and women’s basketball, as well as the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

The OVC has yet to determine the location of the tournament following the 2018 tournament and will discuss the location during the 2017-18 academic year.

The Nashville Sports Council said that they will attempt to bring the tournament back to Nashville in 2019.