The true road to the NCAA Tournament started tonight in Nashville with the tip off of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. What started with eight teams eyeing a spot in college basketball’s showcase tournament will ultimately end in heartbreak for seven. Even if the favorite Murray State gets knocked out in the OVC Tournament there is no guarantee of an at-large bid for the Racers so every game, for every team, very well could be their last. That sense of urgency and abrupt finality are what make the mid-major conference tournaments great. The first night of “Music City Madness” did not disappoint as despite miserable weather outside, the atmosphere was electric inside Municipal Auditorium. What we learned tonight: Eastern Illinois is much better than their No. 6 seed. Chris Olivier is a beast in the paint and the only reason the Panthers were not among the top four seeds that received automatic byes, was his mid-season bout with mononucleosis which kept him out of the lineup for weeks. Against Southeast Missouri Olivier did whatever he wanted, and sent a message to the rest of the league that he will not allow EIU to be an easy out for anyone. Morehead [...]