The OVC belt · current holder
Tennessee State
Took it from Southeast Missouri State, 79–71, on February 26, 2026. Only OVC games count: the conference belt passes to whoever beats the holder in a game between two OVC teams.
3Defenses this reign
214Days held
395Reigns since 1952
1,196Conference belt games
Next OVC belt game: Fri, December 11, 2026, at Western Illinois.
Most days with it
| Murray State | 6,126 |
| Western Kentucky | 4,696 |
| Eastern Kentucky | 2,867 |
| Austin Peay | 2,853 |
| Morehead State | 2,751 |
| Middle Tennessee | 2,405 |
| Belmont | 1,163 |
| Tennessee Tech | 1,014 |
Longest reigns
| Belmont | Feb 6, 2020 – Feb 25, 2021 | 27 |
| Western Kentucky | Jan 14, 1966 – Feb 24, 1967 | 22 |
| Austin Peay | Mar 7, 2003 – Mar 6, 2004 | 19 |
| Western Kentucky | Jan 2, 1970 – Jan 22, 1971 | 17 |
| Murray State | Feb 13, 1998 – Feb 5, 1999 | 16 |
| Murray State | Dec 5, 2009 – Feb 25, 2010 | 14 |
| Belmont | Jan 24, 2019 – Mar 9, 2019 | 12 |
| Murray State | Jan 22, 2015 – Mar 7, 2015 | 11 |
Latest title changes
| Feb 26, 2026 | Tennessee State beat Southeast Missouri State |
| Feb 17, 2026 | Southeast Missouri State beat UT Martin |
| Feb 14, 2026 | UT Martin beat SIU Edwardsville |
| Feb 12, 2026 | SIU Edwardsville beat Southeast Missouri State |
| Jan 22, 2026 | Southeast Missouri State beat Little Rock |
| Jan 8, 2026 | Little Rock beat SIU Edwardsville |
| Jan 6, 2026 | SIU Edwardsville beat Lindenwood |
| Dec 6, 2025 | Lindenwood beat Eastern Illinois |
| Mar 1, 2025 | Eastern Illinois beat Southeast Missouri State |
| Feb 1, 2025 | Southeast Missouri State beat Tennessee State |
| Jan 21, 2025 | Tennessee State beat UT Martin |
| Jan 18, 2025 | UT Martin beat SIU Edwardsville |