The Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an annual award given to the Ohio Valley Conference's (OVC) most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1962–63 season.

Fifteen players in OVC history have claimed more than one player of the year award, the most recent of whom was Terry Taylor in 2020 and 2021. Among the repeat winners, only one—Clem Haskins of Western Kentucky—has been a three-time player of the year. Haskins achieved the feat from 1965 through 1967.

Both of the schools with the most awards left the OVC in 2022. Murray State, which has dominated the award's selection, with its players having received the award 21 times (which at the Racers' departure was equal to the total of the next three programs on the list), joined the Missouri Valley Conference. Second-place Austin Peay, with eight awards, joined the Atlantic Sun Conference. Among schools remaining in the OVC after 2022, Morehead State has the most awards with eight. Among schools that will be OVC members in the upcoming 2026–27 season, three have yet to produce a winner, but all joined the OVC in the 2020s, with Lindenwood and Southern Indiana playing their first OVC seasons in 2022–23 and Western Illinois playing its first OVC season in 2023–24. Among former members, the only ones that were members during the award's existence that did not have a winner are East Tennessee State and Little Rock.

Three ties have occurred for player of the year: 1976, 1983 and 2013. No OVC Men's Basketball Player of the Year has ever been selected as any national player of the year.

Key † Co-Players of the Year* Awarded a national player of the year award that same season: Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year (1904–05 to 1978–79) UPI College Basketball Player of the Year (1954–55 to 1995–96)Oscar Robertson Trophy (1958–59 to present) Naismith College Player of the Year (1968–69 to present) John R. Wooden Award (1976–77 to present) Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the OVC Player of the Year award at that point

Winners

Season Player School Position Class Reference 1962–63 Morehead State PG 1963–64 Murray State F 1964–65 Western Kentucky SG 1965–66 (2) Western Kentucky SG 1966–67 (3) Western Kentucky SG 1967–68 Western Kentucky SG / SF 1968–69 Murray State SF 1969–70 Western Kentucky C 1970–71 (2) Western Kentucky C 1971–72 Murray State SF 1972–73 (2) Murray State SF 1973–74 Austin Peay PG 1974–75 Middle Tennessee PF 1975–76† Western Kentucky PG Middle Tennessee C 1976–77 Austin Peay SF 1977–78 (2) Austin Peay SF 1978–79 Eastern Kentucky F 1979–80 Murray State PF 1980–81 Middle Tennessee PF 1981–82 (2) Middle Tennessee PF 1982–83† Murray State SF Akron SG 1983–84 (2) Akron SG 1984–85 Tennessee Tech F 1985–86 Akron SF 1986–87 Morehead State PF 1987–88 Murray State SG 1988–89 (2) Murray State SG 1989–90 Murray State PF 1990–91 (2) Murray State PF 1991–92 Morehead State SF 1992–93 Tennessee State C 1993–94 (2) Tennessee State C 1994–95 Murray State SG 1995–96 (2) Murray State SG 1996–97 Austin Peay SF 1997–98 Murray State PG / SG 1998–99 Southeast Missouri State C 1999–00 Murray State PG 2000–01 Austin Peay SF / SG 2001–02 Eastern Illinois SG 2002–03 Morehead State PG / SG 2003–04 Murray State SF 2004–05 Tennessee Tech C / PF 2005–06 Samford PF 2006–07 Austin Peay SF 2007–08 UT Martin PG 2008–09 (2) UT Martin PG 2009–10 Morehead State PF / C 2010–11 (2) Morehead State PF / C 2011–12 Murray State PG / SG 2012–13† (2) Murray State PG / SG Belmont SG 2013–14 Belmont SF 2014–15 Murray State PG 2015–16 Belmont PF 2016–17 (2) Belmont PF 2017–18 Murray State PG 2018–19 Murray State PG 2019–20 Austin Peay PF 2020–21 (2) Austin Peay PF 2021–22 Murray State PF 2022–23 Morehead State PG 2023–24 Morehead State SF 2024–25 SIU Edwardsville SG 2025–26 Tennessee State SG

Winners by school School (year joined) Winners Years Murray State (1948) 21 1964, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1980, 1983†, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2012, 2013†, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022 Austin Peay (1962) 8 1974, 1977, 1978, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2020, 2021 Morehead State (1948) 8 1963, 1987, 1992, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2023, 2024 Western Kentucky (1948) 7 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968†, 1970, 1971, 1976† Belmont (2012) 4 2013†, 2014, 2016, 2017 Middle Tennessee (1952) 4 1975, 1976†, 1981, 1982 Akron (1980) 3 1983†, 1984, 1986 Tennessee State (1986) 3 1993, 1994, 2026 Tennessee Tech (1949) 2 1985, 2005 UT Martin (1992) 2 2008, 2009 Eastern Illinois (1996) 1 2002 Eastern Kentucky (1948) 1 1979 Samford (2003) 1 2006 SIU Edwardsville (2008) 1 2025 Southeast Missouri State (1991) 1 1999 East Tennessee State (1958) 0 — Jacksonville State (2003) 0 — Lindenwood (2022) 0 — Little Rock (2022) 0 — Southern Indiana (2022) 0 — Western Illinois (2023) 0 —

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