The OVC tournament was an eight-team tournament with the third and fourth seeds receiving a first round bye and the two divisional winners receiving byes through to the semifinals.
The top team in each division, based on conference winning percentage, automatically earned a berth into the tournament. The next six teams with the highest conference winning percentage also earned a bid, regardless of division. The No. 1 seed went to the divisional winner with the higher conference winning percentage, while the No. 2 seed automatically went to the other divisional winner. The remaining six teams were seeded 3–8 by conference winning percentage, regardless of division.