MOREHEAD, Ky. — The Morehead State men’s basketball team opens Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday when it squares off with league favorite Murray State. Tip-off is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. ET. The contest will follow the Eagles and Racers in women’s basketball at 5:15 p.m.
Saturday is the conference opener for both teams. The East Division Eagles, who snapped a six-game skid with a 95-60 win on Monday at Central Arkansas, are 5-10 overall and 2-3 at home. The West Division Racers, who have won eight straight affairs, are 10-4 overall and 3-1 on the road.
Murray State has won its last four men’s basketball contests against Morehead State and owns a 106-47 advantage in the all-time series. The Eagles’ last win over the Racers — a 75-65 decision — came at Johnson Arena on Dec. 4, 2010. The Racers won, 69-58, last year in Murray.
Saturday’s promotion is “Hoop and Holler for a Dollar” as upper-level chairback and bleacher seats are only $1 each. Adult tickets normally begin at just $8, while tickets for children 12-and-under start at $3. Parking is only $5 per vehicle. Click here to purchase tickets on-line.
The game will be webcast live and free of charge on OVCDigitalNetwork.com. The video production, which is coordinated by Eagle Vision, will include multiple cameras, replays, graphics and audio. The contest will also be broadcast on the Eagle Sports Network, with Chuck Mraz calling the play-by-play and Jason Blanton serving as the analyst. The radio network includes WIVY-96.3 FM in Morehead, WCBJ-103.7 FM in Campton, WLGC-1520 AM in Ashland/Greenup, MSUEagles.com (computers), m.Morehead.EZStream.com (mobile devices) and the Eagle Empire App
Ten notes heading into the contest:
ENDING WITH A BIG WIN
Morehead State ended non-conference play with a 95-60 win over Central Arkansas on Monday at the Farris Center. The 35-point victory was MSU’s largest against a Division I opponent since a 120-83 drilling of South Dakota at Johnson Arena on Dec. 19, 2013.
GLAD THAT’S BEHIND US
Morehead State snapped a six-game skid with its 95-60 victory at Central Arkansas on Monday. The Eagles had not previously dropped six in a row since the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign. MSU has not lost seven straight since Jan. 18-Feb. 13, 2007.
A REALLY GRUELING SLATE
Morehead State traveled 12,355 miles (9,835 via plane and 2,520 via bus) and played in eight states during the non-conference portion of its 2014-15 schedule. Eight of MSU’s first 15 contests were on the road, while two others were on a neutral floor.
GOING AFTER THE FAVORITE
Murray State was picked first in the Ohio Valley Conference’s official preseason poll. The West Division Racers, won 10 of 14 non-conference tilts, own four victories over Missouri Valley Conference opponents and two over Conference USA foes this season.
REBOUNDING IS WHAT WE DO
Morehead State has led the Ohio Valley Conference in rebounding margin six straight seasons (2008-14), paced the league in rebounds five of the last six years and had the conference’s top individual four of the past six seasons. MSU is currently second in the OVC in both rebounding margin (+4.3) and boards per game (36.3).
THE DEFENSE HAS IMPROVED
Through 15 games, Morehead State’s opponents are averaging just 65.7 points on 43.3 percent from the field. At this point last campaign, MSU’s foes were averaging 73.3 points on 45.2 percent from the floor. The Eagles also have 13 more blocked shots.
PLEASE BRING BACK THE OFFENSE
Through 15 contests, Morehead State is averaging just 69.0 points on 42.7 percent from the floor. At this point last year, MSU was averaging 79.8 points on 44.7 percent from the field. The Eagles had 83 more free throws and 145 more FT attempts last season.
THE ONLY FOURTH-YEAR PLAYER
Senior Angelo Warner, the only fourth-year player at Morehead State, has recorded 1,319 points (11.8 pg) and 3,086 minutes (27.6 pg) in 112 collegiate games. The guard has reached 10 points 70 times and 20 points on 15 occasions. He needs just 12 more points to move into 17th in school history.
WHEN I PASS, YOU SHOULD SCORE
Senior Kareem Storey is tied for third in the Ohio Valley Conference with 5.0 assists per game and ranks fourth with 1.8 assists-per-turnover. The guard has reached the five-assist plateau in 21 of 44 games at Morehead State. He is averaging 6.9 points this season on 86 percent (25-of-29) from the foul line.
A FRESHMAN WHO CAN PLAY
Marquel Willis is averaging 6.5 points on 42 percent (25-of-60) from the field and 81 percent (33-of-41) from the free-throw stripe. His scoring average is the best by a Morehead State true freshman since NBA star Kenneth Faried finished with 10.5 per outing in 2007-08.
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