Murray State University Athletics
Racers Turn Their Focus To Thursday Night Home Tilt With Tennessee State
2/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
After finishing up their final road swing of the regular-season with a dominating win at Tennessee-Martin on Tuesday night, the Murray State Racers now turn their attention to Tennessee State and an important Ohio Valley Conference matchup Thursday at 7:15 p.m. at the Regional Special Events Center in Murray, Ky.
The Racers (21-5, 11-2 OVC) enter Thursday night's game with the Tigers (6-17, 5-7 OVC) in firm command of second place in the OVC standings, and MSU has already clinched a top-4 finish and a first round home game in the upcoming OVC Tournament on March 2.
For TSU, which sits in a tie for sixth place in the conference, the game is extremely important as they still have a chance at a top-4 finish and a possible home game in the tournament.
If the earlier meeting this season between the two teams on Jan. 24 at the Gentry Complex in Nashville, the Racers earned a tough 84-78 win over the Tigers. First-year MSU head coach Mick Cronin expects the next meeting to be another challenge for the Racers, especially considering the indefinite absence of junior guard Adam Chiles as he recovers from a dislocated shoulder suffered last week.
"TSU is a very athletic team that does a great job of using their quickness to be very, very explosive on the offensive end," Cronin said. "After evaluating the game film, I felt like we played pretty well against them the first time, and we had to really work to get that win. There's no doubt in my mind that we'll have to work hard for 40 minutes to get a win on Thursday night."
In the Racers' last two outings, it's been the defense that's really led the way as MSU has given up an average of just 53.5 points in those two games. Cronin believes the Racers will need to continue to play with great effort and execution on the defensive end to handle the Tigers.
"They're so athletic and so explosive that they will really make you pay for any breakdowns or mistakes you make on defense," Cronin said. "We can't afford to let them get in any kind of rhythm or any kind of flow offensively because if we do, we'll be in trouble."
The TSU game is the first of four-straight home games for MSU as they close out the regular-season, and a fifth-straight game at the RSEC is now set for March 2 in the First Round of the OVC Tournament. As the excitement of "March Madness" approaches, Cronin is pleased with his team's mentality and focus entering Thursday's game.
"We have great team chemistry right now, and I was really pleased with what I saw from our team in last night's win at Martin," said Cronin. "We continue to stay focused on what we're doing and focused on what our goals are. If we can continue to work in practice with that kind of focus and energy, and then execute with that kind of effort and intensity in the rest of our games, I think we'll be okay."
The MSU Sports Network's live broadcast of the game against Tennessee State can be heard by Clicking Here.
SERIES INFORMATION
-- Murray State vs. Tennessee State
This is the 44th meeting between the Racers and Tigers with MSU owning a 32-11 lead in the series...The Racers also lead the all-time series in games played in Murray with an 18-4 advantage, including a perfect 7-0 mark at the Regional Special Events Center....MSU won the previous meeting with the Tigers this season 84-78 on Jan. 24 in Nashville.
NATIONALLY: Through Monday's action, MSU was in the Top 12 nationally in three statistical categories. The Racers were fourth in field goal percentage at 50.0 percent, fifth in assists per game at 18.7 per outing and 12th in scoring offense at 81.2 points per game. MSU is also 36th in the nation in scoring margin at +10.0.
VICTOR NOTE: MSU senior forward Cuthbert Victor continues to rank among the nation's elite in 2003-04. Entering Tuesday's action, the 6-5 native of St. Croix, Virgin Islands was fifth in the nation in field goal percentage at 63.1 percent (140-of-222) and sixth in the nation in rebounding at 10.5 caroms per game.
With his 26-point, 17-rebound performance against Morehead State on Jan. 31, Victor earned his 11th double-double of the season and the 27th of his career. Victor also became MSU's all-time leader in blocked shots on Jan. 15 against Samford and has now run his career total to 146.
