Murray State University Athletics
MSU Named Co-Favorite In OVC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
10/29/2009 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Murray State Racers were selected as co-favorites in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll in a vote by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
The Racers share the top honor with Morehead State after each received 10 first-place votes.
It marks the 13th time in the last 21 years that Murray State has been picked the preseason favorite and second year in a row.
MSU has finished second in the OVC regular season in each of the three seasons under head coach Billy Kennedy. Last season MSU was 19-12 overall (13-5 in league play) and lost in the OVC Tournament semifinals.
The Racers have won an OVC all-time best 20 league championships, the last coming in 2006.
Murray State and Morehead State each totaled 154 points and were followed next by third place Austin Peay with 114 points.
Eastern Illinois was picked fourth (105 points) and followed by Eastern Kentucky (93), Jacksonville State (86), Tennessee Tech (76), UT Martin (55), Tennessee State (44) and Southeast Missouri State (19).
Murray State senior Danero Thomas, from New Orleans, La., was selected to the All-OVC Preseason Team along with junior Isacc Miles of Kansas City, Mo., and Ivan Aska of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. All three were named to the All-OVC last season and Aska was named the league's freshman of the year.
OVC PRESEASON POLL
| No. | Team | Points | |
| 1. | Murray State (10) | 154 | |
| Morehead State (10) | 154 | ||
| 3. | Austin Peay | 114 | |
| 4. | Eastern Illinois | 105 | |
| 5. | Eastern Kentucky | 93 | |
| 6. | Jacksonville State | 86 | |
| 7. | Tennessee Tech | 76 | |
| 8. | UT Martin | 55 | |
| 9. | Tennessee State | 44 | |
| 10. | SE Missouri State | 19 |
Morehead State's Kenneth Faried was named OVC Preseason MVP.
ALL-OVC PRESEASON TEAM
| Name | School | P | CL | Hometown |
| %Ivan Aska | Murray State | F | SO | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. |
| #Wes Channels | Austin Peay | G | SR | Memphis, Tenn. |
| Darious Cox | Tennessee State | F | JR | Monroe, N.C. |
| *Kenneth Faried | Morehead State | F | JR | Newark, N.J. |
| Tyler Laser | Eastern Illinois | G | JR | Hillsdale, Mich. |
| #Romain Martin | Eastern Illinois | G | SR | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| %Isacc Miles | Murray State | G | JR | Kansas City, Mo. |
| Maze Stalloworth | Morehead State | F | SR | Elizabethtown, Ky. |
| Justin Stommes | Eastern Kentucky | F | JR | Cold Spring, Minn. |
| #Danero Thomas | Murray State | F | SR | New Orleans, La. |
# 2nd team in 2008-09
% OVC All-Newcomer team in 2008-09
