Murray State University Athletics
Tuesday, March 15
Springfield, Mo.
7 p.m.
Murray State
at
Missouri State
Photo by: Tab Brockman
Racers NIT Bound For First Time Since 1996 - Faces Missouri State
3/14/2011 10:49:02 AM | Men's Basketball
National Invitational Tournament
(6) Murray State
(23-8)
at
(3) Missouri State
(25-8)
Tuesday 7 p.m.
Springfield, Mo.
JQH Arena
Game Notes
Live Stats
Live Audio
Live Video
The regular season was good to the Racers who posted the program's 24th 20-win season. MSU won the OVC regular season championship for the 22nd time, the best in the league and are back-to-back champions for the first time since 2000 when they ended a string of seven straight titles. MSU also has 24 straight winning seasons, fourth-best in the nation with UConn. Syracuse has the best streak at 41, while Kansas has 28 and Arizona has 27.
Billy Kennedy is the first Murray State coach to win back-to-back OVC Coach of the Year awards. After winning an OVC-record 31 games last year and topping Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Kennedy's team finished strong going 19-3 over its final 22 games.
(6) Murray State
(23-8)
at
(3) Missouri State
(25-8)
Tuesday 7 p.m.
Springfield, Mo.
JQH Arena
The Murray State Racers (23-8) are set for their first appearance in the National Invitational Tournament since 1996 Tuesday when they travel to Springfield, Mo., to face the Missouri State Bears in a 7 p.m. tip off at the JQH Arena.
The Racers will be facing the Bears for the first time since 1952. MSU is in the NIT after they won their second straight Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship with a 14-4 mark.
Murray State last played in the NIT in 1996 when they played at Missouri and dropped an 89-85 decision.
The Racers will be facing the Bears for the first time since 1952. MSU is in the NIT after they won their second straight Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship with a 14-4 mark.
Murray State last played in the NIT in 1996 when they played at Missouri and dropped an 89-85 decision.
Game Notes
Live Stats
Live Audio
Live Video
The regular season was good to the Racers who posted the program's 24th 20-win season. MSU won the OVC regular season championship for the 22nd time, the best in the league and are back-to-back champions for the first time since 2000 when they ended a string of seven straight titles. MSU also has 24 straight winning seasons, fourth-best in the nation with UConn. Syracuse has the best streak at 41, while Kansas has 28 and Arizona has 27.
Billy Kennedy is the first Murray State coach to win back-to-back OVC Coach of the Year awards. After winning an OVC-record 31 games last year and topping Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Kennedy's team finished strong going 19-3 over its final 22 games.
The Racers also saw sophomore guard Isaiah Canaan earn All-OVC First Team honors while senior guards B.J. Jenkins and Isacc Miles each were named to the All-OVC Second Team.
In a post-season that has seen more than a few No. 1 seeds not win their conference tournaments, the Racers know the feeling all too well after they stumbled and lost in the OVC Tournament semifinals (March 4). MSU had a poor shooting night in a 64-59 loss to Tennessee Tech, a team they had defeated twice in the regular season by an average of nine points. In the end, the one stat that doomed the Racers was their 33 percent rate from the field (17-51) and 17% from three-point range (3-18). Still, MSU had a chance to tie inside a minute left and came up short of their 15th trip to the NCAA Tournament.
In a post-season that has seen more than a few No. 1 seeds not win their conference tournaments, the Racers know the feeling all too well after they stumbled and lost in the OVC Tournament semifinals (March 4). MSU had a poor shooting night in a 64-59 loss to Tennessee Tech, a team they had defeated twice in the regular season by an average of nine points. In the end, the one stat that doomed the Racers was their 33 percent rate from the field (17-51) and 17% from three-point range (3-18). Still, MSU had a chance to tie inside a minute left and came up short of their 15th trip to the NCAA Tournament.
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