Murray State University Athletics
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Racers Named Among Top Overachievers By Pat Forde - ESPN.com
6/29/2011 9:26:55 AM | Men's Basketball
Pat Forde Article
The Murray State men's basketball program was again part of the national discussion when ESPN.com writer Pat Forde outlined his list of the top overachieving teams in the nation in an article posted May 27.
The Racers were listed fourth on the overachievers list behind only Butler (1), Duke (2) and Gonzaga (3). After MSU, the rest of the top-10 included Xavier (5), Connecticut (6), Arizona (7), Temple (8), Kent State (9) and Belmont (10).
Forde said the schools on his list are the ones who “get the most out of their basketball programs.”
The Racers are on the list because on their recent play and a grand tradition that includes an Ohio Valley Conference all-time best 22 regular-season titles. The Racers have won the last two OVC titles while posting a 54-14 record. MSU has 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and won a first round game over Vanderbilt the last time they were in the Big Dance in 2010.
The Racers are also part of an impressive streak of 24 straight winning seasons, the fourth-best streak in the nation, tied with national champion Connecticut and behind only Syracuse (41), Kansas (28) and Arizona (27).
Here is the text from Forde's article about the Murray State program.
The Racers have a current streak of 24 winning seasons. Duke can't say that. North Carolina can't say that. Kentucky can't say that.
Like Butler and Xavier, Murray has done it with a rotating cast of coaches -- six of them during this 24-year streak. Unlike Butler and Xavier, Murray doesn't have an urban recruiting base like Indianapolis or Cincinnati to help it. Yet the Racers consistently find players even in the middle of nowhere. (Murray, Ky., is 120 miles from Nashville, 168 from Memphis and 228 from Louisville.)
Membership in a low-major conference hasn't been an impediment to success, either. In 2010-11, the Ohio Valley Conference was ranked 27th out of 33 leagues by statistician Jeff Sagarin.
And Murray hasn't just gotten to the NCAA tournament, it has had success there -- a serious rarity for OVC schools. The Racers won a game in the 1988 NCAA tourney as a No. 14 seed (against North Carolina State) and in 2010 as a No. 13 (against Vanderbilt).
The Murray State men's basketball program was again part of the national discussion when ESPN.com writer Pat Forde outlined his list of the top overachieving teams in the nation in an article posted May 27.
The Racers were listed fourth on the overachievers list behind only Butler (1), Duke (2) and Gonzaga (3). After MSU, the rest of the top-10 included Xavier (5), Connecticut (6), Arizona (7), Temple (8), Kent State (9) and Belmont (10).
Forde said the schools on his list are the ones who “get the most out of their basketball programs.”
The Racers are on the list because on their recent play and a grand tradition that includes an Ohio Valley Conference all-time best 22 regular-season titles. The Racers have won the last two OVC titles while posting a 54-14 record. MSU has 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and won a first round game over Vanderbilt the last time they were in the Big Dance in 2010.
The Racers are also part of an impressive streak of 24 straight winning seasons, the fourth-best streak in the nation, tied with national champion Connecticut and behind only Syracuse (41), Kansas (28) and Arizona (27).
Here is the text from Forde's article about the Murray State program.
The Racers have a current streak of 24 winning seasons. Duke can't say that. North Carolina can't say that. Kentucky can't say that.
Like Butler and Xavier, Murray has done it with a rotating cast of coaches -- six of them during this 24-year streak. Unlike Butler and Xavier, Murray doesn't have an urban recruiting base like Indianapolis or Cincinnati to help it. Yet the Racers consistently find players even in the middle of nowhere. (Murray, Ky., is 120 miles from Nashville, 168 from Memphis and 228 from Louisville.)
Membership in a low-major conference hasn't been an impediment to success, either. In 2010-11, the Ohio Valley Conference was ranked 27th out of 33 leagues by statistician Jeff Sagarin.
And Murray hasn't just gotten to the NCAA tournament, it has had success there -- a serious rarity for OVC schools. The Racers won a game in the 1988 NCAA tourney as a No. 14 seed (against North Carolina State) and in 2010 as a No. 13 (against Vanderbilt).
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