Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Tab Brockman
MSU Cracks National Polls - Payne OVC Weekly Honor
3/2/2015 4:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Associated Press Rankings I USA Today Rankings I College Insider Mid-Major Rankings
The Murray State men's basketball team cracked the Associated Press and USA Today college basketball rankings Monday (March 2) for the first time since they ended their successful 2011-12 season.
After four weeks of receiving votes, the Racers were ranked 24th in the rankings that are voted on by head coaches in the USA Today poll and 25th in the AP poll which conducts voting among media outlets.
The Racers have been steadily gaining national attention as their winning streak grew since Thanksgiving. MSU hasn't lost a game since Nov. 29 while producing the nation's second-longest winning streak at 24. With a win at UT Martin on Saturday, MSU (26-4) closed out a perfect Ohio Valley Conference season at 16-0, the first at MSU and the fifth in 67 seasons of OVC hoops.
Murray State is 65th this week in the NCAA RPI.
The Racers were fourth in last week's College Insider Mid-Major rankings. The next poll comes out at 5 p.m. Central Time.
In the history of the AP rankings, the Racers first appeared in the top-25 under Coach Harlan Hodges in 1951. Hodges had the Racers ranked three times total. Coach Cal Luther's Racers were ranked for four straight weeks in 1971 rising as high as 17th. MSU didn't get ranked again until the end of the 1997-98 season under Coach Mark Gottfried when the team went into the NCAA Tournament with 29 wins and a No. 25 rank. In Coach Steve Prohm's rookie season in 2011-12, the Racers started 23-0 and rose as high as No. 7 in the USA Today poll (MSU had never been ranked in the USA Today poll) and No. 9 in the AP poll. In 2011-12, the Racers finished No. 10 in the AP poll and 11th in the USA Today poll.
MSU is the top seed in this week's OVC Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville and have a bye into the semifinals Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Racers will meet one of three teams in the upper part of the bracket. No. 5 seed Morehead State plays No. 8 Southeast Missouri Wednesday, with the winner taking on No. 4 UTM Thursday.
Payne Honored As OVC Player of the Week
Murray State sophomore Cameron Payne was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week Monday in a vote of the league's sports information directors, which marked his fifth of the season. He shared the weekly honor with Eastern Kentucky's Corey Walden.
Payne and the Racers had quite a week with a pair of wins that secured their place in OVC history.
The Racers defeated Eastern Illinois at home Thursday 65-57 and finished the regular season Saturday 73-67 at UT Martin.
Payne, from Memphis, averaged 26.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game for the week. He also flirted with a triple double in the UTM game with 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
As one of the favorites to be named OVC Player of the Year later in the week, Payne is averaging 20.2 points per game and is ranked 14th nationally. His 605 points is third in the nation and with 172 assists, he is ranked 13th in the nation.
The Racers have won seven OVC weekly honors this season with Payne's five and two from teammate Jarvis Williams.
Nov. 24 - Jarvis Williams
Dec. 8 - Cameron Payne
Dec. 15 - Cameron Payne
Dec. 29 - Cameron Payne
Jan. 12 - Jarvis Williams (Co-winner)
Jan. 26 - Cameron Payne
Mar. 3 – Cameron Payne (Co-winner)
The Murray State men's basketball team cracked the Associated Press and USA Today college basketball rankings Monday (March 2) for the first time since they ended their successful 2011-12 season.
After four weeks of receiving votes, the Racers were ranked 24th in the rankings that are voted on by head coaches in the USA Today poll and 25th in the AP poll which conducts voting among media outlets.
The Racers have been steadily gaining national attention as their winning streak grew since Thanksgiving. MSU hasn't lost a game since Nov. 29 while producing the nation's second-longest winning streak at 24. With a win at UT Martin on Saturday, MSU (26-4) closed out a perfect Ohio Valley Conference season at 16-0, the first at MSU and the fifth in 67 seasons of OVC hoops.
Murray State is 65th this week in the NCAA RPI.
The Racers were fourth in last week's College Insider Mid-Major rankings. The next poll comes out at 5 p.m. Central Time.
In the history of the AP rankings, the Racers first appeared in the top-25 under Coach Harlan Hodges in 1951. Hodges had the Racers ranked three times total. Coach Cal Luther's Racers were ranked for four straight weeks in 1971 rising as high as 17th. MSU didn't get ranked again until the end of the 1997-98 season under Coach Mark Gottfried when the team went into the NCAA Tournament with 29 wins and a No. 25 rank. In Coach Steve Prohm's rookie season in 2011-12, the Racers started 23-0 and rose as high as No. 7 in the USA Today poll (MSU had never been ranked in the USA Today poll) and No. 9 in the AP poll. In 2011-12, the Racers finished No. 10 in the AP poll and 11th in the USA Today poll.
MSU is the top seed in this week's OVC Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville and have a bye into the semifinals Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Racers will meet one of three teams in the upper part of the bracket. No. 5 seed Morehead State plays No. 8 Southeast Missouri Wednesday, with the winner taking on No. 4 UTM Thursday.
Payne Honored As OVC Player of the Week
Murray State sophomore Cameron Payne was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week Monday in a vote of the league's sports information directors, which marked his fifth of the season. He shared the weekly honor with Eastern Kentucky's Corey Walden.
Payne and the Racers had quite a week with a pair of wins that secured their place in OVC history.
The Racers defeated Eastern Illinois at home Thursday 65-57 and finished the regular season Saturday 73-67 at UT Martin.
Payne, from Memphis, averaged 26.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game for the week. He also flirted with a triple double in the UTM game with 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
As one of the favorites to be named OVC Player of the Year later in the week, Payne is averaging 20.2 points per game and is ranked 14th nationally. His 605 points is third in the nation and with 172 assists, he is ranked 13th in the nation.
The Racers have won seven OVC weekly honors this season with Payne's five and two from teammate Jarvis Williams.
Nov. 24 - Jarvis Williams
Dec. 8 - Cameron Payne
Dec. 15 - Cameron Payne
Dec. 29 - Cameron Payne
Jan. 12 - Jarvis Williams (Co-winner)
Jan. 26 - Cameron Payne
Mar. 3 – Cameron Payne (Co-winner)
Players Mentioned
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