Destination Hartford - Racers Prepare For 17th NCAA Appearance

(12) MURRAY STATE RACERS (27-4, 16-2 Ohio Valley Co-Champions)
Head Coach: Matt McMahon (Appalachian State, 2000)
Career Record: 86-41 (4th season) • At MUR: Same • OVC: 50-18

(5) MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES (24-9, 12-6 Big East - 2nd Place)
Head Coach: Steve Wojciechowski (Duke, 1998)
Career Record: 97-68 (5th season) • At MU: Same • Big East: 43-47

Date-Time: March 21, 3:20p CT Site: Hartford, Conn. Arena: XL Center TV: TBS Radio: Racer Radio - WFGS 103.7 FM - Neal Bradley & Kenny Roth Web Streaming: Audio: Westwood One Video: CBS-Carter Blackburn(PXP), Deb Antonelli (Analyst), John Schriffen (Reporter) Live Stats: NCAA.com Twitter: @MSURacers @RacersHoops @RacerDave23

First MSU Appearance: 1964, Lost to Loyola (IL) 101- 91 in Evanston, Ill.
Last MSU Appearance: 2018, MSU No. 12 seed, lost to No. 5 West Virginia in San Diego 85-68.
Last MSU Win: 2012, No. 6 MSU defeated No. 11 Colorado State 58-41 in Louisville.
Total Appearances: 2019 is MSU's 17th NCAA trip and they'll be playing in their 20th game.
Record: MSU is 3-16 all-time in the NCAAs.
Total Wins: MSU has won three NCAA games. 1988 against NC State, 2010 against Vanderbilt & 2012 against Colorado State
Overtime: MSU has played one. 1990 when they were & still are the only No. 16 seed to take a No. 1 to extra time.
How Did We Get Here? The Racers won the Ohio Valley Conference's automatic bid to the NCAAs after they won the OVC Tournament with victories over Jacksonville State and Belmont at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.

The Murray State Racers (27-4) make their 17th appearance in the NCAA Tournament Thursday (March 21) when they take on the Marquette Golden Eagles (25-8) in a first round game at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. The Racers won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season at 16-2 and the OVC Tournament, becoming the first team in the OVC in 20 seasons to make consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Racers enter the NCAAs having won their last 11 games since a loss to Jacksonville State (Jan. 31). In Coach McMahon's fourth season, the Racers have a combination of capable scorers and defenders. MSU is 45th in the nation in defensive field goal percentage at .410 and third in the nation in limiting opponents to only .282 from the 3-point line. On offense, MSU is 12th in the nation at 83.3 points per game which is fueled by a field goal percentage that is seventh at .496.

After a fabulous regular season of 763 points and 311 assists, Ja Morant is still on track to become the first player in NCAA D-I to average 20 points and 10 assists per game since the assist became an official stat in the 1985-86 season.

Morant's stock went on the rise last summer when he was invited to the Chris Paul Camp and performed well. It continued through the regular season non-conference schedule when he scored a triple-double against Missouri State. He had his second triple-double this season at Morehead State. He had a run of 12-straight games of 20-points scoring or more and has 14 games of 25-points or more and six of 30-points or more. With 17 games of 10 or more assists, Morant currently owns eight of the top 11 assist games in MSU history.

Morant, already a multiple All-America pick, is also up for all of the major awards of college basketball, including the Wooden Award, Naismith Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy and the Lute Olson Award, each given to the National Player of the Year, and the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard.

However, the Racers are far from a one-man band with several capable athletes including OVC Defensive Player of the Year Shaq Buchanan, who was also an All-OVC pick. Big man Darnell Cowart came on late in the season to get a spot on the All-OVC Newcomer Team by nearly averaging a double-double. Freshman guard Tevin Brown gives the Racers a top 3-point threat.

The Racers will be facing Marquette for the third time in the NCAA Tournament after their most recent meeting in the second round in 2012. Marquette won that 2012 game 62-53 in Louisville. Their first meeting was in Carbondale, Ill., in 1969, which Marquette won 82-62. The winner of Thursday's game gets the winner of the (4) Florida State vs. (13) Vermont game. MSU is 3-16 in the NCAA Tournament with wins NC State (1988) Vanderbilt (2010) and Colorado State (2012).

Destination Hartford - Racers Prepare For 17th NCAA Appearance

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Players Mentioned

Tevin Brown

Shaq Buchanan

Darnell Cowart

Ja Morant

Murray State University