Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Fred Mullane
That Winning Feeling – Racer Success In The NCAA Tournament
6/8/2020 8:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The impressive history of Murray State men's basketball boasts 17 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Racers have three of the five NCAA wins the Ohio Valley Conference has produced since 2010. However, even early on, the goal of winning at the NCAAs meant not being content with just getting there.
Under Coach Cal Luther, the Racers joined the ranks of NCAA D-I in the middle 1950's with the opening of Racer Arena. Luther's teams made two NCAA Tournament appearances in the 1960's and in each occasion, they gave a good account of themselves. The Racers met highly regarded Loyola (IL) in the 1964 NCAA Tournament in Evanston, Illinois and participated in the highest scoring NCAA game in program history in a 101-91 defeat. Five years later in 1969, the Racers were in Carbondale, Ill., to face Marquette and battled to an 82-62 loss.
Heading into the 2020-21 season, the Racers have won four times at the NCAA Tournament. Here is a look at these memorable games from 1988, 2010, 2012 and 2019.
Murray State 79 North Carolina State 75 • Mar. 18, 1988 • Lincoln, Neb. • Devaney Center
After the 1969 game, Murray State had to wait 19 years before they got into the Big Dance again. In the 1988 NCAA Tournament the Murray State Racers became a national story when they upset Jim Valvano's North Carolina State team in Lincoln, Neb., by a 78-75 score.
How did the Racers do it? Part of the story was MSU's 14 made free throws which was more than the 13 NCSU attempted. MSU also played an outstanding defensive game in holding the Wolfpack to 42 percent from the field, while matching it when they had the ball. Coach Steve Newton and the Racers put the program in the spotlight with this win.
Murray State 66 Vanderbilt 65 • March 18, 2010 • San Jose, Calif. • HP Pavilion
After the 1988 win, the Racers got the job done again, 22 years later when they upset Vanderbilt in San Jose, California. Playing in one of the first games of the NCAA Tournament, the No. 14 seeded Racers saw Danero Thomas hit a 15-footer as the buzzer sounded for a 66-65 victory.
"That shot was bigger than he could imagine," Murray State's B.J. Jenkins told GoRacers.com. "It wasn't just a game-winning shot. We'll remember this for the rest of our lives."
Indeed, "The Shot" still holds a special place in the hearts of all Murray State fans. It's the kind of moment everyone has a story about. Where they were and what they were doing when Thomas became the hero during March Madness. Billy Kennedy joined Steve Newton as the only Murray State coaches to win an NCAA Tournament game.
Murray State 58 Colorado State 41 • March 15, 2012 • Louisville, Ky. • KFC Yum! Center
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In 2012, Coach Steve Prohm's team had already become the darling of college basketball as the final undefeated team in the nation at 23-0 and climbing into the top-10 of the national rankings. Playing in Louisville, the Racers were the No. 6 seed, the highest in program history, which meant they wore their home uniforms as the higher seed. This NCAA win was different than previous two. The Racers were favored over the No. 11 seeded Colorado State Rams. Trailing 24-23 at halftime, the Racers limited the Rams to just 17 points on just 7-of-25 shooting, including going 0-for-7 from behind the arc in the second half for a 58-41 win.
Murray State 83 Marquette 64 • March 21, 2019 • Hartford, Conn. • XL Arena
Murray State's fourth win in the NCAA Basketball Tournament was also its largest margin of victory when the No. 12 Racers took down No. 5 Marquette 83-64 in Hartford, Connecticut. Ja Morant made history as well by becoming the 12th player to record a triple-double in the NCAA tournament with 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds. Freshmen Tevin Brown and KJ Williams burst on the scene as well as future stars. Brown made five 3-pointers and Williams hit 8-of-10 from the field. Coach Matt McMahon followed Steve Newton, Billy Kennedy and Steve Prohm as the fourth Racer coach to win at the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to the four wins, the Racers also have a good batch of NCAA Tournament games in which they took the favored opponent down to the wire.
Murray State 71 Michigan State 75 OT • March 15, 1990 • Knoxville, Tenn. • Thompson-Bolling Arena
Only two years after their 1988 win over NC State, Coach Steve Newton's Racers came up with some magic against Michigan State in 1990 in Knoxville, Tenn., to become the first 16-seed to take a No. 1 into overtime. A distinction Murray State still holds. Everyone who follows the game felt a No. 16 would someday get the job done and that finally happened in 2018 when UMBC upset No. 1 Virginia.
Against the favored Spartans, the Racers trailed by six points with 2:22 remaining when Greg Coble went to work. The Racer guard hit a layup and free throw to cut the lead to three. With time running out, Coble hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime at 65-65. In the extra time, Frank Allen hit another three to tie the game at 71-71 with 1:06 left, but Michigan State got back-to-back baskets in the final 43 seconds to escape with the win. Sophomore Popeye Jones burst onto the national scene with 37 points and 11 rebounds.
Murray State 68 Duke 71 • March 14, 1997 • Charlotte, N.C. • Charlotte Coliseum
Under Coach Mark Gottfried, the Murray State Racers again had their sights set on upsetting one of college basketball's big guns when they took Duke to the wire before bowing out by a 71-68 score. In a game that was tied 35-35 at the half, the Racers, a No. 15 seed, held brief leads throughout the second half before falling behind by double-digits with eight minutes left. The Racers battled back, but could only get a 70-foot shot by De'Teri Mayes at the buzzer that would've tied the game.
MSU held Duke to 37 percent shooting, but could only manage the same percentage in hitting 29 field goals in the game. Vincent Rainey led the Racers with 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Mayes added 17 points with 11 coming from Arnell Hamilton and 10 from Chad Townsend. Mayes also had a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Murray State 65 North Carolina 69 • March 17, 2006 • Dayton, Ohio • Dayton Arena
In Dayton, Ohio, the Racers North Carolina and nearly pulled the upset in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Mick Cronin's squad MSU held a 31-30 lead at half and still led by three with 8:50 remaining in the game. Darnell Hopkins tied the game at 65-65 with a jumper, but Tyler Hansbrough gave UNC the lead again with a baseline jumper with 43 seconds left. MSU's final try was a would-be tying three-pointer from the corner by Trey Pearson, but the Racers fell 69-65. Pearson finished with 18 points (4-of-8 from three-point range), while Issian Redding came off the bench to score 12, with Justin Orr scoring 10. Shawn Witherspoon was off to a great start with five points and four rebounds in the first eight minutes of the game. However, he broke a bone in his right foot and had to leave the game.
Murray State 52 Butler 54 • March 20, 2010 • San Jose, Calif. • HP Pavilion
The Racers NCAA run to the Sweet 16 ended with a bitter two-point loss to eventual national runner-up Butler. MSU had the ball and were down by two points with :17 remaining, but were unable to get a shot off and possibly tie or win the game like they did two days before against Vanderbilt. The Racers were plagued by turnovers and finished the day on 18 which was only one more than their field goal total of 19. MSU only hit 5-of-12 from the free throw line. MSU owned the boards against the Bulldogs and ended with a 39-22 advantage. MSU led at half in both of their games in San Jose.
Under Coach Cal Luther, the Racers joined the ranks of NCAA D-I in the middle 1950's with the opening of Racer Arena. Luther's teams made two NCAA Tournament appearances in the 1960's and in each occasion, they gave a good account of themselves. The Racers met highly regarded Loyola (IL) in the 1964 NCAA Tournament in Evanston, Illinois and participated in the highest scoring NCAA game in program history in a 101-91 defeat. Five years later in 1969, the Racers were in Carbondale, Ill., to face Marquette and battled to an 82-62 loss.
Heading into the 2020-21 season, the Racers have won four times at the NCAA Tournament. Here is a look at these memorable games from 1988, 2010, 2012 and 2019.
Murray State 79 North Carolina State 75 • Mar. 18, 1988 • Lincoln, Neb. • Devaney Center
After the 1969 game, Murray State had to wait 19 years before they got into the Big Dance again. In the 1988 NCAA Tournament the Murray State Racers became a national story when they upset Jim Valvano's North Carolina State team in Lincoln, Neb., by a 78-75 score.How did the Racers do it? Part of the story was MSU's 14 made free throws which was more than the 13 NCSU attempted. MSU also played an outstanding defensive game in holding the Wolfpack to 42 percent from the field, while matching it when they had the ball. Coach Steve Newton and the Racers put the program in the spotlight with this win.
Murray State 66 Vanderbilt 65 • March 18, 2010 • San Jose, Calif. • HP Pavilion
After the 1988 win, the Racers got the job done again, 22 years later when they upset Vanderbilt in San Jose, California. Playing in one of the first games of the NCAA Tournament, the No. 14 seeded Racers saw Danero Thomas hit a 15-footer as the buzzer sounded for a 66-65 victory."That shot was bigger than he could imagine," Murray State's B.J. Jenkins told GoRacers.com. "It wasn't just a game-winning shot. We'll remember this for the rest of our lives."
Indeed, "The Shot" still holds a special place in the hearts of all Murray State fans. It's the kind of moment everyone has a story about. Where they were and what they were doing when Thomas became the hero during March Madness. Billy Kennedy joined Steve Newton as the only Murray State coaches to win an NCAA Tournament game.
Murray State 58 Colorado State 41 • March 15, 2012 • Louisville, Ky. • KFC Yum! Center
I
In 2012, Coach Steve Prohm's team had already become the darling of college basketball as the final undefeated team in the nation at 23-0 and climbing into the top-10 of the national rankings. Playing in Louisville, the Racers were the No. 6 seed, the highest in program history, which meant they wore their home uniforms as the higher seed. This NCAA win was different than previous two. The Racers were favored over the No. 11 seeded Colorado State Rams. Trailing 24-23 at halftime, the Racers limited the Rams to just 17 points on just 7-of-25 shooting, including going 0-for-7 from behind the arc in the second half for a 58-41 win.Murray State 83 Marquette 64 • March 21, 2019 • Hartford, Conn. • XL Arena
Murray State's fourth win in the NCAA Basketball Tournament was also its largest margin of victory when the No. 12 Racers took down No. 5 Marquette 83-64 in Hartford, Connecticut. Ja Morant made history as well by becoming the 12th player to record a triple-double in the NCAA tournament with 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds. Freshmen Tevin Brown and KJ Williams burst on the scene as well as future stars. Brown made five 3-pointers and Williams hit 8-of-10 from the field. Coach Matt McMahon followed Steve Newton, Billy Kennedy and Steve Prohm as the fourth Racer coach to win at the NCAA Tournament.In addition to the four wins, the Racers also have a good batch of NCAA Tournament games in which they took the favored opponent down to the wire.
Murray State 71 Michigan State 75 OT • March 15, 1990 • Knoxville, Tenn. • Thompson-Bolling Arena
Only two years after their 1988 win over NC State, Coach Steve Newton's Racers came up with some magic against Michigan State in 1990 in Knoxville, Tenn., to become the first 16-seed to take a No. 1 into overtime. A distinction Murray State still holds. Everyone who follows the game felt a No. 16 would someday get the job done and that finally happened in 2018 when UMBC upset No. 1 Virginia.Against the favored Spartans, the Racers trailed by six points with 2:22 remaining when Greg Coble went to work. The Racer guard hit a layup and free throw to cut the lead to three. With time running out, Coble hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime at 65-65. In the extra time, Frank Allen hit another three to tie the game at 71-71 with 1:06 left, but Michigan State got back-to-back baskets in the final 43 seconds to escape with the win. Sophomore Popeye Jones burst onto the national scene with 37 points and 11 rebounds.
Murray State 68 Duke 71 • March 14, 1997 • Charlotte, N.C. • Charlotte Coliseum
Under Coach Mark Gottfried, the Murray State Racers again had their sights set on upsetting one of college basketball's big guns when they took Duke to the wire before bowing out by a 71-68 score. In a game that was tied 35-35 at the half, the Racers, a No. 15 seed, held brief leads throughout the second half before falling behind by double-digits with eight minutes left. The Racers battled back, but could only get a 70-foot shot by De'Teri Mayes at the buzzer that would've tied the game.MSU held Duke to 37 percent shooting, but could only manage the same percentage in hitting 29 field goals in the game. Vincent Rainey led the Racers with 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Mayes added 17 points with 11 coming from Arnell Hamilton and 10 from Chad Townsend. Mayes also had a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Murray State 65 North Carolina 69 • March 17, 2006 • Dayton, Ohio • Dayton Arena
In Dayton, Ohio, the Racers North Carolina and nearly pulled the upset in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Mick Cronin's squad MSU held a 31-30 lead at half and still led by three with 8:50 remaining in the game. Darnell Hopkins tied the game at 65-65 with a jumper, but Tyler Hansbrough gave UNC the lead again with a baseline jumper with 43 seconds left. MSU's final try was a would-be tying three-pointer from the corner by Trey Pearson, but the Racers fell 69-65. Pearson finished with 18 points (4-of-8 from three-point range), while Issian Redding came off the bench to score 12, with Justin Orr scoring 10. Shawn Witherspoon was off to a great start with five points and four rebounds in the first eight minutes of the game. However, he broke a bone in his right foot and had to leave the game.Murray State 52 Butler 54 • March 20, 2010 • San Jose, Calif. • HP Pavilion
The Racers NCAA run to the Sweet 16 ended with a bitter two-point loss to eventual national runner-up Butler. MSU had the ball and were down by two points with :17 remaining, but were unable to get a shot off and possibly tie or win the game like they did two days before against Vanderbilt. The Racers were plagued by turnovers and finished the day on 18 which was only one more than their field goal total of 19. MSU only hit 5-of-12 from the free throw line. MSU owned the boards against the Bulldogs and ended with a 39-22 advantage. MSU led at half in both of their games in San Jose.
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