Racers Meet JSU Thursday In OVC Tournament

Date (Time): March 4 (7 p.m. CT)
Murray State Racers: (5 seed) 13-12 (10-10 OVC) (L2)
Opponent: (4 seed) Jacksonville State Gamecocks 17-8 (13-6 OVC) W3
Event: OVC Tournament - Quarterfinals
Site (Venue): Evansville, Ind. (Ford Center)
Radio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley, Analyst: Kenny Roth)
Streaming Audio: Froggy103.com & GoRacers.com https://v7player.wostreaming.net/2845
TV: None
Streaming Video: ESPN+ (PxP: Connor Onion, Analyst: Bob Belvin) https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/11e74309-cb7f-44c4-a2e2-f6b6ba712cb0
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=338646
Twitter In Game: @MSURacers
All-Time Series vs JSU (Streak): Racers lead 24-5 (L2)
All-Time Series in OVC Tournaent: Racers lead 3-0 (W3)
First Meeting: 2004, Racers won at home 89-84
Last Meeting: 2021, JSU won at home 87-74

Racers Set For 58th OVC Tournament
The Murray State Racers (13-12, 10-10) have won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship a league-best 17 times and have been to the title game three-straight seasons where they have met Belmont each time. MSU won two of those, in 2018 and 2019, but the Bruins nipped the Racers at the buzzer in 2020. The 2021 experience sees the Racers starting from the No. 5 seed, after they were the No. 2 seed the two years prior and a No. 1 seed in 2018. MSU is 72-38 (.654) overall in the OVC Tournament and have won 8-of-11 under Head Coach Matt McMahon. The Racers are 3-0 against the Gamecocks in the OVC Tournament with semifinal meetings in 2006, 2018 and 2019. If the Racers can win, they will face No. 1 Belmont or No. 8 SIUE in the semifinals. The Racers have met the Bruins five times and all have come in the championship game where MSU has won twice in 2018 and 2019. The Racers have yet to meet the SIUE Cougars in the OVC Tournament.

Froggy 103.7 FM - Flagship Station For Racer Basketball
In his 30th season, the "Voice of the Racers" and now a Murray State Hall of Famer, Neal Bradley is loved by Racer Nation. Former MSU assistant coach Kenny Roth provides analysis. All MSU games can be heard online at Froggy103.com and GoRacers.com. The OVC Tournament quarterfinal games can be seen on ESPN+ with the men's semifinals and finals being televised by ESPNU and ESPN2.

MSU Looks For Right Combination
Murray State's indifferent 2020-21 season has been one of survival and frustration. MSU has shown it can play with anyone in the OVC. However, a 10-10 mark in league play is something that is rare indeed. It's the first time MSU has lost 10 OVC games since the 1978-79 season. MSU had a big problem with turnovers which contributed to their 1-4 conference start. On the other hand, when the Racers defend and rebound well and hit the 3-point, they are formidable. In the OVC opener (Dec. 8), the Racers dominated Austin Peay 87-57. On the other side of that coin, the Racers had 23 turnovers (Jan. 7) and lost a 13-point second half lead in a 74-68 defeat to Eastern Illinois. MSU has come up empty in close games decided by five or less points. MSU is 0-6 with close losses to Southern Illinois (Dec. 11) 70-66, Austin Peay (Dec. 21) 74-70, Morehead State (Jan. 2) 61-56, Jacksonville State (Jan. 21) 85-82 and Belmont (Jan. 30) 72-71. If the Racers can limit turnovers and win the rebound battle, they could make a run this week. When the Racer win the rebound stat, they are 11-4 and when they don't, they are 2-7.

Ford Center Becomes OVC Home This Week
The OVC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships return to the Ford Center this week. A hugely successful decision by the OVC to move it's highest profile event, the event is contracted to be staged there through at least the 2023 Championship and maybe 2024. In 2021, there will still be fans at the Ford Center, but limited because of the pandemic. First held at the Ford Center in 2018, the 2019 Championships saw record-breaking attendance at the venue, as the men's semifinals with the Racers and Ja Morant attracting an OVC neutral site record 8,294 fans, a mark that was broken the next night with an attendance of 10,525.

Men's Schedule
Women's Schedule

About Murray State Athletics
Located in Murray, Kentucky, the athletics department at Murray State University is a member of NCAA D-I and plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Racers have 15 programs including men's teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf and women's teams for basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball. MSU also has a rifle program that is coed. The Racers are one of the founding members of the Ohio Valley Conference from its beginnings in 1948.

Follow the Racers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and on the web at GoRacers.com.

Murray State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Ja Morant

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