The Valley Road - Racers Meet Aces At Ford Center - Murray State University Athletics

Opponent: Evansville Purple Aces Venue - Site: Ford Center (8,930) - Evansville, Ind. Date-Game Time: Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 - 1 p.m. CT MUR Record (Streak): 5-9, 2-1 MVC (W2) UE Record (Streak): 10-4, 1-2 MVC (L2) All-Time Series vs. UE: Racers lead 28-13 Murray State Head Coach: Steve Prohm Alma Mater: Alabama (1997) at MUR: 126-53 (6th Season) Career: 223-148 (12th Season) Missouri Valley: 13-10 UE Head Coach: Dave Ragland Alma mater: Southern Indiana (2003) at UE: 15-31 (2nd Season) Career: Same Missouri Valley: 2-21

Racers vs Purple Aces - Historic Battles
Now that each meeting between Murray State and Evansville is a league game in The Valley, it is only adding to the rich history of basketball between these two proud programs.

Since 1943, the Racers have met the Aces 41 times and have won 28. With 27 clashes happening before 1954, the teams went nearly 20 years without playing until they renewed the rivalry in 1971. Prior to joining the MVC, the Racers met the Aces with regular activity starting in 2011.

Memorable Murray State performances against Evansville include Frank Allen's 36-point performance in 1992, as the Racers won in overtime 87-78. Allen's game at old Roberts Stadium represents the highest scoring game for a Murray State player against UE. In 2014, Cameron Payne scored 32 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists as he was on his way to being and NBA lottery pick and the Racers won the game with a buzzer shot from Jonathan Fairell. Ja Morant, was also on his way to NBA fame and made his mark on the rivalry with Evansville in a 2018 buzzer beat at the CFSB Center when he hit the winning shot for a 66-64 win, scoring 27 points and posting 10 assists.

The Aces return game to Murray State happens Saturday, Feb. 10.

Game Day Story Lines

The Racers won both games last season against the Aces and have won 3-of-4 with UE's last win coming at home in 2019.
Coach Steve Prohm is 4-0 lifetime against UE.
The Racers need to win away from home and are 0-4 entering the game at the Ford Center.
MSU lost by four points at Illinois State (Dec. 3), by four points at Austin Peay (Dec. 9), four points at Mississippi State (Dec. 13). MSU's last road test was an uncharacteristic 14-point defeat at Little Rock (Dec. 18).
After snapping a losing skid, the Racers have found redemption on the defensive end in back-to-back wins over MTSU and UIC.
MSU has hit 33 free throws in the two games, more than the 29 opponent attempts.
The Racers have also defended the 3-point line much better at a .304 clip as MTSU/UIC went 17-of-56.
The Racers have forced 28 turnovers in the two wins and have produced 33 points.
JaCobi Wood has hit 12-of-15 from the field in the two wins and 6-of-7 from the 3-point line.
Sam Murray has come off the bench in the two wins to provide 12 rebounds and nine points in 34:10 of court time.
Murray State's Rob Perry is 236 points from scoring 2,000 in his collegiate career.
Brian Moore is 10 points from reaching 1,500 in his career.
The Valley finished non-conference games 84-48 (.636) record. +36 games over .500 is the best in MVC men's hoops since the 2017-18 campaign, when the Valley was 87-46 (+41), which included post-season play.

The Valley Road - Racers Meet Aces At Ford Center

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Players Mentioned

Rob Perry

JaCobi Wood

Murray State University Athletics