Racers Travel to Cincy - Face Xavier in Exhibition - Murray State University Athletics

The Murray State men's basketball team gets the 2025-26 season going Saturday in a 1 p.m. Central Time exhibition game against the Xavier Musketeers at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Coach Ryan Miller era sees the Racers field a team of 15 newcomers for the Racers' 101st season of collegiate basketball.

EXHIBITION
MURRAY STATE AT XAVIER
Venue: Cintas Center (10,224)
Site: Cincinnati, Ohio
Game Day/Time: Saturday, Oct. 18 - 6 P.M. CT

Live Media Feeds
Racer Radio: Froggy 103.7FM, Froggy103.com (Jeff Bidwell & Kenny Roth)
Television: Xavier All-Access (Paul Fritschner & Matt Stainbrook)
Stats: GoRacers.com & StatBroadcast.com
X: @RacersHoops

Xavier Musketeers 0-0 (0-0 Big East)
Head Coach: Richard Pitino
Alma Mater: Providence (2005)
at XU: 0-0 (1st season)
Career: 247-186
Big East: 0-0
Record vs MSU: 0-0

Murray State Racers 0-0 (0-0 MVC)
Head Coach: Ryan Miller
Alma Mater: Northern State (2000)
at MUR: 0-0 (1st Season)
Career: Same
Missouri Valley: 0-0
Record vs XU: 0-0

Game Day Story Lines

The 2025-26 season is the 101st in Murray State history, the 27th in the CFSB Center and MSU's fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Among teams that have played in NCAA DI for at least 25 seasons, MSU is ranked No. 14 in winning percentage at .643 and No. 44 in victories with 1,752.
MSU has made 18 NCAA Tournament appearances and has won five games, the last in 2022 against San Francisco.
The Racers were picked No. 4 in the Field of 68 MVC Preseason Poll.
Fred King, Mason Miller, Brayden Shorter, Layne Taylor, KJ Tenner and JJ Traynor are part of the MVC Preseason Watch List.
The Racers are 29-31 overall in the MVC after three seasons and 45-52 overall.
In the pre-conference season, the Racers have 11 games with six at home (Mississippi Valley, Nicholls, LIttle Rock, Morehead State, Bellarmine) and one on the road at SMU.
MSU plays in three neutral site events: in Sioux Falls S.D. (vs Omaha), Cayman Islands (vs MTSU, McNeese, George Washington) and Henderson, Nev. (vs Akron).The Racers are part of nine teams in NCAA DI that have no returners in 2025-26.
Murray State student assistant coach Patrick Chew and his father, Isaac, give Saturday's exhibition a family connection.
The elder Chew was assistant coach to Billy Kennedy at Murray State from 2007-11 over four seasons and part of the Racers NCAA Tournament team in 2010.
Isaac's son, Patrick, spent a good part of his childhood in Murray and is now a student assistant with the Racers.
Javon Jackson is MSU's leading career scorer coming into the season with 988 points between southern Nazarene, Utah State and UIC.

Racers Travel to Cincy - Face Xavier in Exhibition

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Players Mentioned

Patrick Chew

Javon Jackson

Fred King

Mason Miller

Brayden Shorter

Layne Taylor

KJ Tenner

JJ Traynor

Murray State University Athletics