No. 23 Murray State will look to continue its most successful campaign since the Ja Morant era when it takes its unblemished league mark on the road to play Tennessee State on Thursday in an Ohio Valley Conference game in Nashville, Tenn.
The Racers (22-2, 12-0 OVC) have dashed off 12 straight wins and jumped into the AP Top 25 for the first time since March 2015. Murray State’s latest victory was a 79-59 runaway over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Saturday behind 18 points each from Tevin Brown and Justice Hill.
KJ Williams added a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double (his ninth of the season) in the win while DJ Burns hit for 11 points. Murray State led by 20 points at the half and by 28 before throttling down in the second half. The Racers still limited SIUE to 38.8 percent shooting from the floor and a 1-of-16 showing from beyond the arc.
Murray State has a history of success, winning at a .762 clip over the past five seasons. It hasn’t lost since falling at now-No. 1 Auburn on Dec. 22. The Racers’ ranking somewhat validates their recent domination of the OVC, and it’s a milestone Murray State coach Matt McMahon wants his players to let soak in.
“Yeah, it’s a big deal,” McMahon said. “You can enjoy the success that you’re having and the recognition that comes with that, but also stay committed to why you’re successful — the hard work, the toughness, the unselfishness, the balance that we have offensively and defensively.
“We have a mature team. They’ve done a great job all season long with those things.”
Standing in the Racers’ way to continue their streak is Tennessee State, which heads home after a 69-61 win at UT Martin on Saturday. The Tigers (10-14, 5-7) got 17 points each from Kassim Nicholson and Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. in the win, which snapped a two-game losing streak.
Tennessee State won despite shooting just 37.5 percent from the floor, its lowest in a victory this season. The Tigers held UT Martin to 33.9 percent field goal shooting.
Nicholson also grabbed 13 rebounds to produce his eighth double-double of the year, tied for second in the OVC. Tennessee State coach Brian Collins lauded Nicholson, a grad transfer from UAB, for his work this season.
“He’s having a career year,” Collins said of Nicholson. “He’s the ultimate glue guy — he does so much. Sometimes it’s hard to really kind of laser in on what he can do because he can shoot the 3, shoot the mid-range, you can post him up, and he can defend multiple positions. He’s just a guy that we can’t do without right now.”
Murray State beat Tennessee State 67-44 on Jan. 13 at home in the first matchup between the teams this season. Nicholson was held to just five points in that game.
The Racers have won seven straight games against Tennessee State and own a 57-17 edge in the all-time series, including a 23-8 mark in games played in Nashville.
–Field Level Media