MSU's game against Murray State will be televised on ESPNU.
MSU Gamenotes
Bracketbusters
Game 29
No. 13 Morgan State (20-7, 11-1 MEAC) at No. 4 Murray State (25-3, 16-0 OVC)
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010 – 12 noon (ET)
Memorial Hall – Murray, Ky.
Television – ESPNU (Dan McLaughlin & Brooke Weisbrod)
Radio Live Stream – www.GoRacers.com
The Opening Tip
No. 13 Morgan State, the 2009 MEAC champion, will take on one of the hottest teams in the nation when they travel to face No. 4 Murray State (25-3, 16-0 Ohio Valley Conference) on Saturday, February 20 in a Bracketbusters matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 noon ET at the Regional Events Center and will be broadcast by ESPNU. The game will mark the first meeting between the teams.
Bracketbusters Series
Racers: Are 5-2 overall and lost their last game at home in 2009 to Louisiana Tech. MSU is 1-2 at home. MSU's first appearance in the BracketBusters was in 2005 with a win at Rice.
Bears: Played in the event for the first time last season and posted a win at Towson.
The Last Time Out
The Bears entered tonight's game attempting to bounce back from their first conference loss since February 2009, and they appeared hungry to get back in the win column. Reggie Holmes scored 15 of his game-high 17 points in the second half and Morgan State outlasted the Hornets 68-65 on Wednesday night at Memorial Hall in front of a packed crowd.
Murray State's Last Game
MURRAY, Ky. -- The Murray State Racers earned the right to be called Ohio Valley Conference champions when they clinched the program's 21st regular season title with an 80-68 win over Southeast Missouri State in Murray, Ky. MSU jumped to a 9-2 lead less than four minutes into the contest and led 20-7 after an Ed Daniel rebound and score with 10:28 before half.
Series History
Saturday's Bracketbuster game will mark the first meeting between Morgan State and Murray State in men's basketball.
Holming In
♦ Morgan State senior guard Reggie Holmes will enter Saturday's contest averaging 22 points per game, including four 30 point outings thru 28 games. He currently leads the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in scoring and ranks in the NCAA Top 10 (ranked No. 8).
Thompson's Hospitality
♦ Morgan State forward Kevin Thompson was named to the Freshmen Mid-Major All-America team by Collegeinsider.com at the end of the last season. Thompson posted his 17th double-double of the season (23rd career) when he finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds at Delaware State (Feb.17). Thompson is among the nation's leaders in rebounds ... he ranks No. 4 (12 rpg) and has posted 25 rebounds in a game which is an NCAA single-game high for this season.
Numbers Game
♦ Morgan State had an 11-game winning streak snapped by S.C. State on Feb. 15 and bounced back with a win against the MEAC's No. 2 ranked Delaware State on Feb. 17 ... The Bears have won 15 of its last 19 games.
♦ Morgan State improved from No. 17 to No. 13, earning its highest ranking ever in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The squad collected 340 points Monday, which fell ahead of William & Mary at No. 14 (331 points) and behind 12th-ranked Akron (360 points). The No.1 position is currently held by Butler (770 points).
♦ Reggie Holmes has poured in 1,871 career points and needs 120 points to pass Marvin Webster as the school's all-time leading scorer … Webster scored 1,990 from 1971-75 and has held the record for 35 years.
♦ Prior to the S.C. State loss, MSU had won 12 straight regular season conference games since last year.
♦ Senior guard #Troy Smith# scored a career-best 18 points in an overtime win at Norfolk State (Jan. 31), followed by 16 points at N.C. A&T on Feb. 1.
♦The Bears shot a season-high 54.5% (30-55 FG) from the field and outscored Winston-Salem State in the paint 42-to-32.
♦ Morgan State is 15-4 when scoring 70 or more points, with losses coming at Louisville (81-90), Appalachian State in overtime (92-93) and a tough loss at Robert Morris (78-75).
♦ The final 3 minutes has been critical in the Bears' success this season… Morgan State is 17-2 this season when leading with 3 minutes to go and 2-6 when trailing with 3 minutes left.
♦ Morgan State's Reggie Holmes has been named the MEAC Player of the Week five times so far this season and Kevin Thompson has also been named seven times as Defensive Player of the Week and once as the MEAC Player of the Week.
