SEAN WOODS TV SHOW (JAN. 20) -- PART 1 | PART 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State men's basketball team returns to Johnson Arena on Thursday when it hosts new Ohio Valley Conference member Belmont. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
The Eagles, who are 10-10 overall and 4-2 in the OVC, have won five of their last seven contests. The Bruins, who are 15-4 on the season and 6-0 in league play, have won six consecutive games.
Belmont, which is No. 23 in the NCAA's official Ratings Percentage Index, comes in as Morehead State's highest-ranked opponent this season. The two schools have never met in men's hoops.
Ways to follow the game:
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO (CPU) | LIVE AUDIO (mobile) | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
The game will be webcast free of charge on OVCDigitalNetwork.com. It will also be broadcast on WIVY-96.3 FM in Morehead, MSUEagles.com (computers) and m.Morehead.EZStream.com (mobile devices). Chuck Mraz will call the play-by-play, while Jason Blanton provides analysis.
Releases and pre-game information:
MOREHEAD STATE | BELMONT | OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE
Ten notes heading into the contest:
THE LAST TIME OUT
Morehead State held UT Martin to 22 percent shooting in the first half and cruised to an 88-74 win on Saturday at the Elam Center. The Eagles improved to 10-10 overall and 4-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
MATCHING THE SEASON HIGH
Morehead State tied its season high vs. Division I opponents this season with 88 points at UT Martin. The Eagles scored 49 points after intermission on 62 percent shooting.
SUCCESS AT JOHNSON ARENA
Morehead State has won 85 percent (57-10) of its games at Johnson Arena over the past five seasons, including 92 percent (34-3) in Ohio Valley Conference play.
ANALYZING HOME vs. ROAD
Morehead State averages 77.2 points and is +9.0 in rebounds in nine games (7-2) at Johnson Arena. The Eagles average just 66.9 points and are +1.6 on the boards in 11 contests (3-8) away from the friendly confines.
A NICE WEEKLY HONOR
Senior Devon Atkinson is the reigning College Sports Madness Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week. Atkinson collected 21 points and 18 assists in two games last week. He also committed just two turnovers in 58 minutes at the point guard position.
MORE ON THE ASSIST MAN
Devon Atkinson posted his first Division I double-double with 12 points and 12 assists at UT Martin. The 12 assists are the most by an Ohio Valley Conference player this season. The performance also marked his third double-figure assist effort of the year.
TURNER IS PICKING IT UP
Junior Bakari Turner has posted double-figure scoring efforts in each of the past four contests. He is averaging 13.5 points on 46 percent from the field during the stretch after averaging just 5.1 on 31 percent over his first 16 games this season.
AN OVC ROAD SWEEP
Morehead State’s recent sweep of Southeast Missouri and UT Martin marked its first back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference road wins since Feb. 11-15, 2012.
TALKING ABOUT TEAM RANKINGS
Morehead State leads the Ohio Valley Conference in steals (1st, 10.2), rebounds (1st, 38.0), offensive rebounds (1st, 14.6) and rebounding margin (1st, +5.0).
A REALLY STRONG BENCH
Morehead State has tallied a 608 (30.4 pg) to 311 (15.6 pg) advantage in bench points this year. The Eagle reserves have also outscored their foes in 17 of 20 games.
