MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State men's basketball team wraps up the home portion of its 2012-13 schedule on Wednesday when Ohio Valley Conference opponent Murray State visits Johnson Arena at 7 p.m. ET.
The Eagles improved to 13-14 overall, 7-6 in league play and 10-4 at home with Saturday's win over Tennessee Tech. The Racers slipped to 18-7 overall, 9-4 in conference action and 7-4 on the road with a loss at Eastern Illinois.
Murray State owns a 104-47 advantage in the all-time series against Morehead State. Murray State has won the last two meetings, but the Eagles led with four minutes to play last year when the Racers were 18-0 and nationally ranked.
Morehead State's senior class of Devon Atkinson, Milton Chavis, Jason Holmes and Kahlil Owens will be honored before their final game at Johnson Arena. The ceremony will include video board tributes produced by David Patrick.
Adult tickets start at just $8. Parking is only $5 per vehicle. MSU students are admitted free with a valid student ID.
Ways to follow the game:
LIVE VIDEO (ESPN3.com) | LIVE VIDEO (OVCDN) | LIVE AUDIO (CPU) | LIVE AUDIO (mobile) | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
The game will be webcast free of charge on ESPN3.com and 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 on the OVCDN, while Jason Blanton provides analysis.
Releases and pre-game information:
MOREHEAD STATE | MURRAY STATE | OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE
Ten notes heading into the contest:
SEE YOU IN NASHVILLE
Morehead State has clinched a 2013 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament berth. The Eagles were the No. 3 seed last year. MSU defeated Jacksonville State in the quarterfinals and lost to Tennessee State in the semifinals.
THE LAST TIME OUT
Junior Chad Posthumus and sophomore Angelo Warner scored in the final minute on Saturday to help Morehead State post a 65-63 victory over Tennessee Tech. The Eagles improved to 13-14 overall, 7-6 in Ohio Valley Conference action and 10-4 at home.
A HISTORIC CONTEST
Murray State was 18-0 overall and 6-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference heading into last year’s affair. The #10/12 Racers, who were the league’s first nationally-ranked team since the 1997-98 season, were the first Top 25 team to ever play at Johnson Arena.
THE START WAS GREAT
Morehead State jumped out to a 15-4 lead less than nine minutes into last year’s game against Murray State. The lead was pushed to double figures four more times before the break, but the Racers held the Eagles to 36 percent from the floor after halftime.
SUCCESS AT JOHNSON ARENA
Morehead State wraps up a four-game homestand on Wednesday against Murray State. The Eagles have won 83 percent (60-12) of their home games over the past five seasons, including 88 percent (37-5) in OVC action.
THE DIFFERENCE IN NUMBERS
Morehead State averages 73.8 points and is +7.1 in rebounds in 14 games (10-4) at Johnson Arena this season, but the Eagles average just 66.8 points and are +4.7 on the boards in 13 contests (3-10) away from the friendly confines.
WEARING DOWN OPPONENTS
Morehead State owns a 777 (28.8) to 409 (15.1) advantage in bench points this season. The Eagle reserves have outscored their foes in 23 of 27 games. MSU collected just 749 bench points (22.7) last year.
GOING TO THE GLASS
Morehead State is +129 total rebounds, +89 in offensive boards and +78 in second-chance points over the past 14 contests. The Eagles have outrebounded 12 opponents during the stretch.
THE FLOOR GENERAL
Senior Devon Atkinson, who ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference with 5.0 assists per game, has more helpers (136) than any other Morehead State player the past three seasons.
OVC TEAM RANKINGS
Morehead State ranks in the Ohio Valley Conference’s top three in offensive rebounds (1st, 13.9), rebounding margin (1st, +5.4), steals (2nd, 9.5) and assists (3rd, 14.7). The Eagles also place third in total attendance average (4,057).
