MBB Wraps Up Five-Game Week Against American

RUSTON, La. -- The Morehead State men's basketball team wraps up its grueling five-game week on Sunday when it squares off with American.  Tip-off from Louisiana Tech's Thomas Assembly Center is set for 1:30 p.m. ET.  It's the first-ever meeting between MSU and AU.

Morehead State, 2-3 overall, is coming off a 69-49 win over Presbyterian on Saturday.  American, 2-2 overall, dropped a 63-44 decision to Louisiana Tech on Saturday.  Both teams are playing three contests this weekend as part of the four-team Coaches vs. Cancer round robin.

MSU finished 20-14 overall, 10-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference and participated in the College Basketball Invitational a season ago.  AU posted a 20-13 overall record, 13-5 Patriot League mark, won its league tournament and participated in last year's NCAA Tournament.


Ways to follow the game:

LIVE AUDIO (CPU) | LIVE AUDIO (mobile) | LIVE STATS | TWITTER

Chuck Mraz will call the play-by-play on the Eagle Sports Network.  The radio network includes WIVY-96.3 FM in Morehead, WCBJ-103.7 in Campton, WLGC-1520 AM in Ashland/Greenup, MSUEagles.com (computers), m.Morehead.EZStream.com (mobile devices) and the Eagle Empire App.


Releases and pre-game information:

MOREHEAD STATE | AMERICAN | OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE


Ten notes heading into the contest:

HANDING OUT THE ASSISTS
Senior Kareem Storey leads the Ohio Valley Conference with 6.8 assists per game.  The guard also places seventh in the league with a 3.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.  He has reached the five-assist plateau in 20 of 37 games at Morehead State.

THE STRAWS THAT STIR THE DRINK
Senior guards Angelo Warner and junior Brent Arrington scored 18 points each on Saturday against Presbyterian.  Warner drilled 7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range.  Arrington canned 6-of-8 overall and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.

I'LL BE READY WHEN CALLED UPON
Senior Chad Donley registered six points and six rebounds in just eight minutes on Saturday against Presbyterian.  The guard, who transferred from Liberty, entered the contest with just six points and two boards in 27 minutes this season.

TAKING BETTER CARE OF THE BALL
Morehead State has limited itself to 56 turnovers through five games (11.2 pg).  The Eagles gave the ball away 75 times through five contests last year (15.0 pg).  MSU is looking to improve from Ohio Valley Conference-high 530 miscues in 2013-14.

LET'S GET THIS CORRECTED
Morehead State has been whistled for an Ohio Valley Conference-high 125 fouls through five contests (25.0 pg), while its opponents have been tagged just 96 times (19.2 pg).  The difference has led to 47 more free-throw attempts for MSU's foes.

A GRUELING BEGINNING
Morehead State is playing six of its first seven games away from Johnson Arena this year.  The Eagles visit UNLV, Cincinnati, Louisiana Tech and Marshall during the stretch.  MSU went 9-7 on the road last season and 2-2 at neutral sites.

EAGLES FACING EAGLES
Morehead State and American have never met in men's basketball.  AU is 2-2 overall this season, with victories over Saint Francis (Pa.) and Presbyterian.  American finished last year 20-13 overall, 13-5 in the Patriot League and played in the NCAA Tournament.

OVC AND NCAA HISTORY
Morehead State owns 13 Ohio Valley Conference championships, including nine regular-season crowns (last in 2003) and four tournament titles (last in 2011).  MSU has also made has made seven NCAA Tournament appearances (last in 2011).

ON TO THE POSTSEASON
Morehead State has made nine postseason appearances.  The Eagles have advanced beyond the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in four of the past six seasons.  MSU participated in the College Basketball Invitational in 2010 and again in 2014.

20 WINS = ELITE COMPANY
Morehead State, which finished 20-14 overall in 2013-14, has reached the 20-win plateau four times in the past six seasons.  The Eagles had previously secured 20 victories just twice in 79 campaigns.  MSU improved by five wins from 2012-13 to last year.