By Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations
GAME NOTES (PDF) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Head coach
Preston Spradlin, his staff and the Morehead State men's basketball team will open the 2017-18 regular season officially Friday night when they travel to No. 17 Xavier. Tip-off time in the Cintas Center is 7:01 p.m. ET.
The game will be on FOX Sports Ohio (Dish - 412-15, DirectTV - 660), FOX SportsSouth (Dish - 420, DirectTV - 646) and FOX Sports Midwest (Dish - 418, DirectTV - 671) with Jay Alter on play-by-play and former Chicago Bull Dickey Simpkins on analysis. The contest can also be heard on the Eagle Sports Radio Network with Chuck Mraz. (WIVY-96.3 FM and MSUEagles.com).
The Eagles are coming off a season in which they finished 14-16 overall but 10-6 in the OVC for a second-place showing in the East Division. The OVC divisions have been dissolved this season.
Following Friday's action, the Eagles will head to Nashville, Tenn, for a matchup with Lipscomb at 5 p.m. ET Sunday.Â
GAME NOTES
THE XAVIER SERIES
Morehead State trails 6-3 in the all-time series with Xavier, with 2013-14 being the last time the teams met (XU won 79-56). Previously the last meeting before that was 2003-04 (XU won 93-76). The last MSU win in the series came in 1979-80 in Morehead, 99-84.
THE YOUNG GUNS
Morehead State's roster features 10 newcomers. The Eagles return four players from 2016-17, but only Division I start among those four.
SPRADLIN ERA CONTINUES
After leading Morehead State to a 12-9 record and a second-place finish in the OVC East as the interim head coach, former Kentucky graduate assistant and assistant operations director
Preston Spradlin is in his first official season as head coach at Morehead State.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONSBoth the members of the media and the coaches/media relations directors have selected Morehead State for a ninth-place showing in the Ohio Valley Conference race in 2016-17.
SUSTAINED PROGRAM SUCCESS
Since 2008-09, Morehead State has had five 20-win campaigns and made five postseason appearances (2 NCAA, 3 CBI). The Eagles advanced to the championship series of the CBI in 2015-16, taking Nevada to the final game of the three-game set before falling
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REBOUND U.
The Morehead State men have either led the Ohio Valley Conference or ranked second in rebounding margin 10 consecutive seasons. The Eagles won the board battle versus a much-taller on average Kentucky team 30-25 in the exhibition game and also grabbed 13 more (34-21) rebounds than Cincinnati Christian in Monday's exhibition.
