GAME NOTES | SCHEDULE PAGE (LINKS TO LIVE VIDEO, LIVE AUDIO AND LIVE STATS)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Following a hard-fought season opener at Indiana, Morehead State basketball returns to the friendly FamilyLeisure.com Court in Johnson Arena for its 2022-23 home debut. The Eagles entertain new opponent Campbellsville-Harrodsbrg (Ky.) Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
The game can be heard on the Eagle Sports Radio Network (WIVY-96.3 FM) with Chuck
Mraz and Drew
Barnette. It is also available on MSUEagles.com as well as network partner
WGOH 100.9 FM/1370 AM. The game will be on ESPN+ with announcers Jared Stacy and Dean Hardin.
This game is the first meeting between the two teams. The game, along with the matchup with Bellarmine Saturday, is part of a three-team scheduling event as CUH also plays at Bellarmine. CUH is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association.
2022-23 RECORDS
MSU: 0-1 | CUH: 1-2
SERIES RECORD
Record vs. CUH: First Meeting
NOTABLE
• Morehead State has won 24 consecutive home openers. The last loss in a home opener was to Robert Morris on Nov. 25, 1997. In the last 40 seasons, the Eagles are 37-3 in home openers.
• The Eagles returned five players (four who saw action and one redshirt) from a 23-win campaign in 2021-22. MSU has added 11 newcomers, including four who have prior Division I experience.
• Among the 8 Division I men's basketball programs in Kentucky, Morehead State ranks first in wins in the last three seasons - 46. Among all 27 college programs in the Bluegrass State, only one - Thomas More - had more wins (48) than the Eagles in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
• Morehead State was selected No. 1 in the preseason Ohio Valley Conference vote of coaches and media relations personnel. Senior guard
Mark Freeman was selected to the Preseason All-OVC Team.
•
Mark Freeman had a team-high 14 points in his Eagle debut, all in the first half, at Indiana.
• Guard
Drew Thelwell hit a trio of three-pointers and scored 11 in his 2022-23 debut at Indiana. For Thelwell, it marked his third double-digit scoring effort in his career.
• Graduate transfer
Alex Gross came to MSU with lofty career totals from his four years at Olivet Nazarene (Ill.). He was a three-time NAIA All-American and finished there with 2,021 points, 1,226 rebounds, 426 assists and 363 blocked shots. He earned the NAIA men's basketball CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year award in 2021-22.
• The Eagles' nine three-pointers made at Indiana was the third highest team total for triples made among the OVC teams playing on opening night.
• MSU has ranked No. 1 or 2 in the OVC in rebound margin for the past two seasons. During their prior 65 games, the Eagles were the top team in the league with a +5.0 rebound margin (36.9-31.9). In that span of 2020-21 and 2021-22, MSU was 38-9 when out-rebounding an opponent.
• Head coach
Preston Spradlin needs eight wins to become the sixth head coach in program history to lead his teams to 100+ wins. Spradlin is just the second head coach in program history to lead his teams to back-to-back 20-win seasons.
• The Eagles opened the season at a top-25 opponent for the third consecutive season with their game at No. 13 Indiana Monday. Last winter, they opened at No. 22 Auburn and opened the 2020-21 season at No. 10 Kentucky.
•
Branden Maughmer, a transfer from Division II Cedarville (Ohio), needs just 79 more assists for 500 in his college career.
