GAME NOTES (PDF) | SCHEDULE PAGE (LINKS TO LIVE VIDEO, LIVE AUDIO AND LIVE STATS)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Sitting in first place in the Ohio Valley Conference, Morehead State men's basketball will get another opportunity to showcase its hard-nosed brand of basketball to a national audience Thursday night. The Eagles host the Tennessee State Tigers at 9 p.m. ET in the OVC's ESPNU game of the week.
MSU will look to sweep the Tigers in the regular season for the third straight year. The Eagles have had success against TSU at home over the years as well, owning a 28-11 mark against the Tigers in Johnson Arena.
The game can be heard on the Eagle Sports Radio Network (WIVY-96.3 FM) with Chuck
Mraz and Tom Lewis. It is also available on MSUEagles.com as well as network partner
WGOH 100.9 FM/1370 AM. Robert Ford and Richie Schueler are the talent on ESPNU.
2022-23 RECORDS
MSU: 17-10/10-4 OVC | TSU: 16-11/8-6 OVC
SERIES RECORD
Record vs. TSU: 45-38
First Meeting: 12/6/80 MSU won 88-80 at MSU
Last Meeting: 12/29/22 MSU won 83-75 at TSU
Streak: MSU, 5 games
Record vs. TSU in Nashville, Tenn.: 16-23
Record vs. TSU in Morehead: 28-11
Neutral Record: 1-4
NOTABLE
• Morehead State has opened up a two-game lead in the race for an OVC regular-season title. The Eagles' magic number to clinch at least a share of said title is 2, with four league games remaining.
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Mark Freeman will no doubt be looking to repeat his performance against TSU this time around. The former Tiger scored a career-high 30 on his former school in the Eagles' 83-75 win at TSU on Dec. 29.
• Morehead State had just seven floor mistakes at SEMO. That tied for the team's lowest turnover output of the season.
• Morehead State's three-point defense ranks first in the conference, and that has helped MSU also lead the league in scoring defense. Opponents shoot just 31 percent from outside against MSU. Twelve (12) different teams have hit four or fewer three-pointers against the Eagles - and 15 have managed 30 percent or worse.
• Morehead State is 35-5 at home in Johnson Arena in the past three seasons. MSU also boasts an average margin of victory of greater than +10 at home in the past three seasons.
• MSU boasts one of the league's best rebounding margins at +4.3, and the Eagles are 14-1 this season when they out-rebound their foe.
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Drew Thelwell picked up the team Saturday at SEMO when
Mark Freeman had to exit early. Thelwell drained a career-best nine field goals and scored a career-best 24 points. Thewell has ben held to less than 10+ points only twice in conference play.
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Mark Freeman ranks fourth overall in scoring (15.4/game) in the OVC. Freeman also ranks third in free throw percentage, hitting 87 percent at the stripe. In his career at three schools, Freeman is an 84 percent career free throw shooter. He has 1,186 career points, 415 assists and 128 steals.
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Alex Gross is one of just 14 current players on Division I teams to score 2,000+ career points in college. He is the ONLY current player in Division I to record 2,000+ points AND 1,400+ career rebounds in college (Gross' first four seasons were in NAIA). His career college totals stand at 2,339 points and 1,420 career rebounds.
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Alex Gross leads the OVC in blocked shots with 49 and has had at least one swatted away in all but three games. Gross' totals help MSU rank second in the league with 3.5 blocks per contest.
• Steady
LJ Bryan has provided MSU with a 58 percent field goal shooter for his entire Eagle career.
• Among the 8 Division I men's basketball programs in Kentucky, Morehead State ranks first in wins in the last three seasons - 63.
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Preston Spradlin ranks first among the 10 current OVC head coaches in wins at their current school (109), winning percentage at their current school (.531), conference wins at the school (69) and conference winning percentage (.564).
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Preston Spradlin has led MSU to its third straight season with at least 17 wins. It's just the fourth time in program history with three consecutive 17+ win campaigns. MSU has won 20+ in three straight 1 time.
