GAME NOTES (PDF) | SCHEDULE PAGE (LINKS TO LIVE VIDEO, LIVE AUDIO AND LIVE STATS)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State's men's basketball team is at home one last time in 2022-23 for its Senior Day game versus UT Martin. Tip off is at 3 p.m. ET Saturday.
The victory at Eastern Illinois Wednesday wrapped up Morehead State's first outright OVC regular-season title since 1983-84. This game is Senior Day for
Alex Gross,
Branden Maughmer and
LJ Bryan, along with team manager Austin Cummins.
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. ESPN+ is the streaming platform with Jared Stacy and Dean Hardin.
2022-23 RECORDS
MSU: 20-10/13-4 OVC | UTM: 18-12/10-7 OVC
SERIES RECORD
Record vs. UTM: 42-17
First Meeting: 12/16/91 MSU won 90-71 at MSU
Last Meeting: 12/31/22 UTM won 64-57 at UTM
Streak: UTM, 1 game
Record vs. UTM in Martin, Tenn.: 14-12
Record vs. UTM in Morehead: 24-4
Neutral Record: 4-1
NOTABLE
• Morehead State has won 10 OVC regular-season titles in its history: 1955-56, 1956-57, 1960-61, 1962-63, 1968-69, 1971-72, 1973-74, 1983-84, 2002-03 and now 2022-23.
• Morehead State has registered its third consecutive 20-win campaign. It's only happened one other time in program history, from 2008-09 through 2010-11.
• Morehead State will look to even the season series with UTM after the Skyhawks defeated MSU on Dec. 31. MSU has won 13 consecutive meetings with UTM at home and is 24-4 all-time against UTM in Johnson Arena.
• Morehead State lost four of its five starters from 2021-22 and only returned players who combined to average 13.1 points, but the Eagles still managed to clinch the OVC regular-season title.
• MSU has cruised into the end of February with wins in 10 of its last 11 games (only loss being a four-point setback at Little Rock). Defense has been the key. MSU's last 11 foes have only averaged 60.9 points.
• In the last three games, MSU shot 51 percent from three-point range (29-of-57). MSU drained 25 triples in the last two games with 12 and 13. Prior to that, the Eagles had only hit 10+ in three other games.
•
Mark Freeman ranks fifth overall in scoring (14.8/game) in the league. He's had nine games with at least 18 points in OVC play and is one of only three players to score 25+ in four games against OVC teams.
•
Mark Freeman needs just five assists to reach 100 for the season. He would represent the 11th straight season MSU has had at least one player with 100+ assists.
•
Alex Gross is one of just 15 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 2,381 points and 1,442 career rebounds.
•
Kalil Thomas hit six three-pointers at Eastern Illinois and scored 20 points. That's the most triples made by an Eagle since
Jaylon Hall hit six against SEMO last February.
•
Alex Gross leads the OVC in blocked shots with 57 and has had at least one swatted away in all but four games. He had a career-high five rejections against Tennessee State last Thursday and now has 420 career blocks in college.
• Among the 8 Division I men's basketball programs in Kentucky, Morehead State ranks first in wins in the last three seasons - 66.
•
Preston Spradlin ranks first among the 10 current OVC head coaches in wins at their current school (112), winning percentage at their current school (.535), conference wins at the school (72) and conference winning percentage (.575).
• Morehead State is 43-12 (.781) in OVC games in the past three seasons.
