GAME NOTES | SCHEDULE PAGE (LINKS TO LIVE VIDEO, LIVE AUDIO AND LIVE STATS)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- • The venerable Ellis T. Johnson Trophy is back up for grabs when Morehead State Men's Basketball visits regional rival Marshall Wednesday night. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET at the Cam Henderson Center.
The Herd have won the last three matchups but the teams have split the recent series 4-4 in the last 10 years. MSU's last win in Huntington was in 2014 but the wins have been hard to come by for MSU at Marshall where the Herd have won 14 of the last 15 meetings since 1976. Ellis T. Johnson coached at both institutions during his long coaching career, and the teams have traded the trophy back and forth for the winner.
The game can be heard on the Eagle Sports Radio Network (WIVY-96.3 FM flagship station as well as WGOH in Grayson, Ky.) with Chuck Mraz and Drew Barnette. It is also available on MSUEagles.com. ESPN+ has the contest as well.
2024-25 RECORDS
MSU: 3-4 | MAR: 4-3
THE SERIES
Record vs. Marsahall: 47-54
First Meeting: 2/16/40 MAR won 42-31 at MSU
Last Meeting: 11/26/22 MAR won 83-59 at MAR
Streak: MAR, 3 games
Record in Huntington, W.Va.: 18-32
Record in Morehead, Ky.: 28-21
Neutral Record: 1-1
NOTABLE
• Kenny White, Jr., earned his first OVC Player of the Week honor this week after averaging 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the two contests at the Cleveland State Thanksgiving event. White, Jr., shot 63 percent for the two games as well.
• Kenny White, Jr's 34-point effort against NJIT is the highest single-game point total for any OVC player this season and ranks 9th in Division I for single-game scoring this season.
• In the last four seasons, Morehead State owns a 92-3 record when the Eagles hold a lead with a minute left in regulation time.
• When Morehead State reaches 70 points scored in a game, the Eagles are 62-9 in the last four seasons.
• Among the 11 Ohio Valley Conference programs, MSU boasts the highest number of graduate students (4) and the highest number of sixth-year players (2).
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Kade Ruegsegger scored more than 1,700 career points at NAIA Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) before transferring for his graduate season at MSU.
• Morehead State leads the Ohio Valley Conference in free throw attempts per game. The Eagles get to the line an average of 24 times per outing. The Eagles have 20+ FT attempts in four consecutive games.
• MSU has 10+ assists in the last six games.
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Jalen Breazeale scored a season-best 14 against Cleveland State
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Jerone Morton put up career highs in points (11), assists (5) and made field goals (5) against Austin Peay.
• MSU upped its three-point production in the Cleveland State event. Entering last week, MSU had not hit more than 5 triples in a game and was shooting just 23 percent from distance. However, the Eagles hit seven against CSU and eight against NJIT and shot 38 percent both games from outside the arc.
• The Eagles average 30.8 points scored inside the lane after seven games, including a season high 54 against Boyce (Ky.). That is nearly half of the Eagles' overall 65 points per game.
• Head coach
Jonathan Mattox has been with the Eagles program since 2013-14, first starting as a graduate manager and then eventually becoming associate head coach in 2021-22. He spent the 2023-23 and 2023-24 seasons on the staff at Murray State.
• Morehead State owns 97 victories in the last five seasons, two OVC Tournament championships and two OVC regular season titles. Current head coach
Jonathan Mattox was on the bench for the 2020-21 tournament title and the 2022-23 regular season trophy.
