GAME NOTES | SCHEDULE PAGE (LINKS TO LIVE AUDIO, LIVE VIDEO AND LIVE STATS)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- After a thrilling comeback win at SIUE to close last weekend, Morehead State's men's basketball team is looking forward to competing in Johnson Arena again this week. The first challenger is a tough UT Martin squad as the Eagles and Skyhawks will conduct the battle of the birds on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The game will air on ESPN+ with voices Jared Stacy and
Dean Hardin and the Eagle Sports Radio Network. Listen to Chuck Mraz and
Drew Barnette on WIVY-96.3 FM (flagship station), on WMST 106.9 FM, WPKE 98.1 in Pikeville, WPRT 104.5 in Prestonsburg or on MSUEagles.com.
This game will also be available through the Ohio Valley Conference's agreement to simulcast games on Gray Media. It will air on 13 Gray Media "over-the-air" stations throughout the Southeast and Midwest, including WKYT 27.3 THE 365 and in Louisville on WAVE 3.2 BOUNCE.
Morehead State has dominated the all-time series with UT Martin, leading 48-18. The last UTM win at MSU was Dec. 19, 2005. Since then, MSU has rattled off 16 straight home wins over UTM and is 30-6 versus the Skyhawks overall since then. Last year, however, was the closest UTM came to breaking that road losing streak to MSU as the Eagles pulled out a 70-69 overtime victory.
UT Martin has raced to an 11-4 record and is 3-1 in OVC games so far. The Skyhawks own league wins against Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and Eastern Illinois.
2025-26 RECORDS
MSU: 7-8, 3-1 OVC | UTM: 11-4, 3-1 OVC
THE SERIES
Record vs. UTM: 48-18
First Meeting: 12/16/91 MSU won 9-76 at MSU
Last Meeting: 3/1/25 MSU won 59-47 at UTM
Streak: MSU, W3
Record in Martin, Tenn.: 15-12
Record in Morehead, Ky.: 28-4
Neutral Record: 5-1
LAST 5 GAMES
1/18/24 MOREHEAD, KY. W 84-66
2/17/24 Martin, Tenn. L 88-82
3/8/24 Evansville, Ind. W 84-78
12/29/24 MOREHEAD, KY W 70-69 (OT)
3/1/25 Martin, Tenn. W 59-47
NOTABLE
• Morehead State has a 116-65 overall record since 2020-21, or 64 percent success rate. That figure ranks No. 1 for winning percentage in the Ohio Valley Conference in that span. The program has had nine 20-win seasons since 2008-09.
• Morehead State is coming off an incredible 73-72 win at SIUE last Saturday. The Eagles trailed 67-52 with 5:47 remaining but outscored the Cougars 21-5 in that stretch. MSU finally took the lead 73-71 with 15 seconds left. The win represented just the fourth time in the last five years MSU has won despite trailing with a minute left in regulation (4-61 record in that span trailing with a minute left). The other occurrence came recently as well, with a 64-60 overtime W at USI Dec. 20.
• The program has had particular success in the first half of the conference schedule. MSU started OVC action 9-1 last season and was 11-1 at one point in 2023-24. The Eagles have kick-started the 2025-26 OVC action 3-1. In the past three seasons, MSU is 23-3 in OVC games played in the first half of the conference season.
• Morehead State has won six consecutive overtime contests. The last time MSU dropped an overtime affair was in the final game of the 2019-20 season against Tennessee State in the OVC Tournament.
• Morehead State has hit at least one three-pointer in 195 straight games. The last time MSU did not hit a triple was Jan. 16, 2020 at Tennessee State.
•
Jon Carroll averaged 16.0 points and 8.5 rebounds on the Lindenwood-SIUE road trip. This game will pit the OVC's top two leading rebounders and double-double producers against one another in Carroll (107, 4, 2nd) and UTM's Andrija Bukumirovic (123,6, 1st).
•
Chase Dawson and
Davion Cunningham are closing in on 800 career collegiate points. Dawson (768) leads Cunningham (713) slightly.
Tamaury Releford just scored his 500th career point at SIUE last week.
• Counting his season at Itawamba (Miss.) College,
George Marshall now has 880 career points in college. He's scored 454 in his three seasons at MSU.
• The Eagles' .463 field goal percentage in the third best in the OVC currently.
• In the past five seasons, MSU has been nearly unbeatable when it shoots 50 percent or better, with a 51-2 mark.
• In the past five years, MSU is an amazing 108-3 when it holds a lead with a minute left in the game.
• In six of the games where the Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent this season, they have done so by at least a +8 margin.
• MSU has nine games where it committed less fouls than its opponent.
•
Chase Dawson and
George Marshall are both 82 percent career free throw shooters.
• Morehead State's non-starters average 30.8 points per game, second in the OVC. MSU has two games (KCU and Alice Lloyd [Ky.]) where the bench scored 60+ points.
• Morehead State has out-rebounded 116 opponents in the last five years, winning 94 of those games.
• MSU has scored 20+ points in the paint in all 15 games and averages 35.3 paint points per game.
• In the past three seasons, MSU owns a 33-6 record when it makes more free throws than its opponent.
