GAME NOTES | SCHEDULE PAGE (LINKS TO LIVE AUDIO, LIVE VIDEO AND LIVE STATS)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State's Men's Basketball is ready for the 2026-27 season tip-off Monday night as the Eagles travel across the Bluegrass to battle Western Kentucky. Game time is 7:30 p.m. ET.
The game can be heard on the Eagle Sports Radio Network with WIVY-96.3 FM serving as flagship station. Chuck Mraz provides the radio call. Fans can also hear it on MSUEagles.com, WGOH-100.9 FM/1370 AM, WMST-106.9 FM/1150 AM, WPKE 103.1 FM and WPRT 104.9 FM. The game will stream live on ESPN+.
Bluegrass State foes Morehead State and Western Kentucky meet up for the first time 1985. WKU was a founding member of the Ohio Valley Conference before departing in 1982. WKU leads the all-time series 73-31, a series dating back to 1934.
2025-26 RECORDS
MSU: 20-13, 15-5 OVC | WKU: 18-14, 11-9 CUSA
SERIES INFORMATION
Record vs. WKU: 31-73
First Meeting: 2/23/34 WKU won 32-30 in Louisville, Ky.
Last Meeting: 12/21/85 WKU won 75-68 at MSU
Streak: WKU, W2
Record vs. WKU in Bowling Green, Ky.: 4-43
Record vs. WKU in Morehead: 24-20
Neutral Record: 3-10
LAST 5 GAMES
3/5/82 Bowling Green, Ky. (A) L 95-87
11/27/82 Bowling Green, Ky. (A) L 66-64
1/31/84 MOREHEAD, KY. W 69-65
12/29/84 Bowling Green, Ky. (A) L 80-49
12/21/85 MOREHEAD, KY. L 75-68
NOTABLE
• MSU returns exactly half its roster from 2025-26 (7 of 14 players), including four Eagles who saw action. MSU returns players who provided 25.6 points per game last season.
• The OVC co-Coach of the Year,
Jonathan Mattox, is the first coach in men's basketball program history to lead his team to an OVC regular-season championship in his first two years leading the program. He is in his third season as head coach, spending nine years on the Morehead State staff before two on staff at Murray State.
•
Jonathan Mattox was a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award last year by CollegeInsider.com, honoring Division I's top minority head coach.
• Morehead State's 15 league wins last season were the second most in program history, only behind the 17 won in 2020-21. The Eagle program has won at least a share of three of the past four OVC regular season titles.
• Morehead State has reached 20 wins in five of the past six seasons. No other current league team can claim that accomplishment.
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Chase Dawson and
Vince Dawson III both were tabbed as "Players to Watch" in the OVC preseason awards. Morehead State was picked for a tie for third place with UT Martin and SIUE.
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Chase Dawson and
Davion Cunningham both eclipsed the 900-point threshold in their college careers late in the season in 2025-26. Cunningham sits at 918 while Dawson has 915.
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Vince Dawson III hit 38 percent from three-point range as a true freshman last year, which would have ranked No. 1 in the OVC if he had enough attempts to qualify for national stats.
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Chase Dawson scored would what have been his MSU career high in points with 32 against Eastern Kentucky in the exhibition game.
Clayton Parker had a similar scene at Dayton in the exhibition, scoring 18 (which would have been a career high).
• Transfer
Kenyata Carbon was the Mid-South Conference Player of the Year last season at Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and was an NAIA Second-Team All-American. He racked up 1,380 points, nearly 400 rebounds, more than 300 assists and 150 steals in three years at Lindsey Wilson. He averaged 19.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 2025-26.
• Taylor (Ind.) transfer
Izaiah Day is also a big-time point producer. He scored more than 700 points in three seasons at Taylor.
• Newcomer
Kyrell Shaw led Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College last year, averaging 21.8 points per game while shooting 48 percent overall.
•
Justin Payne scored more than 700 points in two seasons at Young Harris (Ga.) and helped the Mountain Lions win the Conference Carolinas championship in 2025-26.
• MSU has won 42 straight games when its opponent scores 60 or less, since falling to No. 23-ranked Murray State on Feb. 12, 2022. The Eagles are 38-0 in the last five seasons in those scenarios and 10-0 under head coach
Jonathan Mattox.
• MSU was 11-3 last year in games decided by five points or less.
• Morehead State led the Ohio Valley Conference in field goal percentage last season at .462. The Eagles also ranked tops in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 1.14.
• After not having a Division I non-conference home game last winter, the 2026-27 Eagle schedule features four DI foes coming to Johnson Arena - IU Indy, North Alabama, Presbyterian and in-state foe Bellarmine.
• Morehead State owns an all-time record of 59-94 against teams from the current Conference USA alignment. A majority comes from its 31-73 mark against WKU and 25-17 against other former OVC member Jacksonville State.
