1996–97 Murray State Racers men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Murray State Racers men's basketball team represented Murray State University during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Racers, led by second-year head coach Mark Gottfried, played their home games at Racer Arena in Murray, Kentucky as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 20–10, 12–6 in OVC play to finish second in the OVC regular season standings. They defeated Austin Peay to win the OVC tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament. As No. 15 seed in the Southeast region, the Racers were beaten by No. 2 seed Duke, 71–68.^[2]

1996–97 Murray State Racers men's basketball
Ohio Valley Regular season champions Ohio Valley tournament champions
NCAA tournament, first round
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Record	20–10 (12–6 OVC)
Head coach	Mark Gottfried (2nd season)
Home arena	Racer Arena
Seasons ← 1995–96 1997–98 →

1996–97 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Austin Peay	12	–	6		.667			17	–	14		.548
Murray State †	12	–	6		.667			20	–	10		.667
Middle Tennessee	11	–	7		.611			19	–	12		.613
Tennessee Tech	10	–	8		.556			15	–	13		.536
Eastern Illinois	9	–	9		.500			12	–	15		.444
Southeast Missouri State	9	–	9		.500			12	–	18		.400
UT Martin	8	–	10		.444			11	–	16		.407
Tennessee State	7	–	11		.389			9	–	18		.333
Morehead State	6	–	12		.333			8	–	19		.296
Eastern Kentucky	6	–	12		.333			8	–	18		.308
† 1997 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll^[1]

Roster

1996–97 Murray State Racers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G 10 Chad Townsend — — Jr F 22 Vincent Rainey 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) — Sr G 51 De'Teri Mayes 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) — Jr Montgomery, Alabama	Head coach Mark Gottfried (Alabama) Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt

^[3]

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
Nov 23, 1996*		Belmont	W 84–45	1–0	Racer Arena  Murray, Kentucky
Nov 25, 1996*		IUPUI	W 85–75	2–0	Racer Arena  Murray, Kentucky
Dec 2, 1996*		at Middle Tennessee	L 72–85	2–1	Murphy Athletic Center  Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Dec 5, 1996*		Alcorn State	W 107–86	3–1	Racer Arena  Murray, Kentucky
Ohio Valley Conference tournament
Feb 28, 1997*		vs. Middle Tennessee Semifinals	W 74–48	19–9	Bridgestone Arena  Nashville, Tennessee
Mar 1, 1997*		vs. Austin Peay Championship game	W 88–85 ^OT	20–9	Bridgestone Arena  Nashville, Tennessee
NCAA tournament
Mar 14, 1997*	(15 SE)	vs. (2 SE) No. 8 Duke First round	L 68–71	20–10	Charlotte Coliseum  Charlotte, North Carolina
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast. All times are in Central Time.

^[4]

References

1. sports-reference.com 1996-97 Ohio Valley Conference Season Summary
2. "Duke Holds Off Racers in 2nd Half, 71-68". The Washington Post. March 15, 1997. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
3. "1996-97 Murray State Racers Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
4. "2019-20 MURRAY STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK". Murray State University Athletics. Retrieved February 13, 2022.