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Murray State Racers men's basketball

The Murray State Racers men's basketball program represents Murray State University in intercollegiate men's basketball. Murray State completed a 74-season run in the Ohio Valley Conference, a part of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), in 2021–22, and moved to the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022.[2] The Racers have played home games at the CFSB Center on their campus in Murray, Kentucky since 1998. Murray State made its 18th appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2022. Five times the Racers advanced in the tournament, most recently by defeating the University of San Francisco in 2022. In 1988, Murray State defeated NC State in the first round but lost to eventual national champion Kansas in the second round. In 2010, 22 years to the date of the 1988 win, the Racers beat Vanderbilt and lost to eventual runner-up Butler in the second round.

Murray State Racers
UniversityMurray State University
Athletic directorNico Yantko
Head coachSteve Prohm (1st in 2nd stint, 5th overall season)
ConferenceMissouri Valley
LocationMurray, Kentucky
ArenaCFSB Center
(Capacity: 8,602)
NicknameRacers
ColorsNavy and gold[1]
   
Uniforms
Home
Away


NCAA tournament round of 32
1964, 1969, 1988, 2010, 2012, 2019, 2022
NCAA tournament appearances
1964, 1969, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2022
Conference tournament champions
1951, 1964, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2022
Conference regular season champions
1951, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022
Conference division season champions
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

Venues

Murray State's first basketball venues were Wilson Hall (1926–27); Lovett Auditorium (1927–1937), which had a capacity of 1,500; and Carr Health Building (1937–1954), which had a capacity of 3,000.[3] Racer Arena opened in 1954 and entertained Racer fans for 43 years. While its capacity was 5,500, over 6,000 people crowded the arena on numerous occasions.[4] Racer Arena is now a volleyball-only facility, one of the largest in NCAA Division I.[5]

 
CFSB Center

Replacing Racer Arena was the CFSB Center, the current home of Murray State men's basketball. Completed in June 1998 at a cost of $20 million, the facility is a modern arena which can host other events besides basketball. The CFSB Center sits 8,602 and includes a $250,000 scoreboard and a 2,000 sq. ft. weight room. The first basketball game at the CFSB Center was against Southern Illinois on November 14, 1998, a 65–62 victory for the Racers in front of 7,633 spectators.[4] It was formerly known as the Regional Special Events Center, or "RSEC", until the name was changed on September 17, 2010 after Community Financial Services Bank donated $3.3 million to Murray State, at the time the largest donation in athletic history.[6]

History

In 2005, Street & Smith's named the Racers the 52nd best program of all time.[7] In their prestige system, ESPN ranked Murray State the 30th best programs from 1984 to 2008, breaking a tie with Villanova due to a higher winning percentage. The Racers are the highest "true" mid-major team in their rankings.[8]

Cutchin era (1925–1941)

Carlisle Cutchin launched the Murray State basketball program in 1925.[3] At the time, Murray State was a teacher's college and the nickname was the Thoroughbreds.[9] In the 1935–36 season, Cutchin coached Murray State to its highest win percentage for a season at .920, when his Thoroughbreds finished with a record of 23–2.[10] That season also included Murray State's best start, at 19–1.[11] In his final season, he led the Thoroughbreds to the title game of the 1941 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament, at which time they lost to the San Diego State Aztecs 36–34.[3] Since he retired in 1941, he has maintained his position as the all-time winningest coach in Murray State basketball history, with a career record of 267–101.[11]

Mountjoy era (1941–1942)

Rice Mountjoy was hired as the next men's basketball coach from Danville High School, where he was athletic director.[9] In his only season with the Thoroughbreds, he coached the team to an 18–4 record.[12] That season was marked by strong play from early jump shot proponent Joe Fulks, who transferred from Millsaps College.[13] Mountjoy left after the 1941–42 season to coach Augusta Tilghman High School in nearby Paducah.[14]

Miller era (1942–1948)

Former Murray State basketball player and then-freshman team coach John Miller replaced Mountjoy as head basketball coach.[14] His best season was his first, when he led the team to a 21–5 record and finished fourth in the 1941 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament.[12]

Hodges era (1948–1954)

From Southern Illinois,[15] Harlan Hodges led the team to two NAIA Tournaments and two No. 16 AP rankings in his six seasons, with a 109–66 (.623) record. Bennie Purcell and Garrett Beshear were on the roster during those years and were later named NAIA All-Americans.[16] Hodges left Murray in May 1954 for the University of Idaho in the Pacific Coast Conference,[17] where success largely eluded him. He resigned after five seasons in 1959 to become the superintendent of schools in Anna, Illinois,[18][19] then returned to Murray in 1964 to teach.[20]

Alexander era (1954–1958)

Rex Alexander was promoted from assistant to head coach after former North Carolina head coach Tom Scott accepted, then turned down the head coaching post at Murray State. Alexander led Murray State for four seasons, posting a 45–54 record, including a 15–10 mark in 1955–56. But after his first team was Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and tournament runners-up, his teams never finished higher than third in the conference and he was replaced by DePauw University head coach Cal Luther on March 5, 1958. Alexander agreed to stay on as an assistant coach under Luther.

Luther era (1959–1974)

In 1958, Murray State hired Cal Luther, who had served the previous four seasons as head coach at DePauw. In 16 seasons under Luther, Murray State won three OVC regular-season championships and made the NCAA tournament in 1964 and 1969. His 1970–71 team reached No. 17 in the Associated Press poll, entering the rankings after a thrilling 73–71 victory over Western Kentucky in Murray. WKU would go on to reach the NCAA tournament Final Four that season. A two-time OVC Coach of the Year, Luther led the Racers to a 241–134 record.

Luther's most notable players were future professional players Dick Cunningham, Claude Virden and Stewart Johnson, as well as Racer greats Herb McPherson, Jim Jennings and Les Taylor.

Cal Luther was a firebrand of a coach. The standing joke at the university was the over and under of Cal throwing off his jacket during a game due to a call by a ref, or from frustration with a player. The latter part of his tenure was marred by an OVC issue with testing and which tests the schools in the OVC used to qualify athletes. During the 1973–74 season several players were disqualified for using an illegal testing equivalency. This happened across the OVC, and Murray was not the only school to lose student athletes. Most of the disqualified athletes were allowed to transfer by the NCAA to other schools, but OVC schools lost the services of those athletes who had not actually taken the SAT, but had taken the ACT.

Overton era (1975–1978)

After three seasons as an assistant under Cal Luther, Fred Overton was elevated to head coach in 1975. After a 9–17 first season, the Racers started the 1976–77 season with a 17–6 record before dropping their last four games for a 17–10 final ledger, finishing second in the OVC. But after the Racers posted an 8–17 in 1977–78, Overton was fired.[21]

Greene era (1978–1985)

Ron Greene returned to his alma mater fresh off earning the AP Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year award at Mississippi State in 1978.

After managing only four wins in his first season as coach at Murray, Greene led the Racers to 23 wins the following year and an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. The Racers knocked off Jacksonville and Alabama before losing to Illinois 65–63 in the quarterfinals, all on the road. Greene's Racers would win three Ohio Valley Conference regular-season titles and reach the NIT twice more under his guidance.

A highlight of the 1981–82 season came when Murray State traveled to South Bend, Indiana, to play against Notre Dame. Murray State defeated a Notre Dame team coached by Digger Phelps 56–54.[22]

His overall record at Murray State was 119–78. While at the Racer helm, Greene coached Racer greats Gary Hooker and Lamont Sleets.

Newton era (1985–1991)

In Steve Newton's second season, in 1986-87 the team finished with a 13–15 record.[23] This marked the last time the Racers had a losing season for the next 29 seasons; only Arizona, Kansas, and Syracuse hold longer streaks.[3][24]

In addition to Murray's win in 1988, two years later the No. 16 seed Racers took No. 1 seed Michigan State into overtime before falling 75–71. The loss in 1990 was the closest a 16 seeded team had ever come to knocking off a No. 1 seeded team in the tournament. While a 16 seeded Princeton team and a 16 seeded East Tennessee State team both fell by just 1 point during regulation in the 1989 tournament, the 1990 Murray State team was the only 16 seed ever to take a game into overtime.[25][26] In 1997, the No. 15 seed Racers nearly shocked the No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils in a 71–68 loss.

In 1988, Jeff Martin became the first basketball player in Murray State, and OVC, history to be invited to the Olympic trials for the US Basketball Team.[27] This was the last year that professionals were not allowed on the team. Martin did not make the team but impressed many with his performance.

The best-known player in the Newton era is Popeye Jones. While at Murray State, Jones scored 2,057 points which still ranks fourth all time for the Racers. He is also Murray State's all-time leader in rebounds with 1,374, and led the nation in that category in the 1990–91 season. Jones is the only player in MSU history to record more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Jones helped lead the Racers to OVC championships in 1991 and 1992. He went on to have a successful career in the NBA after being drafted in the second round by the Houston Rockets in the 1992 NBA Draft.

Edgar era (1992–1995)

Scott Edgar was hired as head basketball coach after serving six seasons as an assistant coach under Nolan Richardson at Arkansas. Bringing a version of Richardson's uptempo "40 Minutes of Hell" philosophy to Murray, Edgar led the Racers to two NCAA tournament appearances (1992, 1995) and one NIT appearance (1994) in four seasons. His teams won three OVC regular-season championships (1992, 1994 and 1995), posting a 48–14 record in conference games during his tenure.

Edgar recruited Racer greats Marcus Brown and Vincent Rainey to Murray State, with Brown averaging 22.4 points and Rainey 18.8 points in Edgar's final season at Murray.

Edgar left Murray State after the 1994–95 season to become head coach at Duquesne.

Gottfried era (1995–1998)

Mark Gottfried was hired as head basketball coach after serving seven seasons as an assistant coach under Jim Harrick at UCLA. Gottfried was hired shortly after he finished the 1995 season with the Bruins, in which he helped lead the Bruins to an NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. Mark Gottfried was also the nephew of ESPN analyst and former Murray State football coach Mike Gottfried.

In Gottfried's first season, the Racers returned four starters, including Marcus Brown, from the Racer team that nearly upset North Carolina in the 1995 NCAA tournament, and the team was picked to finished first in the OVC. The Racers won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship in 1996 for the third straight season; however, the Racers were defeated in the OVC tournament. In the final game of the tournament, Murray State's Vincent Rainey was charged with a foul with two-tenths of a second left on the clock in a tie game against the rival Austin Peay Governors. APSU's Reggie Crenshaw made two free throws and the Racers lost the game 70–68. As a result of the loss, the Racers did not reach the 1996 NCAA tournament. The Racers lost to the Missouri Tigers in the opening round of the 1996 National Invitational Tournament, and finished the season 19–10. Marcus Brown finished his college playing career at the close of the 1996 season with 2,236 career points, which is third best in Murray State history.

With a November 23, 1996, victory over the Belmont Bruins, the Racers began a 47-game home winning streak that would last into the 1999–2000 season. The Racers won the 1997 OVC Tournament with an overtime win over Austin Peay and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament.

ESPN's College Basketball Encyclopedia names the Racers 1997–98 season as having the best team in school history. OVC player of the year De'Teri Mayes led the 1997–98 team to 23 victories by double digit margins. Isaac Spencer was a freshman on the team. Spencer would go on to score 2,248 points over four seasons, which places him second place all time for the Racers. The Racers won both the OVC regular season and OVC tournament again in 1998; however, Murray State fell to number eight seed Rhode Island in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Racers finished the season a number 25 ranking in the final AP Poll. Mark Gottfried won three Ohio Valley Conference Championships in each of his three seasons, the only OVC coach to accomplish such a mark.[28][29]

Gottfried was hired by Alabama to be head basketball coach in March 1998. He had been a starting player for the Crimson Tide for three seasons between 1985 and 1987.

Anderson era (1998–2003)

Tevester Anderson was promoted to head coach of the Racers in March, 1998 after Mark Gottfried left Murray State to take the head coach position at the University of Alabama. Anderson, the first African American to serve as head coach of the Murray State men's basketball team, had previously served as an assistant coach under Gottfried during the previous three seasons. At age 61, Anderson was also the oldest rookie head coach in NCAA Division I basketball. In his first year as coach of the Racers, Anderson led the team to a 27–6 record, an Ohio Valley Conference championship, and an NCAA tournament appearance. Anderson was named the OVC's Co-Coach of the Year and was named NABC District 7 Coach of the Year following the 1998–99 season.[30][31]

In Anderson's second year as head coach, the Racers finished the 1999–2000 season with a 23–9 record. The record was good enough to capture a share of the OVC regular season championship, but the Racer's failed to win the OVC Tournament and earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. Murray State home court winning streak, the longest in the nation, also came to an end in 2000 with a January 15 loss to Southeast Missouri State University.

Over the next three years under Anderson, the success of the Racer basketball program steadily declined, culminating in a low point during the 2002–03 season. The Racers finished the 2002–03 season with a 17–12 record, which was fourth-place in the OVC standings. The fourth-place finish was the worst finish in the OVC standings since the 1986–87 season. Amid rumors that Anderson would relinquish his coaching duties at Murray State under pressure from university officials, he resigned from the head coach position in March 2003.[32] Anderson was named as the new head coach at Jackson State University in April 2003.[33]

Cronin era (2003–2006)

Previously an assistant at Cincinnati (1997–2001) under Bob Huggins and at Louisville (2001–03) under Rick Pitino, Mick Cronin was introduced as the new head coach of the Racers on April 5, 2003. When he accepted the position, Cronin became the fourth youngest head coach in NCAA Division-I basketball. In Cronin's first season as head coach, the Racers won the OVC tournament and advanced to the first round of the NCAA tournament where the Racers fell to No. 5 seeded Illinois. The success of the 2003–04 season was also tainted by arrests and suspensions. Just before the start of the 2004 NCAA tournament, juniors Adam Chiles and Kelvin Brown were arrested on drug charges. Chiles was charged with hindering prosecution and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and Brown was charged with theft from an alleged gas drive-off, possession of marijuana, and his second offense of possession of drug paraphernalia. Both were arrested following a 911 hangup call from their apartment in which Chiles was found outside and Brown was found hiding in a closet. Chiles was cleared to play in the tournament, but Brown was suspended indefinitely and later dismissed from the team in April.[34]

Problems continued for the Racers in the 2004–05 season. The team's only returning starter, Adam Chiles, was dismissed from the team in November following his second arrest of 2004. Chiles was stopped by Kentucky State Police while driving on Western Kentucky Parkway near Leitchfield, Kentucky. Chiles was charged with driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, possession of an open alcoholic beverage container, and speeding. Chiles had averaged 10.1 points and 3.9 assists for the Racers in the previous season. The Racers went on to finish the 2004–05 season with a record of 20–10 and a first round loss in the OVC tournament.[35]

In the 2006 tournament, junior guard Trey Pearson missed a critical 3-point shot in the final seconds of the first-round game against No. 3 seeded defending champion North Carolina. UNC was fouled on the rebound and went to the line to sink the game clinching shots to defeat the No. 14 seeded Racers 69–65. After the 2006 NCAA tournament Cronin took the reins of the Cincinnati Bearcats, his hometown team and alma mater.[36]

Kennedy era (2006–2011)

 
A Murray State basketball game in 2011.

The Racers won their first-round game in the 2010 NCAA tournament in dramatic fashion, defeating fourth-seeded Vanderbilt 66–65 on a buzzer-beating jump shot by senior Danero Thomas. This was the first time that any Ohio Valley Conference team had advanced to the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament since Middle Tennessee advanced in 1989. The Racers followed up a regular season conference championship for the second year in a row in 2011. The Racers were eliminated from the OVC tournament in 2011; however, they earned a number six seed in the National Invitational Tournament where the Racers suffered a first round loss to Missouri State University. In May 2011, Billy Kennedy announced that he was leaving Murray State to accept the head coach position at Texas A&M University.

First Prohm era (2011–2015)

Steve Prohm was introduced as the 15th head coach on May 23, 2011. Prohm was promoted to the head coach position after serving as an assistant coach under Billy Kennedy for the previous five seasons. The Racers won the 2011 Great Alaska Shootout early in the 2011–12 season and went on a 23-game winning streak to start the season. The team's 23–0 start under Prohm was the best start to a season in team history. The 23–0 start beat the previous best start record of 16–0 set by the 1935–36 men's basketball team under Carlisle Cutchin. The 23–0 start was the third-best start in NCAA Division I history for a first-year head coach, and it set OVC records for most wins to start a season and overall winning streak during a season[37][38]

The 10th win of the 2011–12 season was a victory over the then No. 21-ranked Memphis Tigers. This was Murray State's first win over a ranked team since defeating Vanderbilt in the 2010 NCAA tournament. It was also Murray State's first win over a ranked team during the regular season since the Racers defeated No. 12 Arkansas in 1997. Following the victory over Memphis, the Racers entered the national polls at No. 24 on the AP Top 25 Poll on December 12, 2011. This marked the first time an OVC basketball team had been ranked in the major national polls since the Racers were last ranked at No. 25 in the final poll of the 1998 season. The No. 24 ranking also marked the team's highest ranking since February 1971, when the Racers were 17th.[39][40] The No. 24-ranked Racers defeated the Lipscomb Bisons in the 11th game of the season. The victory was the first win for Murray State as a ranked team since a ranked Racer team defeated Tennessee Tech 72–69 on February 2, 1971.[41] On January 2, 2012, Murray State moved into the No. 1 spot in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. The Racers became the first OVC team to ever achieve the No. 1 ranking in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. Following Murray State's 16th win of the season, a January 7, 2012, victory over conference-rival Austin Peay, the Racers moved up to No. 14 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll and No. 15 in the AP Poll. Their 17th win came against Jacksonville State at the CFSB center to put the Racers to 17–0, and their best start in school history. Their 18th win against Tennessee Tech, 82–74 on January 14, 2012, kept Murray one of only three Division I schools with an unbeaten season as of that date. The January 9 AP ranking was the highest ranking in the history of the Murray State men's basketball program. The No. 15 ranking was also the highest ranking for an OVC team since the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers were ranked No. 7 on March 16, 1971.[42]

On February 9, 2012, Murray State hosted OVC-rival Tennessee State University as the No. 9 team in the nation and the lone unbeaten in Division I basketball. Murray State lost 72–68. Two days later, Murray State answered with a definitive win at home against rival Austin Peay 82–63, bringing its record to 24–1.[43] This win was quickly followed by a win on the road at SEMO, 75–66, to clinch the Racers third consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship.[44]

On February 18, Murray State hosted St. Mary's College in a much-anticipated Bracketbuster event, and the last home game of the season. The game was not only a sellout, but the largest ever for attendance at the CFSB center: 8,825. This marked the first time two ranked teams played at the CFSB Center (Murray State No. 16 AP, No. 14 USA Today/ESPN; St. Mary's No. 21 AP, No. 16 USA Today/ESPN) and the first time a ranked Murray State team played another ranked team. The game also featured a national TV audience on ESPN with legendary announcers Dave O'Brien and Dick Vitale calling the action. Murray State never trailed in the game and defeated St. Mary's 65–51, improving its record to 26–1.[45] As the historic 2011–12 season came to a close, the Murray State men's basketball program was the recipient of several high-profile awards. Coach Steve Prohm was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, which marked the third-consecutive year the award was presented to a Murray State head coach. Prohm also was recognized as the District-IV Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association and District 19 Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Prohm also received two national coach of the year awards: the Basketball Times Coach of the Year Award and the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award.[46][47][48][49] Junior point guard Isaiah Canaan was named OVC Player of the Year and Second Team All-America by the Associated Press, as well as selected to the John R. Wooden All-American team, Lute Olson All-America team, NABC All-America Third Team, and Sporting News All-America First Team. Canaan was a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award, Bob Cousy Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Lou Henson Award and to the Naismith College Player of the Year Midseason watch list.[50][51]

On June 8, 2015, Prohm was announced as the new head coach at Iowa State. The Iowa State job had become open when Fred Hoiberg left to become head coach of the Chicago Bulls.[52]

McMahon era (2015–2022)

On June 10, 2015, Matt McMahon was hired as head coach of Murray State.[53][54] McMahon served as an assistant under Prohm and had just left the school to serve as an assistant to Eric Konkol at Louisiana Tech on May 27, 2015 before Prohm left for Iowa State. "I am so excited to know that Coach McMahon will be returning to Murray State to lead the Racers," Murray State athletic director Allen Ward said. "After watching him for four years, I'm convinced he's the right man for the job. He's an outstanding coach, nationally recognized as one of the top assistants in the country, with a tremendous upside. Matt has the talent and integrity to continue the momentum we've built, put his own stamp on the program, and meet the expectations that come with being the head coach at Murray State."[55]

In his first season as head coach, the Racers finished the season 17–14, 10–6 in OVC play to finish in a tie for the West Division title. They lost in the quarterfinals of the OVC tournament. However, the following year, the team's record dipped as they finished 16–17, 8–8 in OVC play to finish in third place in the West Division and losing in the semifinals of the OVC tournament.

McMahon's third Racer team posted a 26–6, 16–2 record, winning the OVC regular season and tournament championships. They were received a 12 seed in the 2018 NCAA tournament, where they fell in the first round to West Virginia.[56] After the season, he was named National Association of Basketball Coaches District 19 Coach of the Year.[57]

In June 2018, Murray State awarded McMahon a contract extension through 2022.[58]

The 2018–19 season saw the Racers win 15 of their first 17 games, with the only losses to Southeastern Conference opponents Alabama and eventual Final Four participant Auburn, both on the road. By then, the nation had been introduced to sophomore point guard Ja Morant, who scored 25 points against Auburn and 38 against Alabama. The Racers went on to post a 16–2 OVC record and won the conference tournament championship over Belmont, 77–65, in Evansville, Indiana, earning a bid to the NCAA tournament for the 17th time. There, the Racers earned a No. 12 seed and defeated Marquette of the Big East Conference, 83–64, in Hartford, Connecticut, on March 21 behind a triple-double from Morant (17 points, 11 rebounds, 16 assists). Two days later, Murray State fell to No. 4 seed Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference, 90–62, finishing the season with a 28–5 record. After the season, Morant was named a consensus First Team All-American after becoming the first player in NCAA history to average at least 20 points and 10 assists per game (24.5 ppg, 10 apg).[59]

The 2019–20 season saw the Racers go 22–8 in the regular season and finish tied with Belmont atop the OVC standings with a record of 15–3. Murray State earned a share of its third straight regular season OVC Championship, while Belmont earned the No. 1 seed due to a tie-breaker (having a better record against EIU than the Racers did).[60] Sophomores Tevin Brown and KJ Williams were named to the All-OVC First Team prior to entering the 2020 OVC Tournament. The Racers and Belmont squared off in the OVC Championship finale for the third time in the last three years. Murray State won the previous two years but fell this season, 76–75. There was no postseason play forthcoming for the Racers—or anyone else in college basketball—due to the shutdown of spectator sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic that engulfed the world in 2020.

The Racers' final OVC season in 2021–22 saw the Racers go on an unprecedented run rarely seen in the program's history. Initially picked to finish 3rd in the conference, the Racers compiled a perfect 18-0 record in conference play, winning the regular season title for the 28th time in program history. During this stretch, the Racers would enter the Top 25 rankings for the first time since the 2014-15 season, reaching as high as #19. In addition, Brown would break the OVC record for most three-pointers made in a career. They would then go on to win both of their OVC tournament games; a dominant semi-final victory over SEMO and a back-and-forth thriller against defending tournament champion Morehead State in the championship game, to secure the program's 18th OVC tournament championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Individually, Brown and Williams were once again named to the All-OVC First Team, being joined by sophomore Justice Hill. Williams was named OVC Player of the Year, while Hill was named the OVC tournament's Most Valuable Player. McMahon himself was named the OVC Coach of the year for his efforts. Earning a No. 7 seed, they defeated San Francisco in the first round of the NCAA tournament before a surprise loss to Saint Peter's in the second round. Two days after Murray's exit from the NCAA tournament, McMahon left to take the head coaching opening at LSU.[61]

Second Prohm era (2022–present)

On March 25, 2022, it was announced that Steve Prohm would be returning to the university as head coach. "As we envisioned the ideal profile for the next Murray State Men's Basketball head coach, it remained abundantly clear a commitment to character, integrity, student-athlete development, community, family and competitive excellence were critically important," said Murray State Director of Athletics, Kevin Saal. "Steve Prohm represents, reflects and personifies these, and many more, qualities. His skill set, experience and genuine love for Murray State will effectively guide our program as we begin our Missouri Valley Conference journey."[62]

Season by season results

Starting from the 1987–88 season, the Racers had recorded a winning season for 29 straight years ending in the 2016–17 season. They have won 20 or more games in a season 32 times and three times have won 30 or more. For the first time in school history, the 2014–15 Racers went undefeated (16–0) in the OVC regular season. In their final OVC season in 2021–22, they posted an unprecedented 18-0 OVC regular-season record.

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Carlisle Cutchin (MsVC) (1925–1930)
1925–26 Murray State Racers 9–5
1926–27 Murray State Racers 11–9
1927–28 Murray State Racers 8–9
1928–29 Murray State Racers 12–8
1929–30 Murray State Racers 19–2 1st MsVC
Carlisle Cutchin (KIAC & SIAA) (1930–1941)
1930–31 Murray State Racers 12–6
1931–32 Murray State Racers 17–3
1932–33 Murray State Racers 14–6
1933–34 Murray State Racers 11–6
1934–35 Murray State Racers 18–6
1935–36 Murray State Racers 23–2 1st SIAA
1936–37 Murray State Racers 22–3
1937–38 Murray State Racers 27–4 NAIA Final Four, 3rd
1938–39 Murray State Racers 13–8 NAIA 2nd Round
1939–40 Murray State Racers 14–9
1940–41 Murray State Racers 26–5 1st KIAC NAIA Runner–up
Carlisle Cutchin: 256–90
Rice Mountjoy (KIAC & SIAA) (1941–1942)
1941–42 Murray State Racers 18–4 NAIA 1st Round
Rice Mountjoy: 18–4
John Miller (KIAC) (1943–1948)
1942–43 Murray State Racers 21–5 NAIA Final Four, 4th
1943–44 Murray State Racers 5–9
1944–45 Murray State Racers 12–10
1945–46 Murray State Racers 10–13
1946–47 Murray State Racers 14–11
John Miller & Carlisle Cutchin (KIAC) (1947–1948)
1947–48 Murray State Racers 12–12
John Miller: 63–50
Carlisle Cutchin: 11–10
Carlisle Cutchin Total: 267–101
Harlan Hodges (Ohio Valley Conference) (1948–1954)
1948–49 Murray State Racers 13–12 3–9 6th
1949–50 Murray State Racers 18–13 5–7 5th NAIA 1st Round
1950–51 Murray State Racers 21–6 9–3 1st
1951–52 Murray State Racers 24–10 9–3 3rd NAIA Runner–up
1952–53 Murray State Racers 18–9 7–3 3rd
1953–54 Murray State Racers 15–16 6–4 2nd


Harlan Hodges: 109–66 39–29
Rex Alexander (Ohio Valley Conference) (1954–1958)
1954–55 Murray State Racers 11–15 6–4 2nd
1955–56 Murray State Racers 15–10 6–4 4th
1956–57 Murray State Racers 11–13 5–5 3rd
1957–58 Murray State Racers 8–16 6–6 4th
Rex Alexander: 45–54 23–19
Cal Luther (Ohio Valley Conference) (1958–1974)
1958–59 Murray State Racers 10–15 3–9 7th
1959–60 Murray State Racers 12–11 7–4 3rd
1960–61 Murray State Racers 13–10 7–5 4th
1961–62 Murray State Racers 13–12 5–7 5th
1962–63 Murray State Racers 13–9 6–6 4th
1963–64 Murray State Racers 16–9 11–3 1st NCAA round of 25
1964–65 Murray State Racers 19–7 9–5 3rd
1965–66 Murray State Racers 13–12 8–6 3rd
1966–67 Murray State Racers 14–9 8–6 2nd
1967–68 Murray State Racers 16–8 10–4 T–1st
1968–69 Murray State Racers 22–6 11–3 T–1st NCAA round of 25
1969–70 Murray State Racers 17–9 9–5 2nd
1970–71 Murray State Racers 19–5 10–4 2nd
1971–72 Murray State Racers 15–11 6–8 5th
1972–73 Murray State Racers 17–8 9–5 2nd
1973–74 Murray State Racers 12–13 6–8 5th
1974–75 Murray State Racers 10–15 3–11 7th
Cal Luther: 241–154 125–88
Fred Overton (Ohio Valley Conference) (1975–1978)
1975–76 Murray State Racers 9–17 5–9 7th
1976–77 Murray State Racers 17–10 9–5 2nd
1977–78 Murray State Racers 8–17 4–10 7th
Fred Overton: 44–59 21–25
Ron Greene (Ohio Valley Conference) (1978–1985)
1978–79 Murray State Racers 4–22 2–10 7th
1979–80 Murray State Racers 23–8 10–2 T–1st NIT Quarterfinals
1980–81 Murray State Racers 17–10 10–4 2nd
1981–82 Murray State Racers 20–8 13–3 T–1st NIT first round
1982–83 Murray State Racers 21–8 11–3 1st NIT first round
1983–84 Murray State Racers 15–13 7–7 4th
1984–85 Murray State Racers 19–9 8–6 4th
Ron Greene: 119–78 63–35
Steve Newton (Ohio Valley Conference) (1985–1991)
1985–86 Murray State Racers 17–12 8–6 3rd
1986–87 Murray State Racers 13–15 6–8 6th
1987–88 Murray State Racers 22–9 13–1 1st NCAA round of 32
1988–89 Murray State Racers 19–11 10–2 T–1st NIT first round
1989–90 Murray State Racers 21–9 10–2 1st NCAA round of 64
1990–91 Murray State Racers 24–9 10–2 1st NCAA round of 64
Steve Newton: 116–65 57–21
Scott Edgar (Ohio Valley Conference) (1991–1995)
1991–92 Murray State Racers 17–13 11–3 1st NCAA round of 64
1992–93 Murray State Racers 18–12 11–5 2nd
1993–94 Murray State Racers 23–6 15–1 1st NIT first round
1994–95 Murray State Racers 21–9 11–5 T–1st NCAA round of 64
Scott Edgar: 79–40 48–14
Mark Gottfried (Ohio Valley Conference) (1995–1998)
1995–96 Murray State Racers 19–10 12–4 1st NIT first round
1996–97 Murray State Racers 20–10 12–6 T–1st NCAA round of 64
1997–98 Murray State Racers 29–4 16–2 1st NCAA round of 64
Mark Gottfried: 68–24 40–12
Tevester Anderson (Ohio Valley Conference) (1998–2003)
1998–99 Murray State Racers 27–6 16–2 1st NCAA round of 64
1999–00 Murray State Racers 23–9 14–4 T–1st
2000–01 Murray State Racers 17–12 11–5 2nd
2001–02 Murray State Racers 19–13 10–6 3rd NCAA round of 64
2002–03 Murray State Racers 17–12 9–7 4th
Tevester Anderson: 103–52 50–24
Mick Cronin (Ohio Valley Conference) (2003–2006)
2003–04 Murray State Racers 28–6 14–2 2nd NCAA round of 64
2004–05 Murray State Racers 17–11 11–5 2nd
2005–06 Murray State Racers 27–4 17–3 1st NCAA round of 64
Mick Cronin: 69–24 42–10
Billy Kennedy (Ohio Valley Conference) (2006–2011)
2006–07 Murray State Racers 16–14 13–7 2nd
2007–08 Murray State Racers 18–13 13–7 2nd
2008–09 Murray State Racers 19–12 13–5 2nd
2009–10 Murray State Racers 31–5 17–1 1st NCAA round of 32
2010–11 Murray State Racers 23–9 14–4 1st NIT first round
Billy Kennedy: 107–53 70–24
Steve Prohm (Ohio Valley Conference) (2011–2015)
2011–12 Murray State Racers 31–2 15–1 1st NCAA round of 32
2012–13 Murray State Racers 21–10 10–6 1st West
2013–14 Murray State Racers 23–11 13–3 1st West CIT champions
2014–15 Murray State Racers 29–6 16–0 1st West NIT Quarterfinals
Steve Prohm: 104–29 54–10
Matt McMahon (Ohio Valley Conference) (2015–2022)
2015–16 Murray State Racers 17–14 10–6 T–1st West
2016–17 Murray State Racers 16–17 8–8 3rd West
2017–18 Murray State Racers 26–6 16–2 1st NCAA round of 64
2018–19 Murray State Racers 28–5 16–2 T–1st NCAA round of 32
2019–20 Murray State Racers 23–9 15–3 T–1st
2020–21 Murray State Racers 13–13 10–10 T–5th
2021–22 Murray State Racers 31–3 18–0 1st NCAA round of 32
Matt McMahon: 154–67 93–31
Steve Prohm (Missouri Valley Conference) (2022–present)
2022–23 Murray State Racers
Total: 1,706–920

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

[63][64]

MsVC – Mississippi Valley Conference
KIAC – Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (now known as River States Conference)
SIAA – Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
NAIB – National Association for Intercollegiate Basketball
NAIA – National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (Was the NAIB until 1952, when it started sponsoring other sports)[65]
NIT – National Invitation Tournament
NCAA – National Collegiate Athletic Association
CIT – CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament

Rankings

The Racers have been nationally ranked in eight seasons in either the Associated Press (AP) Poll or the ESPN-USA Today (Coaches) Poll. They were first ranked during the 1950–51 season coached by Harlan Hodges. The Racers received their highest ranking, under coach Steve Prohm, during the 2011–12 season, ranking 9th in the AP Poll and 7th in the Coaches Poll.

Year AP Poll Coaches Poll Coach
1950–51 16 Harlan Hodges
1951–52 16 Harlan Hodges
1952–53 17 Harlan Hodges
1970–71 17 Cal Luther
1997–98 25 Mark Gottfried
2011–12 9 7 Steve Prohm
2014–15 25 24 Steve Prohm
2021-22 19 19 Matt McMahon
  • The AP Poll and Coaches Poll rankings represent the highest rankings received during that season.[66]

Rivalries

Murray State's oldest basketball rivalry is with nearby Western Kentucky (WKU). The two teams became archrivals during their time together in the Ohio Valley Conference. Although the schools no longer share their conference affiliation (Western Kentucky joined the Sun Belt Conference in 1982 and Conference USA in 2014), the two schools keep the series alive every few years. The two teams have met in basketball 147 times. For the rest of the Racers' OVC tenure, their primary in-conference rivalry was with Austin Peay State University, a school closer geographically than WKU.[67][68][69] In February 2009, ESPN The Magazine highlighted the Austin Peay-Murray State rivalry.[69] Recently the Racers have been building a rivalry with OVC newcomer Belmont. In three consecutive seasons (2017–18 to 2019–20), the Racers and the Bruins met in the OVC Tournament finals, with Murray State winning two of those meetings. With Belmont joining the MVC alongside Murray State,[70] the rivalry will continue in that conference. Murray will have two more built-in regional rivals in the MVC, with Southern Illinois about two hours' drive away and Evansville slightly farther away (and also located in a county whose residents pay Kentucky in-state tuition at Murray State[71][72]).

Coaches

The Racers have had 17 different head coaches in their history. Carlisle Cutchin has the most wins in school history with 267. Steve Newton has won the most OVC Regular Season titles with four. Steve Newton and Matt McMahon share the most OVC Tournament titles with three apiece. Eleven different coaches have received the OVC Coach of the Year award for a combined 17 times.

Coach Years (Total) Overall Record (Pct.) Conference Record (Pct.) 20-Win Seasons (Best) Notes
Carlisle Cutchin 1925–1941, 1948 (17) 267–101 (.725) 4 (27)
Rice Mountjoy 1941–1942 (1) 18–4 (.818) 0 (18)
John Miller 1943–1948 (6) 63–50 (.556) 1 (21)
Harlan Hodges 1948–1954 (6) 109–66 (.623) 39–29 (.574) 2 (24) 1951 OVC Regular Season Champions[73]
1951 OVC Tournament Champions[74]
Rex Alexander 1955–1958 (4) 45–54 (.455) 23–19 (.548) 0 (15)
Cal Luther 1959–1974 (16) 241–154 (.610) 125–88 (.586) 1 (22) 1964, 1968, 1969 OVC Regular Season Champions[73]
1964 OVC Tournament Champions[74]
1964 & 1969 OVC Coach Of The Year[75]
Fred Overton 1975–1978 (4) 44–59 (.427) 21–25 (.456) 0 (17) 1977 OVC Coach Of The Year[75]
Ron Greene 1978–1985 (7) 119–78 (.604) 63–35 (.642) 3 (23) 1980, 1982, 1983 OVC Regular Season Champions[73]
1980 & 1983 OVC Coach Of The Year[75]
Steve Newton 1985–1991 (6) 116–65 (.640) 57–21 (.730) 3 (24) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 OVC Regular Season Champions[73]
1988, 1990, 1991 OVC Tournament Champions[74]
1988 & 1990 OVC Coach Of The Year[75]
Scott Edgar 1991–1995 (4) 79–40 (.664) 48–14 (.774) 2 (23) 1992, 1994, 1995 OVC Regular Season Champions[73]
1992 & 1995 OVC Tournament Champions[74]
1992 & 1994 OVC Coach Of The Year[75]
Mark Gottfried 1995–1998 (3) 68–24 (.739) 40–12 (.769) 2 (29) 1996, 1997, 1998 OVC Regular Season Champions[73]
1997 & 1998 OVC Tournament Champions[74]
1998 OVC Coach Of The Year[75]
Tevester Anderson 1998–2003 (5) 103–52 (.664) 50–24 (.675) 2 (27) 1999 & 2000 OVC Regular Season Champions[73]
1999 & 2002 OVC Tournament Champions[74]
1999 OVC Coach Of The Year[75]
Mick Cronin 2003–2006 (3) 69–24 (.741) 42–10 (.807) 2 (28) 2006 OVC Regular Season Champions[73]
2004 & 2006 OVC Tournament Champions[74]
2006 OVC Coach Of The Year[75]
Billy Kennedy 2006–2011 (5) 107–53 (.668) 70–24 (.744) 2 (31) 2010 & 2011 OVC Regular Season Champions[73]
2010 OVC Tournament Champions[74]
2010 & 2011 OVC Coach Of The Year[75]
Steve Prohm 2011–2015 (4) 104–29 (.782) 54–10 (.844) 4 (31) 2013, 2014, 2015 OVC West Division Season Champions
2012 & 2015 OVC Regular Season Champions[73]
2012 OVC Tournament Champions[73]
2012 & 2015 OVC Coach Of The Year[75]
2012 Great Alaska Shootout Champions[76]
2014 CIT Postseason Tournament Champions[77]
Matt McMahon 2015–2022 (7) 154–67 (.697) 93–31 (.750) 4 (31) 2016 OVC West Division Season Co-Champions
2018 & 2022 OVC Regular Season Champions
2019 & 2020 OVC Regular Season Co-Champions
2018, 2019, 2022 OVC Tournament Champions
2022 OVC Coach of the Year

[75]

Steve Prohm 2022-23 0-0 0-0
Total 1925–present (96) 1,706–920 (.650) 731–354 (.674) 32 (31) 4 OVC West Division Season Championships
28 OVC Regular Season Championships
18 OVC tournament championships
17 OVC Coach Of The Year Awards
1 Great Alaska Shootout Championship
1 CIT Postseason tournament championship

Players

All-Americans

The Racers have had 14 All-Americans; the first in 1938 and the most recent in 2019.

 
Joe Fulks is enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
 
Ja Morant was a consensus First Team All-America in 2019.
Year Player
1938 Etheridge McKeel
1941 Bob Salmons
1943 Joe Fulks
1951 Garrett Beshear
1952 Bennie Purcell
1956 Howie Crittenden
1966 Stew Johnson
1968 Dick Cunningham
1989 Jeff Martin
1992 Popeye Jones
1994 Marcus Brown
2004 Cuthbert Victor
2012 Isaiah Canaan
2019 Ja Morant

[78]

NBA draftees

The Racers have had 25 players selected in the NBA draft, the first being Johnny Reagan by the Chicago Stags in 1948. Twice Murray State has had two players selected in the draft, in 1967 (Herb McPherson, San Diego [now Houston] Rockets, third round; Don Duncan, San Diego Rockets, 10th round) and 1971 (Hector Blondet, Portland Trail Blazers, fifth round; Ron Johnson, Baltimore Bullets [now Washington Wizards], ninth round). Here is a list of Racers picked in the draft that posted minutes in the NBA regular season:[79]

 
Marcus Brown scored 2,236 points while at Murray State and retired in 2011 as the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer (2,715 points).

Retired numbers

The Racers have retired 11 numbers, the first in 1952 and the last in 2020.

Murray State Racers retired numbers
No. Player Career No. ret. Ref.
3 Isaiah Canaan 2009–2013 2018 [89]
5 Marcus Brown 1992–1996 2010 [89]
12 Ja Morant 2017–2019 2020 [89]
15 Jeff Martin 1985–1989 1989 [89]
16 Garrett Beshear 1950–1953 1953 [89]
19 Howie Crittenden 1952–1956 1956 [89]
20 Johnny Reagan 1945–1948 2003 [89]
21 Bennie Purcell 1949–1952 1952 [89]
26 Joe Fulks 1941–1943 2001 [89]
30 Paul King 1987–1991 1991 [89]
54 Popeye Jones 1988–1992 1992 [89]

Scoring leaders

The Racers have had six players score over 2,000 points and 41 players score over 1,000 points during their careers. Marcus Brown holds the record for the most points in a single game with 45 against Washington (Mo.) on December 16, 1995. Jeff Martin holds the record for the most points in a single season with 806 during the 1987–88 season.[90]

Career scoring leaders

Rank Player Years played Points
1 Jeff Martin 1985–89 2,484
2 Isaac Spencer 1997–2001 2,248
3 Marcus Brown 1993–96 2,236
4 Popeye Jones 1988–92 2,057
5 Isaiah Canaan 2009–13 2,050
6 Howie Crittenden 1952–56 2,019
7 Tevin Brown 2018–22 1,915
8 Lamont Sleets 1979–84 1,902
9 Vincent Rainey 1994–97 1,888
10 Frank Allen 1989–93 1,811

[91]

Postseason

NCAA tournament

The Racers have appeared in 18 NCAA tournaments. They received their highest ranking in the tournament in 2012 with a 6th seed. They have an overall 5–18 record in tournament games. Popeye Jones holds the single game scoring record with 37 points against Michigan State in 1990.[92]

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1964 Quarterfinals Loyola Chicago L 91–101
1969 Quarterfinals Marquette L 62–82
1988 #14 First round
Second round
#3 North Carolina State
#6 Kansas
W 78–75
L 58–61
1990 #16 First round #1 Michigan State L 71–75 OT
1991 #13 First round #4 Alabama L 79–89
1992 #14 First round #3 Arkansas L 69–80
1995 #15 First round #2 North Carolina L 70–80
1997 #15 First round #2 Duke L 68–71
1998 #9 First round #8 Rhode Island L 74–97
1999 #13 First round #4 Ohio State L 58–72
2002 #14 First round #3 Georgia L 68–85
2004 #12 First round #5 Illinois L 53–72
2006 #14 First round #3 North Carolina L 65–69
2010 #13 First round
Second round
#4 Vanderbilt
#5 Butler
W 66–65
L 52–54
2012 #6 Second round
Third round
#11 Colorado State
#3 Marquette
W 58–41
L 53–62
2018 #12 First round #5 West Virginia L 68–85
2019 #12 First round
Second round
#5 Marquette
#4 Florida State
W 83–64
L 62–90
2022 #7 First round
Second round
#10 San Francisco
#15 Saint Peter's
W 92–87 (OT)
L 60–70

National Invitation tournament

In eight National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearances, the Racers are 4–8 overall in tournament games.[93]

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1980 First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Jacksonville
Alabama
Illinois
W 53–49
W 70–62
L 63–65
1982 First round UNLV L 61–87
1983 First round Wake Forest L 80–87
1989 First round Penn State L 73–89
1994 First round Bradley L 58–66
1996 First round Missouri L 85–89
2011 #6 First round #3 Missouri State L 76–89
2015 #3 First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
#6 UTEP
#2 Tulsa
#1 Old Dominion
W 81–66
W 83–62
L 69–72

CollegeInsider.com Postseason tournament

The Racers appeared in the 2014 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). They posted a 5–0 record to be 2014 CIT champions.

Year Round Opponent Result
2014 First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Finals
Missouri State
Omaha
Towson
Pacific
Yale
W 66–63
W 86–62
W 85–73
W 98–75
W 65–57

NAIA tournament

The Racers appeared in the NAIA tournament seven times. Their combined record is 16–8.

Year Round Opponent Result
1938 First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National 3rd-place game
Drake
Northwest Missouri State
New Mexico A&M
Roanoke
Washburn
W 47–40
W 38–30
W 30–29
L 29–35
W 33–24
1939 First round
Second round
Jordan
Manchester
W 43–37
L 39–42
1941 First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship Game
Oregon College
Alma
Northwest Missouri State
Santa Barbara State
San Diego State
W 68–46
W 51–33
W 46–43
W 35–33
L 34–36
1942 First round East Central L 45–46 OT
1943 First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National third-place game
Southwest Missouri State
Southwestern (KS)
Pepperdine
Southeast Missouri State
North Texas State
W 72–44
W 44–42
W 44–38
L 36–38
L 55–59 OT
1950 First round Central Washington State L 55–61
1952 First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship Game
Centenary
West Texas State
Whitworth
Portland
Southwest Missouri State
W 72–46
W 75–73
W 81–69
W 58–57
L 64–73

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Bibliography

External links

  • Official website  

murray, state, racers, basketball, program, represents, murray, state, university, intercollegiate, basketball, murray, state, completed, season, ohio, valley, conference, part, division, national, collegiate, athletic, association, ncaa, 2021, moved, missouri. The Murray State Racers men s basketball program represents Murray State University in intercollegiate men s basketball Murray State completed a 74 season run in the Ohio Valley Conference a part of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA in 2021 22 and moved to the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1 2022 2 The Racers have played home games at the CFSB Center on their campus in Murray Kentucky since 1998 Murray State made its 18th appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2022 Five times the Racers advanced in the tournament most recently by defeating the University of San Francisco in 2022 In 1988 Murray State defeated NC State in the first round but lost to eventual national champion Kansas in the second round In 2010 22 years to the date of the 1988 win the Racers beat Vanderbilt and lost to eventual runner up Butler in the second round Murray State Racers2022 23 Murray State Racers men s basketball teamUniversityMurray State UniversityAthletic directorNico YantkoHead coachSteve Prohm 1st in 2nd stint 5th overall season ConferenceMissouri ValleyLocationMurray KentuckyArenaCFSB Center Capacity 8 602 NicknameRacersColorsNavy and gold 1 UniformsHome AwayNCAA tournament round of 321964 1969 1988 2010 2012 2019 2022NCAA tournament appearances1964 1969 1988 1990 1991 1992 1995 1997 1998 1999 2002 2004 2006 2010 2012 2018 2019 2022Conference tournament champions1951 1964 1988 1990 1991 1992 1995 1997 1998 1999 2002 2004 2006 2010 2012 2018 2019 2022Conference regular season champions1951 1964 1968 1969 1980 1982 1983 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2006 2010 2011 2012 2015 2018 2019 2020 2022Conference division season champions2013 2014 2015 2016 Contents 1 Venues 2 History 2 1 Cutchin era 1925 1941 2 2 Mountjoy era 1941 1942 2 3 Miller era 1942 1948 2 4 Hodges era 1948 1954 2 5 Alexander era 1954 1958 2 6 Luther era 1959 1974 2 7 Overton era 1975 1978 2 8 Greene era 1978 1985 2 9 Newton era 1985 1991 2 10 Edgar era 1992 1995 2 11 Gottfried era 1995 1998 2 12 Anderson era 1998 2003 2 13 Cronin era 2003 2006 2 14 Kennedy era 2006 2011 2 15 First Prohm era 2011 2015 2 16 McMahon era 2015 2022 2 17 Second Prohm era 2022 present 3 Season by season results 3 1 Rankings 4 Rivalries 5 Coaches 6 Players 6 1 All Americans 6 2 NBA draftees 6 3 Retired numbers 6 4 Scoring leaders 6 4 1 Career scoring leaders 7 Postseason 7 1 NCAA tournament 7 2 National Invitation tournament 7 3 CollegeInsider com Postseason tournament 7 4 NAIA tournament 8 References 9 Bibliography 10 External linksVenues EditMurray State s first basketball venues were Wilson Hall 1926 27 Lovett Auditorium 1927 1937 which had a capacity of 1 500 and Carr Health Building 1937 1954 which had a capacity of 3 000 3 Racer Arena opened in 1954 and entertained Racer fans for 43 years While its capacity was 5 500 over 6 000 people crowded the arena on numerous occasions 4 Racer Arena is now a volleyball only facility one of the largest in NCAA Division I 5 CFSB Center Replacing Racer Arena was the CFSB Center the current home of Murray State men s basketball Completed in June 1998 at a cost of 20 million the facility is a modern arena which can host other events besides basketball The CFSB Center sits 8 602 and includes a 250 000 scoreboard and a 2 000 sq ft weight room The first basketball game at the CFSB Center was against Southern Illinois on November 14 1998 a 65 62 victory for the Racers in front of 7 633 spectators 4 It was formerly known as the Regional Special Events Center or RSEC until the name was changed on September 17 2010 after Community Financial Services Bank donated 3 3 million to Murray State at the time the largest donation in athletic history 6 History EditIn 2005 Street amp Smith s named the Racers the 52nd best program of all time 7 In their prestige system ESPN ranked Murray State the 30th best programs from 1984 to 2008 breaking a tie with Villanova due to a higher winning percentage The Racers are the highest true mid major team in their rankings 8 Cutchin era 1925 1941 Edit Carlisle Cutchin launched the Murray State basketball program in 1925 3 At the time Murray State was a teacher s college and the nickname was the Thoroughbreds 9 In the 1935 36 season Cutchin coached Murray State to its highest win percentage for a season at 920 when his Thoroughbreds finished with a record of 23 2 10 That season also included Murray State s best start at 19 1 11 In his final season he led the Thoroughbreds to the title game of the 1941 NAIA Division I men s basketball tournament at which time they lost to the San Diego State Aztecs 36 34 3 Since he retired in 1941 he has maintained his position as the all time winningest coach in Murray State basketball history with a career record of 267 101 11 Mountjoy era 1941 1942 Edit Rice Mountjoy was hired as the next men s basketball coach from Danville High School where he was athletic director 9 In his only season with the Thoroughbreds he coached the team to an 18 4 record 12 That season was marked by strong play from early jump shot proponent Joe Fulks who transferred from Millsaps College 13 Mountjoy left after the 1941 42 season to coach Augusta Tilghman High School in nearby Paducah 14 Miller era 1942 1948 Edit Former Murray State basketball player and then freshman team coach John Miller replaced Mountjoy as head basketball coach 14 His best season was his first when he led the team to a 21 5 record and finished fourth in the 1941 NAIA Division I men s basketball tournament 12 Hodges era 1948 1954 Edit From Southern Illinois 15 Harlan Hodges led the team to two NAIA Tournaments and two No 16 AP rankings in his six seasons with a 109 66 623 record Bennie Purcell and Garrett Beshear were on the roster during those years and were later named NAIA All Americans 16 Hodges left Murray in May 1954 for the University of Idaho in the Pacific Coast Conference 17 where success largely eluded him He resigned after five seasons in 1959 to become the superintendent of schools in Anna Illinois 18 19 then returned to Murray in 1964 to teach 20 Alexander era 1954 1958 Edit Rex Alexander was promoted from assistant to head coach after former North Carolina head coach Tom Scott accepted then turned down the head coaching post at Murray State Alexander led Murray State for four seasons posting a 45 54 record including a 15 10 mark in 1955 56 But after his first team was Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament runners up his teams never finished higher than third in the conference and he was replaced by DePauw University head coach Cal Luther on March 5 1958 Alexander agreed to stay on as an assistant coach under Luther Luther era 1959 1974 Edit In 1958 Murray State hired Cal Luther who had served the previous four seasons as head coach at DePauw In 16 seasons under Luther Murray State won three OVC regular season championships and made the NCAA tournament in 1964 and 1969 His 1970 71 team reached No 17 in the Associated Press poll entering the rankings after a thrilling 73 71 victory over Western Kentucky in Murray WKU would go on to reach the NCAA tournament Final Four that season A two time OVC Coach of the Year Luther led the Racers to a 241 134 record Luther s most notable players were future professional players Dick Cunningham Claude Virden and Stewart Johnson as well as Racer greats Herb McPherson Jim Jennings and Les Taylor Cal Luther was a firebrand of a coach The standing joke at the university was the over and under of Cal throwing off his jacket during a game due to a call by a ref or from frustration with a player The latter part of his tenure was marred by an OVC issue with testing and which tests the schools in the OVC used to qualify athletes During the 1973 74 season several players were disqualified for using an illegal testing equivalency This happened across the OVC and Murray was not the only school to lose student athletes Most of the disqualified athletes were allowed to transfer by the NCAA to other schools but OVC schools lost the services of those athletes who had not actually taken the SAT but had taken the ACT Overton era 1975 1978 Edit After three seasons as an assistant under Cal Luther Fred Overton was elevated to head coach in 1975 After a 9 17 first season the Racers started the 1976 77 season with a 17 6 record before dropping their last four games for a 17 10 final ledger finishing second in the OVC But after the Racers posted an 8 17 in 1977 78 Overton was fired 21 Greene era 1978 1985 Edit Ron Greene returned to his alma mater fresh off earning the AP Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year award at Mississippi State in 1978 After managing only four wins in his first season as coach at Murray Greene led the Racers to 23 wins the following year and an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament The Racers knocked off Jacksonville and Alabama before losing to Illinois 65 63 in the quarterfinals all on the road Greene s Racers would win three Ohio Valley Conference regular season titles and reach the NIT twice more under his guidance A highlight of the 1981 82 season came when Murray State traveled to South Bend Indiana to play against Notre Dame Murray State defeated a Notre Dame team coached by Digger Phelps 56 54 22 His overall record at Murray State was 119 78 While at the Racer helm Greene coached Racer greats Gary Hooker and Lamont Sleets Newton era 1985 1991 Edit In Steve Newton s second season in 1986 87 the team finished with a 13 15 record 23 This marked the last time the Racers had a losing season for the next 29 seasons only Arizona Kansas and Syracuse hold longer streaks 3 24 In addition to Murray s win in 1988 two years later the No 16 seed Racers took No 1 seed Michigan State into overtime before falling 75 71 The loss in 1990 was the closest a 16 seeded team had ever come to knocking off a No 1 seeded team in the tournament While a 16 seeded Princeton team and a 16 seeded East Tennessee State team both fell by just 1 point during regulation in the 1989 tournament the 1990 Murray State team was the only 16 seed ever to take a game into overtime 25 26 In 1997 the No 15 seed Racers nearly shocked the No 2 seed Duke Blue Devils in a 71 68 loss In 1988 Jeff Martin became the first basketball player in Murray State and OVC history to be invited to the Olympic trials for the US Basketball Team 27 This was the last year that professionals were not allowed on the team Martin did not make the team but impressed many with his performance The best known player in the Newton era is Popeye Jones While at Murray State Jones scored 2 057 points which still ranks fourth all time for the Racers He is also Murray State s all time leader in rebounds with 1 374 and led the nation in that category in the 1990 91 season Jones is the only player in MSU history to record more than 2 000 points and 1 000 rebounds Jones helped lead the Racers to OVC championships in 1991 and 1992 He went on to have a successful career in the NBA after being drafted in the second round by the Houston Rockets in the 1992 NBA Draft Edgar era 1992 1995 Edit Scott Edgar was hired as head basketball coach after serving six seasons as an assistant coach under Nolan Richardson at Arkansas Bringing a version of Richardson s uptempo 40 Minutes of Hell philosophy to Murray Edgar led the Racers to two NCAA tournament appearances 1992 1995 and one NIT appearance 1994 in four seasons His teams won three OVC regular season championships 1992 1994 and 1995 posting a 48 14 record in conference games during his tenure Edgar recruited Racer greats Marcus Brown and Vincent Rainey to Murray State with Brown averaging 22 4 points and Rainey 18 8 points in Edgar s final season at Murray Edgar left Murray State after the 1994 95 season to become head coach at Duquesne Gottfried era 1995 1998 Edit Mark Gottfried was hired as head basketball coach after serving seven seasons as an assistant coach under Jim Harrick at UCLA Gottfried was hired shortly after he finished the 1995 season with the Bruins in which he helped lead the Bruins to an NCAA Men s Division I Basketball Championship Mark Gottfried was also the nephew of ESPN analyst and former Murray State football coach Mike Gottfried In Gottfried s first season the Racers returned four starters including Marcus Brown from the Racer team that nearly upset North Carolina in the 1995 NCAA tournament and the team was picked to finished first in the OVC The Racers won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship in 1996 for the third straight season however the Racers were defeated in the OVC tournament In the final game of the tournament Murray State s Vincent Rainey was charged with a foul with two tenths of a second left on the clock in a tie game against the rival Austin Peay Governors APSU s Reggie Crenshaw made two free throws and the Racers lost the game 70 68 As a result of the loss the Racers did not reach the 1996 NCAA tournament The Racers lost to the Missouri Tigers in the opening round of the 1996 National Invitational Tournament and finished the season 19 10 Marcus Brown finished his college playing career at the close of the 1996 season with 2 236 career points which is third best in Murray State history With a November 23 1996 victory over the Belmont Bruins the Racers began a 47 game home winning streak that would last into the 1999 2000 season The Racers won the 1997 OVC Tournament with an overtime win over Austin Peay and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament ESPN s College Basketball Encyclopedia names the Racers 1997 98 season as having the best team in school history OVC player of the year De Teri Mayes led the 1997 98 team to 23 victories by double digit margins Isaac Spencer was a freshman on the team Spencer would go on to score 2 248 points over four seasons which places him second place all time for the Racers The Racers won both the OVC regular season and OVC tournament again in 1998 however Murray State fell to number eight seed Rhode Island in the first round of the NCAA tournament The Racers finished the season a number 25 ranking in the final AP Poll Mark Gottfried won three Ohio Valley Conference Championships in each of his three seasons the only OVC coach to accomplish such a mark 28 29 Gottfried was hired by Alabama to be head basketball coach in March 1998 He had been a starting player for the Crimson Tide for three seasons between 1985 and 1987 Anderson era 1998 2003 Edit Tevester Anderson was promoted to head coach of the Racers in March 1998 after Mark Gottfried left Murray State to take the head coach position at the University of Alabama Anderson the first African American to serve as head coach of the Murray State men s basketball team had previously served as an assistant coach under Gottfried during the previous three seasons At age 61 Anderson was also the oldest rookie head coach in NCAA Division I basketball In his first year as coach of the Racers Anderson led the team to a 27 6 record an Ohio Valley Conference championship and an NCAA tournament appearance Anderson was named the OVC s Co Coach of the Year and was named NABC District 7 Coach of the Year following the 1998 99 season 30 31 In Anderson s second year as head coach the Racers finished the 1999 2000 season with a 23 9 record The record was good enough to capture a share of the OVC regular season championship but the Racer s failed to win the OVC Tournament and earn a spot in the NCAA tournament Murray State home court winning streak the longest in the nation also came to an end in 2000 with a January 15 loss to Southeast Missouri State University Over the next three years under Anderson the success of the Racer basketball program steadily declined culminating in a low point during the 2002 03 season The Racers finished the 2002 03 season with a 17 12 record which was fourth place in the OVC standings The fourth place finish was the worst finish in the OVC standings since the 1986 87 season Amid rumors that Anderson would relinquish his coaching duties at Murray State under pressure from university officials he resigned from the head coach position in March 2003 32 Anderson was named as the new head coach at Jackson State University in April 2003 33 Cronin era 2003 2006 Edit Previously an assistant at Cincinnati 1997 2001 under Bob Huggins and at Louisville 2001 03 under Rick Pitino Mick Cronin was introduced as the new head coach of the Racers on April 5 2003 When he accepted the position Cronin became the fourth youngest head coach in NCAA Division I basketball In Cronin s first season as head coach the Racers won the OVC tournament and advanced to the first round of the NCAA tournament where the Racers fell to No 5 seeded Illinois The success of the 2003 04 season was also tainted by arrests and suspensions Just before the start of the 2004 NCAA tournament juniors Adam Chiles and Kelvin Brown were arrested on drug charges Chiles was charged with hindering prosecution and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and Brown was charged with theft from an alleged gas drive off possession of marijuana and his second offense of possession of drug paraphernalia Both were arrested following a 911 hangup call from their apartment in which Chiles was found outside and Brown was found hiding in a closet Chiles was cleared to play in the tournament but Brown was suspended indefinitely and later dismissed from the team in April 34 Problems continued for the Racers in the 2004 05 season The team s only returning starter Adam Chiles was dismissed from the team in November following his second arrest of 2004 Chiles was stopped by Kentucky State Police while driving on Western Kentucky Parkway near Leitchfield Kentucky Chiles was charged with driving under the influence possession of marijuana possession of an open alcoholic beverage container and speeding Chiles had averaged 10 1 points and 3 9 assists for the Racers in the previous season The Racers went on to finish the 2004 05 season with a record of 20 10 and a first round loss in the OVC tournament 35 In the 2006 tournament junior guard Trey Pearson missed a critical 3 point shot in the final seconds of the first round game against No 3 seeded defending champion North Carolina UNC was fouled on the rebound and went to the line to sink the game clinching shots to defeat the No 14 seeded Racers 69 65 After the 2006 NCAA tournament Cronin took the reins of the Cincinnati Bearcats his hometown team and alma mater 36 Kennedy era 2006 2011 Edit A Murray State basketball game in 2011 The Racers won their first round game in the 2010 NCAA tournament in dramatic fashion defeating fourth seeded Vanderbilt 66 65 on a buzzer beating jump shot by senior Danero Thomas This was the first time that any Ohio Valley Conference team had advanced to the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament since Middle Tennessee advanced in 1989 The Racers followed up a regular season conference championship for the second year in a row in 2011 The Racers were eliminated from the OVC tournament in 2011 however they earned a number six seed in the National Invitational Tournament where the Racers suffered a first round loss to Missouri State University In May 2011 Billy Kennedy announced that he was leaving Murray State to accept the head coach position at Texas A amp M University First Prohm era 2011 2015 Edit Steve Prohm was introduced as the 15th head coach on May 23 2011 Prohm was promoted to the head coach position after serving as an assistant coach under Billy Kennedy for the previous five seasons The Racers won the 2011 Great Alaska Shootout early in the 2011 12 season and went on a 23 game winning streak to start the season The team s 23 0 start under Prohm was the best start to a season in team history The 23 0 start beat the previous best start record of 16 0 set by the 1935 36 men s basketball team under Carlisle Cutchin The 23 0 start was the third best start in NCAA Division I history for a first year head coach and it set OVC records for most wins to start a season and overall winning streak during a season 37 38 The 10th win of the 2011 12 season was a victory over the then No 21 ranked Memphis Tigers This was Murray State s first win over a ranked team since defeating Vanderbilt in the 2010 NCAA tournament It was also Murray State s first win over a ranked team during the regular season since the Racers defeated No 12 Arkansas in 1997 Following the victory over Memphis the Racers entered the national polls at No 24 on the AP Top 25 Poll on December 12 2011 This marked the first time an OVC basketball team had been ranked in the major national polls since the Racers were last ranked at No 25 in the final poll of the 1998 season The No 24 ranking also marked the team s highest ranking since February 1971 when the Racers were 17th 39 40 The No 24 ranked Racers defeated the Lipscomb Bisons in the 11th game of the season The victory was the first win for Murray State as a ranked team since a ranked Racer team defeated Tennessee Tech 72 69 on February 2 1971 41 On January 2 2012 Murray State moved into the No 1 spot in the CollegeInsider com Mid Major Top 25 Poll The Racers became the first OVC team to ever achieve the No 1 ranking in the Mid Major Top 25 Poll Following Murray State s 16th win of the season a January 7 2012 victory over conference rival Austin Peay the Racers moved up to No 14 in the USA Today ESPN Coaches Poll and No 15 in the AP Poll Their 17th win came against Jacksonville State at the CFSB center to put the Racers to 17 0 and their best start in school history Their 18th win against Tennessee Tech 82 74 on January 14 2012 kept Murray one of only three Division I schools with an unbeaten season as of that date The January 9 AP ranking was the highest ranking in the history of the Murray State men s basketball program The No 15 ranking was also the highest ranking for an OVC team since the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers were ranked No 7 on March 16 1971 42 On February 9 2012 Murray State hosted OVC rival Tennessee State University as the No 9 team in the nation and the lone unbeaten in Division I basketball Murray State lost 72 68 Two days later Murray State answered with a definitive win at home against rival Austin Peay 82 63 bringing its record to 24 1 43 This win was quickly followed by a win on the road at SEMO 75 66 to clinch the Racers third consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship 44 On February 18 Murray State hosted St Mary s College in a much anticipated Bracketbuster event and the last home game of the season The game was not only a sellout but the largest ever for attendance at the CFSB center 8 825 This marked the first time two ranked teams played at the CFSB Center Murray State No 16 AP No 14 USA Today ESPN St Mary s No 21 AP No 16 USA Today ESPN and the first time a ranked Murray State team played another ranked team The game also featured a national TV audience on ESPN with legendary announcers Dave O Brien and Dick Vitale calling the action Murray State never trailed in the game and defeated St Mary s 65 51 improving its record to 26 1 45 As the historic 2011 12 season came to a close the Murray State men s basketball program was the recipient of several high profile awards Coach Steve Prohm was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year which marked the third consecutive year the award was presented to a Murray State head coach Prohm also was recognized as the District IV Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association and District 19 Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches Prohm also received two national coach of the year awards the Basketball Times Coach of the Year Award and the Joe B Hall National Coach of the Year Award 46 47 48 49 Junior point guard Isaiah Canaan was named OVC Player of the Year and Second Team All America by the Associated Press as well as selected to the John R Wooden All American team Lute Olson All America team NABC All America Third Team and Sporting News All America First Team Canaan was a finalist for the John R Wooden Award Bob Cousy Award Oscar Robertson Trophy Lou Henson Award and to the Naismith College Player of the Year Midseason watch list 50 51 On June 8 2015 Prohm was announced as the new head coach at Iowa State The Iowa State job had become open when Fred Hoiberg left to become head coach of the Chicago Bulls 52 McMahon era 2015 2022 Edit On June 10 2015 Matt McMahon was hired as head coach of Murray State 53 54 McMahon served as an assistant under Prohm and had just left the school to serve as an assistant to Eric Konkol at Louisiana Tech on May 27 2015 before Prohm left for Iowa State I am so excited to know that Coach McMahon will be returning to Murray State to lead the Racers Murray State athletic director Allen Ward said After watching him for four years I m convinced he s the right man for the job He s an outstanding coach nationally recognized as one of the top assistants in the country with a tremendous upside Matt has the talent and integrity to continue the momentum we ve built put his own stamp on the program and meet the expectations that come with being the head coach at Murray State 55 In his first season as head coach the Racers finished the season 17 14 10 6 in OVC play to finish in a tie for the West Division title They lost in the quarterfinals of the OVC tournament However the following year the team s record dipped as they finished 16 17 8 8 in OVC play to finish in third place in the West Division and losing in the semifinals of the OVC tournament McMahon s third Racer team posted a 26 6 16 2 record winning the OVC regular season and tournament championships They were received a 12 seed in the 2018 NCAA tournament where they fell in the first round to West Virginia 56 After the season he was named National Association of Basketball Coaches District 19 Coach of the Year 57 In June 2018 Murray State awarded McMahon a contract extension through 2022 58 The 2018 19 season saw the Racers win 15 of their first 17 games with the only losses to Southeastern Conference opponents Alabama and eventual Final Four participant Auburn both on the road By then the nation had been introduced to sophomore point guard Ja Morant who scored 25 points against Auburn and 38 against Alabama The Racers went on to post a 16 2 OVC record and won the conference tournament championship over Belmont 77 65 in Evansville Indiana earning a bid to the NCAA tournament for the 17th time There the Racers earned a No 12 seed and defeated Marquette of the Big East Conference 83 64 in Hartford Connecticut on March 21 behind a triple double from Morant 17 points 11 rebounds 16 assists Two days later Murray State fell to No 4 seed Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference 90 62 finishing the season with a 28 5 record After the season Morant was named a consensus First Team All American after becoming the first player in NCAA history to average at least 20 points and 10 assists per game 24 5 ppg 10 apg 59 The 2019 20 season saw the Racers go 22 8 in the regular season and finish tied with Belmont atop the OVC standings with a record of 15 3 Murray State earned a share of its third straight regular season OVC Championship while Belmont earned the No 1 seed due to a tie breaker having a better record against EIU than the Racers did 60 Sophomores Tevin Brown and KJ Williams were named to the All OVC First Team prior to entering the 2020 OVC Tournament The Racers and Belmont squared off in the OVC Championship finale for the third time in the last three years Murray State won the previous two years but fell this season 76 75 There was no postseason play forthcoming for the Racers or anyone else in college basketball due to the shutdown of spectator sports due to the COVID 19 pandemic that engulfed the world in 2020 The Racers final OVC season in 2021 22 saw the Racers go on an unprecedented run rarely seen in the program s history Initially picked to finish 3rd in the conference the Racers compiled a perfect 18 0 record in conference play winning the regular season title for the 28th time in program history During this stretch the Racers would enter the Top 25 rankings for the first time since the 2014 15 season reaching as high as 19 In addition Brown would break the OVC record for most three pointers made in a career They would then go on to win both of their OVC tournament games a dominant semi final victory over SEMO and a back and forth thriller against defending tournament champion Morehead State in the championship game to secure the program s 18th OVC tournament championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament Individually Brown and Williams were once again named to the All OVC First Team being joined by sophomore Justice Hill Williams was named OVC Player of the Year while Hill was named the OVC tournament s Most Valuable Player McMahon himself was named the OVC Coach of the year for his efforts Earning a No 7 seed they defeated San Francisco in the first round of the NCAA tournament before a surprise loss to Saint Peter s in the second round Two days after Murray s exit from the NCAA tournament McMahon left to take the head coaching opening at LSU 61 Second Prohm era 2022 present Edit On March 25 2022 it was announced that Steve Prohm would be returning to the university as head coach As we envisioned the ideal profile for the next Murray State Men s Basketball head coach it remained abundantly clear a commitment to character integrity student athlete development community family and competitive excellence were critically important said Murray State Director of Athletics Kevin Saal Steve Prohm represents reflects and personifies these and many more qualities His skill set experience and genuine love for Murray State will effectively guide our program as we begin our Missouri Valley Conference journey 62 Season by season results EditStarting from the 1987 88 season the Racers had recorded a winning season for 29 straight years ending in the 2016 17 season They have won 20 or more games in a season 32 times and three times have won 30 or more For the first time in school history the 2014 15 Racers went undefeated 16 0 in the OVC regular season In their final OVC season in 2021 22 they posted an unprecedented 18 0 OVC regular season record Statistics overview Season Team Overall Conference Standing PostseasonCarlisle Cutchin MsVC 1925 1930 1925 26 Murray State Racers 9 51926 27 Murray State Racers 11 91927 28 Murray State Racers 8 91928 29 Murray State Racers 12 81929 30 Murray State Racers 19 2 1st MsVCCarlisle Cutchin KIAC amp SIAA 1930 1941 1930 31 Murray State Racers 12 61931 32 Murray State Racers 17 31932 33 Murray State Racers 14 61933 34 Murray State Racers 11 61934 35 Murray State Racers 18 61935 36 Murray State Racers 23 2 1st SIAA1936 37 Murray State Racers 22 31937 38 Murray State Racers 27 4 NAIA Final Four 3rd1938 39 Murray State Racers 13 8 NAIA 2nd Round1939 40 Murray State Racers 14 91940 41 Murray State Racers 26 5 1st KIAC NAIA Runner upCarlisle Cutchin 256 90Rice Mountjoy KIAC amp SIAA 1941 1942 1941 42 Murray State Racers 18 4 NAIA 1st RoundRice Mountjoy 18 4John Miller KIAC 1943 1948 1942 43 Murray State Racers 21 5 NAIA Final Four 4th1943 44 Murray State Racers 5 91944 45 Murray State Racers 12 101945 46 Murray State Racers 10 131946 47 Murray State Racers 14 11John Miller amp Carlisle Cutchin KIAC 1947 1948 1947 48 Murray State Racers 12 12John Miller 63 50Carlisle Cutchin 11 10Carlisle Cutchin Total 267 101Harlan Hodges Ohio Valley Conference 1948 1954 1948 49 Murray State Racers 13 12 3 9 6th1949 50 Murray State Racers 18 13 5 7 5th NAIA 1st Round1950 51 Murray State Racers 21 6 9 3 1st1951 52 Murray State Racers 24 10 9 3 3rd NAIA Runner up1952 53 Murray State Racers 18 9 7 3 3rd1953 54 Murray State Racers 15 16 6 4 2ndHarlan Hodges 109 66 39 29Rex Alexander Ohio Valley Conference 1954 1958 1954 55 Murray State Racers 11 15 6 4 2nd1955 56 Murray State Racers 15 10 6 4 4th1956 57 Murray State Racers 11 13 5 5 3rd1957 58 Murray State Racers 8 16 6 6 4thRex Alexander 45 54 23 19Cal Luther Ohio Valley Conference 1958 1974 1958 59 Murray State Racers 10 15 3 9 7th1959 60 Murray State Racers 12 11 7 4 3rd1960 61 Murray State Racers 13 10 7 5 4th1961 62 Murray State Racers 13 12 5 7 5th1962 63 Murray State Racers 13 9 6 6 4th1963 64 Murray State Racers 16 9 11 3 1st NCAA round of 251964 65 Murray State Racers 19 7 9 5 3rd1965 66 Murray State Racers 13 12 8 6 3rd1966 67 Murray State Racers 14 9 8 6 2nd1967 68 Murray State Racers 16 8 10 4 T 1st1968 69 Murray State Racers 22 6 11 3 T 1st NCAA round of 251969 70 Murray State Racers 17 9 9 5 2nd1970 71 Murray State Racers 19 5 10 4 2nd1971 72 Murray State Racers 15 11 6 8 5th1972 73 Murray State Racers 17 8 9 5 2nd1973 74 Murray State Racers 12 13 6 8 5th1974 75 Murray State Racers 10 15 3 11 7thCal Luther 241 154 125 88Fred Overton Ohio Valley Conference 1975 1978 1975 76 Murray State Racers 9 17 5 9 7th1976 77 Murray State Racers 17 10 9 5 2nd1977 78 Murray State Racers 8 17 4 10 7thFred Overton 44 59 21 25Ron Greene Ohio Valley Conference 1978 1985 1978 79 Murray State Racers 4 22 2 10 7th1979 80 Murray State Racers 23 8 10 2 T 1st NIT Quarterfinals1980 81 Murray State Racers 17 10 10 4 2nd1981 82 Murray State Racers 20 8 13 3 T 1st NIT first round1982 83 Murray State Racers 21 8 11 3 1st NIT first round1983 84 Murray State Racers 15 13 7 7 4th1984 85 Murray State Racers 19 9 8 6 4thRon Greene 119 78 63 35Steve Newton Ohio Valley Conference 1985 1991 1985 86 Murray State Racers 17 12 8 6 3rd1986 87 Murray State Racers 13 15 6 8 6th1987 88 Murray State Racers 22 9 13 1 1st NCAA round of 321988 89 Murray State Racers 19 11 10 2 T 1st NIT first round1989 90 Murray State Racers 21 9 10 2 1st NCAA round of 641990 91 Murray State Racers 24 9 10 2 1st NCAA round of 64Steve Newton 116 65 57 21Scott Edgar Ohio Valley Conference 1991 1995 1991 92 Murray State Racers 17 13 11 3 1st NCAA round of 641992 93 Murray State Racers 18 12 11 5 2nd1993 94 Murray State Racers 23 6 15 1 1st NIT first round1994 95 Murray State Racers 21 9 11 5 T 1st NCAA round of 64Scott Edgar 79 40 48 14Mark Gottfried Ohio Valley Conference 1995 1998 1995 96 Murray State Racers 19 10 12 4 1st NIT first round1996 97 Murray State Racers 20 10 12 6 T 1st NCAA round of 641997 98 Murray State Racers 29 4 16 2 1st NCAA round of 64Mark Gottfried 68 24 40 12Tevester Anderson Ohio Valley Conference 1998 2003 1998 99 Murray State Racers 27 6 16 2 1st NCAA round of 641999 00 Murray State Racers 23 9 14 4 T 1st2000 01 Murray State Racers 17 12 11 5 2nd2001 02 Murray State Racers 19 13 10 6 3rd NCAA round of 642002 03 Murray State Racers 17 12 9 7 4thTevester Anderson 103 52 50 24Mick Cronin Ohio Valley Conference 2003 2006 2003 04 Murray State Racers 28 6 14 2 2nd NCAA round of 642004 05 Murray State Racers 17 11 11 5 2nd2005 06 Murray State Racers 27 4 17 3 1st NCAA round of 64Mick Cronin 69 24 42 10Billy Kennedy Ohio Valley Conference 2006 2011 2006 07 Murray State Racers 16 14 13 7 2nd2007 08 Murray State Racers 18 13 13 7 2nd2008 09 Murray State Racers 19 12 13 5 2nd2009 10 Murray State Racers 31 5 17 1 1st NCAA round of 322010 11 Murray State Racers 23 9 14 4 1st NIT first roundBilly Kennedy 107 53 70 24Steve Prohm Ohio Valley Conference 2011 2015 2011 12 Murray State Racers 31 2 15 1 1st NCAA round of 322012 13 Murray State Racers 21 10 10 6 1st West2013 14 Murray State Racers 23 11 13 3 1st West CIT champions2014 15 Murray State Racers 29 6 16 0 1st West NIT QuarterfinalsSteve Prohm 104 29 54 10Matt McMahon Ohio Valley Conference 2015 2022 2015 16 Murray State Racers 17 14 10 6 T 1st West2016 17 Murray State Racers 16 17 8 8 3rd West2017 18 Murray State Racers 26 6 16 2 1st NCAA round of 642018 19 Murray State Racers 28 5 16 2 T 1st NCAA round of 322019 20 Murray State Racers 23 9 15 3 T 1st2020 21 Murray State Racers 13 13 10 10 T 5th2021 22 Murray State Racers 31 3 18 0 1st NCAA round of 32Matt McMahon 154 67 93 31Steve Prohm Missouri Valley Conference 2022 present 2022 23 Murray State RacersTotal 1 706 920 National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion 63 64 MsVC Mississippi Valley Conference KIAC Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference now known as River States Conference SIAA Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association NAIB National Association for Intercollegiate Basketball NAIA National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Was the NAIB until 1952 when it started sponsoring other sports 65 NIT National Invitation Tournament NCAA National Collegiate Athletic Association CIT CollegeInsider com Postseason Tournament Rankings Edit The Racers have been nationally ranked in eight seasons in either the Associated Press AP Poll or the ESPN USA Today Coaches Poll They were first ranked during the 1950 51 season coached by Harlan Hodges The Racers received their highest ranking under coach Steve Prohm during the 2011 12 season ranking 9th in the AP Poll and 7th in the Coaches Poll Year AP Poll Coaches Poll Coach1950 51 16 Harlan Hodges1951 52 16 Harlan Hodges1952 53 17 Harlan Hodges1970 71 17 Cal Luther1997 98 25 Mark Gottfried2011 12 9 7 Steve Prohm2014 15 25 24 Steve Prohm2021 22 19 19 Matt McMahonThe AP Poll and Coaches Poll rankings represent the highest rankings received during that season 66 Rivalries EditMurray State s oldest basketball rivalry is with nearby Western Kentucky WKU The two teams became archrivals during their time together in the Ohio Valley Conference Although the schools no longer share their conference affiliation Western Kentucky joined the Sun Belt Conference in 1982 and Conference USA in 2014 the two schools keep the series alive every few years The two teams have met in basketball 147 times For the rest of the Racers OVC tenure their primary in conference rivalry was with Austin Peay State University a school closer geographically than WKU 67 68 69 In February 2009 ESPN The Magazine highlighted the Austin Peay Murray State rivalry 69 Recently the Racers have been building a rivalry with OVC newcomer Belmont In three consecutive seasons 2017 18 to 2019 20 the Racers and the Bruins met in the OVC Tournament finals with Murray State winning two of those meetings With Belmont joining the MVC alongside Murray State 70 the rivalry will continue in that conference Murray will have two more built in regional rivals in the MVC with Southern Illinois about two hours drive away and Evansville slightly farther away and also located in a county whose residents pay Kentucky in state tuition at Murray State 71 72 Coaches EditThe Racers have had 17 different head coaches in their history Carlisle Cutchin has the most wins in school history with 267 Steve Newton has won the most OVC Regular Season titles with four Steve Newton and Matt McMahon share the most OVC Tournament titles with three apiece Eleven different coaches have received the OVC Coach of the Year award for a combined 17 times Coach Years Total Overall Record Pct Conference Record Pct 20 Win Seasons Best NotesCarlisle Cutchin 1925 1941 1948 17 267 101 725 4 27 Rice Mountjoy 1941 1942 1 18 4 818 0 18 John Miller 1943 1948 6 63 50 556 1 21 Harlan Hodges 1948 1954 6 109 66 623 39 29 574 2 24 1951 OVC Regular Season Champions 73 1951 OVC Tournament Champions 74 Rex Alexander 1955 1958 4 45 54 455 23 19 548 0 15 Cal Luther 1959 1974 16 241 154 610 125 88 586 1 22 1964 1968 1969 OVC Regular Season Champions 73 1964 OVC Tournament Champions 74 1964 amp 1969 OVC Coach Of The Year 75 Fred Overton 1975 1978 4 44 59 427 21 25 456 0 17 1977 OVC Coach Of The Year 75 Ron Greene 1978 1985 7 119 78 604 63 35 642 3 23 1980 1982 1983 OVC Regular Season Champions 73 1980 amp 1983 OVC Coach Of The Year 75 Steve Newton 1985 1991 6 116 65 640 57 21 730 3 24 1988 1989 1990 1991 OVC Regular Season Champions 73 1988 1990 1991 OVC Tournament Champions 74 1988 amp 1990 OVC Coach Of The Year 75 Scott Edgar 1991 1995 4 79 40 664 48 14 774 2 23 1992 1994 1995 OVC Regular Season Champions 73 1992 amp 1995 OVC Tournament Champions 74 1992 amp 1994 OVC Coach Of The Year 75 Mark Gottfried 1995 1998 3 68 24 739 40 12 769 2 29 1996 1997 1998 OVC Regular Season Champions 73 1997 amp 1998 OVC Tournament Champions 74 1998 OVC Coach Of The Year 75 Tevester Anderson 1998 2003 5 103 52 664 50 24 675 2 27 1999 amp 2000 OVC Regular Season Champions 73 1999 amp 2002 OVC Tournament Champions 74 1999 OVC Coach Of The Year 75 Mick Cronin 2003 2006 3 69 24 741 42 10 807 2 28 2006 OVC Regular Season Champions 73 2004 amp 2006 OVC Tournament Champions 74 2006 OVC Coach Of The Year 75 Billy Kennedy 2006 2011 5 107 53 668 70 24 744 2 31 2010 amp 2011 OVC Regular Season Champions 73 2010 OVC Tournament Champions 74 2010 amp 2011 OVC Coach Of The Year 75 Steve Prohm 2011 2015 4 104 29 782 54 10 844 4 31 2013 2014 2015 OVC West Division Season Champions2012 amp 2015 OVC Regular Season Champions 73 2012 OVC Tournament Champions 73 2012 amp 2015 OVC Coach Of The Year 75 2012 Great Alaska Shootout Champions 76 2014 CIT Postseason Tournament Champions 77 Matt McMahon 2015 2022 7 154 67 697 93 31 750 4 31 2016 OVC West Division Season Co Champions2018 amp 2022 OVC Regular Season Champions2019 amp 2020 OVC Regular Season Co Champions2018 2019 2022 OVC Tournament Champions2022 OVC Coach of the Year 75 Steve Prohm 2022 23 0 0 0 0Total 1925 present 96 1 706 920 650 731 354 674 32 31 4 OVC West Division Season Championships28 OVC Regular Season Championships18 OVC tournament championships17 OVC Coach Of The Year Awards1 Great Alaska Shootout Championship1 CIT Postseason tournament championshipPlayers EditAll Americans Edit The Racers have had 14 All Americans the first in 1938 and the most recent in 2019 Joe Fulks is enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame Ja Morant was a consensus First Team All America in 2019 Year Player1938 Etheridge McKeel1941 Bob Salmons1943 Joe Fulks1951 Garrett Beshear1952 Bennie Purcell1956 Howie Crittenden1966 Stew Johnson1968 Dick Cunningham1989 Jeff Martin1992 Popeye Jones1994 Marcus Brown2004 Cuthbert Victor2012 Isaiah Canaan2019 Ja Morant 78 NBA draftees Edit The Racers have had 25 players selected in the NBA draft the first being Johnny Reagan by the Chicago Stags in 1948 Twice Murray State has had two players selected in the draft in 1967 Herb McPherson San Diego now Houston Rockets third round Don Duncan San Diego Rockets 10th round and 1971 Hector Blondet Portland Trail Blazers fifth round Ron Johnson Baltimore Bullets now Washington Wizards ninth round Here is a list of Racers picked in the draft that posted minutes in the NBA regular season 79 Marcus Brown scored 2 236 points while at Murray State and retired in 2011 as the EuroLeague s all time leading scorer 2 715 points Year Round Pick Overall Pick Player NBA Club1966 3 1 21 Stew Johnson New York Knicks 80 1968 2 7 21 Dick Cunningham Phoenix Suns 81 1970 9 6 142 Claude Virden Seattle SuperSonics 82 1989 2 4 31 Jeff Martin Los Angeles Clippers 83 1992 2 14 41 Popeye Jones Houston Rockets 84 1996 2 17 46 Marcus Brown Portland Trail Blazers 85 2013 2 4 34 Isaiah Canaan Houston Rockets 86 2015 1 14 14 Cameron Payne Oklahoma City Thunder 87 2019 1 2 2 Ja Morant Memphis Grizzlies 88 Retired numbers Edit Main article List of NCAA men s basketball retired numbers The Racers have retired 11 numbers the first in 1952 and the last in 2020 Murray State Racers retired numbersNo Player Career No ret Ref 3 Isaiah Canaan 2009 2013 2018 89 5 Marcus Brown 1992 1996 2010 89 12 Ja Morant 2017 2019 2020 89 15 Jeff Martin 1985 1989 1989 89 16 Garrett Beshear 1950 1953 1953 89 19 Howie Crittenden 1952 1956 1956 89 20 Johnny Reagan 1945 1948 2003 89 21 Bennie Purcell 1949 1952 1952 89 26 Joe Fulks 1941 1943 2001 89 30 Paul King 1987 1991 1991 89 54 Popeye Jones 1988 1992 1992 89 Scoring leaders Edit See also Murray State Racers men s basketball statistical leaders The Racers have had six players score over 2 000 points and 41 players score over 1 000 points during their careers Marcus Brown holds the record for the most points in a single game with 45 against Washington Mo on December 16 1995 Jeff Martin holds the record for the most points in a single season with 806 during the 1987 88 season 90 Career scoring leaders Edit Rank Player Years played Points1 Jeff Martin 1985 89 2 4842 Isaac Spencer 1997 2001 2 2483 Marcus Brown 1993 96 2 2364 Popeye Jones 1988 92 2 0575 Isaiah Canaan 2009 13 2 0506 Howie Crittenden 1952 56 2 0197 Tevin Brown 2018 22 1 9158 Lamont Sleets 1979 84 1 9029 Vincent Rainey 1994 97 1 88810 Frank Allen 1989 93 1 811 91 Postseason EditNCAA tournament Edit The Racers have appeared in 18 NCAA tournaments They received their highest ranking in the tournament in 2012 with a 6th seed They have an overall 5 18 record in tournament games Popeye Jones holds the single game scoring record with 37 points against Michigan State in 1990 92 Year Seed Round Opponent Result1964 Quarterfinals Loyola Chicago L 91 1011969 Quarterfinals Marquette L 62 821988 14 First roundSecond round 3 North Carolina State 6 Kansas W 78 75L 58 611990 16 First round 1 Michigan State L 71 75 OT1991 13 First round 4 Alabama L 79 891992 14 First round 3 Arkansas L 69 801995 15 First round 2 North Carolina L 70 801997 15 First round 2 Duke L 68 711998 9 First round 8 Rhode Island L 74 971999 13 First round 4 Ohio State L 58 722002 14 First round 3 Georgia L 68 852004 12 First round 5 Illinois L 53 722006 14 First round 3 North Carolina L 65 692010 13 First roundSecond round 4 Vanderbilt 5 Butler W 66 65 L 52 542012 6 Second roundThird round 11 Colorado State 3 Marquette W 58 41 L 53 622018 12 First round 5 West Virginia L 68 852019 12 First roundSecond round 5 Marquette 4 Florida State W 83 64L 62 902022 7 First roundSecond round 10 San Francisco 15 Saint Peter s W 92 87 OT L 60 70National Invitation tournament Edit In eight National Invitation Tournament NIT appearances the Racers are 4 8 overall in tournament games 93 Year Seed Round Opponent Result1980 First roundSecond roundQuarterfinals JacksonvilleAlabamaIllinois W 53 49W 70 62 L 63 651982 First round UNLV L 61 871983 First round Wake Forest L 80 871989 First round Penn State L 73 891994 First round Bradley L 58 661996 First round Missouri L 85 892011 6 First round 3 Missouri State L 76 892015 3 First roundSecond roundQuarterfinals 6 UTEP 2 Tulsa 1 Old Dominion W 81 66W 83 62L 69 72CollegeInsider com Postseason tournament Edit The Racers appeared in the 2014 CollegeInsider com Postseason Tournament CIT They posted a 5 0 record to be 2014 CIT champions Year Round Opponent Result2014 First roundSecond roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals Missouri StateOmahaTowsonPacificYale W 66 63W 86 62W 85 73W 98 75W 65 57NAIA tournament Edit The Racers appeared in the NAIA tournament seven times Their combined record is 16 8 Year Round Opponent Result1938 First roundSecond roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational 3rd place game DrakeNorthwest Missouri StateNew Mexico A amp MRoanokeWashburn W 47 40W 38 30W 30 29L 29 35W 33 241939 First roundSecond round JordanManchester W 43 37L 39 421941 First roundSecond roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship Game Oregon CollegeAlmaNorthwest Missouri StateSanta Barbara StateSan Diego State W 68 46W 51 33W 46 43 W 35 33L 34 361942 First round East Central L 45 46 OT1943 First roundSecond roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational third place game Southwest Missouri StateSouthwestern KS PepperdineSoutheast Missouri StateNorth Texas State W 72 44W 44 42W 44 38L 36 38L 55 59 OT1950 First round Central Washington State L 55 611952 First roundSecond roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship Game CentenaryWest Texas StateWhitworthPortlandSouthwest Missouri State W 72 46W 75 73 W 81 69W 58 57L 64 73References Edit Quick Facts PDF Racer Game Day A Z Guide 2021 August 19 2021 Retrieved March 20 2022 Murray State University Joins The Missouri Valley Conference Press release Murray State Racers January 7 2022 Retrieved January 7 2022 a b c d Bradley 2009 p 99 a b CFSB Center Murray State Racers Murray State University 28 June 2010 Archived from the original on 11 July 2011 Retrieved 4 November 2010 Racer Arena Murray State Racers Murray State University 28 June 2010 Archived from the original on 11 July 2011 Retrieved 4 November 2010 Teague Hawkins 28 September 2010 RSEC to be renamed CFSB Center Murray Ledger amp Times Retrieved 6 November 2010 Weber State s Men s Basketball Program Named in the Top 100 Greatest of All Time Weber State Wildcats Weber State University 3 February 2005 Retrieved 25 October 2010 Shelton Harold Nick Loucks Chris Fallica July 23 2008 Counting down the most prestigious programs since 1984 85 Nos 21 30 ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures Retrieved November 5 2010 a b Head Coaches Out At Murray Kentucky New Era Associated Press 29 January 1941 p 1 Retrieved 24 October 2010 2009 10 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide Murray State University 2009 p 72 a b 2009 10 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide Murray State University 2009 p 80 a b 2009 10 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide Murray State University 2009 p 110 Joe Fulks Bio NBA NBA Media Ventures LLC Retrieved 6 November 2010 a b Trailing World Sport Events The Southeast Missourian 16 December 1942 p 5 Retrieved 25 October 2010 Murray names new net coach Kentucky New Era Hopkinsville KY Associated Press April 1 1948 p 11 The Coaches of Murray State RacerHistory com Retrieved March 5 2014 Idaho names Harlan Hodges as new cage coach Spokane Daily Chronicle May 8 1954 p 8 Hodges quits as Vandals cage coach Spokane Daily Chronicle April 29 1959 p 21 UI cage coach Harlan Hodges leaving to take Illinois post Lewiston Morning Tribune Associated Press April 30 1959 p 11 Harlan Hodges Basketball Coach 1948 1953 Deceased Murray State University Athletics Retrieved March 6 2014 Racerhistory com Murray State 56 Notre Dame 54 The New York Times 8 December 1981 2009 10 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide Murray State University 2009 p 115 Capel sees brighter days ahead for OU ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures Associated Press 25 May 2010 Retrieved 25 October 2010 C J Moore 2013 03 20 Will a No 16 Seed Ever Beat a No 1 Seed Bleacherreport com Retrieved 2015 06 21 McMurphy Rip 2013 03 05 March Madness Rise of the 16 Seed Thesportsgag com Archived from the original on 2015 02 12 Retrieved 2015 06 21 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2016 05 30 Retrieved 2016 05 03 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Mark Gottfried Rolltide com 2002 05 02 Retrieved 2007 03 05 permanent dead link ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia The Complete History of the Men s Game 2009 p 31 Anderson Hired at Murray State Kentucky New Era March 28 1998 p 3B Rookie Of The Year CNN 22 February 1999 Anderson retires as Racers head coach Murray Ledger amp Times Home Murrayledger com 2003 03 24 Retrieved 2015 06 21 Anderson to take over at Jackson State Murray Ledger amp Times Home Murrayledger com 2003 04 09 Retrieved 2015 06 21 Drugs suspension taint Racers glorious season The Murray State News March 26 2004 p 1 Murray State dismisses player after arrest Portsmouth Daily Times November 19 2004 p B3 Mick Cronin Bio University Of Cincinnati Official Athletic Site University Of Cincinnati Gobearcats com Retrieved 2015 06 21 Murray State University Racers Athletics Steve Prohm Named 15th Murray State Men s Basketball Coach Goracers com 2011 05 23 Retrieved 2015 06 21 Murray State s Canaan Prohm Long and UT Martin s Taylor Earn Top 2012 OVC Men s Basketball Honors Archived from the original on 2015 06 21 Murray State earns first national ranking since 1998 WPSD Local 6 News Sports Weather Paducah KY Sports Extra Archived from the original on January 11 2012 Retrieved December 13 2011 OVC Men s Basketball Report Dec 12 Archived from the original on 2015 02 12 Murray State University Racers Athletics 24th Ranked Racers Now 11 0 With 89 65 Victory Over Lipscomb Goracers com Retrieved 2015 06 21 OVC Men s Basketball Report Jan 9 Archived from the original on 2015 02 12 Isaiah Canaan scores 23 as Murray St routs Austin Peay Sports espn go com Retrieved 2015 06 21 No 14 Murray St overcomes Isaiah Canaan s off night to clinch OVC title Sports espn go com 2012 02 16 Retrieved 2015 06 21 Murray State University Racers Athletics Racers Dominate Saint Mary s 65 51 In ESPN BracketBusters Goracers com 2012 02 18 Retrieved 2015 06 21 Murray State University Racers Athletics Prohm Named Inaugural Winner Of The Joe B Hall Award Goracers com 2012 03 30 Retrieved 2015 06 21 Murray State University Racers Athletics NABC Names Steve Prohm District 19 Coach Of The Year Goracers com 2012 03 21 Retrieved 2015 06 21 Murray State University Racers Athletics Steve Prohm Named Basketball Times Coach Of The Year Goracers com 2012 03 17 Retrieved 2015 06 21 Murray State University Racers Athletics USBWA Names Prohm Top District Coach Canaan All District Goracers com Retrieved 2015 06 21 Murray State University Racers Athletics Isaiah Canaan Named Wooden Award Finalist Goracers com Retrieved 2015 06 21 Murray State University Racers Athletics Canaan Named To Naismith Award Watch List Goracers com 2012 01 03 Retrieved 2015 06 21 Goodman Jeff June 8 2015 Murray State s Steve Prohm to replace Fred Hoiberg as Iowa State coach ESPN com Retrieved June 8 2015 Tech lands home run with Murray State s Matt McMahon Isabella Sean June 10 2015 Matt McMahon leaves Tech for Murray State 2 weeks after hire The News Star Retrieved June 10 2015 Schlager Brandon June 10 2015 Murray State names Matt McMahon next head coach The Sporting News Retrieved June 10 2015 Murray St vs West Virginia Game Recap March 16 2018 ESPN ESPN com Retrieved 2018 07 16 NABC Announces Division I All District Coaches NABC 2018 03 21 Retrieved 2018 07 16 Hamilton Todd Murray State announces contract extensions WHOP Lite Rock 98 7 FM Lite Rock Hits Retrieved 2018 07 16 Ja Morant Ends Season as First Player in NCAA History to Average 20 Points 10 Assists si com 2019 03 23 Seniors lead Racers to third straight regular season OVC Championship Thamel Pete March 21 2022 LSU names Murray State s Matt McMahon as new men s basketball coach ESPN com Retrieved March 22 2022 Steve Prohm Returns as Racer Basketball Head Coach Leads Program into New Era 2011 2012 Racer Basketball All Time Opponents PDF Goraces com Retrieved 2015 06 21 2012 2013 Racer Basketball All Time Opponents PDF Goraces com Retrieved 2015 06 21 https web archive org web 20111121185725 http www naiahoops com page history php Archived from the original on November 21 2011 Retrieved January 16 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty title help 2014 15 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide PDF Murray State University 2014 p 69 The 25th Greatest College Basketball Program in the South Murray State Racers Southern Times Girls and Sports Southerntimesgirlsandsports wordpress com 2010 02 09 Archived from the original on 2015 07 07 Retrieved 2015 06 21 https web archive org web 20101102052509 http www wkusports com ViewArticle dbml DB OEM ID 5400 Archived from the original on November 2 2010 Retrieved March 10 2010 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty title help a b A look at some of college basketball s lesser known rivalries Sports espn go com 2009 01 29 Retrieved 2015 06 21 Belmont University to Join Missouri Valley Conference Press release Belmont Bruins September 28 2021 Retrieved September 28 2021 Undergraduate Tuition Rates Murray State University Retrieved March 8 2022 Graduate Tuition Rates Murray State University Retrieved March 8 2022 a b c d e f g h i j k 2012 13 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide PDF Murray State University 2012 p 5 a b c d e f g h 2009 10 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide Murray State University 2009 p 70 a b c d e f g h i j k 2012 13 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide PDF Murray State University 2012 p 89 2012 13 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide PDF Murray State University 2012 p 64 CHAMPS Racers Drop Yale For CIT Crown GoRacers com Retrieved 4 April 2014 2012 13 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide PDF Murray State University 2012 p 15 NBA Advanced Stats NBA com 1966 NBA Draft BasketballReference com Archived from the original on 2010 03 26 Retrieved 23 March 2010 1968 NBA Draft BasketballReference com Archived from the original on 12 April 2010 Retrieved 23 March 2010 1970 NBA Draft BasketballReference com Archived from the original on 21 April 2010 Retrieved 23 March 2010 1989 NBA Draft BasketballReference com Archived from the original on 10 March 2010 Retrieved 23 March 2010 1992 NBA Draft BasketballReference com Archived from the original on 10 March 2010 Retrieved 24 March 2010 1996 NBA Draft BasketballReference com Archived from the original on 10 March 2010 Retrieved 24 March 2010 Isaiah Canaan 2013 NBA Draft Profile ESPN com Retrieved 28 June 2013 Cameron Payne 2015 NBA Draft Profile ESPN com Retrieved 25 June 2015 2022 NBA Draft NBA com a b c d e f g h i j k Murray State Athletics Jersey Number Retirement Process at Goracers com retrieved 10 Dec 2022 2012 13 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide PDF Murray State University 2012 p 82 2014 15 Murray State Racers Men s Basketball Media Guide PDF Murray State University 2014 p 78 Murray State Racers Tournament History ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures 2010 Retrieved 23 March 2010 National Invitation Tournament History Postseason All Time Participants National Invitation Tournament CBS Interactive 2010 Retrieved 27 March 2010 Bibliography EditBradley Bill 2009 ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia The Complete History of the Men s Game Random House External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Murray State Racers men 27s basketball amp oldid 1140996411, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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