Murray State is the new No. 1 in Kevin Connors’ Mid, a ranking of the best teams in Division I college basketball based on each team’s expected win total. Murray State was ranked just behind Minnesota and ahead of Duke for much of the season before knocking off Kansas at home to claim their spot atop this week’s rankings. They’ll be tested next when they host Michigan into MSG on Tuesday night.,
Murray State basketball is the new No. 1 in Kevin Connors’ Mid. They have won four straight games and are now ranked number one in the nation. Read more in detail here: oregon basketball.
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The group of Murray, Kentucky residents who go to Memphis 41 times a year will tell you it’s well worth the trip. But, then again, what would you expect from a bunch that has seen one of basketball’s most extraordinary adventures firsthand?
The rise of Grizzlies guard Ja Morant from undrafted high school talent to mid-major superstar to NBA All-Star starter has been a thrilling voyage that fans at Murray State University, a blue-blood mid-major in the basketball-crazed Bluegrass State, are only too pleased to chronicle.
“He’s a once-in-a-lifetime athlete and a once-in-a-lifetime guy,” Racers coach Matt McMahon said. Morant’s meteoric rise included 54 wins in two seasons from 2017 to 2019, consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships, and consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, including a first-round upset of Marquette in 2019. The 43-year-old Oak Ridge, Tennessee, native presided over Morant’s meteoric rise, which included 54 wins over two seasons from 2017 to 2019, consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships, and consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, including a first-round upset of Marquette In the triumph, Morant produced a triple-double with 16 assists.
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“He brought that excitement and pleasure to our program,” McMahon said, describing Morant as a “cultural builder” who “impacts winning and makes every individual in your company better.”
McMahon’s program, which joined AP No. 1 Auburn on Saturday as the first teams in Division I to reach 20 victories this season, is still feeling the consequences.
When SEC Coach of the Year Ron Greene, a former Murray State player, departed Mississippi State after one season to take over a Racers team that had fallen on hard straits, the winning began with regularity. Greene had a 4-22 record in his debut season, 1978-1979. He went on to win 23 games the next year. Since then, Murray State has only had two losing seasons.
Popeye Jones, Isaiah Canaan, Cameron Payne, and Ja Morant are among the school’s 14 All-Americans and 25 NBA draft choices. Shaq Buchanan was undrafted and now plays for the Memphis Hustle in the G League.
Murray State has also served as a stepping stone for aspiring coaches. Mark Gottfried, Mick Cronin, Billy Kennedy, Steve Prohm, and now McMahon, Prohm’s successor, have emerged as leading candidates for a Power 5 post, should he be interested.
Tevin Brown of the Racers adds, “You’re talking about a man that comes to the gym every day with an extraordinary amount of enthusiasm.” “There’s never a boring moment when you’re playing for him.”
Murray State, who goes by the nickname “Racers” and plays at a fast tempo, is among the top 10 scoring teams in Division I, with an average of 82.1 points per game and a fourth-place scoring margin of 18.5 points per game. Brown and fellow junior KJ Williams are the team’s top scorers, averaging more than 17 points each game. On the 2018-2019 team, both began as freshmen with Morant.
“”[KJ] has really picked it up in league play,” McMahon said, adding that Williams established a school record for field goal percentage (69.8%) as a freshman almost entirely on “dunks and drop-offs off Ja’s dribble penetration.” He can now score in the post with either hand, shoots effectively, and his rebounding (second best in the OVC at 8.9 RPG) has improved dramatically.”
Brown is, and has always been, a one-of-a-kind player in the eyes of Murray State. Brown, who was then-Racers coach James Kane’s top recruiting priority, was participating in a local AAU tournament in Kentucky in 2016, when another player stole the show: a 6-3 dynamo who is now worldwide recognized. Both athletes eventually chose MSU, which was a once-in-a-lifetime choice for Brown.
Brown stated, “I couldn’t have made a better decision.” “I gained a lot of notoriety by playing with [Morant], but it also made me a better player. Someone with a basketball IQ as good as his has aided my game in every way.”
Justice “Juice” Hill, a sophomore guard, and Trae Hannibal, a South Carolina transfer who McMahon describes as “a middle linebacker playing guard,” round out a group that stayed with Auburn before falling 71-58 in late December. But the season’s most memorable event occurred inside that same Memphis arena, which Racers Nation travels three hours to 41 times a year.
Murray State won 74-72 after trailing 14 at halftime against Penny Hardaway’s squad inside FedEx Forum. The Tigers were outscored 48-32 in the last 20 minutes.
“It simply showed us as a team that we have a lot of character,” Williams added. “Coach Mac instructed us, ‘Don’t worry about the score; focus on the ideals we hold dear, and execute on both the offensive and defensive sides,’ and we won.”
The Racers, who are now 20-2 overall and 10-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference, might be prepared to make even more noise in March, a trip Murray, Kentucky, would welcome once again.
McMahon added, “We have a mature club that has kept focused on the next game.” “They’ve done an excellent job of combining our success and the attention it brings with the hard work and discipline that winning necessitates.”
Other mastery of a mid-major:
• What an incredible 48 hours in C-USA! Jordan “Jelly” Walker was the first to beat the buzzer at Western Kentucky on Thursday:
@UAB MBB does it in spectacular fashion in KC’s Dagger of the Day Pt. II!! The Blazers beat Western Kentucky thanks to Jelly Walker’s game-winning touchdown! The incredible @Hassel Chris with a PERFECT dagger call! pic.twitter.com/sFPLNPVmka @CBSSports
January 28, 2022 — Kevin Connors (@kevconnorsespn)
• Tylor Perry then delivered the dagger for North Texas on Saturday in Ruston!
North Texas fell down 17 points in the second half against La Tech, but Tylor Perry gave @MeanGreenMBB a Hollywood ending!
pic.twitter.com/UAM7Qu0ynR (via @Stadium)
January 29, 2022 — Chris Hassel (@Hassel Chris)
• Aerial view of Jalen Williams’ game-winning touchdown for Santa Clara in Thursday’s triumph against BYU:
The shot was successful.
But better: pic.twitter.com/p2zRCUJgJv #StampedeAhead
— January 28, 2022, Santa Clara Men’s Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops)
• If there was a KC’s Community College Top 10, Isaiah Gaines and the Northwest Mississippi CC Rangers would win buzzer-beater of the week:
The @NWCC Rangers (MS) defeated Itawamba Community College (MS) at Fulton, MS, thanks to Isaiah Gaines’ game-winning full-court shot. #SportsCenter | #SCTop10
Adam Gore (@GoreSports) made a great call.
pic.twitter.com/CYiGsVxMIm via @NWCC MBK
1 February 2022 — Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE)
• Jordan Dingle, a sophomore at Penn, has scored 31 points in back-to-back games. It’s the first time in Ivy League play that a Penn player has had consecutive 30-point games, and it’s the first time since Keven McDonald accomplished it in the 1975 Sugar Bowl Classic.
• Longwood is the only Big South club unbeaten at 8-0, the program’s finest start to a league season since joining the conference in 2012-13.
• This week, UNC Wilmington set a new school record by extending its winning run to 12 games. Coach Takayo Siddle’s club was undefeated in January (8-0) and now has the third-longest ongoing victory streak in Division I.
• Speaking of winning streaks, Jacksonville State has won eleven in a row and is the only ASUN team without a loss (8-0). Coach Ray Harper’s side defeated Liberty 77-67 on the road, ending the Flames’ 45-game winning run at home.
• Speaking of Liberty, few NBA teams, much alone college basketball teams, can match the Flames’ pregame show:
pic.twitter.com/EbM7Jd8CE6 Court rojection 2.0
Liberty Men’s Basketball (@LibertyMBB_) (@LibertyMBB_) (@LibertyMBB_) (@Liberty 28th of January, 2022
• It’ll be exciting to see the Summit League’s playoff tournament increase to ten clubs in 2023. The two more teams will provide the tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, an extra day of play next March.
This week’s Mid-Major Top 10 in Kansas City:
5 in the previous week
Annnnndddddddddddddddddddddddddd What a climb for the Racers, who joined Auburn as the first teams in Division I to reach 20 victories this season on Saturday. Coach Matt McMahon’s squad hasn’t lost since that Dec. 22 game against Auburn, winning 10 consecutive games and eight in a 17-day period. Murray State has a perfect 10-0 record in the Ohio Valley Conference, with an average margin of victory of 19.1 points per game. For the OVC’s surviving clubs, a move to the Missouri Valley Conference in July can’t come fast enough.
Next stop: Austin Peay State University (Thursday)
Week before last: 8
Only the AP No. 1 Auburn Tigers have a longer winning run than the Broncos in Division I. (18 straight). Coach Leon Rice’s team has won 14 games in a run, including eight consecutive in Mountain West play, including wins against Utah State, San Diego State, and Fresno State on the road. Only one team (Nevada) has scored more than 63 points against Boise State since November 30. The fight at Wyoming on Thursday will take place in a phone booth.
The next stop will be Wyoming (Thursday)
6 in the previous week
Because the Committee isn’t fond of defending defeats, let’s just highlight the Gaels’ victories this season. Coach Randy Bennett’s squad has three Quadrant 2 victories and two Quadrant 1 wins (at Utah State and at San Francisco) (Oregon on a neutral court, Notre Dame on a neutral court and vs. Missouri State). Sure, the latter two weeks of February are a winepress (Gonzaga twice, vs. BYU and San Francisco), but Moraga’s cabernet has a silky finish at 5-1 in the ultra-competitive WCC.
Then it’s on to Portland (Thursday)
1 week ago:
The crown-head bearer’s is massive. The Ramblers topped Kansas City’s Mid-Major Top 10 for four weeks, but with two defeats in four games to end January (although against very solid Missouri State and Drake teams), there’s reason to be concerned. Coach Drew Valentine’s squad can give the Committee a melatonin shot by rebounding against Missouri State, who upset Loyola by ten points only two weeks ago in Chicago.
After there, it’s on to Missouri State (Sunday)
2 last week
Following that stumble against VCU on Jan. 26, the Wildcats had a bounce-back week. Coach Bob McKillop secured a hard-fought victory against La Salle in his 1,000th game as a Davidson coach, and the Cats defeated St. Bonaventure Tuesday night in Olean to improve to 7-1 in A-10 play. With just three regular-season games remaining against teams with winning records, the Cats may choose to purchase rather than rent in the record poll.
Then it’s on to George Washington (Saturday)
7 in the previous week
In a Thursday away victory against Western Kentucky (see above), Jordan “Jelly” Walker’s heroics rescued the day, but coach Andy Kennedy’s team was tripped up by Marshall only 48 hours later. We’re not just blowing smoke at a UAB team that has gone 12-3 since Dec. 1 with victories against Saint Louis, North Texas, and Louisiana Tech… these guys are on fire. Bartow Arena hosts four of the first five games in February. The Blazers have our support.
Next up is a matchup with Middle Tennessee (Saturday)
3 last week
In his three seasons in Provo, how good has Mark Pope been as a coach? The Cougars lost back-to-back regular season games for the first time under Pope’s leadership, with a difficult setback at Santa Clara on Thursday and a perplexing loss at Pacific on Saturday. That’s the bright side. The following is a depressing example: Both defeats were unacceptably bad for a squad hoping to remain on the list. There’s no better way to get back on track than the games against San Francisco (Thursday) and AP No. 2 Gonzaga (Friday) at the Marriott Center this week (Saturday)
After that, it’s on to vs. San Francisco (Thursday)
9 last week
Coach Rick Pitino celebrated an equally important milestone Sunday by winning his 800th career D-I game, putting him inside the poll of record for the second week in a row. The Gaels defeated St. Peter’s 85-77 for their seventh consecutive victory and tenth in ten attempts in MAAC competition. Iona is unlikely to lose a conference game this season, as you and I both know.
Then it’s on to Canisius (Friday)
Unranked last week
The institution that spawned #BillsMafia franchise hero Josh Allen is having one of its best seasons since Fennis Dembo’s days. Coach Jeff Linder’s squad has won eight of its last nine games, improving to 17-3 overall and 6-1 in the Mountain West. Hunter Maldonado’s 35 points in Monday’s OT “Border War” triumph against Colorado State were the Pokes’ best win of the season thus far. Also, the “Dome of Doom,” aka Wyoming’s Arena-Auditorium, has no better moniker in the game.
Next up is a matchup with UNLV (Friday)
Unranked last week
After a strong performance at the ESPN Events Invitational in November, we would have expected the Mean Green to show up here. Coach Grant McCasland’s squad challenged both Kansas and Miami before defeating a strong Drake team in Orlando. UNT has gone 13-1 since that Miami setback, and bear in mind that this bunch has been there and done that. North Texas surprised 4-seed Purdue in overtime in the first round of last year’s NCAA tournament. If that occurs again this season, no one will be surprised.
Next up is a matchup with UTSA (Saturday)
San Francisco, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Belmont all received votes.
Colorado State (No. 4) and San Francisco have dropped out (No. 10)
ESPN Stats & Information researcher Jared Berson contributed to this article.
Follow KC on Instagram: @kevinconnorsespn & Twitter: @kevconnorsespn
The “delaware basketball” is a new No. 1 in the Mid-American Conference. Murray State has won 4 straight games, and they have an impressive 12-1 record.
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