For the first time since 2016, the Murray State Racers won’t be representing the Ohio Valley Conference in the NCAA Tournament.
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams fell in the OVC Tournament last week, but the accomplishments and strides both teams made during the 2019-20 season leave plenty to be excited about.
Murray State Women’s Basketball
In spite of plenty of tumult on the injury front, Murray State’s women’s basketball team accomplished what many thought they wouldn’t – they made the postseason for the third-straight season.
As the Racers left the court last Wednesday following a monumental 88-33 loss to UT Martin in the first round of the OVC Tournament, effectively ending their season, there was certainly an air of disappointment. However, a quick look to Murray State’s bench tells a bigger story.
Four integral pieces in leading-scorer Macey Turley, starting-forward Macie Gibson, guard Jentri Worley and guard Sadie Hill all succumbed to season-ending injuries this year, forcing coach Rechelle Turner to move to a consistent rotation of six players.
“Our goal right now is to get our kids healthy,” said Turner. “We still have surgeries to go. So we’re going to make sure that we get our kids healthy, do everything we can to get them back as good as possible, and we’re going to work on the weaknesses of the kids we have coming back. It’s a fresh start; it’s an opportunity for them all to get better.”
The Racers got off to a program-best start in their non-conference games, but struggled in OVC play this year, finishing 7-11 in the OVC and 14-16 overall.
“I told the kids after the game, they’re not going to remember your record from this year, they may or may not remember this game, what they’re going to remember about you is your character and your resilience and your willingness to do whatever it took to at least get us to this tournament,” Turner said.
The good news for Turner and company, Murray State will return every player from last year’s team, and will welcome a loaded recruiting class next season.
Murray State Men’s Basketball
Finishing first in the OVC for a share of the OVC regular season championship is certainly nothing to hang your head over, but for Murray State fans who’ve watched the Racers advance to two-straight NCAA Tournaments, the result of last week’s championship against Belmont was disappointing.
With the Racers up one with less than 10 seconds to play, Belmont’s Tyler Scanlon made a backdoor cut past Murray State’s Anthony Smith on a designed play by the Bruins that led to an open layup to move ahead by one with two seconds remaining.
Belmont sealed a 76-75 win over Murray State to steal the OVC Championship, a crushing defeat dealt by a team that has thwarted Murray State in the OVC title game for the third time since joining the OVC in 2012-13.
Murray State head coach Matt McMahon said the loss was tough to deal with for his team, though he’s proud of the progress of the program.
“I don’t know that I’m necessarily thinking about the long term of the program right now,” McMahon said. “Just want to make sure our players are in a good place, make sure they have great peace of mind and perspective. Obviously, everyone wants to win the championship. They’re heartbroken; we’re all disappointed. Just want to make sure they’re in a good place right now, and I’m obviously thrilled for where the program’s at right now from a culture standpoint.”
The game marks the final postseason opportunity for seniors Jaiveon Eaves and Anthony Smith, and Matt McMahon stressed that Smith has had a seminal impact on Murray State.
“He’s been a warrior,” McMahon said. “That’s what I told him in the locker room. You can’t let one back-door play define what he’s meant to Murray State basketball. One of my favorite guys ever to coach. You know what you were going to get every single day from him.”
And although there were plenty of opportunities for Murray State to fold, including a historic 27-point comeback by Eastern Illinois to beat the Racers and multiple key injuries, McMahon said he was proud of what his team accomplished en route to a 23-9 season.
“It’s been a rewarding season because our players have gotten better, team’s gotten better; I think we’ve learned a lot,” McMahon said. “The situation at Eastern Illinois, while not something you dream about growing up, thankful for that. I think we learned a lot about our team, about the character in our locker room. Learned a lot about myself, our coaching staff. When things don’t go as planned, that’s when you find out what people are all about.”