CINCINNATI — The Morehead State men’s basketball team continues its stretch of five non-conference games in seven days on Wednesday at American Athletic Conference opponent Cincinnati. Tip-off from Fifth Third Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET. UC owns a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series against MSU.
The Eagles are 1-1 this year, with a 60-59 setback at Mountain West Conference foe UNLV and 87-79 victory over NAIA member Cincinnati Christian. The Bearcats have only played once, with a 52-37 homecourt win over Saint Francis (Pa.). MSU has three more games this weekend, while UC has one.
Morehead State finished 20-14 overall, 10-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference and participated in the College Basketball Invitational a season ago. Cincinnati posted a 27-7 overall record, 15-3 league mark and played in the NCAA Tournament. UC owns 38 all-time postseason appearances, while MSU has nine.
The game will televised by Fox Sports Ohio and shown on ESPN3.com. Tom Gelehrter will call the TV play-by-play, while Terry Nelson serves as the analyst. The contest will also be broadcast on the Eagle Sports Network, with Chuck Mraz providing all the details. The radio network includes WIVY-96.3 FM in Morehead, WCBJ-103.7 in Campton, WLGC-1520 AM in Ashland/Greenup, MSUEagles.com (computers), m.Morehead.EZStream.com (mobile devices) and the Eagle Empire App.
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Ten notes heading into the contest:
A NICE MSU DEBUT
Sophomore Corban Collins led five Morehead State players in double figures with 15 points on Monday against Cincinnati Christian. The guard sat out the 2013-14 season after transferring from Southeastern Conference member LSU.
OTHER CONTRIBUTORS
Senior Kareem Storey, junior Anthony Elechi and freshman Marquel Willis netted 13 points apiece against Cincinnati Christian, while senior Billy Reader added 10. Reader and Elechi each recorded a team-high seven rebounds, while Storey dished out a team-best nine assists and Reader blocked three shots.
THE REST IS APPRECIATED
Morehead State’s only preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, senior Angelo Warner, did not play against Cincinnati Christian. He was being rested since the Eagles have five games in seven days this week. The guard played all 34 contests and 1,184 minutes last season, which ranked third in the league.
A HEARTBREAKING LOSS
Morehead State suffered a heartbreaking 60-59 season-opening loss on Nov. 14 at UNLV. The Runnin’ Rebels used an 18-3 second-half run and blocked 12 shots before a crowd of 12,582 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
TOP EAGLES AT UNLV
Angelo Warner led Morehead State with 21 points at UNLV, while senior Karam Mashour tallied eight rebounds and Kareem Storey was credited with five assists.
ONE OF THE BRIGHT SPOTS
Morehead State only committed two first-half turnovers at UNLV and six for the night. The turnaround came after 22 miscues in their only exhibition game on Nov. 5.
LEADING AND RUNNING
Morehead State led for more than 17 minutes at UNLV and opened its largest lead of 11 points with 17:56 on the second-half clock. The Eagles drilled 8-of-10 field-goal tries during a 10-0 first-half run.
OVC AND NCAA HISTORY
Morehead State owns 13 Ohio Valley Conference championships, including nine regular-season crowns (last in 2003) and four tournament titles (last in 2011). MSU has also made has made seven NCAA Tournament appearances (last in 2011).
ON TO THE POSTSEASON
Morehead State has made nine postseason appearances. The Eagles have advanced beyond the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in four of the past six seasons. MSU participated in the College Basketball Invitational in 2010 and again in 2014.
20 WINS = ELITE COMPANY
Morehead State, which finished 20-14 overall in 2013-14, has reached the 20-win plateau four times in the past six seasons. The Eagles had previously secured 20 victories just twice in 79 campaigns. MSU improved by five wins from 2012-13 to last year.
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