MOREHEAD, Ky. — The Morehead State men’s basketball team begins a stretch of five non-conference games in seven days on Monday when it entertains NAIA opponent Cincinnati Christian. Tip-off from Johnson Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET. It will be the first regular-season meeting between the two schools.
MSU, which finished last season 20-14 overall and 10-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference, dropped a 60-59 season-opening decision on Friday at UNLV. CCU, which closed out last year 20-14 overall and 13-7 in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, won its first five contests this year and is currently 5-1.
The opener at Johnson Arena will feature a “Mustache Bash” and is presented by Buffalo Wild Wings. The first 500 Morehead State students will receive a special t-shirt and snacks from BWW. It will also be “Take a Kid to the Game” Night as fans can receive a free child’s ticket by purchasing one regularly-priced adult ticket.
Adult tickets begin at just $8, while tickets for children 12-and-under start at $3. Parking is only $5 per vehicle. Click here to purchase tickets on-line.
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The game will be webcast live and free of charge on OVCDigitalNetwork.com. The video production, which is coordinated by Eagle Vision, will include multiple cameras, replays, graphics and audio. The contest will also be broadcast on the Eagle Sports Network, with Chuck Mraz calling the play-by-play and Jason Blanton serving as the analyst. 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
Ten notes heading into the contest:
A HEARTBREAKING LOSS
Morehead State suffered a heartbreaking 60-59 season-opening loss on Friday 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 paced Morehead State with 21 points at UNLV, while Karam Mashour pulled down eight rebounds and Kareem Storey was credited with five assists. All three players are seniors.
ONE OF THE BRIGHT SPOTS
Morehead State only committed two first-half turnovers at the Mountain West Conference opponent and six for the night. The turnaround comes after 22 miscues in their only exhibition game this year.
WE HAD A RUN, TOO
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.
THE SHOOTING WILL IMPROVE
UNLV held Morehead State to 31 percent (21-of-68) from the floor, including just 22 percent (7-of-32) in the second half. The Eagles missed 13 consecutive attempts during UNLV’s second-half surge.
THE RETURNEES
Morehead State returns nine players from the 2013-14 season. The Eagles welcome back four starters in Angelo Warner (17.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.0 apg), junior Brent Arrington (11.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg), Kareem Storey (6.8 ppg, 5.1 apg) and senior Billy Reader (6.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg).
HAPPY TO BE ELIGIBLE
Morehead State’s roster also features three players who sat out in 2013-14 due to NCAA transfer rules. Senior Jalen Courtney and sophomore Corban Collins joined the Eagles from Southeastern Conference member LSU, while junior Lyonell Gaines came to MSU from IUPUI.
THE MAN IN CHARGE
Sean Woods, who has been associated with six Division I men’s basketball programs, is in his third season as the head coach at Morehead State. It is also his seventh season as a Division I head coach and 12th year of coaching at the collegiate level. Woods guided Morehead State to a 20-14 overall record and 10-6 Ohio Valley Conference mark in 2013-14, despite over half the team suffering significant injuries.
A CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
Morehead State will play 31 regular-season contests in 2014-15. The slate features 10 dates against postseason teams from a year ago, including American Athletic Conference opponent Cincinnati (Nov. 19) and Big Ten Conference member Ohio State (Dec. 13).
SATISFYING THE HOME CROWD
Morehead State will host 13 regular-season tilts at Johnson Arena, including dates with Southern Conference school East Tennessee State (Dec. 1), Horizon League foe Oakland (Dec. 6) and Atlantic Sun Conference member Northern Kentucky (Dec. 19).
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