MOREHEAD, Ky. — The Morehead State men’s basketball team resumes non-conference action on Saturday when it visits No. 12/12 Ohio State. Tip-off from Value City Arena is set for 1 p.m. ET. The Buckeyes are 3-0 in the all-time series against the Eagles. MSU has been idle the past six days due to semester finals.
Morehead State, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, is 4-7 overall and 1-4 on the road. MSU is coming off a 70-68 overtime setback to Oakland on Dec. 6. Ohio State, a power in the Big Ten Conference, is 7-1 overall and 7-0 at home. OSU drilled High Point on Wednesday, 97-43, for its 10th straight home victory.
The game will televised nationally by the Big Ten Network. Tom Hamilton will call the TV play-by-play, while Jim Jackson serves as the analyst. The contest will also be broadcast on the Eagle Sports Network. Chuck Mraz will provide the details on radio. 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:
PLAYING RANKED FOES
Saturday’s showdown at No. 12/12 Ohio State will be Morehead State’s first against a nationally-ranked opponent since Nov. 22, 2013. The Eagles suffered an 81-70 setback that day to No. 22/24 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
MSU’S BIGGEST WIN EVER?
Many believe Morehead State’s last win over a nationally-ranked foe was its biggest in program history. The Eagles tallied a 62-61 NCAA Tournament triumph over No. 14/14 Louisville on March 17, 2011, at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
THE DEFENSE HAS IMPROVED
Through 11 games this season, Morehead State’s opponents are averaging just 62.6 points on 40.7 percent from the field. At this point last year, MSU’s foes were averaging 72.7 points on 45.3 percent from the floor. The Eagles also have 17 more blocked shots.
REBOUNDING IS WHAT WE DO
Morehead State has led the Ohio Valley Conference in rebounding margin six straight seasons (2008-14), paced the league in rebounds five of the last six years and had the conference’s top individual four of the past six seasons. MSU is currently second in the OVC with 38.5 boards per game and third with a +5.5 rebounding margin.
CONSISTENCY IN EVERY WAY
Senior Angelo Warner has tallied 1,294 points (12.0 pg) and 3,006 minutes (27.8 pg) in 108 collegiate games. The guard has reached 10 points 69 times and 20 points on 15 occasions. He needs just 37 more points to move into 17th in school history.
THE FLOOR GENERAL
Senior Kareem Storey averages 5.4 assists, which would be second in the Ohio Valley Conference if he had enough games to qualify. The guard would also place fourth with a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has reached the five-assist plateau 20 times at MSU.
EARNING HIS MINUTES
Junior Lyonell Gaines has averaged 12.2 points and 7.8 rebounds over his last five games after posting just 0.6 points and 1.4 rebounds through his first five contests. The Louisville native and IUPUI transfer is averaging 6.4 points and 4.6 boards this season.
A GRUELING BEGINNING
Morehead State played six of its first seven contests away from Johnson Arena this year. The Eagles visited UNLV, Cincinnati, Louisiana Tech and Marshall during the stretch. MSU went 9-7 on the road last season and 2-2 at neutral sites.
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.
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