By Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations
MOREHEAD, Ky. — With two wins to its credit already this season, Morehead State’s men’s basketball team will face its first road test Thursday night when the Eagles travel to Presbyterian for a 7 p.m. ET matchup with the Blue Hose.
MSU (2-0) will face a Presbyterian squad that is 1-1. The Blue Hose fell to Clemson but defeated VMI on the road in overtime. The Eagles also have an overtime win, knocking off Samford in two extra period to open the season. MSU is shooting 50 percent as a unit so far.
Thursday’s game will air live on WIVY-96.3 FM and can also be seen live on ESPN+.
GAME NOTES
• Morehead State meets Presbyterian for only the second tine in the programs’ histories. The only other meeting resulted in a 69-49 Eagle win in a tournament at Louisiana Tech in 2014-15.
• A win against the Blue Hose would tie for the best start (3-0) since the 1993-94 squad equaled that feat. It’s been all the way back to 1980-81 since an Eagle team began a season with four straight wins.
• Senior guard Jordan Walker is a member of the official Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference squad, one of just three returning players to be on the preseason list.
• Morehead State scored 90 points in back-to-back games to start a season for the first time since 1998-99.
• Freshman forward Tyzhaun Claude is tied for the Ohio Valley Conference lead in rebounding with 11.0 per game.
• Tyzhaun Claude posted the second-best rebounding effort for a freshman (11) in the nation for season-opening night, trailing only Villanova’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl who had 13.
• The Eagles rank 12th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (17.0).
• Junior guard Justin Thomas had a breakout game versus Spalding, flirting with quadruple-double territory. He had 12 points, eight assists, six rebounds and six steals. According to records, there has only been one triple-double in program history (Xavier Moon).
• After only one double-figure scoring effort his freshman campaign, sophomore guard Malik Riddle is averaging 16 points per game now, with a career-best 17-point effort against Samford to open the year.
• Morehead State will take part in the 2019 Hall of Fame Classic presented by ShotTracker. The Eagles will host Maryland-Eastern Shore Saturday night as part of the event and travel for games at Missouri, Butler and William & Mary the next two weeks.