PrintBy Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media
MOREHEAD, Ky. — Looking to continue its perfect start, Morehead State’s men’s hoops team will face a tough test Wednesday night when the Eagles travel to face the SEC’s Missouri Tigers. Game time at Mizzou Arena is 8 p.m. ET and can be seen live on ESPN3 and head on WIVY 96.3 FM.
The Eagles enter the contest at 4-0, while the Tigers are 3-1.
The game against Missouri continues the 2019 Hall of Fame Classic, powered by ShotTracker. The Eagles will also face road tests at Butler and William & Mary this coming week as part of the event.
GAME NOTES
• This is the third all-time meeting between these two programs with Missouri winning both matchups, both in Columbia. Last season, the Tigers topped the Eagles 75-61 on Dec. 29.
• Morehead State has equaled its best start to a season since 1980-81 at 4-0. The last Morehead State team to start 5-0 was in 1964-65. That was the only team on record (since 1956-57) to begin a year 5-0.
• Morehead State leads the Ohio Valley Conference in multiple stat categories, including free throw attempts (78), offensive rebounds per game (14.7), scoring defense (59.5), scoring margin (+24.3) and total assists (68).
• The Eagles shot 53 percent (98-of-164) in the last three games.
• Assistant coach Scott Combs began his collegiate playing career at Missouri before transferring to Austin Peay. He played with the Tigers in the 1995 NCAA Tournament win over Indiana.
• Senior guard Jordan Walker has scored in double figures in 19 of the last 21 games dating back to last season.
• Junior guard Justin Thomas ranks third in the nation in total steals with 15 takeaways.
• In all four games this year, Morehead State has used significant first-half scoring runs to pull away. Against Samford, the Eagles ended the first half on a 19-3 flurry. The Eagles used an 18-2 run against Spalding, an 18-2 run to start game at Presbyterian and a 22-4 run in the middle of the half against UMES to create distance.
• Six Eagles are shooting 50 percent or better from the field so far.
• Morehead State has hit at least one three-pointer in 409 consecutive games. The last time the Eagles failed to drain one from distance was in 2007 against Jacksonville State.