By Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations
GAME NOTES (PDF) | SCHEDULE PAGE (LINKS TO LIVE VIDEO, LIVE AUDIO AND LIVE STATS)
MOREHEAD, Ky. — As the regular season winds to a close, Morehead State men’s basketball heads back on the road this week for a one-shot deal at UT Martin. The Wednesday night 9 p.m. ET contest precedes the Eagles’ final home game this Saturday versus Southeast Missouri.
The Eagles sit in third place in the OVC race with four games to play. The top two teams receive a double bye into the tournament semifinals, while the three and four seeds earn a solo bye.
Morehead State shoots for its eighth consecutive victory in the UT Martin series. The Eagles have won 17 of the previous 20 meetings in the head-to-head matchups. However, three of the last four meetings in Martin (since 2015) have resulted in a victory margin for the winning team of four points or less, including two overtime contests.
The game can be heard on the Eagle Sports Radio Network (WIVY-96.3 FM) with Chuck Mraz and Dean Hardin. It’s also available on MSUEagles.com as well as network partner WGOH 100.9 FM/1370 AM. ESPN+ has the game live on mobile devices.
2021-22 RECORDS
MOR: 19-8 (11-3 OVC) | UTM: 23-2 (13-0 OVC)
SERIES RECORDRecord vs. UTM: 41-16First Meeting: 12/16/91 MSU won 90-76 at MSULast Meeting: 1/12/22 MSU won 76-62 at MSUStreak: MSU, 7 gamesRecord in Martin, Tenn.: 13-11Record in Morehead: 24-4Neutral Record: 4-1
NOTABLE
• The Eagles are 3-3 in the their last six games after a 10-game winning streak. MSU enters with setbacks to Belmont and No. 23 Murray State last week, albeit by only five combined points.
• Morehead State’s 42 wins in the last two seasons is the most for any Division I program from Kentucky.
• Johni Broome has recorded a double-double in 19 of the 27 games this season and is looking to become just the second player in program history (Kenneth Faried has MSU single-season double-double record of 28) to get 20 double-doubles in one year. He ranks second nationally in that NCAA stat category.
• On Saturday versus Murray State, Johni Broome became the first OVC player to record 100+ blocks in a season since Austin Peay’s Chris Horton in 2012-13. Only three other players in OVC history (TTU’s Lorenzo Coleman did it twice) have blocked 100+ in a single season. Broome ranks third nationally in blocks and blocks per game. The MSU program record for single-season blocks is 115 by George Williams in 1973-74.
• Johni Broome ranks FIRST in the OVC in rebounds (10.7), blocked shots (3.7) and field goal percentage (.560). Only three other OVC players have ever led the league in ALL three of those categories at the end of a season and not since 1998-99 (Carlos Rogers – TSU – 1993-94; Lorenzo Coleman – TTU – 1996-97; Bud Eley – SEMO – 1998-99).
• Ta’Lon Cooper continues to rank among the best points guards in program history, ranking third in the nation in total assists with 168. His assist total is now the sixth best single-season figure in program history. Cooper is only 36 assists shy of the single-season program record of 204, held by Nikola Stojokovic in 2007-08.
• Tray Hollowell’s three-point string has climbed to 33 straight games. Hollowell is attempting to become the first MSU player in program history to hit at least one three-pointer in every game he appears in during a single season.
• Tray Hollowell has nailed 75 three-pointers this season. That total now ranks fifth in single-season program history. His 75 is the most made sine the single-season record of 95 were hit by Maze Stallworth in 2009-10.
• In the past five games, Morehead State has allowed opponents only 56.2 points per game game. Only one of those teams has managed to shoot 40 percent or better as well.
• Morehead State has used the same starting five of Ta’Lon Cooper, Skyelar Potter, Tray Hollowell, Jake Wolfe and Johni Broome for all but one game this year. Only Murray State in the league has had the same starting lineup for all of its games.
• Jake Wolfe registered his fourth double-digit game against Murray State with 12 points. Among all the Eagle players, Wolfe has been the most reliable and accurate at the free throw line, shooting 79 percent.