By Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations
GAME NOTES (PDF) | SCHEDULE PAGE (LINKS TO LIVE VIDEO, LIVE AUDIO AND LIVE STATS)
MOREHEAD, Ky. — A familiar opponent will invade Johnson Arena for the Morehead State men’s basketball team Thursday. Just three days after defeating Tennessee Tec on the road, the Eagles and Golden Eagles match up again in Morehead. Due to impending winter weather, the game time has been shifted to 2 p.m. ET.
Morehead State and Tennessee Tech have the rare back-to-back games this week due to the shuffling of earlier schedules. It’s the second straight season MSU has played an OVC opponent in back-to-back regular season games, matching up with Southeast Missouri in that manner in 2020-21.
MSU knocked off Tech 70-56 on Monday.
The game can be heard on the Eagle Sports Radio Network (WIVY-96.3 FM) with Chuck Mraz and Drew Barnette. It’s also available on MSUEagles.com as well as network partner WGOH 100.9 FM/1370 AM. ESPN+ carries the TV broadcast with Jared Stacy on play by play.
2021-22 RECORDS
MOR: 17-6 (9-1 OVC) | TTU: 5-16 (2-6 OVC)
SERIES RECORDRecord vs. TTU: 90-67First Meeting: 1/7/50 MOR won 59-57 at TTULast Meeting: 1/31/22 MOR won 70-56 at TTUStreak: MOR, 3 gamesRecord in Cookeville, Tenn.: 27-47Record in Morehead: 55-17Neutral Record: 8-3
NOTABLE• Since the 2007-08 season, MSU is 25-6 against Tech including 14 wins in the last 15 times the teams have played in Morehead.
• Morehead State went on a 22-0 first-half run and ended that half on a 24-2 flurry to defeat Tech 70-56 Monday in Tennessee Tech. The 22-0 run was the largest scoring spurt this season where an opponent DID NOT score.
• Morehead State’s 40 wins in the last two seasons is the most for any Division I program from Kentucky.
• With his double-double and five blocks at SEMO Jan. 27, Johni Broome became the first Division I player in the last decade to accomplish 15+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ blocks in three consecutive wins (via ESPN research team and Jared Berson).
• Johni Broome has a double-double in five of the last six games and 15 overall in 2021-22. He ranks third nationally in double-doubles, and the Eagles are 23-5 when Broome records a double-double last two seasons.
• Johni Broome is now ranked third in single-season MSU history in blocked shots with 84, passing Kenneth Faried (82) and Bob McCann (83) on Monday night. Broome’s 140 career blocks is also ranked third on MSU’s career chart. Broome needs just six more blocks to creep onto the OVC single-season top 10.
• According to the record book and historical stats that are available, Johni Broome is the ONLY MSU men’s player in the modern era (post 1972 when freshmen were allowed to play on varsity teams) to block 5 or more shots in four consecutive games.
• As a team, Morehead State ranks third in the nation and leads the OVC in total blocked shots with 131. It’s the third consecutive season the Eagles have paced the entire conference in rejected opponent attempts.
• Ta’Lon Cooper ranks third in the nation in total assists with 144. Cooper also has four games with 10+ assists this season, which ranks tied for second in the nation with Saint Louis’ Yuri Collins. Amazingly, Cooper has 11 games with 7+ assists this season.
• Tray Hollowell’s three-point string was in jeopardy Monday night, but the Wofford grad transfer drained a long ranger late in the second half. He’s now hit a three in all 23 games this season and 29 in a row since last year. Hollowell has hit 252 career collegiate three-pointers, which WOULD rank 11th on the OVC career chart (only stats from when a player is/was on a league team technically count toward OVC career records).
• Skyelar Potter posted his third point-rebound double against Tech Monday night. He has now scored double figures in six straight games and averaged 14.5 points in that span. Potter also has a double-double in two of the last three games.
• Morehead State has only made less than five three-pointers in a game once this season. The Eagles’ 8.4 three-pointers per game is the highest average during head coach Preston Spradlin‘s five-year tenure.
• Morehead State is now 38-0 in the last two seasons when leading with a minute left in regulation and in fact the Eagles have now won 64 consecutive games where they did not give up the lead with a minute or less to go.