12. Murray State Racers (8-2)
Despite losing the team’s top two leading scorers, including a 21.4 ppg star in Jonathan Stark, Murray State continues to be a frontrunner in the Ohio Valley Conference. That’s been due to the play of sophomore guard Ja Morant, who’s been putting up video game levels.
The 6’3 playmaker is averaging 23 ppg, 7.0 rpg , and 9.3 apg (1st in the country) and leads the OVC in just about every major offensive category. His national coming out party came against Alabama, where he dropped a career-high 38 points in the loss. He already has a triple-double versus Missouri State (29-13-12) and likely will have multiple more in conference play.
Backing up Morant, Murray State has double-digit scorers Leroy Buchanan and freshman Tevin Brown, as well as senior forward Anthony Smith, who has missed half the season so far. At full strength, the Racers have as strong a roster from top to bottom as they had a season ago.
With a team defense ranking in the top-25 overall and the three-point percentage in the top-5 by itself, it’s hard to find a way to beat Murray State, especially without having a superior roster. Unless an opponent finds a way to stop Morant, the Racers will be the favorites until they face another juggernaut coming up in the list.