Murray State vs Morehead State: 2021-22 keys to OVC matchup

The Morehead State Eagles celebrate their victory over the Belmont Bruins in the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Championship at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., Saturday, March 6, 2021. The Eagles defeated the Bruins 86-71 to win the championship title and a bid to the 2021 NCAA tournament.Ovc Mens Championship 8 /

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Murray State Racers guard Tevin Brown ( Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports /

Undefeated Morehead State Visits Undefeated Murray State

First place is at stake Saturday when undefeated Morehead State visits undefeated Murray State. One of the two Ohio Valley Conference titans will walk out of the CFSB Center with the one-game advantage in the title race.

Morehead State (16-5, 8-0) has won ten straight games and Murray (19-2, 9-0) has vanquished nine consecutive foes. Neither team has lost during this calendar year. Morehead is the defending OVC Tournament champion.

These teams arrive to this big-time collision on a very similar path. Each team lost to East Tennessee State and to Auburn and both have toppled fellow OVC power, Belmont. They are the OVC’s top two defensive teams and star power abounds.

This game brings the league’s leading scorer, top two rebounders, the number one dime distributor, top three-point shooter, and shot-blocker to Murray State’s CFBS Center. Murray is 10-0 at ‘The Bank’.

During last season’s fan-reduced games, Morehead State swept the games between the two teams. The Eagles held the Racers, who averaged 76.4 points per game to 56 points in each contest.

Their young coaches are two of the brightest and most successful in the country. Morehead’s 35-year-old Preston Spradlin (85-82) has built a perennial OVC power and Murray’s 43-year-old Matt McMahon (153-67) built on the decades-long foundation of others including Mark Gottfried, Mick Cronin, Billy Kennedy, and Steve Prohm.

Game time Saturday is 4:00 pm on ESPN+