Murray State vs. SE Missouri State preview
MBB: The former Ohio Valley Conference rivals face off again at the CFSB Center
Murray State will look to grab their third-straight win today as they host Southeast Missouri State Sunday afternoon. Here’s what you need to know:
Murray State (5-2 overall) vs. Southeast Missouri State (3-5 overall) — 3:00pm CST at the CFSB Center
KenPom Rankings: Murray State #110; Southeast Missouri State #294
NCAA NET Rankings: Murray State #115; Southeast Missouri State #262
Series history: Murray State leads 66-21 (The Racers have won 11 straight in the series)
You can stream the game on ESPN+
Kenny Roth and I will have the radio call, with the pregame show starting at 2:30pm. You can listen to the game here: https://player.amperwave.net/2845
Vegas line: Murray State -15.5
Murray State scouting report
The key for the Racers will be how they respond after Tuesday’s nail-biting win over Evansville. Head Coach Steve Prohm doesn’t think his team has played well at home against any of their Division I opponents this year. That has been a focus this week at practice as the Racers are preparing for today’s matchup.
Despite scoring only 63 points on Tuesday, the Racers continue to be an elite shooting team. Murray State is 15th nationally in three-point shooting at 40.0%, and 17th nationally in field goal shooting at 50.3%.
KyeRon Lindsay leads all players in the Missouri Valley Conference with 15 blocks this season. Terence Harcum is 5th in the Valley knocking down 40.9% of his shots from beyond the arc.
Southeast Missouri State scouting report
The Redhawks come in after losing at Lipscomb, 78-60, on Thursday. SEMO is led in scoring by Teddy Washington. The 6’2 senior guard is averaging 16.9 points per game. He is a volume shooter, but is only making 30.2% from beyond the arc.
As a team, SEMO struggles to put the ball in the hoop, making just 43.2% of their shots, 32.0% from three, and 65.8% from the free throw line. The one thing they will do is play fast. The Redhawks are in the Top 30 in the country in tempo, so the Racers need to be prepared to play with pace today on both ends of the floor.
If SEMO does anything exceptionally well it’s defending the three-point line. They are 4th in the country this year in three-point defense, as they’re allowing opponents to shoot just 25.1% from beyond the arc.
If the Racers can bring the same effort to today’s game that they’ve brought on the road, they should be able to get out of here with a win.
I’ll have a ‘Ride Home’ podcast posted later today.