Story by Blake Sandlin
Interim Editor-in-Chief
The NCAA Tournament will once again feature the Murray State Racers for the second straight year.
Murray State concluded the OVC Tournament the same way it did last season, by overcoming a halftime deficit to Belmont to claim a 77-65 win and clinch its 17th OVC Championship in school history on Saturday, March 9.
The Champs are here. pic.twitter.com/pMIGGA7VEr
— MSU Sports News (@MSUSportsNews) March 10, 2019
The Racers are the first team in the country to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, and are the first team in the OVC to win back-to-back titles since they did it in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
“I’m really proud of our team,” Head Coach Matt McMahon said. “I thought their effort was just awesome, and it has been all season long… At the end of the day I’m just really proud of our team, thankful for all the great fans that came – it was an incredible atmosphere this weekend.”
Champs once more
Racer guard Ja Morant was named the OVC Tournament MVP after he compiled a stat line of 36 points, seven rebounds and three assists to lead his team to a victory in front of another record crowd of 10,525.
Murray State’s student section feels like a win is imminent. pic.twitter.com/EjEoDE79JO
— MSU Sports News (@MSUSportsNews) March 10, 2019
The sophomore sensation guaranteed his team would return to the NCAA Tournament after they fell to West Virginia last season, so to see the season culminate in a conference title was surreal.
“It feels good,” Morant said. “I feel like we have a very great team and great coaching staff and also a great fan base. We’ve worked all year since we stepped foot on campus, and just to see it all pay off feels good.”
NCAA Tournament ? I’ll be back ??? #RacerNation ? ?
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) March 17, 2018
Morant’s accomplishments didn’t go unaccompanied. Freshman guard Tevin Brown pitched in with 12 points and nine rebounds, and junior forward Darnell Cowart netted 11 points in just 19 minutes.
Belmont leaned on the services of its stars, as senior forward Dylan Windler rebounded from a 2-point first half to finish with 17, and senior guard Kevin McClain added 14 points in the losing effort.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, freshman center Nick Muszynski didn’t play in Saturday’s game after he suffered a knee injury against Austin Peay on Friday. Muszynski scored 20 points in the Racers’ last meeting on Jan. 24.
McMahon said his absence completely changed the way the balanced Bruins played, reminding him of Murray State’s 2015 matchup with Belmont in the OVC Championship where a one-dimensional Belmont team was forced to rely heavily on the three ball.
“They didn’t have a lot of back-to-basket scoring with that team, and they ended up taking like 41 threes and ended up winning the game by really relying on the three,” McMahon said. “So with Muszynski out, that really changed how they ran their offense. We thought they were relying a little bit on the three and for McClain and Windler to make plays… I thought we were able to do a good job at just contesting the 3-point arc and limiting them to one shot.”
How it happened
Belmont managed to remedy Muszynski’s absence fairly well in the first half thanks to the play of McClain. The senior guard scored 10 of Belmont’s first 12 points to start the game, helping the Bruins jump to a seven-point lead.
Adversity struck two and a half minutes in when Cowart picked up his second foul at 17:24. Cowart didn’t play a minute more in the first half, an inconvenience that ultimately played out in Murray State’s favor, according to McMahon.
“It ended up being a blessing in disguise with Darnell’s foul trouble because he got to rest there in the first half and was so fresh in the second,” McMahon said.
Murray State was able to climb back into the game, but McClain’s stellar play and guard Caleb Hollander’s late 3-pointer pushed the Bruin lead to 31-26 at the half.
Just like last year, Murray State exited the locker room with a halftime deficit. Also akin to last year, the Racers took that deficit personally. With the season hanging in the balance, Murray State nailed 10 of its first 12 shots and finally took the lead with 15:38 in the second half on a Morant 3-pointer.
Belmont didn’t bow out. Windler made up for an uncharacteristic first half by scoring 15 points in the second. With 3:52 remaining in the game, Windler knocked down a jumper to reclaim the lead as the game was winding down. The two teams traded blows until Brown decided to put the final nail in the coffin.
Leading by three with less than a minute to go, Murray State’s Brown stepped in and knocked down arguably the most important shot of the game to give the Racers a two-possession lead.
“[The three] was huge,” McMahon said. “We were able to get some stops there down in the last minute and a half and did a good job on the defensive glass to finish the game off.”
Belmont fouled Murray State on its ensuing possessions, allowing the team to bolster the lead, end on a 15-2 run and cement an emotional 77-65 win and reserve the first spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Four players on the court at the Ford Center Saturday night were named to the OVC All-Tournament team. Morant and Cowart were both recognized, as well as Belmont’s McClain and Windler. Jacksonville State senior forward Jason Burnell was also named.
By the numbers
Astonishingly, the same Belmont team that is No. 2 in the country in scoring offense at 88.2 ppg was held to just 65 in the loss Saturday. Much of that, as McMahon alluded to, was the loss of Muszynski, forcing the Bruins to rely on the 3-pointer. Belmont shot 32 threes, converting seven to shoot 22 percent.
Murray State didn’t do much better, shooting 3-for-14 in the game. The team’s first three came with 15:38 in the second half from Morant. The difference? The Racers maximized their possessions by scoring inside. Cowart’s reemergence in the second half after battling foul trouble was critical to the Racers’ early run in the second half. He had nine of his 11 points in the second half.
The Racers recorded 48 points in the paint to Belmont’s 32. They also out-rebounded the Bruins 46-31.
Goodnight from Evansville. pic.twitter.com/xztrlBMjo1
— MSU Sports News (@MSUSportsNews) March 10, 2019
What’s next?
Murray State’s win could ultimately be just the outcome the OVC was hoping for. The Racers were on the outside looking in to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid had they lost on Saturday. Belmont, which drops to 26-5, has a greater chance of receiving the at-large bid to the tournament due to a strong non-conference resume.
Since the Racers clinched the automatic bid, Belmont may still see its day in the NCAA Tournament. McMahon hopes the NCAA selection committee gives the Bruins a shot.
“I’ve got all the respect for coach (Rick) Byrd and Belmont,” McMahon said. “They should be in the NCAA Tournament. Dylan Windler would be player of the year in 99 percent of the leagues in the country. He’s a star.”
But while Belmont’s players will await Selection Sunday with their fingers crossed, Murray State can count on hearing its name called when the bracket is announced. That announcement will come at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 17, on CBS.
