Jakob Milani
Sports Editor
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With the OVC Championship win, Murray State punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament, better known as “March Madness.”
On Selection Sunday, the Racers were seeded as the seven-seed in the East Region, with teams like the one-seed Baylor and the two-seed Kentucky as potential opponents down the line.
First, the Racers take on the 10-seed University of San Francisco Dons in the first round on Thursday in Indianapolis, Indiana. According to CBS Sports, this game is “the matchup to watch in the first round.”
While the seeding seems to give the Racers the advantage, odds from betting website FanDuel give San Francisco the one point favorite heading into the weekend. Murray State Head Coach Matt McMahon said it will be one of the Racers’ toughest matchups yet.
“The work begins now,” McMahon said. “I have great respect for San Francisco. Really good basketball team. Every analytics site you look at, they’re a no-brainer Top 25 team in America. We will need to prepare accordingly this week.”
The Racers finished the season ranked 20th in the AP Top 25 poll, while San Francisco wasn’t ranked. However, Murray State finished the regular season 21st in the NET, or NCAA Evaluation Tool, rankings, and San Francisco finished 22nd, just a single spot behind the Racers.
What perhaps gives the Racers the biggest advantage is their efficiency. Murray State currently sits at 14th in the country in offensive efficiency and 13th in defensive efficiency. San Francisco is ranked 54th in offensive efficiency and 31st in defensive efficiency.
McMahon also said with the playstyle and numbers of San Francisco, it’ll be like Murray State playing itself in the first round.
“By the numbers, [the Dons] are very similar to Murray State,” McMahon said. “Elite defensive team. I mean terrific, one of the best teams defensively in the country defending the three. They’ve also been dominant in rebounding on both ends of the court. They score in high numbers, they have great players. It’s gonna be fun, I’m looking forward to it.”
However, the Dons have experience over the Racers, playing the 16th hardest schedule in the regular season, according to CBS Sports. Murray State played in the 190th hardest schedule according to CBS Sports
Against the top 25 teams in the country, neither team took a victory, but San Francisco played three top-ranked teams while the Racers played just one.
McMahon said regarding experience, the older guys on teams are going to make the difference. In the Racers’ case, McMahon said that’s junior guard Tevin Brown and junior forward KJ Williams.
“We have two players in Williams and Brown who have won a lot of games and a lot of championships,” McMahon said. “They’ve won a game in the NCAA Tournament and have performed at a high level in the tournament. I expect them to show great leadership toward our other players who may or may not have played in the tournament. All the hype is great, but whoever plays the best in the game on Thursday is what matters most.”
If the Racers defeat the Dons in Round One, they will take on the winner of two-seed Kentucky and 15-seed St. Peters in Round Two, with Kentucky being the heavy favorite going into the matchup.
If the Racers win and end up taking on the Wildcats, it would be the first time in NCAA basketball history that the two teams face off.
McMahon said he is not focused on the next opponent. In fact, he said it’s one game at a time from here on out for the Racers.
“For us, it’s a one game tournament,” McMahon said. “Obviously, great respect for Coach Cal and the program at Kentucky, but if you don’t win Thursday, there is no matchup. Our goal is to get better this week and go 1-0 on Thursday. That’s all, from a basketball standpoint, that we will be focused on.”
The Racers’ first round matchup against San Francisco is set for Thursday at 8:40 p.m. The first and second round matchups will both take place in Indianapolis in the Gainsbridge Fieldhouse.
