The 2024-25 season schedule is set and the Racers can now begin to get a sense of what their journey will look like this season.
Murray State will kick the season off in its home opener against the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7. They’ll host again at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12, as the University of Southern Indiana Eagles travel to Murray.
The Racers will then go on to play on the road for four straight games, starting with the Tigers of Louisiana State University (LSU) at a time TBD on Friday, Nov. 15. They will then go on to play the Memphis Tigers at a time TBD on Saturday, Nov. 23. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host the Racers at a time TBD on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Saint Louis University will then host Murray State at a time TBD on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
Austin Peay will come to the CFSB Center to play at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7 before the Racers travel to Tuscaloosa to play the University of Alabama at a time TBD on Sunday, Dec. 15. Murray State will host Western Carolina University at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19 in its final game before conference play.
The Racers improved from their 2022-23 conference record of 7-13 after going 12-8 against conference opponents last season. Conference games make up a lot of teams’ schedules and are crucial in making a deep run in the postseason. A better playoff seed can greatly improve a team’s chances of winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Murray State opens against the third highest-scoring team in the MVC from last year, as they will host the Illinois State University Redbirds at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29. The two teams won a game each in the two games they played in the regular season last year.
The Racers will then go on the road to play the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Salukis at a time TBD on Thursday, Jan. 2. They will stay on the road, as they play at Missouri State University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Murray State hosts Valparaiso University at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10 and the University of Illinois Chicago at 2 p.m. on Sunday Jan. 12 before heading back onto the road the next week to play the University of Northern Iowa at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16 and Drake University at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18. Drake University trailed Murray State last year in total team scoring, as they averaged the second-most points per game in the conference.
The Racers host the Indiana State Sycamores at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24 before hosting the University of Evansville Aces at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26. They will travel the next week to play Belmont University at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1. Belmont finished last season with the MVC’s best defense, allowing just 62.3 points per game.
At this point in the schedule, Murray State will go against many of the teams they played in the first half of the season for a second time. They will travel to play UIC at a time TBD on Friday, Feb. 7 and will stay on the road to play Valparaiso University at a time TBD on Sunday, Feb. 9. The Racers played both UIC and Valparaiso just once last year and defeated both teams.
Drake University will come to Murray to play at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13 before the University of Northern Iowa comes to town to play at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15. Bradley University will host the Racers at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20 in the lone competition between the two teams in the regular season.
Murray State will host three games in a row starting with the Belmont University Bruins at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, then Missouri State University at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, and finally the Southern Illinois University Salukis at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 1.
The Racers finish their season with two road games. The first will be at the University of Evansville at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 6 and the last game of the regular season will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 8. The MVC Tournament will begin soon after the end of the regular season in Evansville, Indiana on March 13, and conclude on March 16.
The Murray State Racers play in the CFSB Center located at 1401 KY-121 S Murray, Kentucky. If you are unable to make it to any of the games, you can watch them live on ESPN+.
