![]() 2019, the final game Walter McCarty coached at UE. The Racers last played Evansville in Dec. That included Magic Johnson, multiple NBA general managers and future NFL Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald. Another 8,300 were in the building for the semifinals the night before. More than 10,500 people showed up for the 2019 championship game between Murray State and Belmont, each of which advanced to the NCAA tournament. The Murray State fans travel wellĮvansville knows this in particular considering the crowds the Racers have brought to Ford Center for OVC Championships. The Racers earned the OVC men's championship title after defeating the Belmont Bruins, 77-65, in front of over 10,000 people. Murray State Racers and Ja Morant fans fill the Ford Center during the Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball championship at Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., Saturday, March 9, 2019. ![]() The Racers will be a fantastic addition to our Conference.” “Everyone is aware of the tremendous success Murray has had, especially in the sport of basketball. “Excited for Murray State, and excited for the Missouri Valley Conference,” MVC Commissioner Jeff Jackson said in a release. (Belmont is 31st.) Their athletics director Kevin Saal said Friday they average roughly 7,000 viewers on ESPN platforms for men’s basketball games. This season, they’re 44th in the NCAA NET rankings after an 11-2 start. They have three NCAA tournament wins since 2010. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Ja Morant. They also made two NCAA tournaments and produced the No. The Racers previously lost out in MVC expansion in 2017 when the league picked Valparaiso and since that decision, they have gone 100-35 under Matt McMahon. Murray State is one of the best mid-major men's basketball programs as it boasts 17 NCAA tournament appearances. Murray State basketball will immediately bolster the MVC This leaves Murray State as the best program in that league, but sources told CBS Sports that Murray State is also actively trying to better position itself going forward by examining all of its conference options.Murray State’s Ja Morant (12) is announced as a starter before the Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball championship against the Belmont University Bruins at Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., Saturday, March 9, 2019. ![]() ![]() Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Austin Peay have either left or are soon leaving for the ASUN. Most conference realignment news is driven by football, but this is a basketball play through and through for one of the proudest basketball-first conferences in the country.Īs for the OVC, losing Belmont is the latest damaging blow - and the worst of them - for a conference that has been heavily pilfered in the past year. In adding Belmont, the Missouri Valley could strengthen its membership so much that it can become a reliable two-bid (or better) NCAA Tournament league on an annual basis. Its 20 combined regular-season and conference tournament titles since 2006 are third most in men's D-I (behind Gonzaga and Kansas).Īnd now, in advance of a 2021-22 season where Belmont could be the best mid-major team in the sport, the program is poised to be part of one of the best mid-major leagues in the country. Belmont is 130-24 in the OVC in the past nine seasons, making it the second-most dominant team (to Gonzaga) inside its league in the past decade. It's one of four programs to win at least 20 games in each of the last 11 seasons (joining Gonzaga, Kansas and Oregon). In the past 11 seasons, Belmont has a 277-86 record, amounting to one of the best win percentages (.763) in men's Division I hoops in that span. ![]()
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