Miller expects Racers to open season in Field of 68 event
MBB: The college basketball season opens Monday, November 3rd
As Murray State Head Coach Ryan Miller puts together his first non-conference schedule for the Racers, eight of the 11 games his team will play have been publicly released in some fashion. When it comes to the three remaining question marks on the 2025-26 schedule, one of those includes the season-opening game. During a recording of the ‘Morning In The Valley’ podcast on Tuesday, Miller dropped a hint where the Racers will be playing the first week of the season.
“You can expect a ‘Field of 68’ game to open up the season,” Miller said.
The Field of 68 is a media company founded by college basketball writers Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman. Last season, the company hosted the inaugural Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The event featured three games between mid-major teams on the opening day of the college basketball season — with Southern Illinois vs. College of Charleston playing the first official game of the season.
This year’s teams and matchups have not been officially announced, nor has the site of the event, by the Field of 68 crew.
“They'll probably be announced on their end pretty soon,” Miller continued. “We're pretty excited about being a part of that. It ties with my roots a little bit. It'll be fun.”
Miller was born in Mitchell, South Dakota which is about an hour from Sioux Falls.
Presuming the Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase is indeed on the opening day of the season on November 3rd, the Racers will have the first week of their season covered with the game in Sioux Falls followed by the home opener with Mississippi Valley State on November 7th.
Here’s how this season’s non-conference schedule looks at this moment:
TBA — Home vs. Little Rock (Back end of a home-and-home series that started in 2023-24)
November 3 — vs. TBA (in Sioux Falls, SD at The Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase)
November 7 — vs. Mississippi Valley State
November 11 — at SMU
November 23 — vs. Middle Tennessee (Cayman Islands Classic)
November 24 — vs. McNeese (Cayman Islands Classic)
November 25 — vs. George Washington (Cayman Islands Classic)
December 2 — vs. Morehead State
December 13 — vs. Akron (in Henderson, Nevada at the Jack Jones Classic)
With 20 conference games, Murray State still has two non-conference games to announce to complete their slate for next season. The Missouri Valley’s conference schedule likely won’t be released until closer to September.
Hey the last two nonconfrence games we have left to fill are they going to be home or away?
Looks like another year of fewer non conference home games. Not good for fans and season ticket holders. Won’t there also be one less home conference game due to Missouri State leaving the conference?