Murray State at SMU preview
MBB: The Racers will look to improve to 3-0 on the season
Murray State will play their first true road game of the season as they challenge SMU on Tuesday night. Here’s what you need to know:
Murray State (2-0 overall) at SMU (2-0 overall) — 7:00pm CST at the Moody Coliseum in Dallas, TX
KenPom rankings: Murray State #123; SMU #50
BartTorvik rankings: Murray State #122; SMU #57
Series history: 2nd meeting (SMU won in Murray, 92-65, on December 22, 2023)
You can watch the game on ACC Extra
Kenny Roth and I will have the radio call, with the pregame show starting at 6:30pm CST. You can listen to the game here: https://player.amperwave.net/2845
Vegas line: SMU -11.5
Murray State Scouting Report
The Racers come into this game after a 108-60 trouncing of Mississippi Valley State on Friday. Murray State will try to start the year winning its first three games against Division I teams for the first time since 2012, when the Racers opened the season 23-0.
Murray State showcased a balanced offensive attack against the Delta Devils on Friday, as nine Racers scored between eight and 15 points in the win.
Fred King played 13 minutes against Mississippi Valley State in his first action of the regular season, as he had been recovering from a minor knee injury. The hope is he will be able to play north of 20 minutes to help combat SMU’s size.
While the Racers won each of their exhibition games and both regular season games, the team has been plagued by slow starts.
In the exhibition against Xavier, the Racers trailed 21-14 with 7:00 left in the first half before coming back to win, 75-70
In the season opener against Omaha, the Racers trailed 20-13 with 10:00 left in the first half before coming back to win, 85-77
Friday against Mississippi Valley State, Murray State’s lead was just 23-17 with 6:12 to go in the first half before the Racers ultimately went onto win by 48 points
The consistent slow starts certainly have the attention of Murray State Head Coach Ryan Miller.
“Yeah, we’ve got to figure that out,” Miller said. “We’ve kind of been like that boxer that wants to feel how the game’s going. I don’t want that. I want to get right to it, get aggressive right away, play with urgency from the tip. For some reason or another, we have been like, ‘Let’s see what this opponent’s all about.’ No, let’s impose our will on our opponent, and we have to do that for 40 minutes. Those first four-to-eight minutes, to me, are so crucial. It sets the tone of a basketball game, what type of a basketball game is going to be played. I want to be the boxer that punches first, not to be the counter-puncher that waits and waits and waits and counters. I want to punch first, and we want to punch first right away. We’ve got to figure that out as a staff and as a team, and just figure out how we can start getting better.”
SMU Scouting Report
The Mustangs come in 2-0 after a pair of home wins: 96-76 over Tarleton State, and 69-58 over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
SMU has five players averaging in double-figures, led by Boopie Miller. The senior guard is averaging 17.0 PPG, but 21 of his 34 points in the first two games have come at the free throw line. He’s shooting just 26.1% from the field to this point.
The Mustangs also feature 6’5 senior guard Jaron Pierre Jr. The sixth-year senior was the Conference USA Player of the Year last season at Jacksonville State. This season, he’s averaging 16.5 points while making 47.6% of his shots from the floor. Pierre Jr. has also knocked down 5-of-8 three-pointers in the first two games.
While we are just a week into the season, SMU is playing at a relentless pace. The Mustangs’ average offensive possession is only 13.9 seconds long, which is the 16th-quickest in the country.
The Racers will have to be able to defend without fouling. SMU has shot 70 free throws in the first two games, making 80.0% of them.
“They’re well coached by Andy Enfield, who’s one of the best coaches in the country,” Miller said. “They’re a Power-5 program in the ACC. They have high-major athletes all across the board. They have a 7’2 center. They have three scorers that can really get 30 points on you at any time, in (BJ) Edwards, Boopie Miller and Pierre. It’s going to be a heck of a challenge for us. I’ve been telling the guys, a lot of the fans, a lot of the media, people that follow us, this is the game they want to see because they want to see if this Murray State basketball team is for real, or if it’s just a basketball team that’s going to compete in the Missouri Valley Conference — and just be fine. Are we the #122 KenPom team, or whatever we are right now, or are we going to be a team that can compete in the upper echelons in our league and play championship basketball in our league? This will show, win or loss, if this team is a competing team that can win championships in the Missouri Valley.”
I’ll have a ‘Ride Home Podcast’ posted after the game.