Murray State vs. McNeese preview
MBB: The Racers will try to grab their first win in the Cayman Islands Classic Monday night
Murray State will try to bounce back from last night’s loss to Middle Tennessee as they take on McNeese in their second game in as many days at The Cayman Islands Classic. Here’s what you need to know:
Murray State (4-2 overall) vs. McNeese (4-1 overall) at 6:30pm CST in John Gray Gymnasium in George Town, Cayman Islands
KenPom rankings: Murray State #114; McNeese #89
Bart Torvik rankings: Murray State #110; McNeese #92
Series history: 4th meeting (McNeese leads the all-time series 2-1, with the last meeting coming in 1983)
You can watch the game on FloSports. You’ll need to sign up for a monthly subscription for $19.99 that will give you access to stream all three games, live and on demand.
Kenny Roth and I will have the radio call, with the pregame show starting at 6:00pm CST. You can listen to the game here: https://player.amperwave.net/2845
Vegas line: McNeese -1.5
Murray State Scouting Report
In six games, the Racers have allowed opponents to grab 92 offensive rebounds and turn those into 89 points — an average of 14.8 second-chance points per game.
Rebound.
That’s it.
McNeese Scouting Report
The Cowboys come in after a 92-86 win over George Washington in their Cayman Islands Classic opener on Sunday. McNeese forced 24 GW turnovers, with 17 of those being steals.
McNeese’s numbers are a little inflated this season considering they scored a total of 259 points in wins over a pair of schools named Champion Christian College and the College of Biblical Studies. Aside from those two non-Division I wins, the Cowboys have been really good on the defensive end. They’re #3 in the country in forcing turnovers, as they take the ball away on 26.9% of their opponents’ possessions. McNeese is #7 nationally in steal rate and #8 in block rate.
If giving up offensive rebounds has been an Achilles’ heel for the Racers this year, McNeese is even worse in that category. The Cowboys are dead last in America, allowing opponents to rebound their misses 50.9% of the time. Murray State has been above average team this year in offensive rebound rate, chasing down 33.3% of their misses. If the Racers can push that number closer to 40% tonight, they’ll have a good chance to get the win.
Individually, McNeese is led by redshirt freshman guard Larry Johnson. The Creighton transfer is averaging 22.6 points per game off the bench, shooting 73.6% from the floor. The 6’4 guard is also a perfect 32-for-32 from the free throw line this season.
This will be a physical game where the Racers will need to match McNeese’s frenetic pace and pressure. If they can, Murray State can grab the best win of their season tonight.
I’ll have a ‘Ride Home’ posted after the game.