Murray State vs. Nicholls preview
MBB: The Racers return home for the first of back-to-back home games
Murray State returns home Saturday afternoon for the first of back-to-back home games as they welcome in the Colonels of Nicholls. Here’s what you need to know:
Nicholls (0-3 overall) at Murray State (2-1 overall) — 4:30pm CST at the CFSB Center
KenPom rankings: Murray State #123; Nicholls #264
BartTorvik rankings: Murray State #123; Nicholls #272
Series history: 3rd meeting (Murray State leads series 2-0, with last meeting coming in 1990)
You can watch the game on ESPN+
Kenny Roth and I will have the radio call, with the pregame show starting at 4:00pm CST. You can listen to the game here: https://player.amperwave.net/2845
Vegas line: Murray State -14.5
Murray State Scouting Report
The Racers are coming off their first loss of the year, a 102-91 setback at SMU on Tuesday night. In the wake of the SMU loss, Murray State Head Coach Ryan Miller has promised to '“shake things up” with the Racer lineup, although we don’t know yet what that will entail. With the slow starts out of the gate Murray State has had repeatedly this season, it would make sense if some of those changes involved the starting lineup. SMU put together a combined 26-7 run Tuesday night in the opening minutes of each half against the Racers.
More than half of the Racers’ field goal attempts this year have been from three-point range. To highlight how much the game has changed in just a decade, let’s go back to 2013. That season, Murray State took 41.8% of their shots from beyond the arc — and that was the 21st-highest three-point rate in the country. This year, the Racers are taking 50.5% of their shots from deep, the 27th-highest rate. If a team took 41.8% of their field goal attempts from three-point range this year, they’d rank 147th.
Javon Jackson has been outstanding offensively this year for the Racers, leading the team in scoring with 19.3 points per game, after he dropped 26 Tuesday night at SMU. It was the second-most points he’s scored in a game in his collegiate career.
Despite giving up 102 points on Tuesday, there are some positive numbers for the Racer defense. Murray State is #1 in the country in chasing teams off the three-point line, as Racer opponents are only taking 21.7% of their shots from beyond the arc. The Racers’ 2-point shot defense has also been strong, allowing teams to shoot 44.5% from two, which is ranked 58th in the country. That’s the third-best mark for a Murray State team in the last 30 years.
Nicholls Scouting Report
Tonight is the fourth of seven-straight road games to open the season for Nicholls. The Colonels most recently lost at Valparaiso, 68-63, on Wednesday night.
This Nicholls team has struggled to score this year, averaging just 57 points per game. They’re in the bottom 50 in the country in three-point percentage (25.0%), two-point percentage (42.4%) and free throw percentage (62.9%). The Colonels are led in scoring by Trae English with 13.0 points per game, but he’s only shooting 29.4% from the floor. Jaylen Searles is the only other Colonel averaging in double-figures with 10.7 PPG.
This Nicholls team has won 20 games in each of the last two years under head coach Tevon Saddler, but they return only three players from last year’s squad. We’ll see how road-weary the Colonels are after a fourth road game in 11 days, and if Murray State’s up-tempo offense is able to capitalize on some tired legs.
I’ll have a ‘Ride Home’ podcast posted after the game.