Murray State vs. Omaha preview
MBB: The Racers open the Ryan Miller era in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Murray State will begin the 2025-26 season Monday afternoon as they take on Omaha in the Field of 68’s Opening Day Marathon. Here’s what you need to know:
Murray State vs. Omaha — 12:30pm CST at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
KenPom rankings: Murray State #134; Omaha #188
BartTorvik rankings: Murray State #127; Omaha #151
Series history: 2nd meeting (Murray State won the only other game in the series, 86-62, in the 2014 CollegeInsider.com Tournament)
You can watch the game on The Field of 68’s X and YouTube channels.
Kenny Roth and I will have the radio call, with the pregame show starting at 12:00pm CST. You can listen to the game here: https://player.amperwave.net/2845
Vegas line: Murray State -3.5
Murray State Scouting Report
After nearly eight months of molding his Murray State roster, Ryan Miller is finally ready for his first game as a Division I head coach. Miller will be coaching in front of plenty of friends and family, as he was born in Mitchell, South Dakota — a mere 72 miles from Sioux Falls.
The Racers have some question marks on the interior heading into today’s season opener. We still don’t have official word yet on whether senior forward Fred King and JJ Traynor will be available against Omaha. King injured his knee in last week’s exhibition against Northern State. Traynor missed the two exhibition games with a minor shoulder injury.
If those two aren’t at full strength, the Racers will lean heavily on big men Brock Vice and Dylan Anderson. Those two stepped in and played the entirety of the second half against Northern State when King got hurt.
Miller’s ‘pace-and-space’ offense will be on full display today. He wants tempo, three-pointers and shots around the rim. How well the Racers can finish inside against a big, physical Omaha team will likely go a long way toward determining if Murray State can start the year 1-0.
Here’s a quick pregame interview from yesterday with Coach Miller and The Field of 68’s Rob Dauster.
Omaha Scouting Report
The Mavericks are coming off a 22-13 season where they won both the Summit League’s regular season and tournament championships. Omaha made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since they made the jump to Division I 13 years ago.
Omaha Head Coach Chris Crutchfield, a Hopkinsville, Kentucky native, is in his fourth-year with the Mavs. After leading the Mavs to nine wins in his first season, Crutchfield helped Omaha win 15 games the following year, and then 22 in last year’s championship season.
The Mavs are a veteran team, with nine seniors and three juniors, plus they return seven of their top ten scorers from last year’s squad. One of the main offensive threats Murray State will need to slow down is senior Tony Osburn. The 6’2 guard, who averaged 12.1 points per game last season, will move over to handle the point guard duties this season. Osburn knocked down 39.2% from three-point range last season.
The best thing Omaha did last season was, arguably, handling the defensive boards. The Mavs only allowed opponents to rebound 25.9% of their misses, which was #26 in the country. With six players at least 6’8 on the roster, and Christian Richardson checking in at 7’1, whichever team’s big men can control the glass will take a giant step toward picking up the win.
Here’s Rob Dauster with Omaha Head Coach Chris Crutchfield.
I’ll have a ‘Ride Home’ podcast posted after the game.