I have been meaning to write this post for a while. I should have written about the Racers after they won the Great Alaska Shootout at Thanksgiving, or in December when they beat the #20 ranked Tigers at Memphis. I wasn't blogging much at that time, so I kept putting it off. The undefeated season has reached the point where I am afraid that writing about the team will jinx them. Of course, there has been enough written by others that one more won't ruin the season.
I thought that the undefeated season was going to end on Wednesday. Murray had lost at Morehead three years in a row, mostly because of Kenneth Faried, who is now a Denver Nugget. When the Eagles took an early 7-2 lead, I had a feeling that the winning streak was about to end. I had planned to go to church after watching the first few minutes of the game, but the Racers started so poorly that I had to stay home to watch the loss. I am ashamed to say that it was the third time this season that I have skipped church to watch the game. Morehead stretched their lead to eleven, while Murray was falling apart offensively. Eventually the Racers stopped turning the ball over and hit a few shots. If not for Drew Kelly getting in foul trouble, Morehead would have won the game.
Murray has had a one dimensional offense since Ivan Aska broke his hand five games ago. Without him, the Racers don't have anyone on the team with a post up game. The other bigs are just garbage men. Thankfully we have some really good guards. Isaiah Canaan and Donte Poole have raised their combined scoring average from 30.4 to 40.8 during Aska's absence. I hope his hand is heals soon, otherwise that first loss will come sooner rather than later.
Murray State is ranked #12 in the AP and #10 in the Coaches Poll. This is the first time they have been ranked since 1998 and the highest since being ranked #16 twice in the 1950's. Even if we keep winning, I think #10 is our ceiling. The Racers are not the tenth best team in the nation especially without Aska. We don't have enough size or depth. I believe that voters are ranking us that high because it is a good story and because they are tired of the same teams being ranked every year. I know if it was me, I would rather rank an undefeated team from a one bid conference than the sixth best Big East team.
Eventually the Racers will lose a game. It could happen tonight in Edwardsville. When they lose, Murray will drop at least ten spots in the polls. This is basketball, not football, so the polls don't mean all that much. The tournament selection committee doesn't pay much attention to polls when making out the tournament bracket. They rely more on RPI, Rating Percentage Index. This score is based on winning percentage, opponent's winning percentage, and opponent's opponent's winning percentage. Murray State is currently ranked #29 in RPI. One spot ahead of a six loss Memphis team that lost at home to the Racers. These teams are ranked so close because Memphis has the ninth toughest schedule, while Murray State has the two hundred sixteenth. The tournament expert at ESPN currently has MSU projected to be a seven seed in the tourney, which about where they are ranked in the RPI.
The big benefit of being ranked #10/#12 in the polls is the exposure the Racers are getting. They are mentioned frequently on Sportscenter and the college basketball shows. Tonight's game will be their third on ESPNU. My hope is that all this will lead to better recruits coming to play at Murray in the future. I don't expect the Racers to become a national power over night, but 2010's win over Vanderbilt plus this year's possible undefeated national championship season could be the beginning of greatness at my alma mater.
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