Murray State Racers
Ohio Valley (30-1, 15-1)
The expectations for Murray State were not very high heading into the 2011-2012 campaign. Coach Steve Prohm moved over a few seats and took over the head coaching job from a team that lost a few starters and failed to live up to their high expectations a year earlier. But Murray State kept winning and winning and became the story of the year in college basketball by reeling off 23 wins in a row before finally losing in February.
Big Wins: 11/26 vs Southern Miss (90-81), 12/4 Dayton (75-58), 12/11 at Memphis (76-72)
Bad Losses: 2/9 Tennessee State (68-72)
Coach: Steve Prohm (1 season at Murray State)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Racers superstar is junior guard Isaiah Canaan. Canaan will drop 20 points on anybody on a regular basis. He is a superb long range shooter and knocks down nearly 50 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. His outside shooting is very impressive, but Canaan can get to the basket and finish as well and the only way many defenders can stop him is by fouling…and that usually results in two points for Murray State. But what makes the Racers really dangerous is the fact that they have a couple more consistent scorers. Donte Poole is a dynamic scorer just like Canaan, although with a little more size. The interior scorer is Ivan Aska. At 6-7 and 230 pounds, Aska is not huge, but he is big enough to be effective on the offensive end. Aska is not a great defender, but he is a crafty offensive weapon who can create space for Canaan and Poole due to his ability to score in the paint and step outside and knock down some mid-range jumpers.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The problem Murray State may run into in March is their size. Ed Daniel is also 6-7, but he is not really a bruiser under the basket. He is more of a lanky forward. That is good since he can use his athleticism to block some shots, but he also tends to get into foul trouble. At 6-9, Brandon Garrett can provide some size off of the bench, but this is a team that can have some trouble in the paint when they run into a team with a couple quality big men. Rebounding could be a problem too. Aska, Daniel and Garrett are not particularly strong rebounders, but Coach Prohm does have the option of bringing in guard Latreze Mushatt who does very well on the glass.
Probable Starters:
Isaiah Canaan, Junior, Guard, 19.2 ppg, 3.7 apg
Jewuan Long, Senior, Guard, 8.5 ppg, 2.6 apg
Donte Poole, Senior, Forward, 14.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.0 spg
Ed Daniel, Junior, Forward, 6.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Ivan Aska, Senior, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Brandon Garrett, Junior, Forward, 2.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Zay Jackson, Freshman, Guard, 4.9 ppg, 2.4 apg
Latreze Mushatt, Junior, Guard, 4.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Stacy Wilson, Junior, Forward, 4.4 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.2 (41st in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 61.2 (38, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.7 (23, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.1 (126, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.4 (70, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 40.6 (6, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.0 (53, 4)
Rebound Margin: 1.7 (124, 5)
Assists Per Game: 13.0 (166, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.0 (218, 5)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Murray State 2011 NIT First Round loss to Missouri State
Murray State 2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Vanderbilt
Murray State 2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Butler
Murray State 2006 NCAA Round of 64 loss to North Carolina
Murray State 2004 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Illinois
Murray State 2002 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Georgia
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
