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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eastern Kentucky team will try to take one step closer to its quest for the program’s sixth Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship tonight in the semifinals against No. 2 seed Murray State.
The game is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET. A delayed broadcast of Friday’s semifinal game will air on ESPNU at 1:30 a.m. ET. The live radio broadcast of the game is available in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, and can be heard worldwide on EKUSports.com. The game will also be available live on WatchESPN. WatchESPN brings 24/7 live programming from ESPN’s networks to your computer, mobile phone, and tablet.
The Colonels (24-8, 12-4 OVC) entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and received a first round bye. Eastern dispatched sixth seeded Southeast Missouri on Thursday, 84-68.
Eastern Kentucky finished with the second best record in the conference, but the Racers received the No. 2 seed as a result of finishing first in the West Division.
Eastern Kentucky has won five tournament titles (1950, 1955, 1979, 2005, 2007) and has finished as the runner-up seven times (1951, 1953, 1954, 1965, 1987, 1990, 1992). EKU has qualified for 37 of the 49 tournaments, including 11 in a row, and has an overall tournament record of 35-32. Eastern is one of only two teams to qualify for each of the last 11 OVC Tournaments.
EKU is tied with Middle Tennessee for the third most tournament championships (5). The Colonels have the third most tournament game victories (34). Eastern is 3-3 all-time as the No. 3 seed. The last time the Colonels were the No. 3 seed was in 1987 when they advanced to the finals.
Murray State finished the regular season with a 20-9 record and a 10-6 mark in conference play. The Racers received the No. 2 seed as a result of finishing first in the West Division. MSU lost four of its final six games.
The Racers are led by All-American senior guard Isaiah Canaan. He leads the OVC and ranks eighth in the nation with an average of 21.6 points per game. Senior Ed Daniel is second on the team in scoring (13.5 ppg) and leads the team, and the OVC, in rebounding at 10 boards per game. The 6-foot-7 forward is shooting 56 percent from the field.
As a team, Murray State averages 73 points and allows 66.5 per game. The Racers are shooting 45 percent from the field and 34 percent from three-point range. MSU has out-rebounded its opponents by 1.7 boards per game.
On Saturday, MSU lost at home to Southeast Missouri, 84-68. SEMO shot 50 percent from the field, including 63 percent (12-for-19) from behind the arc. Canaan had 22 points. Daniel finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
