"Voice of the Racers" Neal Bradley predicted the struggles for this years' Racers team would come early before they start picking up the wins. They started off 5-2 and had a bit of a rough stretch, but record-wise they're about where he thought they'd be without having had a solid road game. On Sounds Good, Bradley updates his prediction, saying the best Racer basketball is coming in February, when some of the freshmen players will start to break out. He recaps the recent games a looks ahead with Tracy Ross.
December 18 vs Southern Illinois, 73 - 88 loss
The loss isn't as bad as it sounds. It was up in the air until the last two minutes. SIU had a coupe three point shots and the Racers gambled, giving SIU the win. The last minute was probably the most disappointing of the season, Bradley says. SIU has a good team this year with some strong newcomers. The Racers didn't defend well enough and shot poorly.
December 22 vs Wright State, 49 - 65 loss
The Racers caught Wright State at a bad time, as they were headed towards the second win in a four win streak. Wright State tends to be 'live and die' by the three. The Racers did a good job and defended pretty well against these, but couldn't throw well enough. The free-throw shooting is where the Racers really suffered, he says. After this game, they were happy to get back to Murray as soon as possible.
December 30 vs Brescia, 101 - 75 win
While shooting wasn't strong in the first half, the Racers ended up doing well enough at the three point line and in the field. They hit 15 straight shots and the Racers started sharing the ball in this game. They worked on making extra passes and several lay-ups. Bradley says he was impressed with the way the Racers played. This was their "best team" he had seen this season.
January 2 vs Morehead State, 62 - 57 win
Defense was the name of the game. It was a surprising start as Brion Sanchious broke out with several good plays. Also, Bryce Jones and Wayne Langston played well and Jeffery Moss started coming back from his slump.
January 7 vs Tennessee Tech
(This interview was recorded before this game. The Racers took a loss, 65 - 71)
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LOOKING AHEAD
January 9 vs Jacksonville State
This team struggled early in the season and ended up replacing some players. Up to three weeks ago, Bradley says he thought they'd be an easy win for the Racers, but they've since picked up their game. They rely heavily on defense but don't shoot very well. If the Racers can make the shots and defend like they've been defending recently, they'll be in good shape.
January 14 vs Belmont
Belmont has been up and down this season. They started out well and had a couple of tough games. Then they got blown out by Middle Tennessee. They've been having good luck with three point shots recently. Their standout players are Craig Bradshaw, Evan Bradds and Taylor Barnette. They have a good starting lineup but tend to not defend well at times. This is where the Racers can try to pull out a win.
January 16 vs Tennessee State
They had an awful team last year, Bradley says, losing 23 games. They returned everyone except for one senior and have had quite a turnaround this year. Wayne Martin will be in the challenge for OVC Player of the Year. At 10-4 (at the time of this recording) they already surpassed last year's win total. As long as the Racers defend well, they have a chance to win.
