Since the last time Tracy Ross spoke with "Voice of the Racers" Neal Bradley, the Murray State Racers men's basketball team has played four games and won three. Bradley says they are peaking right now with only three games left in the regular season. Vying for a realistic number two seed, he says, in the OVC that comes with a double buy. If the Racers end up tied with UT Martin and lose the tie breaker, then they'll drop to 5th seed.
Here's a recap and a look ahead:
Feb. 4 - Southeast Missouri (78-72 win)
Feb. 13 - Southeast Missouri (83-56 win)
Two wins for the Racers, in the first game Jeffery Moss showed signs of playing much better than he had been in recent games. Bradley says he dialed it up to another level and played well defensively. The Racers had a double digit lead in the first half, shooting at 57%. Southeast Missouri came back in the second half. Fast forward to the Feb. 13 game, it was another great game for Moss, who had 20 points and hit several three-pointers. Also, Justin Seymour and Gee McGhee played well. Bradley says it was finally a Racers game where they got to play the end of the bench for a little while.
Feb. 6 - Austin Peay (73-76 loss)
This was an agonizing loss, Tracy Ross says. It was one of those games where for 37 out of 40 minutes, the Racers had control. But through turnovers, they opened the door for Austin Peay to get closer. In the last 41 seconds of the game, they turned it around. Bradley recalls Head Coach Matt McMahon remarking that in all his years as an assistant, player and coach it was one of the most disappointing losses ever. They learned a lesson, Bradley says, and bounced back nicely.
Feb. 11 - SIU Edwardsville (70-64 win)
The Racers had a good start in this game with a 13 point lead at halftime. Bryce Jones came out of his shooting slump and responded with a double-digit effort. Also, Gee McGhee played well, Bradley says.
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LOOKING AHEAD
Feb. 20 - Austin Peay
Bradley says he hopes to see a good 'revenge' game (after losing Feb. 6). Austin Peay is playing to get in the tournament. The Racers will have to shoot well. He says Chris Horton and Josh Robinson are players to keep an eye on.
Feb. 25 - Eastern Illinois
A televised game that begins at 8:30. The Racers take on a team that earlier on had looked to have been the number one seed contender. However, now they'll need victories to get a buy. If the Racers beat Austin Peay on Saturday then they'll come to this game with a lot of momentum.
Feb. 27 - UT Martin
This is Senior Night and a home game. It could all come down to this match, Bradley says. Both teams come back from tough road games and UT Martin is playing for the championship. When the Racers went to Martin and lost was when Wayne Langston was out for most of the game, which spring-boarded Martin, he says.
