"We've put together a challenging non-conference schedule that will prepare us for the rigors of league play," MSU Head Coach Steve Prohm said. "To go along with a great home schedule, we have road games that are in close proximity, so our great fan base will be able to support us."
Prohm added, "We bring back some very good pieces from a team that finished last season strong. We will look to those returners to provide us leadership. Our main goal is to get better each and every day as we prepare to put ourselves in a position to win a conference championship."
After a home exhibition game with Freed-Hardeman (Nov. 6), the Racers open the season at home (Nov. 14) against Houston. The Racers and Cougars meet for the first time since 1955 and it marks the first time MSU has faced a team from the American Athletic Conference. The Racers have won every home opener since 1989, a string of 24-straight, and are 16-0 in home openers in the CFSB Center.
MSU's first road contest is at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 18) as the Racers meet the Blue Raiders for the 136th time.
After a home contest against Brescia (Nov. 20), the Racers hit the road for a game in Cincinnati against Xavier (Nov. 24). MSU hasn't met Xavier since 1955 and faces a Big East team for the first time since beating St. John's in 2012.
The Racers are part of the Challenge in Music City when they play three games in three days (Nov. 28-30) against Valparaiso, Drake and Portland. The Racers meet Valpo for a third straight season, but haven't played Drake since 1938 and Portland since 1984. The event uses a round robin format in which each team plays three games at Municipal Auditorium. The Racers will get to play on the floor where the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament will be played in March.
"The opportunity to play in the Challenge in Music City is one that we're pleased about," Prohm said. "We really need our fans to come down to Nashville and make this a home court advantage for us."
December finds the Racers hosting Bethel (Dec. 3) and Western Kentucky (Dec. 6). The game marks the 152nd meeting in the Racers' series with WKU that started in 1932.
MSU makes a road trip to Evansville (Dec. 13) then its back-to-back home games with Alcorn State (Dec. 17) and Illinois State (Dec. 20). MSU's final game before Christmas is at Southern Illinois (Dec. 22). MSU ends 2014 at home against Alabama A&M (Dec. 30).
January means the start of OVC play with the Racers opening with three road games; at Morehead State (Jan. 3), Tennessee Tech (Jan. 8) and Jacksonville State (Jan. 10). MSU comes home to meet Belmont (Jan. 15) and Tennessee State (Jan. 17). The month ends with MSU traveling to Eastern Illinois (Jan. 22) and SIUE (Jan. 24), before home games with Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 29) and UT Martin (Jan. 31).
Games with OVC rivals Southeast Missouri and Austin Peay highlight February. MSU hosts the Redhawks (Feb. 5) and plays in Cape Girardeau, Mo. (Feb. 14). The Governors host the Racers (Feb. 7) before they visit the CFSB Center (Feb. 21). Sandwiched between the games with SEMO and APSU is a home game with SIUE (Feb. 12).
MSU ends the home season against Eastern Illinois (Feb. 26) and at UT Martin (Feb. 28).
The OVC Tournament is March 4-7, 2015 at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. Murray State leads the OVC with 15 post-season tournament championships and will look for their first since 2012.
With a tremendous lineup of great teams coming to Murray, Prohm wants Racer fans to bring their A-game this season.
"The electricity and energy in the Bank at the end of last season during our CIT championship run was tremendous!" Prohm said. "We need Racer Nation to get their season tickets today & continue where we left off from last year. We can't wait to see everyone when we open the season against Houston."
The 2014-15 season finds the Racers trying for their 28th consecutive winning season. Murray State and UConn share the fourth-best active streak with 27 straight. The Racers rank behind only Arizona (30), Kansas (31) and Syracuse (44).
Four starters return from the 2013-14 team that won the CollegeInsider.com Tournament championship and went 23-11. The Racers have five-straight 20-win seasons, a program record.
The Racers, who carry a 15-game home win streak into the season, enjoy one of the best home-court advantages in the game. MSU has won 85 percent of their games in 16 seasons at the CFSB Center.
An announcement of Murray State's televised games will be available at a later date.
