MURRAY -- Murray State suffered its fifth-consecutive loss and fell to 1-6 in conference play on Thursday, as the Belmont Bruins pulled away for an 86-56 win against the Racers in the CFSB Center.

DaQuan Smith was supposed to contribute to the 2018-19 Murray State men's basketball season, for a team that eventually finished 28-5 and in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- A superb start didn't hold for Murray State on Saturday, as the Racers fell to Southeast Missouri, 88-73, in the Show Me Center.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- A 17-point first-half lead had faded for Murray State. And a late 3-pointer from Alex Caldwell, followed by an untouched layup from DQ Nicholas, had Southeast Missouri in the driver's seat for its first Ohio Valley Conference win.

MARTIN, Tenn. -- Ah, the ol' defensive clinic.

It's easy to talk about all the prolific scoring from the "flashy" guys at Murray State -- 3-pointers from Tevin Brown, dunks from K.J. Williams, steals-and-scores from DaQuan Smith and Chico Carter Jr., floaters from Jaiveon Eaves.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- It's a 4-0 Ohio Valley Conference start for Murray State, which grabbed an 81-69 road win on Saturday night against Tennessee Tech in the Eblen Center.

Ray Harper's signature 1-2-2 full-court pressure nearly got the best of Murray State on Thursday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, Alabama.

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- Murray State shot only 3-for-15 from the arc on Thursday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum.

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- Shooters have to keep shooting.

Is the time share on freshmen point guards DaQuan Smith and Chico Carter Jr. set to continue for Murray State?

It's been a pretty special past seven days for Ja Morant, who saw it capped on Monday with an invitation to the 2020 NBA Dunk Contest.

MURRAY -- Murray State smashed the paint on Saturday, unloading for 54 points near the basket in an 81-59 win over Southeast Missouri State at the CFSB Center.

MURRAY -- Less than 48 hours after a rough conference-opening loss against UT Martin, Murray State (8-5, 1-1 Ohio Valley Conference) responded with a gritty win against league-leading Southeast Missouri State (9-4, 1-1) on Saturday, 70-62 in the CFSB Center.

MURRAY -- An 18-point lead had its precarious moments, but Murray State opened the 2020 Ohio Valley Conference slate with an 89-76 win over UT Martin on Thursday night at the CFSB Center.

MURRAY -- For UT Martin, it was an offensive clinic, a rebounding showcase and a perfect time to employ a lot of full-court pressure.

Tevin Brown's 3-point percentage — .439 (36-for-82) — continues to be a thing of beauty for the Murray State sophomore guard. And despite providing so many other skills to the game, including an Ohio Valley Conference-best 36 minutes per game, the longball is his signature.

MURRAY -- Maybe Matt McMahon threatened some Sunday practice. Maybe he didn't.

MURRAY -- With Murray State freshman guard Jentri Worley out for the season due to broken knee cartilage, Racers coach Rechelle Turner needed a good look at all of her depth on Saturday in the non-conference finale against Cumberland (Tennessee).

Last Saturday at the Ford Center, Shamar Givance's layup with 25 first-half seconds remaining was supposed to be the bone-crunching shot for Evansville.

In the spirit of Christmas, it's time to bring back my annual tradition of "The 12 Days of Basketball."

After a very brief stint in the Chinese Basketball Association, former Murray State Racer point guard Isaiah Canaan is on a potential path back to the National Basketball Association.

MURRAY – He came into the matchup just 4-for-24 from behind the arc for the season.

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Murray State's five-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday in a 76-66 defeat against Southern Illinois in the Banterra Center, despite 31 points and five 3-pointers from sophomore point guard Macey Turley.

After playing six games in 18 days, then turn to some final examinations, the Murray State men's basketball team now gets the quiet opportunity to eat, sleep and hoop before classes resume on Jan. 13, 2020.

According to footballscoop.com, a vetted online source devoted to national coaching searches, Murray State officials are prepared to name former Eastern Kentucky University and current University of Kentucky special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach Dean Hood as its next football skipper.

MURRAY -- Murray State didn't stay at .500 long, coming away with an emphatic 85-52 win over Middle Tennessee on Saturday at the CFSB Center.

MURRAY -- Murray State women's basketball stayed white hot on Saturday night, bringing down a 70-62 win against Indiana State at the CFSB Center.

Tuesday's two-point loss to Missouri Valley favorite Missouri State was a perfect microcosm of Murray State's first quarter of the 2019-20 men's basketball season.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A snoozer of a start turned into a fantastic finish on Tuesday night, with Missouri State just edging Murray State 71-69 at JQH Arena.

For the Murray State Racers, a trip to Estero, Florida - and a 72-hour gauntlet of three games in the 2019 Gulf Coast Showcase - did exactly what fifth-year coach Matt McMahon wanted it to do for his team.