MSU to Play in Inaugural Challenge In Music City

The Murray State Racers men's basketball team has accepted an invitation to play in the inaugural Challenge In Music City in Nashville, Tenn., at Municipal Auditorium.
 
The three-day event, Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 28-30), includes the Racers, Drake, Portland and Valparaiso. The format for the Challenge In Music City is round-robin with each team getting in three games.
 
The Challenge in Music City also means the Racers will get to play three games at the site of the OVC Tournament that is played in March at the downtown arena.
 
"We're excited to be part of the Challenge In Music City," Murray State Head Coach Steve Prohm said. "It's a great opportunity for us to play in a multi-team event on a neutral floor and test our team against three very good teams from good conferences. To get to play where our conference tournament is held is a plus and our fans can easily get there. MSU alumni in Nashville can see three games as well. It's going to be a great weekend. Our fans can shop on Black Friday in Nashville, and then see the Racers play three times."
 
The schedule calls for the Drake Bulldogs  and Valparaiso Crusaders to meet in the first game (Nov. 28) at 5 p.m. Central Time, with the Racers meeting Portland in the second game. Day two (Nov. 29) has the Portland Pilots and Drake meeting in the 5 p.m. game with Murray State facing Valparaiso in the late game. Day three (Nov. 30) will match Portland and Valparaiso in a 1 p.m. tip, with the Racers meeting Drake afterwards.
 
The Racers' appearance in Nashville marks their first in the city for a non-Ohio Valley Conference game since meeting Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena in 2005.
 
Racer season ticket holders will have an opportunity to purchase tickets to this event in conjunction with their season ticket renewal form.  All other racer fans can order tickets by stopping by the CFSB Center or by calling (270) 809-3000.  It's important that Racer fans order their tickets through MSU as the proceeds will benefit the program directly.
 
Here is the schedule of games for the Challenge In Music City
 
Friday Nov. 28                 
5:00 p.m.           Drake vs Valparaiso
7:30 p.m.           Murray State vs Portland
 
Saturday Nov. 29             
5:00 p.m.           Portland vs Drake
7:30 p.m.           Murray State vs Valparaiso
 
Sunday  Nov. 30              
1:00 p.m.           Portland vs Valparaiso
3:30 p.m.           Murray State vs Drake
 
Here is an early look at each team in the Challenge In Music City
 
Murray State Racers
Murray, Ky. – Enrollment 10,860
2013-14: 23-11 (13-3 Ohio Valley Conference – 1st West Division/2nd Overall)
Head Coach: Steve Prohm
75-23 at MSU in three seasons
The Murray State Racers are coming off an outstanding 2013-14 season where they rode a hot streak in postseason play all the way to the championship of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The Racers were 23-11 and return four starters from the team that produced their fifth-straight 20-win season and 27th straight winning season. Heading into the 2014-15 season, the Racers return two All-Ohio Valley Conference stars in senior Jarvis Williams (All-OVC Newcomer Team) and sophomore Cameron Payne (OVC Freshman of the Year). Payne scored 16.8 points and dished out 5.4 assist per game. Williams led the nation in field goal percentage while scoring 14.9 points and grabbing 9.9 rebounds. MSU also returns seniors Jonathan Fairell (6.8ppg, 6.8rpg), T.J. Sapp (13.3ppg) and junior Jeffery Moss (13.2ppg, 3.4rpg). The Racers placed second in OVC play at 13-3 and won the OVC West Division. The Racers lead the OVC with 23 regular season championships and 15 NCAA Tournament appearances. Head Coach Steve Prohm, the 2012 OVC Coach of the Year and Basketball Times National Coach of the Year, is 75-23 in his first three seasons at Murray State.
 
Drake Bulldogs
Des Moines, Iowa – Enrollment 5,348
2013-14: 15-16 (6-12 Missouri Valley Conference – 8th)
Head Coach: Ray Giacoletti
15-16 at Drake in one season
The Drake University men's basketball team is set to begin its second season under head coach Ray Giacoletti after going 15-16 in 2013-14. The Bulldogs return eight players from that roster and add a highly touted class of recruits to the mix for the upcoming season including the return of Gary Ricks, Jr. The sharpshooter got off to a phenomenal start last season before suffering a season-ending injury in December. With him in the lineup, the Bulldogs started the season with a 10-3 record that included winning the Fresno State Classic Championship over Thanksgiving weekend.                                                                               
 
Portland Pilots
Portland, Ore. – Enrollment 3,812
2013-14: 15-16 (7-11 West Coast Conference – 6th)
Head Coach: Eric Reveno
111-142 at Portland in eight seasons
Head coach Eric Reveno returns four starters and nine lettermen from a 2013-14 team that finished 15-16 overall, tied for sixth in the West Coast Conference standings, and posted signature wins over Gonzaga and BYU. The team returns seven of its eight leading scorers, including senior guard Kevin Bailey who averaged a team-best 16.5 points per game and is a three-year starter. Senior center Thomas van der Mars, also a three-year starter, had a breakout junior year and earned All-WCC honorable mention honors after averaging 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Alec Wintering was among the WCC leaders in both assists and steals as a true freshman point guard, while junior guard Bryce Pressley was second in the league in three-point percentage (.457). The Pilots finished in the top-20 nationally in three-point percentage (.393). Portland adds four incoming freshmen to a veteran roster that will feature six seniors.
 
Valparaiso Crusaders
Valparaiso, Ind. – Enrollment 4,018
2013-14: 18-16 (9-7 Horizon League – 4th)
Head Coach: Bryce Drew
66-36 at Valparaiso in three seasons
The Valparaiso men's basketball team enters the 2014-15 season coming off of its fourth consecutive postseason appearance.  The Crusaders, who have won 66 games in head coach Bryce Drew's three seasons at the helm of the program, return nine letterwinners from last season's 18-win squad, including Horizon League All-Freshman Team honorees Alec Peters (12.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Lexus Williams (6.5 ppg, 2.4 apg).  Also back in the middle for Valpo is senior Vashil Fernandez, who blocked 58 shots last season, fourth-most in a single year in program history.