Payne and the Racers had a tremendous 2014-15 season that saw the team finish 29-6 and become the first team in school history to go undefeated in Ohio Valley Conference play at 16-0, as just the fifth in the 67 seasons of the league. MSU had the nation's second-longest win streak to set a new league record with 25 straight. The Racers were upset in the OVC Tournament title game and ended up advancing to the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament.
Payne, a sophomore from Memphis, was OVC Preseason Player of the Year and didn't disappoint as he played outstanding basketball and was named OVC Player of the Year at the end of the regular season. Payne became the second fastest in MSU history to reach 1,000 career points, accomplishing it in 57 games. He is the fifth MSU player to score 700 points in a single season at 707. He also made a run at the single-season assist mark of 212, and finished with 209. Payne was 13thin the nation in scoring (20.2) and 15th in assists this season (6.0). Payne was the third most efficient player in the nation according to KenPom.com
Payne is the first Racer to earn AP All-America honors since Isaiah Canaan in 2013.
