1987–88 Murray State Racers men's basketball team

The 1987–88 Murray State Racers men's basketball team represented Murray State University during the 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Racers, led by head coach Steve Newton, played their home games at Racer Arena in Murray, Kentucky as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 22–9, 13–1 in OVC play to win the OVC regular season championship. They defeated Austin Peay to win the OVC tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament. As No. 14 seed in the Southeast region, the Racers defeated No. 3 seed NC State, 78–75,[2] in the opening round before losing to eventual National champion Kansas, 61–58,[3] in the round of 32.

1987–88 Murray State Racers men's basketball
Ohio Valley Regular season champions
Ohio Valley tournament champions
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
Record22–9 (13–1 OVC)
Head coach
Home arenaRacer Arena
Seasons
1987–88 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Murray State131 .929229 .710
Middle Tennessee113 .7862311 .676
Austin Peay104 .7141713 .567
Eastern Kentucky104 .7141811 .621
Tennessee Tech59 .3571216 .429
Tennessee State410 .2861117 .393
Youngstown State212 .143721 .250
Morehead State113 .071522 .185
1988 Ohio Valley Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Roster

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1987–88 Murray State Racers men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G15Jeff Martin6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg)JrCross County HSCherry Valley, Arkansas
G23Don Mann5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Jr
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

[4]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordSite (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 27, 1987*
William PennW 97–49 1–0
Racer Arena (3,500)
Murray, Kentucky
Nov 30, 1987*
Southern IllinoisL 70–77 1–1
Racer Arena (3,570)
Murray, Kentucky
Dec 2, 1987*
Christian BrothersW 82–69 2–1
Racer Arena (1,550)
Murray, Kentucky
Dec 5, 1987*
at EvansvilleL 70–76 2–2
Roberts Stadium 
Evansville, Indiana
Dec 7, 1987*
Western IllinoisW 74–58 3–2
Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Dec 11, 1987*
vs. Utah State
The Longhorn Classic
L 57–74 3–3
Frank Erwin Center 
Austin, Texas
Dec 12, 1987*
vs. Pan American
The Longhorn Classic
L 57–60 3–4
Frank Erwin Center 
Austin, Texas
Dec 18, 1987*
vs. Eastern Washington
Bayou Classic
W 84–57 4–4
Cajundome 
Lafayette, Louisiana
Dec 19, 1987*
at Southwestern Louisiana
Bayou Classic
L 62–64 4–5
Cajundome 
Lafayette, Louisiana
Jan 2, 1988*
Bethel CollegeW 96–60 5–5
Racer Arena (1,250)
Murray, Kentucky
Jan 5, 1988*
at Memphis StateL 70–76 OT5–6
Mid-South Coliseum (11,200)
Memphis, Tennessee
Jan 9, 1988
Tennessee StateW 99–84 6–6
(1–0)
Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Jan 12, 1988*
Western KentuckyL 49–50 6–7
Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Jan 16, 1988
Eastern KentuckyW 95–84 7–7
(2–0)
Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Jan 18, 1988
Morehead StateW 85–74 8–7
(3–0)
Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Jan 23, 1988
at Middle TennesseeW 79–67 9–7
(4–0)
Murphy Center 
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Jan 25, 1988
at Tennessee TechW 67–64 10–7
(5–0)
Eblen Center 
Cookeville, Tennessee
Jan 30, 1988
at Youngstown StateW 87–62 11–7
(6–0)
Beeghly Center 
Youngstown, Ohio
Feb 6, 1988
Austin PeayL 71–74 11–8
(6–1)
Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Feb 8, 1988
at Austin PeayW 83–70 12–8
(7–1)
Dunn Center 
Clarksville, Tennessee
Feb 13, 1988
at Tennessee StateW 78–70 13–8
(8–1)
Gentry Complex 
Nashville, Tennessee
Feb 15, 1988
Youngstown StateW 71–64 14–8
(9–1)
Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Feb 20, 1988
at Morehead StateW 77–75 15–8
(10–1)
Ellis Johnson Arena 
Morehead, Kentucky
Feb 22, 1988
at Eastern KentuckyW 79–78 16–8
(11–1)
McBrayer Arena 
Richmond, Kentucky
Feb 27, 1988
Tennessee TechW 80–75 17–8
(12–1)
Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Feb 29, 1988
Middle TennesseeW 82–66 18–8
(13–1)
Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Mar 7, 1988*
at Western Illinois
Quarterfinals
W 78–68 19–8
Western Hall 
Macomb, Illinois
Ohio Valley Conference tournament
Mar 8, 1988*
(1) (4) Eastern Kentucky
Semifinals
W 76–60 20–8
Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Mar 9, 1988*
(1) (3) Austin Peay
Championship game
W 73–70 21–8
Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
NCAA tournament
Mar 18, 1988*
(14 MW) vs. (3 MW) No. 14 NC State
First round
W 78–75 22–8
Bob Devaney Sports Center 
Lincoln, Nebraska
Mar 20, 1988*
(14 MW) vs. (6 MW) Kansas
Second round
L 58–61[5] 22–9
Bob Devaney Sports Center 
Lincoln, Nebraska
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
SE=Southeast.
All times are in Central Time.

[6]

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1987-88 Ohio Valley Conference Season Summary
  2. ^ "Murray State Beats Odds, N.C. State". Chicago Tribune. March 19, 1988. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "Kansas Fights Off Pesky Murray State". Chicago Tribune. March 21, 1988. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "1987-88 Murray State Racers Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "Before 1988 title, Danny Manning and the Miracles were nearly derailed at Devaney Center". Omaha World-Herald. March 21, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "2019-20 MURRAY STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK". Murray State University Athletics. Retrieved February 26, 2022.