Home CollegeSLU Billikens MBB Preview | Billikens vs. Murray State tomorrow

MBB Preview | Billikens vs. Murray State tomorrow

by Brian Kunderman
Saint Louis vs. Murray State
Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017 | 7 p.m. | St. Louis, Mo. (Chaifetz Arena)
TV: FOX Sports Midwest (Dan McLaughlin, Scott Highmark) (channel listings)
Radio: 101 ESPN (Bob Ramsey, Earl Austin Jr.)
Online Coverage: A-10 Digital Network stream (info) | FOX Sports Go App stream (info) | Live Stats | @SaintLouisMBB on Twitter
SETTING THE SCENE
– Saint Louis concludes a three-game homestand Tuesday night against Murray State. Game time at Chaifetz Arena is 7 p.m.
– The game will be televised on FOX Sports Midwest. Dan McLaughlin and Billiken Hall of Famer Scott Highmark are on the call.
– The radio broadcast will air on 101 ESPN (101.1 FM and 101Sports.com). As always, Billiken Hall of Famer Bob Ramsey provides the play-by-play, while St. Louis American Sports Editor Earl Austin Jr. handles the analysis.
– This is the eighth meeting between the Billikens and Racers and the first since the 1998-99 season. SLU leads the series 7-0.
ABOUT THE BILLIKENS
Roster | Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
– Saint Louis enters the Murray State game with a 4-5 record. The Billikens are looking to snap out of a stretch that has saw them lose five of their last six.
– The Billikens are coming off a 77-58 defeat against Houston Saturday at Chaifetz Arena. Senior guard Davell Roby led the Billikens with 17 points in the foul-plagued affair – the teams combined for 51 fouls and 64 free-throw attempts.
– Junior guard Javon Bess continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 ppg. He has scored in double figures in seven of the Billikens’ nine games and is second on the team in steals (10) and third in rebounding (6.1 rpg).
– Freshman guard Jordan Goodwin is the team leader in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and second on the Billikens in scoring with 10.2 ppg. He is third in the Atlantic 10 Conference in steals  per game (2.3) and fourth in total assists (38).
– Freshman forward Hasahn French is tied for the Atlantic 10 Conference lead in blocked shots with 19. He averages 7.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg.
– Roby chips in 9.2 ppg and is the team leader in 3-pointers made (14).
– Sophomore forward Jalen Johnson scores 9.0 ppg and is the team’s top 3-point shooter percentage wise, connecting on 40 percent from long range (12-30).
– Senior guard Aaron Hines scores 7.4 ppg.
– Junior forward D.J. Foreman is a 60.6-percent shooter ( 20-33) from the floor and averages 4.8 ppg.
– Up next, SLU travels to Portland, Ore., to face Oregon State at the Moda Center on Saturday, Dec. 16. Tip is slated for 9:30 p.m. (CT).
ABOUT THE RACERS
Roster | Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
– The Murray State University Racers (Murray, Ky.) have won five in a row and enter Tuesday’s game 6-1.
– Four Racers score in double figures, led by forward Terrell Miller Jr.’s 17.3 ppg. He shoots 57 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from 3-point range and 94.7 percent from the stripe. Miller also leads the team in rebounding with 8.0 rpg.
– Guard Jonathan Stark averages 15.3 ppg and has drained a team-best 21 3-pointers. Guard Shaq Buchanan turns in 12.4 ppg, while guard Ja Morant averages 11.4 ppg.
– Last season, Miller and Stark combined to average 37.9 ppg. That ranks second nationally among returning scoring duos from last year. Tops on that list is St. Bonaventure’s Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley (39.1 ppg combined).
– Murray State is one of the top shooting teams in the nation. Through games of Sunday, Dec. 3, the Racers were 15th in the NCAA in field-goal percentage (.514).
– Matt McMahon is in his third season at the helm of Murray State. He was an assistant coach under Steve Prohm when the Racers won 104 games during a four-year stint from 2011 to 2015.
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