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SEASON 7

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Epilogue, The Ninth: Only Love Can Break Your Heart

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So We Meet Again

Rte. 139 - End of the Line

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A Championship in Pictures

This Time of Year

Dotson Leads Ducks to the Sweet Sixteen

Grizzlies Overwhelmed by Orangemen

Empire

Challenge 11: Final Four Memories

By George, UConn is Dead

Butler and Us

Donning the Black and Gold

Challenge 10: Tourney Memories

The Madness of the Horizon League

The Rare Ivy League Conference Tournament

MAC Madness

Anything Can Happen in the MAAC

Challenge 9: Shock The Neighborhood

A Youthful Surprise

From Worst to First

Peers and Seers

Game 7-030: Western Kentucky at Murray State
December 21, 2010 12:45 pm ET by Kyle Whelliston

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Murray State Racers

December 18, 2010 8:30 pm
CFSB Center
BBState Stats/Recap
There is nothing like the sight of a college basketball arena on a December night without daylight savings, shining beacons beckoning from afar. Groups of shadows move towards the light, arms straight and parallel and rigid, hands in pockets against the freezing cold. Ghosts of breath leading them to that glowing, golden place of warmth. Even if just for a few hours, a game is a chance to gather and fight the cold together.

But it's even better when the outside is room temperature too.


Hidden away off the Kentucky parkway system is Murray, a college town whose major export is a fine product called Racer basketball. On this Saturday night right before Christmas, thousands of locals and students showed up to watch the OVC champion home team play the Bluegrass State's most accomplished mid-major, Western Kentucky University. Many wore sweatshirts, and more than a few came wearing tees. After weeks in the frigid Midwest, it made us want to strip naked and run around.


Murray has 14 NCAA appearances, and had only won once before this calendar year: a 78-75 14-over-3 shocker over Jim Valvano and N.C. State in 1988. But on March 18, the Racers beat Vanderbilt 66-65 on a buzzer-beater in San Jose. Two days later, this happened.


That tipped pass, that Moment, set off a long, long chain reaction of events that changed many lives.

.

I am non-objectively happy about the way things turned out. I am personally glad Isaiah Canaan messed up that pass. Which makes me feel a little guilty. OK, a lot guilty. Watching Canaan drill #superhoop after #superhoop against WKU on Saturday night didn't make me feel any better. Guilty, as in I feel like I owe Murray State something-guilty. My conscience is as heavy as the old live horse mascot that used to run the track around Murray State's American-Style Football games.


Murray State's cheer squad or dance team isn't Title R compliant. But we know how important cheerleading and spirit groups -- and laser-sound megamixes -- are in the Commonwealth. As we understand, the cheer groups don't get much help from the school for travel expenses (not that it's expected -- this is the Other 25) and are trying to get enough money to make it to Nationals via fundraisers.

I'm pretty sure that joining the Racer Girls Fan Club would allow us to assuage our Murray State guilt and keep us off the booster list in the eyes of the NCAA. If there's anybody who can point us in the direction of buying a copy of this t-shirt in size medium to help them out in their efforts to get to Nationals, please Form™ us. We can't sleep until this happens.

@midmajority Game Tweets


20:35 Game 7-030: Western Kentucky at Murray State. Let's play two. http://img.ly/2Ejl
20:36 They tip off to "Sandstorm" here. http://img.ly/2Ejn
20:38 Murray State, defending OVC champs, are 6-4 (1-1) to start 10-11. WKU (Sun Belt) is 5-5, completely off the national radar. #youareinformed
20:39 Though it's his first visit here, Bally is very popular here in Murray! The horse mascot came over and said hi, and there have been cellpix.
20:40 RT @BIAHtheTrizzle: @midmajority "Sandstorm" or "Zombie Nation" will suffice for tip-off music. Like Judge Mills Lane always said: "I'll allow it!"
20:40 Early in this one, Murray's traded a #superhoop for a #regularhoop, and leads 3-2 three minutes in.
20:43 Great crowd here tonight, many decked out in their Racers yellow sweatshirts. Fantastic atmosphere, warm arena, class program.
20:45 Sergio Kerusch an up-and-under for WKU, and they draw to within one at 5-4. Five minutes in, Toppers already have five turnovers.
20:45 RT @brantsloan: @midmajority I was in E.A. Diddle today for Western's fall commencement. Nice place. 2 good programs (coming from a Butler alum). Enjoy!
20:48 Isacc Miles with a #superhoop from the high left side. That looks vaguely familiar. 10-6 Murray at 14:10 1H.
20:51 Nike stock uni model. Fla Atl. uses the same. Very tiny. RT @MattnotDonovan why are Murray St's #s on their backs so tiny? #factcheckincuz
20:53 Murray's B.J. Jenkins goes coast to coast for a layup, and it's a dubl-up again at 16-8. Racers have played nation's 34th toughest sched.
20:54 Murray State: 6-4, 34 SOS, four Red Line games so far (Ole Miss, UNLV, Okla State, Stanford). Like Butler did today, MSU beat the Cardinal.
20:55 And the evening wouldn't be complete without discussing Murray State in the context of Butler. Maybe later, it's a strange subject for me.
20:56 Second MTO, Murray is up 20-11. WKU looks as it they walked here from Bowling Green. Serious ass-dragging going on from the red-clads.
20:58 Here's a strange nine-minute line: WKU down 20-11, but 80% FG. But that's 4-for-5, because they've turned it over seven times. SEVEN TIMES.
21:01 He's got #superhoop magic! Even the Butler people gotta respect it! RT @chanford24: @midmajority Isaiah Canaan back at 'em again!
21:01 He's embarrassed at getting such a good seat. RT @kchan55: @midmajority glad to see Bally on press row. May bring the #racers some luck.
21:03 Great meeting you too! Think I caught some Billiken fever there. RT @bweixlmann @midmajority Nice meeting you the other day at Chaifetz.
21:04 Couldn't keep WKU down for that long; Toppers starting to hit the offensive glass and are on a short run to cut the lead to 20-16. 8:40 1H.
21:06 Big #superhoop for WKU froshhh Brandon Peters, and it's 20-19. Eight straight points for the Fightin' Redblobs.
21:07 We've also had our first pep band "Bed Intruder Song" of the year here at Murray State. Didn't think it would take this long.
21:11 Your opinion is on the Internet. RT @RSvillan @midmajority MSU for me is nothing like Butler 10. I also believe Butl 11 is better than them.
21:13 It's a #commonwealthfite now! At 6:22, Donte Poole is shooting FT's and broke a 21-all tie. Then Ed Daniel with a stl/runback, Murr up by 4.
21:13 RT @rushthecourt: @midmajority Gotta admit, Big Red is one of the best, if not THE best, mascot in the biz. Never fails to get a chuckle from here.
21:14 Big Red rules, but let's be clear about one thing. Nobody "chuckles" in 2010. NOBODY. My dead grandpa, maybe. @rushthecourt
21:16 The WKU run has been seen, called, and raised. 30-22 Murray at 3:50 1H, dropping the #thunderrun.
21:21 Kerusch, whom iOS 4.2's WKU-fan spellcheck wants to turn into German chocolate filling, a #superhoop. 37 ticks left in 1H, 32-30 Murray.
21:25 Halftime in Murray, 32-30 Racers. WKU's answered every salvo. Now it's some tumbling.
21:27 WKU has had a tough run. Four-game losing streak (Davidson, SC, Vanderbilt, Memphis). In years past, they win one or two of those.
21:38 [RLU ALERT] James Madison 66, South Florida 61 | http://tmm7.me/6sj @RedLineUpsets
21:41 And we're back. Kerusch with a half-opening #superhoop, and Western takes the lead 33-32.
21:44 I can confirm that. Very charged up. RT @walleye14: @midmajority does the student section look as good as it sounds on the radio...
21:44 Some two-time national champion high school tumbling for HT. Hi-NRG Megamix? Check. Lazer sounds? CHECK. http://img.ly/2Ekv
21:44 Which, these days, is like beating UW-Milwaukee. RT @wkufan92: @midmajority WKU beat SIU last Saturday.
21:45 Teenage fanclub. http://img.ly/2Ekx
21:49 Isaiah Canaan with a nice in-the-paint popcorn-chicken jumper, and Murray is up 42-35 at 15:13 2H.
21:50 I need to buy one. RT @walleye14: @midmajority wore mine on wed..they dont get a lot of money from the school..fundraiser to go to nationals
21:51 I aghggrhee. RT @donpot: @midmajority WKU's Pettigrew on my all-name team. Redundant letters are ffphun!
21:52 Western shooting up near 57%, but would be well ahead if not for 15 turns vs. 22 shots. And there's Canaan with a three.
21:53 And another Canaan 3. 48-41 MURR. OK, let's talk about this. Tipped pass. The play that kept MSU out of the Sweet 16 and let Butler through.
21:55 I did not see Hayward's tipped pass. I swore I wouldn't watch the game on TV, and I didn't, and I didn't care who won. I was at Providence.
21:56 But in retrospect, seeing how all the pieces fit together, thank you Murray for losing that game. Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou.
21:56 That is all. We resume.
21:57 Second MTO of the second half. That's all the symmetry you're going to get tonight. 48-42 Racers lead, holding off WKU like Heisman.
21:59 And ANOTHER Canaan three, from the exact same spot, deep right! This guy is sick as in sick. 51-42 Murray, 11:31 2H.
22:00 Most important quarter of a CBB game!! RT @MattZemek_CFN: @midmajority: So the end of the 3rd quarter is approaching. Interesting! ;-)
22:00 RT @chanford24: @midmajority Amen!
22:06 DUDE RT @KraigW: http://yfrog.com/h7urvj. UVU has a greenman drumline @midmajority
22:08 ANOTHER CANAAN 3 from deep right. I mean, come on. That's five for 19 points, and Murray is up 56-46 at 6:56 2H.
22:14 When Murray scores 60, there's free queso for everyone. I approve of any and all cheese-based contests. 60-53 4:38 2H.
22:18 At 3:41 2H, WKU runs into a :35 violation instead of cutting the lead to 7 or 6. Final media, it's 62-53 Racers.
22:19 Brandon Peters, the WKU froshhh guard from Texas, has had a pretty decent game. 6/7 shooting (2/2 from three), 16 pts, and 4 ast.
22:22 Close enough! RT @RacerDave23: Nice to have Kyle Whelliston of Mid-major.com here tonight. He also writes for #BasketballTimes #Racers
22:23 Thanks to @RacerDave23 for the hospitality tonight. It's been a very, very long time since we've been here.
22:24 Two minutes to go, and a Kerusch three brings WKU to within six at 64-58. Will this be two fantastic finishes in one day? I can't stand it!
22:25 #BURN lol RT @PTNetherton @midmajority They had to set the contest at 60 considering Kennedy's style of play. At 61, NO ONE would eat queso!
22:26 Juan Patillo a face-up skyscraper, and at one minute left, Murray's lead has been slimmed to 65-60. There may be some foul shots.
22:28 :41 2H, and Canaan misses out on his 20th point on a 1-and-1. But Jeffery McClain tips in the miss! 67-60 Murray. Game, set, queso.
22:28 #factcheckincuz @walleye14: @midmajority clarification they spin a wheel with random pt totals..was 85 wed night and they all got free queso
22:29 And Murray dribbles it out. A final here in western Kentucky: Murray 69, WKU 60.
22:30 We have a Long One tomorrow, 1100+ miles all the way back to New England. Limited game schedule the next two weeks for the holidays.
22:32 We will come out of 2010 in the mid-30's gamewise, and will get at least 30 in March (Champ Fortnight + NCAA). So we need 40 over Jan & Feb.
22:35 "Have a very Murray Christmas." Why didn't I think of that. And now, we bid you farewell, for now. Good Night Hoops Nation.

Boxscore


at MURRAY STATE 69, WESTERN KENTUCKY 60
12/18/2010

WESTERN KENTUCKY 5-6 (0-0) -- S. Kerusch 5-12 2-4 15; B. Peters 6-9 2-3 16; S. Pettigrew 1-5 2-4 4; C. Dickerson 0-1 2-2 2; J. Pattillo 4-6 3-3 11; C. Dixon 3-4 0-0 7; J. Crook 1-1 0-0 2; T. Akol 0-1 1-2 1; K. McDonald 0-2 0-0 0; S. Drane 1-1 0-1 2. Totals 21-42 12-19 60.
MURRAY STATE 7-4 (1-1) -- B. Jenkins 3-8 2-2 9; D. Poole 1-5 3-4 6; I. Miles 3-8 3-8 10; J. McClain 4-6 0-0 8; I. Canaan 6-9 2-3 19; E. Daniel 3-3 2-2 8; I. Aska 3-8 1-1 7; J. Long 1-5 0-0 2; S. Jackson 0-1 0-0 0; B. Garrett 0-0 0-0 0; C. Griffin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-53 13-20 69.

Three-point goals: WKU 6-14 (S. Pettigrew 0-3; S. Kerusch 3-5; C. Dixon 1-1; C. Dickerson 0-1; K. McDonald 0-2; B. Peters 2-2), MURR 8-22 (I. Miles 1-4; B. Jenkins 1-5; D. Poole 1-3; J. Long 0-2; I. Canaan 5-8); Rebounds: WKU 26 (S. Kerusch 9), MURR 27 (D. Poole 5); Assists: WKU 10 (B. Peters 4), MURR 17 (B. Jenkins 10); Total Fouls -- WKU 19, MURR 18; Fouled Out: WKU-None; MURR-None.