Wikipedia

1996–97 Murray State Racers men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Murray State Racers men's basketball team represented Murray State University during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Racers, led by second-year head coach Mark Gottfried, played their home games at Racer Arena in Murray, Kentucky as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 20–10, 12–6 in OVC play to finish second in the OVC regular season standings. They defeated Austin Peay to win the OVC tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament. As No. 15 seed in the Southeast region, the Racers were beaten by No. 2 seed Duke, 71–68.[2]

1996–97 Murray State Racers men's basketball
Ohio Valley Regular season champions
Ohio Valley tournament champions
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
Record20–10 (12–6 OVC)
Head coach
Home arenaRacer Arena
Seasons
1996–97 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Austin Peay 12 – 6   .667 17 – 14   .548
Murray State † 12 – 6   .667 20 – 10   .667
Middle Tennessee 11 – 7   .611 19 – 12   .613
Tennessee Tech 10 – 8   .556 15 – 13   .536
Eastern Illinois 9 – 9   .500 12 – 15   .444
Southeast Missouri State 9 – 9   .500 12 – 18   .400
UT Martin 8 – 10   .444 11 – 16   .407
Tennessee State 7 – 11   .389 9 – 18   .333
Morehead State 6 – 12   .333 8 – 19   .296
Eastern Kentucky 6 – 12   .333 8 – 18   .308
† 1997 OVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Roster

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1996–97 Murray State Racers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 10 Chad Townsend
—
—
 Jr
F 22 Vincent Rainey 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
—
 Sr
G 51 De'Teri Mayes 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
—
 Jr Montgomery, Alabama
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

[3]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 23, 1996*
 Belmont W 84–45  1–0
 Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Nov 25, 1996*
 IUPUI W 85–75  2–0
 Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Dec 2, 1996*
 at Middle Tennessee L 72–85  2–1
 Murphy Athletic Center 
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Dec 5, 1996*
 Alcorn State W 107–86  3–1
 Racer Arena 
Murray, Kentucky
Ohio Valley Conference tournament
Feb 28, 1997*
 vs. Middle Tennessee
Semifinals 		W 74–48  19–9
 Bridgestone Arena 
Nashville, Tennessee
Mar 1, 1997*
 vs. Austin Peay
Championship game 		W 88–85 OT 20–9
 Bridgestone Arena 
Nashville, Tennessee
NCAA tournament
Mar 14, 1997*
 (15 SE) vs. (2 SE) No. 8 Duke
First round 		L 68–71  20–10
 Charlotte Coliseum 
Charlotte, North Carolina
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
SE=Southeast.
All times are in Central Time.

[4]

References

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  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1996-97 Ohio Valley Conference Season Summary
  2. ^ "Duke Holds Off Racers in 2nd Half, 71-68". The Washington Post. March 15, 1997. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  3. ^ "1996-97 Murray State Racers Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  4. ^ "2019-20 MURRAY STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK". Murray State University Athletics. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
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