The 1997–98 Murray State Racers men's basketball team represented Murray State University during the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Racers, led by third-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 29–4, 16–2 in OVC play to win the OVC regular season title. They defeated Austin Peay to win the OVC tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament. As No. 9 seed in the Midwest region, the Racers were beaten by No. 8 seed and eventual Elite Eight participant Rhode Island, 97–74.[2]
| 1997–98 Murray State Racers men's basketball | |
|---|---|
Ohio Valley Regular season champions Ohio Valley tournament champions | |
NCAA tournament, first round | |
| Conference | Ohio Valley Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 25 |
| Record | 29–4 (16–2 OVC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home arena | Racer Arena |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Murray State † | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | 29 | – | 4 | .879 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 16 | – | 11 | .593 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 19 | – | 9 | .679 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Austin Peay | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 17 | – | 11 | .607 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southeast Missouri State | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 14 | – | 13 | .519 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee State | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 13 | – | 16 | .448 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Kentucky | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 10 | – | 17 | .370 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Tech | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 9 | – | 21 | .300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UT Martin | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 7 | – | 20 | .259 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morehead State | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 3 | – | 23 | .115 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 1998 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Roster
edit| 1997–98 Murray State Racers men's basketball team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
edit| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| Dec 18, 1997* |
Campbellsville | W 112–70 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky | ||||||||
| Dec 21, 1997* |
at Western Kentucky | W 86–75 | E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, Kentucky | ||||||||
| Dec 25, 1997* |
vs. No. 12 Arkansas Puerto Rico Holiday Classic |
W 94–83 | Eugene Guerra Sports Complex San Juan, Puerto Rico | ||||||||
| Dec 26, 1997* 2:00 p.m. |
vs. Iowa State Puerto Rico Holiday Classic |
W 84–76 OT | Eugene Guerra Sports Complex (500) San Juan, Puerto Rico | ||||||||
| Jan 3, 1998 |
at Middle Tennessee | L 71–76 OT | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | ||||||||
| Jan 10, 1998 |
at Tennessee-Martin | W 67–56 | Kathleen and Tom Elam Center Martin, Tennessee | ||||||||
| Jan 29, 1998 |
Middle Tennessee | W 78–75 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky | ||||||||
| Feb 7, 1998 |
Tennessee-Martin | W 94–66 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky | ||||||||
| Ohio Valley Conference tournament | |||||||||||
| Feb 24, 1998* |
(1) | (8) Tennessee Tech Quarterfinals |
W 84–63 | 27–3 |
Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky | ||||||
| Feb 28, 1998* |
(1) | vs. (4) Austin Peay Semifinals |
W 81–56 | 28–3 |
Gaylord Entertainment Center Nashville, Tennessee | ||||||
| Mar 1, 1998* |
(1) | vs. (7) Tennessee State Championship game |
W 92–69 | 29–3 |
Gaylord Entertainment Center Nashville, Tennessee | ||||||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| Mar 13, 1998* |
(9 MW) No. 25 | vs. (8 MW) Rhode Island First round |
L 74–97 | 29–4 |
Myriad Convention Center Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest. All times are in Central Time. | |||||||||||
Rankings
editAwards and honors
editReferences
edit- ^ sports-reference.com 1997-98 Ohio Valley Conference Season Summary
- ^ "Harrick and Rhode Island Post a Bittersweet Win". The New York Times. March 14, 1998. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- ^ "1997-98 Murray State Racers Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- ^ "2019-20 MURRAY STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK". Murray State University Athletics. Retrieved December 29, 2022.