18 in a Row for the Racers

For the last few weeks, Murray State has been without the services of Ivan Aska, a senior starting forward. Meanwhile, the Racers have been forced to labor their way through an Ohio Valley Conference long famous for its bitter local rivalries. Tonight, in front of the biggest crowd ever to watch the Racers at Murray State -- and a national broadcast audience on ESPNU -- Murray faced a group of Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles who had, as they say, come to play. With Aska on the bench, Tech hammered Murray on the boards, out-rebounding them 43-31. Meanwhile, the Racers' free-throw shooting was not up to its usual excellent standard, as they went 27-40 (67 percent) from the line. As a result, with 7:20 left, Murray led by only 63-60. But the Racers kept hustling, kept firing away (they made 9-24 from three-point range), and they eventually pulled away to an 82-74 victory. Donte Poole scored 28 points, while Isaiah Canaan chipped in 24. The Racers are now 6-0 in OVC play, and 18-0 overall. They remain one of only three undefeated teams -- the other two are Syracuse and Baylor.

On Wednesday night, the Racers take their national press corps and their undefeated record to Morehead State. I really wish I could be there.