Halftime Report

Murray State is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 39-33 lead against Western Kentucky.

Murray State entered the matchup having won three straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it four, or will Western Kentucky step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

Murray State Racers @ Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Current Records: Murray State 6-2, Western Kentucky 6-3

How To Watch

What to Know

The Murray State Racers will face off against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Western Kentucky is hoping to do what SE Missouri State couldn't on Sunday: put an end to Murray State's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Murray State blew past SE Missouri State 73-53. The Racers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 20 points or more this season.

JaCobi Wood and Nick Ellington were among the main playmakers for Murray State as the former almost dropped a double-double on 23 points and nine rebounds and the latter went 6 for 8 en route to 15 points plus eight rebounds and three steals. What's more, Wood also posted a 75% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest he's posted since back in February.

Meanwhile, Western Kentucky entered their tilt with Tennessee State on Tuesday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They put the hurt on the Tigers with a sharp 84-60 win.

Western Kentucky got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Don McHenry out in front who went 7 for 13 en route to 18 points plus four steals. Khristian Lander was another key player, going 7 for 12 en route to 19 points.

Even though they won, Western Kentucky struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only five offensive rebounds. They were demolished by their opponents in that department as Tennessee State pulled down 14.

Murray State is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season. As for Western Kentucky, they pushed their record up to 6-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Murray State has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Western Kentucky struggles in that department as they've been averaging 39.1. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Murray State is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, keep Murray State's opponent in mind: they have a subpar 0-1 record against the spread vs Western Kentucky over their last one matchups.

Odds

Western Kentucky is a 4-point favorite against Murray State, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Hilltoppers as a 3.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 148.5 points.

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Series History

Western Kentucky won the only game these two teams have played in the last year.

  • Nov 14, 2023 - Western Kentucky 86 vs. Murray State 81