Racers look to sweep regular season rivalry

    The road to perfection may get rocky this week for Billy Kennedy’s team, as they begin the final stretch in OVC play.
    Murray State’s biggest rival, Austin Peay, heads north Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. showdown with the Racers at the RSEC.
    Murray State (21-3, 12-0 OVC) defeated The Governors (13-10, 7-4 OVC) 69-53 a little over a month ago in Clarksville, Tenn., but Kennedy and his team said they are not going to rely on previous results this season for motivation.
    “We know that (APSU) is going to come in here to beat us, so we’re going to prepare for them like we prepare for everybody else,” junior guard B.J. Jenkins said. “The game we beat them in is behind us. It’s a whole new game, a whole new team.         They’re coming in here hot. They’re just another team in our way.”
    Murray State will put the nation’s second longest winning streak (12 games) on the line against the Govs, coming off of their 76-54 victory over Tennessee State Thursday.
    The Govs defeated Morehead State 56-55 last week, and are coming in as winners of four of their last five.
    The Racers enter Saturday’s tilt with Austin Peay ranked seventh in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll and are ranked among the top five in the country in several statistical categories including second in field goal percentage at 51.5 percent, fourth in steals per game at eleven and fourth in scoring margin at +19.0 points.
    Murray State is also chasing an OVC record, looking to match the 25-game win streak set by Western Kentucky from 1965-67. Murray State has won its last 19-conference games.
    But as Murray State fans know, Austin Peay always shows up ready to play against the Racers who still have a bad taste in their mouth after last year’s conference tournament in which Murray State fell to the Govs 50-67 in the semifinals.
    After their showdown with Austin Peay, Murray State hits the road for a two-game set against Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State.
    Murray State defeated Tennessee Tech 88-66 Jan. 14 at the RSEC, but lost in their last trip to Cookeville, Tenn., 55-61 last season.
    Tennessee Tech enters Thursday’s matchup against the Racers ranked No. 5 in the OVC, while Murray State is No. 1.
    In their last matchup, Murray State put five players in double figure scoring, with sophomore forward Ivan Aska leading the way with 16 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes.
    Murray State will have to  contain forward Kevin Murphy and guard Elijah Muhammad, who scored 22 and 20, respectively, in their last outing against Murray State.
    Contact Martin at richard.martin@murraystate.edu.