The Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon was chock-full of mid-major goodies that had us feasting in the early hours of opening day.
It was nostalgic in its own right, bringing us feelings of the long-gone opening 24-hour day marathon once hosted by ESPN from 2008-2017 — prime basketball watching for the Millennial and Zoomer fans among us. While not even close to a facsimile of the now-dead run of games, kudos must be given to the Field of 68 crew for providing something that scratches the itch.
As for
the games, we asked which team had the most impressive win among High Point (beat Liberty), Queens (beat Winthrop), Murray State (beat Tennessee State), McNeese (beat UAB), App State (beat Merrimack), and Furman (beat Bethune-Cookman).
With a respectable 38% of the vote, Murray State’s win over Tennessee State was deemed the most impressive by our voters. Queens and High Point had 19% of the votes each, while McNeese and Furman were at 12%.
Why Murray State’s win was impressive
The Racers asserted their dominance in a 94-64 rout of Tennessee State. Ryan Miller’s bunch shot 67% in the second half and used an 18-4 run to turn an 11-point halftime lead into a blowout. Roman Domon led the way with 22 points and five rebounds. Kaden Magwood added 15 points. Talis Soulhac and Brayden Shorter each contributed 13 points. Brigham Rogers was also in double figures with 10. Murray State forced a whopping 26 turnovers as well.
The offensive dominance shown was certainly part of the reason why voters chose Murray State. Throw in that the Racers and the Tigers were each picked first in their respective conference preseason polls. Fans expected something closer, opposed to the dominant showing the Racers had.
Fans expected a race, given the style of both teams, and that was evident in the 84-possession game. The Racers also won without Mark Padjen, who is sidelined with a knee injury, as Miller decided to go 12 deep.
It is easy to take too much from just one game, but a 30-point drubbing over a peer sure is a way to make noise.
Murray State’s dynamic offense paired with a defense capable of creating 26 extra possessions, is a recipe for a mid-major darling if I have ever seen one. The Missouri Valley Conference could be looking at a dangerous contender, and maybe a two-bid situation once we hit the tides of March.
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