CHARLESTON, S.C. – You can choose to look at Murray State’s 72-67 semifinal win over St. John’s as an instance of youth being served, experience winning out, or some other cliché. While those things apply to a degree, the big story should probably be something Murray State head coach Steve Prohm talked about after the game: resilience.
Murray State has been nothing if not resilient thus far this season. Before the games even started, they had to suspend projected starting guard Zay Jackson for the season after he was arrested and charged with striking two people with his car in a store parking lot following an altercation. That was sure to leave even more on the shoulders of Isaiah Canaan, the All-American guard who bypassed the NBA Draft for another season of college. But it also meant that other players needed to improve to take advantage of the attention opponents will give to Canaan, and thus far that seems to be happening.
Then on Friday, the Racers found themselves having to play from behind most of the night. After the Racers had an early lead, the Red Storm took over and built a 13-point lead in the first half. The Racers would battle back to within 35-32 at the break thanks to a 13-3 run to close the half, but St. John’s won the early minutes of the second and would run the lead back to eight on several occasions. It seemed like every time Murray State tried to rally, St. John’s had an answer.
That is, until they didn’t. That was when the Racers’ experience, and perhaps a little of the Red Storm’s youth, took over. After the Red Storm went up 59-52 with 7:31 left, the Racers methodically scored 12 unanswered points to take the lead for good. They held off chances the Red Storm had to get closer and ultimately closed it out like a veteran team should.
Then there’s the story of Stacy Wilson, who has been the unexpected star for the Racers in the early going. Wilson kept them in the game in the first half with 12 of his team-high 23 points, and is the team’s leading scorer with just under 21 points per game thus far. A year ago, he was buried on the bench behind more experienced guards, but Prohm said he handled that as well as one could imagine. Now his opportunity to shine is here, and he’s doing just that.
“His work ethic has been tremendous,” said Prohm, who later added that Wilson is “playing like a senior.”
Certainly, the Racers are more than just Canaan, but he’s the unquestioned star and along with classmate Ed Daniel, one of the leaders. Daniel had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and adding in the contributions from Dexter Fields and Brandon Garrett makes for a good starting five. The Racers will need to develop some depth, and that likely means a player or two developing a little ahead of schedule. The only reserve who saw double-digit minutes on Friday was freshman wing Jeffery Moss.
Murray State will now play in Sunday’s championship game against Colorado. One thing that will give them is another opportunity for a good non-conference win, something they won’t have very many chances at. In fact, aside from a favorable draw in the BracketBusters in February, the best chance they have for a good RPI win will be at Dayton just before Christmas. Sure, they go to Evansville and host Western Kentucky and Valparaiso, but none are likely to matter much come the month of March.
On the other hand, wins over Auburn and St. John’s aren’t bad, but neither would carry the weight a win over Colorado would, especially if the Buffaloes contend in the Pac-12 as they seem poised to. Still, with a win Sunday, the Racers would not only bring some hardware back to Kentucky, but they would exit with three wins on a neutral floor over teams whose RPI will all likely be at least respectable, and they will have been tested.
“The reason we scheduled the way we did this year is for the opportunity to play good teams on a neutral floor and get our guys better and get our guys the exposure that our seniors need for when they leave here,” Prohm said.
Murray State has a tradition of winning that St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin noted after Friday’s game. The Racers are still the team to beat in the Ohio Valley Conference, as will probably often be the case. This team has had to overcome some adversity thus far, and they will surely have to do it again. What they have shown in dealing with it is indicative of a team that will be ready to handle whatever adversity comes their way.
