UT Martin (10-15, 5-9) vs. Murray State (21-4, 12-2)
CFSB Center, Murray, Kentucky; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Murray State looks for its sixth straight win over UT Martin at CFSB Center. The last victory for the Skyhawks at Murray State was a 69-68 win on Feb. 28, 2013.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: The electric Ja Morant has averaged a double-double (24.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 10.2 assists) to lead the way for the Racers. Shaq Buchanan has complemented Morant and is producing 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and two steals per game. The Skyhawks have been led by Craig Randall, who is averaging 13.7 points.
KEY CONTRIBUTIONS: Morant has had his hand in 56 percent of all Murray State field goals over the last five games. The sophomore guard has 42 field goals and 45 assists in those games.
DEFENSIVE DISRUPTION: UT Martin is 5-0 when it holds opponents to 42.9 percent or worse from the field, and 5-15 whenever opponents shoot better than that. Murray State is 18-0 when it allows 44.6 percent or less from the field and 3-4 whenever opponents exceed that mark.
PERFECT WHEN: The Racers are 18-0 when holding opponents to 44.6 percent or worse from the field, and 3-4 when opponents shoot better than that. The Skyhawks are 5-0 when they hold opponents to a field goal percentage of 42.9 percent or worse, and 5-15 when opponents exceed that percentage.
DID YOU KNOW: The Murray State offense has scored 83 points per game this season, ranking the Racers 17th nationally. The UT Martin defense has allowed 78.1 points per game to opponents (ranked 291st).
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This was generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
