The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 67 is Murray State basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Murray State basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 5
- Bids: 18
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 18.5
- Bids per season: 0.22
- AP Polls: 31
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 2
- NBA players drafted & played: 9
- Conference Players of the Year: 21
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 31
- Conference tournament titles: 18
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 1
Overall scoop on Murray State basketball
Murray State comes in at No. 67 thanks to having one of the most dominant resumes of any mid-major program. For starters, despite being around for 81 seasons and counting in DI, the Racers have still found a way to average more than 18 wins per season. They’ve had 31 seasons of 20+ wins, compared to just 14 seasons with losing records. Simply put, you can almost always bet on the Racers to not just be competitive, but very good.
Their outstanding play helped them to become the most dominant program in the history of the Ohio Valley Conference. With 30 regular season titles, Murray State has the most in league history. Western Kentucky is the next closest with 19. They were one of the first programs to join the conference, but left after the 2021-22 season. Still, the Racers are the most accomplished team in OVC history.
Of course, their dominance at the mid-major level has led to a lot of NCAA Tournament appearances. Unfortunately, the one drawback is having just five wins in March Madness and never advancing past the round of 32. Their best moment may have been in 2019, as Ja Morant led the 12-seeded Racers past Markus Howard and Marquette in a thrilling upset in Hartford, CT (I was at that game). But Murray State hasn’t had a true Cinderella run yet – just a few wins spread out over time.
However, they can, of course, claim a top NBA player in Morant. Off-court issues aside, he is one of the most electrifying players in the league and had Murray State on the map as he had some crazy dunks and highlights in college. Other former stars include Isaiah Canaan and Cameron Payne. They aren’t ‘Point Guard U,’ but they’ve definitely had some great ones, especially over the past decade or so.
But the biggest reason for continued success is the coaching. Murray State has always had top-notch leaders from Mick Cronin to Matt McMahon to Steve Prohm, Billy Kennedy, Mark Gottfried, and more. Ryan Miller is the current guy in charge and clearly has a lot to live up to for a program virtually spoiled with winning.