Border War Bigger Than Ever

Murray State in First Place Battle with Austin Peay

(St. Louis, MO) – Austin Peay and Murray State have been playing games since 1942. The annual ‘Border War’ is a long-standing, heart-felt rivalry game between these two Ohio Valley Conference competitors. This year it is bigger than ever.

While Murray State has a commanding 84-43 winning record against the Governors, they are just above .500 (30-28) in Clarksville. Austin Peay (16-9, 10-2) is undefeated at home this season.

This game is for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Racers (18-6, 11-1) lead the league right now, but a Governor win would tie up the standings and give the Governors a tie-breaking advantage. The two teams finish the season with ’round two’ of the ‘Border War’ on February 29 in Murray.

What’s At Stake

The top two spots in OVC standings provide a double-bye in the OVC Tournament. Two teams are just one game behind APSU. Belmont and Eastern Kentucky are both 9-3. The battle among the top four teams is fiercely contested.

Paducah Sun reporter Ed Marlowe (@dreamarlowe85) says the double-bye is important, but so are the Evansville accommodations.

 

 

Marlowe tells us the two teams and communities get fired up for the ‘Border War’ and this Thursday’s contest will be special for a number of reasons. He says there is an extra level of energy and passion around the border war.

 

 

With five games remaining after Thursday night, a two-game advantage for Murray State might be insurmountable and it would potentially toss APSU into a three-way tie for second through fourth. The Border War is bigger than ever.

Breaking News: The game can be seen nationally at 8:00 p.m. on ESPNU!

Star Power

Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor may be the best Ohio Valley Player, but Murray State’s Tevin Brown isn’t far behind. Taylor has tied the all-time record for most ‘Player of the Week‘ awards and leads the conference in scoring (22.3 ppg) and rebounding (10.4).

Brown is fifth in scoring (18.5) and leads the league in triples-per-game (3), while making over 45% of his long distance shots and logs more minutes than any OVC player.

The supporting casts aren’t bad. Murray State boasts of three other double-digit scorers (K.J. Williams, Jaiveon Eaves and Anthony Smith). The Governors counter with the league’s odds-on ‘Freshman of the Year‘ favorite Jordyn Adams. His 16.8 point scoring average is the league’s seventh best.

Marlowe says Brown could be the next Murray State guard to go pro.

 

 

Our complete interview with the Paducah Sun’s Ed Marlowe is our latest podcast. He breaks down the Racer chances at heading back to the NCAA Tournament, Matt McMahon’s future and how the team adjusted to injuries and line-up changes. While Marlowe is the Murray State beat writer, he brags about the great play of APSU’s Terry Taylor.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo courtesy of goracers.com and Dave Winder