Cards Host Lipscomb Tuesday with Third Straight Win at Stake
Louisville men’s basketball pursues a three-game winning streak when it hosts Lipscomb at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday in its final home non-conference game at the KFC Yum! Center. The game will stream on ACC Network Extra. The Cardinals won their second straight game Saturday with a 61-55 victory over Florida A&M, powered by 13 points and 19 rebounds from Sydney Curry. Lipscomb is coming off an 83-75 loss Saturday at Michigan. Louisville is 2-0 all-time against Lipscomb, including a narrow 72-68 win over the Bisons at home in 2018.
Cameron Payne’s Jersey To Be Retired
Murray State Athletics announced that men’s basketball great and MSU Hall of Fame member, Cameron Payne, will have his jersey retired when the Racers host the UIC Flames (Jan. 14) at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky. Tip off time for the game will be announced soon. The special moment will occur at halftime. Payne arrived at Murray State from Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis in fall of 2013 as the Racers entered the post-Isaiah Canaan era. With Canaan in the NBA, it didn’t take long for most to understand that Payne would soon be joining him. In two successful seasons from 2013-15, Payne appeared in 69 games, scored more than 1,200 points and nearly reached 400 assists. He was named the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year. Payne joined Lamont Sleets as the only MSU freshmen to score 500 points in their rookie season. As a sophomore, Payne was the second-fastest Racer to 1,000 career points, accomplished in 57 games. With Payne at the helm, Murray State set a school and conference record 25-game winning streak and eventually took the season all the way to the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals. When the 2014-15 season was over, Payne announced that he was putting his name into the NBA Draft. He became an NBA lottery pick on June 25, 2015, when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him in the first round as the 14th overall pick. After playing for the Thunder, Bulls, Raptors and Cavaliers, Payne found a home in 2020 with the Phoenix Suns. In his four seasons with the Suns, Payne has reached his greatest heights as a professional including becoming the third Racer to play in the NBA Finals in 2021. Payne was inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame in 2020.
Racers Wrap Non-Con Slate at Bellarmine Tuesday
The Murray State women’s basketball team will close out the non-conference portion of its schedule Tuesday when it travels to Louisville to take on Bellarmine. Tip-off from historic Freedom Hall is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 PM CT. Tuesday will be the third all-time meeting between the Knights and Racers and the first in over 45 years. The two teams split the previous two meetings with the Racers winning the series opener in 1974 and the Knights coming out on top in 1976, both of which were played in Louisville.
Old Foes Meet Again – Racers & Blue Raiders Play In 145th Game
The Murray State Racers (7-4) continue one of their longest running series Wednesday when they face the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (7-4) at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro. The two have split the last six games as this meeting marks the 10th straight season they have met. As old Ohio Valley Conference foes from 1952-2000, the Racers and Blue Raiders have been regular in competing against each other as their 145th game is played.
DJ Burns Named MVC Player of The Week
Murray State’s DJ Burns was named Missouri Valley Player of the Week as announced from the MVC’s home office in St. Louis. Burns is MSU’s third MVC weekly award winner following JaCobi Wood, named MVC Newcomer of the Week (Nov. 22) and Rob Perry, named MVC Player of the Week (Dec. 5).
Big Week Helps Young Nab MVC Player of the Week Honors
For the second time in three weeks, Katelyn Young of the Murray State women’s basketball team has been named as the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week.
>>Kentucky, Tennessee Drop In Rankings
(Undated) — The Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers are both falling in the top-25. The latest coaches poll has Kentucky dropping three spots to number-16, while the Volunteers fell from number-seven to number-11. The Vols lost their only game last week against number-five Arizona, while the Wildcats lost their lone contest against number-nine UCLA. Tomorrow, Tennessee hosts Austin Peay, and Kentucky is at home against Florida A&M.