Morehead’s 10-game winning streak headlines a surge by Kentucky teams not named UK
While the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team is facing historic struggles this season, other Division I programs around the state are quietly piecing together successful campaigns that have several in position to compete for conference championships and potential NCAA Tournament bids.
Of Kentucky’s six non-Power Five programs, five have winning records and two currently sit atop their respective conference standings.
As we head toward the home stretch of the regular season, here’s a glance at where Kentucky’s mid-major men’s programs stand:
Morehead State (14-6 overall, 11-2 Ohio Valley Conference): The Eagles are on an absolute tear that has them in second place in the OVC, two games behind undefeated Belmont.
After a 4-6 start, Morehead has won 10 straight games. The Eagles knocked off visiting Murray State, 66-56, on Thursday behind five-time OVC Freshman of the Week Johni Broome’s 16-point, 10-rebound performance.
Morehead on Saturday at 2 p.m. hosts a tough Austin Peay squad that has won three straight. The Eagles control their own destiny in the OVC title hunt, as they’re scheduled to face Belmont in two of their final six games of the regular season.
Western Kentucky (13-4, 6-2 Conference USA): The Hilltoppers have won four straight and 11 of their last 13 games and are in first place in the C-USA East Division. Junior center Charles Bassey this week was named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List, which tracks candidates for National Player of the Year. The 6-foot-11 center is averaging team-highs of 17.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.
WKU is dealing with COVID issues that forced the postponement of last weekend’s two-game home series against Old Dominion. A two-game series at Florida Atlantic originally scheduled for this Saturday-Sunday, then moved to Sunday-Monday, was postponed Friday evening after this season’s first positive test in the Hilltoppers program.
The Hilltoppers last played on Jan. 24, knocking off Middle Tennessee on the road 68-52. Bassey had 23 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks in the win.
Western Kentucky’s next scheduled games are Feb. 12 and 13 at home against Rice.
Eastern Kentucky (14-3, 8-2 OVC): EKU won nine straight games before falling to Austin Peay, 94-79, at home on Thursday. Freshman sensation Wendell Green had 25 points, nine assists and two steals in the loss.
That setback moved the Colonels from second to third in the OVC standings, though they’re tied in the loss column with second-place Morehead State, with whom they’ve split a two-game regular-season series.
January games against Southeast Missouri State and Tennessee Tech were postponed because of COVID protocols, resulting in a break of nearly two weeks before the Colonels’ overtime victory at Jacksonville State on Feb. 2. Those games have been rescheduled for later this month.
EKU hosts Murray State on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Murray State (8-9, 5-7 OVC): The Racers led at halftime before falling at Morehead State last time out. Junior guard Tevin Brown — an All-OVC First Team selection last season — nearly had a double-double in the loss, scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
Murray is tied for seventh in the OVC standings. An early-season four-game losing streak positioned the Racers behind the eight-ball, but they’ve remained highly competitive since. Two of Murray’s last three losses have come by a combined four points. On Jan. 30, the Racers led first-place Belmont by five at halftime and had a chance to win on the final possession, but Brown’s potential buzzer-beater in the lane was blocked.
The Racers will look to even their record at EKU on Saturday.
Northern Kentucky (9-8, 7-5 Horizon League): After falling to 5-8, the Norse have won four straight games and moved into third place in the Horizon League.
NKU completed a two-game Friday-Saturday home sweep of Illinois-Chicago last weekend. Junior guard Trevon Faulkner, a former Mercer County High School star, had a combined 40 points and 17 rebounds in those wins. Lexington native and Henry Clay graduate Marques Warrick scored 31 points combined.
The Norse were scheduled to begin a four-game road trip in Wisconsin on Friday with the first of two contests against the Milwaukee Panthers, who are fifth in the Horizon League. Game 2 is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday.
NKU is scheduled to play a Friday-Saturday doubleheader at eighth-place Green Bay next weekend.
Bellarmine (9-5, 6-2 Atlantic Sun): In its first full season as a Division I program, Bellarmine is quickly making a mark. After dropping their first two conference games, the Knights have won six straight and moved into a three-way tie for first place in the Atlantic Sun.
Bellarmine swept a Friday-Saturday doubleheader at Kennesaw State in Georgia last weekend, with junior guard Pedro Bradshaw — a Russellville High School alumnus — combining for 40 points and 14 rebounds.
The Knights host a Friday-Saturday doubleheader in Freedom Hall against Jacksonville this weekend. Saturday’s tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. Jacksonville came into the weekend looking to halt a five-game losing streak.
Bellarmine leads the ASUN in overall field-goal shooting (51.6 percent) and three-point shooting (39.0). The Knights also average a league-best 16.0 assists per game. Bradshaw leads the Knights in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game.
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 4:02 PM.
