1998–99 Murray State Racers men's basketball team

The 1998–99 Murray State Racers men's basketball team represented Murray State University during the 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Racers, led by first-year head coach Tevester Anderson, played their home games at the brand new Regional Special Events Center in Murray, Kentucky, as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 27–6, 16–2 in OVC play to win the OVC regular season title. They defeated Southeast Missouri State to win the OVC tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament. As No. 13 seed in the South region, the Racers were beaten by No. 4 seed and eventual Final Four participant Ohio State, 72–58,^[2] in the opening round

1998–99 Murray State Racers men's basketball
Ohio Valley Regular season champions Ohio Valley tournament champions
NCAA tournament, first round
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Record	27–6 (16–2 OVC)
Head coach	Tevester Anderson (1st season)
Home arena	Regional Special Events Center
Seasons ← 1997–98 1999–2000 →

1998–99 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Murray State †	16	–	2		.889			27	–	6		.818
Southeast Missouri State	15	–	3		.833			20	–	9		.690
Middle Tennessee	9	–	9		.500			12	–	19		.387
Austin Peay	9	–	9		.500			11	–	16		.407
Morehead State	9	–	9		.500			13	–	15		.464
Tennessee State	9	–	9		.500			12	–	15		.444
Eastern Illinois	8	–	10		.444			13	–	16		.448
Tennessee Tech	8	–	10		.444			12	–	15		.444
UT Martin	5	–	13		.278			8	–	18		.308
Eastern Kentucky	2	–	16		.111			3	–	23		.115
† 1999 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Roster

1998–99 Murray State Racers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G 12 Aubrey Reese 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Auburn, Alabama F 31 Isaac Spencer 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Montgomery, Alabama F Rod Murray 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) — Jr	Head coach Tevester Anderson Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt

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Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
Nov 14, 1998*		Southern Illinois	W 65–62	1–0	Regional Special Events Center  Murray, Kentucky
Nov 21, 1998*		at Belmont	W 76–69	2–0	Striplin Gymnasium  Nashville, Tennessee
Nov 27, 1998*		vs. Arkansas–Little Rock	W 91–66	3–0	Lloyd Noble Center  Norman, Oklahoma
Nov 28, 1998*		at Oklahoma	W 68–64	4–0	Lloyd Noble Center  Norman, Oklahoma
Feb 20, 1999		at Austin Peay	L 72–80	24–5 (16–2)	Dunn Center  Clarksville, Tennessee
Ohio Valley Conference tournament
Feb 23, 1999*		Tennessee Tech Quarterfinals	W 96–61	25–5	Regional Special Events Center  Murray, Kentucky
Feb 27, 1999*		vs. Morehead State Semifinals	W 92–69	26–5	Nashville Arena  Nashville, Tennessee
Feb 28, 1999*		vs. Southeast Missouri State Championship game	W 62–61	27–5	Nashville Arena  Nashville, Tennessee
NCAA tournament
Mar 11, 1999*	(13 S)	vs. (4 S) No. 14 Ohio State First round	L 58–72	27–6	RCA Dome  Indianapolis, Indiana
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Central Time.

^[4]

Rankings

Main article: 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

References

1. sports-reference.com 1998-99 Ohio Valley Conference Season Summary
2. "Harrick and Rhode Island Post a Bittersweet Win". The New York Times. March 14, 1998. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
3. "1998-99 Murray State Racers Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
4. "2019-20 MURRAY STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK". Murray State University Athletics. Retrieved July 1, 2023.