# 1987–88 Murray State Racers men's basketball team

The 1987–88 Murray State Racers men's basketball team represented Murray State University during the 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Racers, led by head coach Steve Newton, played their home games at Racer Arena in Murray, Kentucky as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 22–9, 13–1 in OVC play to win the OVC regular season championship. They defeated Austin Peay to win the OVC tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament. As No. 14 seed in the Southeast region, the Racers defeated No. 3 seed NC State, 78–75, in the opening round before losing to eventual National champion Kansas, 61–58, in the round of 32.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 27, 1987* | | William Penn | W 97–49 | 1–0 | Racer Arena (3,500) Murray, Kentucky |
| Nov 30, 1987* | | Southern Illinois | L 70–77 | 1–1 | Racer Arena (3,570) Murray, Kentucky |
| Dec 2, 1987* | | Christian Brothers | W 82–69 | 2–1 | Racer Arena (1,550) Murray, Kentucky |
| Dec 5, 1987* | | at Evansville | L 70–76 | 2–2 | Roberts Stadium Evansville, Indiana |
| Dec 7, 1987* | | Western Illinois | W 74–58 | 3–2 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Dec 11, 1987* | | vs. Utah State The Longhorn Classic | L 57–74 | 3–3 | Frank Erwin Center Austin, Texas |
| Dec 12, 1987* | | vs. Pan American The Longhorn Classic | L 57–60 | 3–4 | Frank Erwin Center Austin, Texas |
| Dec 18, 1987* | | vs. Eastern Washington Bayou Classic | W 84–57 | 4–4 | Cajundome Lafayette, Louisiana |
| Dec 19, 1987* | | at Southwestern Louisiana Bayou Classic | L 62–64 | 4–5 | Cajundome Lafayette, Louisiana |
| Jan 2, 1988* | | Bethel College | W 96–60 | 5–5 | Racer Arena (1,250) Murray, Kentucky |
| Jan 5, 1988* | | at Memphis State | L 70–76 $^{OT}$ | 5–6 | Mid-South Coliseum (11,200) Memphis, Tennessee |
| Jan 9, 1988 | | Tennessee State | W 99–84 | 6–6 (1–0) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Jan 12, 1988* | | Western Kentucky | L 49–50 | 6–7 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Jan 16, 1988 | | Eastern Kentucky | W 95–84 | 7–7 (2–0) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Jan 18, 1988 | | Morehead State | W 85–74 | 8–7 (3–0) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Jan 23, 1988 | | at Middle Tennessee | W 79–67 | 9–7 (4–0) | Murphy Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee |
| Jan 25, 1988 | | at Tennessee Tech | W 67–64 | 10–7 (5–0) | Eblen Center Cookeville, Tennessee |
| Jan 30, 1988 | | at Youngstown State | W 87–62 | 11–7 (6–0) | Beeghly Center Youngstown, Ohio |
| Feb 6, 1988 | | Austin Peay | L 71–74 | 11–8 (6–1) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Feb 8, 1988 | | at Austin Peay | W 83–70 | 12–8 (7–1) | Dunn Center Clarksville, Tennessee |
| Feb 13, 1988 | | at Tennessee State | W 78–70 | 13–8 (8–1) | Gentry Complex Nashville, Tennessee |
| Feb 15, 1988 | | Youngstown State | W 71–64 | 14–8 (9–1) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Feb 20, 1988 | | at Morehead State | W 77–75 | 15–8 (10–1) | Ellis Johnson Arena Morehead, Kentucky |
| Feb 22, 1988 | | at Eastern Kentucky | W 79–78 | 16–8 (11–1) | McBrayer Arena Richmond, Kentucky |
| Feb 27, 1988 | | Tennessee Tech | W 80–75 | 17–8 (12–1) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Feb 29, 1988 | | Middle Tennessee | W 82–66 | 18–8 (13–1) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Mar 7, 1988* | | at Western Illinois Quarterfinals | W 78–68 | 19–8 | Western Hall Macomb, Illinois |
| Ohio Valley Conference tournament ||||||
| Mar 8, 1988* | (1) | (4) Eastern Kentucky Semifinals | W 76–60 | 20–8 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Mar 9, 1988* | (1) | (3) Austin Peay Championship game | W 73–70 | 21–8 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 18, 1988* | (14 MW) | vs. (3 MW) No. 14 NC State First round | W 78–75 | 22–8 | Bob Devaney Sports Center Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Mar 20, 1988* | (14 MW) | vs. (6 MW) Kansas Second round | L 58–61 | 22–9 | Bob Devaney Sports Center Lincoln, Nebraska |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast. All times are in Central Time. ||||||

## Awards and honors

* Jeff Martin – OVC Player of the Year
* Steve Newton – OVC Coach of the Year