# 1990–91 Murray State Racers men's basketball team

The 1990–91 Murray State Racers men's basketball team represented Murray State University during the 1990–91 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 24–9, 10–2 in OVC play to win the OVC regular season championship. They defeated Middle Tennessee to win the OVC tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament. As No. 14 seed in the Southeast region, the Racers battled No. 3 seed Alabama before losing 89–79.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 23, 1990* | | vs. Bucknell Puerto Rico Classic | W 81–68 | 1–0 | Mario Morales Coliseum Guaynabo, Puerto Rico |
| Nov 24, 1990* | | vs. Old Dominion Puerto Rico Classic | W 76–61 | 2–0 | Mario Morales Coliseum Guaynabo, Puerto Rico |
| Nov 25, 1990* | | vs. Nebraska Puerto Rico Classic | W 81–79 | 3–0 | Mario Morales Coliseum Guaynabo, Puerto Rico |
| Nov 28, 1990* | | Georgia Southern | W 78–61 | 4–0 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Dec 1, 1990* | | Western Kentucky | W 97–91 | 5–0 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Dec 4, 1990* | | at Memphis State | L 78–85 | 5–1 | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Dec 7, 1990* | | vs. Texas Southern Citizens Bank Classic | W 79–65 | 6–1 | Convocation Center Jonesboro, Arkansas |
| Dec 8, 1990* | | at Arkansas State Citizens Bank Classic | L 62–63 | 6–2 | Convocation Center Jonesboro, Arkansas |
| Dec 14, 1990* | | at Southern Illinois | W 83–77 | 7–2 | SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois |
| Dec 17, 1990* | | Prairie View A&M | W 103–52 | 8–2 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Dec 21, 1990* | | vs. U.S. International U.S. Air Classic | W 103–55 | 9–2 | Nutter Center Fairborn, Ohio |
| Dec 22, 1990* | | at Wright State U.S. Air Classic | L 76–79 | 9–3 | Nutter Center Fairborn, Ohio |
| Dec 28, 1990* | | vs. South Alabama BMA Holiday Classic | W 88–78 $^{OT}$ | 10–3 | Kemper Arena Kansas City, Missouri |
| Dec 29, 1990* | | vs. Kansas State BMA Holiday Classic | L 50–67 | 10–4 | Kemper Arena Kansas City, Missouri |
| Jan 2, 1991* | | North Alabama | L 70–88 | 10–5 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Jan 5, 1991 | | Austin Peay | W 71–66 | 11–5 (1–0) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Jan 8, 1991* | | at Georgia Southern | L 63–66 | 11–6 | Hanner Fieldhouse Statesboro, Georgia |
| Jan 12, 1991* | | IUPUI | W 84–52 | 12–6 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Jan 14, 1991 | | at Middle Tennessee State | W 70–66 | 13–6 (2–0) | Murphy Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee |
| Jan 19, 1991 | | Tennessee State | L 73–75 | 13–7 (2–1) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Jan 21, 1991 | | Tennessee Tech | W 86–74 | 14–7 (3–1) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Jan 26, 1991 | | at Morehead State | W 80–55 | 15–7 (4–1) | Ellis Johnson Arena Morehead, Kentucky |
| Jan 28, 1991 | | at Eastern Kentucky | L 82–87 | 15–8 (4–2) | McBrayer Arena Richmond, Kentucky |
| Feb 2, 1991 | | at Austin Peay | W 79–71 | 16–8 (5–2) | Dunn Center Clarksville, Tennessee |
| Feb 4, 1991* | | at Prairie View A&M | W 81–68 | 17–8 | William J. Nicks Building Prairie View, Texas |
| Feb 9, 1991 | | Eastern Kentucky | W 64–52 | 18–8 (6–2) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Feb 11, 1991 | | Morehead State | W 81–73 | 19–8 (7–2) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Feb 16, 1991 | | at Tennessee Tech | W 72–64 | 20–8 (8–2) | Eblen Center Cookeville, Tennessee |
| Feb 18, 1991 | | at Tennessee State | W 65–64 | 21–8 (9–2) | Gentry Complex Nashville, Tennessee |
| Feb 23, 1991 | | Middle Tennessee State | W 91–86 | 22–8 (10–2) | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Ohio Valley Conference tournament ||||||
| Mar 3, 1991* | (1) | (6) Morehead State Semifinal | W 89–61 | 23–8 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| Mar 4, 1991* | (1) | (4) Middle Tennessee State Championship Game | W 79–67 | 24–8 | Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 15, 1991* | (14 SE) | vs. (3 SE) No. 19 Alabama First Round | L 79–89 | 24–9 | The Omni Atlanta, Georgia |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast. All times are in Central Time. ||||||

## Awards and honors

* Popeye Jones – OVC Player of the Year