The Morehead State Eagles are an NCAA Division I men's basketball team that represents Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, United States. The school is a charter member of the Ohio Valley Conference and has competed in the OVC since its inception in 1948. Morehead State has appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament nine times, most recently in 2024.
Program summary The Eagles are the lone charter member of the OVC that still currently competes in the conference. Morehead State has made nine NCAA tournament appearances, with the most recent coming during the 2023–24 season. MSU has won a total of 17 OVC championship, with 11 regular season titles and six OVC tournament championships. MSU's 17 OVC championships are the most won by any current OVC member, while the Eagles' six OVC tournament titles is also tops amongst the current set of OVC squads. The most recent OVC title came during the 2023–24 season, when the Eagles collected a share of the regular-season crown and won the 2024 OVC tournament. The Eagles were formerly coached by Preston Spradlin, who resigned after his eighth season at Morehead State. Spradlin guided the Eagles to four straight 20-win seasons for the first time in program history from 2020–24. Morehead State set a new program record for most wins in a season during the 2023–24 season, as the Eagles collected a total of 26 wins. Jonathan Mattox, previously associate head coach, was named as the 15th head coach in the program's history.
Postseason results
NCAA Division I tournament results The Eagles have appeared in nine NCAA Tournaments, with the most recent coming during the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Morehead State is a combined record is 6–10 in the NCAA Tournament. The six NCAA tournament wins are the most by any current Ohio Valley Conference member and are the second-most in OVC history, behind former member Western Kentucky. Additionally, MSU’s nine tournament appearances are third-most in OVC history.
1956 QuarterfinalsSemifinalsEast Regional 3rd Place Game MarshallIowaWayne State W 107–92L 83–97W 95–84 1957 Quarterfinals Pittsburgh L 85–86 1961 QuarterfinalsSemifinalsMideast Regional Third Place XavierKentuckyLouisville W 71–66L 64–71L 61–83 1983 11 First Round (6) Syracuse L 59–74 1984 12 Preliminary RoundFirst Round (12) North Carolina A&T(5) Louisville W 70–69L 59–72 2009 16 Opening RoundFirst Round (16) Alabama State(1) Louisville W 58–41L 54–74 2011 13 First RoundSecond Round (4) Louisville(12) Richmond W 62–61L 48–65 2021 14 First Round (3) West Virginia L 67–84 2024 14 First Round (3) Illinois L 69–85
NIT results The Eagles have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament one time. Their combined record is 1–1.
2023 First RoundSecond Round ClemsonUAB W 68–64L 59–77
CBI results The Eagles have appeared in three College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Their combined record is 5–4.
2010 First RoundQuarterfinals Colorado StateBoston University W 74–60L 89–91OT 2014 First Round Illinois State L 67–77 2016 First RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals–Game 1Finals–Game 2Finals–Game 3 SienaDuquesneOhioNevadaNevadaNevada W 84–80W 82–72W 77–72W 86–83L 68–77L 82–85OT
NAIA The Eagles have appeared in the NAIA Basketball Tournament once, their record is 0–1.
1951 First Round Southwest Texas State L 70–62
Eagles in the NBA Morehead State has had a total of seven former Eagles play in an NBA game. Xavier Moon is the most recent Morehead State alum to play in the NBA. Moon is currently in his third season with the Los Angeles Clippers, playing on a two-way contract with the Clippers and the NBA G League’s Ontario Clippers, as of the 2023–24 season.
Kenneth Faried is Morehead State’s highest NBA Draft pick, as he is the school’s lone first round pick. Faried was selected as the No. 17 overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in the First Round of the 2011 NBA draft. He would go on to play the most NBA games by an Eagle, as he logged 478 career appearances over eight seasons with the Nuggets, Houston Rockets, and Brooklyn Nets from 2011–19. Faried scored 5,430 points and pulled down 3,884 rebounds in the NBA, both are the most by a Morehead State player.
List of Morehead State players that played in the NBA Xavier Moon (2021– Pres.) Kenneth Faried (2011–19) Bob McCann (1989–98) Lamar Green (1969–75) Henry Akin (1966–68) Steve Hamilton (1958–60) Dan Swartz (1962–63)
Eagles in international leagues Demonte Harper (born 1989), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Karam Mashour (born 1991), plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
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