For Morehead State, a historic season will get the NCAA Tournament ending it deserves

Upon receiving the news, all four men looked around, smiled widely and tapped each other in recognition of the accomplishment.

Four of the pillars of the Morehead State men’s basketball program — head coach Preston Spradlin, fifth-year players Riley Minix and Kalil Thomas and senior guard Drew Thelwell — were seated at a podium, reflecting on a night of celebration that was only beginning.

About an hour earlier, the Eagles had punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, defeating Little Rock 69-55 in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title game at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

Camaraderie ensued on the court.

Now, that feeling was happening again after they were told by the Herald-Leader that Saturday’s win, the 26th of the season for Morehead State, set a new mark for most wins in a season in school history.

“What makes this team special is their togetherness,” Spradlin said. “… I’m a firm believer: Good people become great players. And as fun as this team is to watch on the court, as basketball players, getting to do life with them every day is even more rewarding and more fun.”

There are plenty of reasons why the Eagles (26-8) will be part of March Madness for the ninth time in school history and the second time in four years (2021).

Minix, a 6-foot-7 guard, was named the OVC Player of the Year in his first season at the NCAA Division I level. The former NAIA All-American is averaging a double-double and led all scorers with 26 points in Saturday’s championship win.

Thelwell, a 6-foot-3 guard, is the all-time wins leader in Morehead State history. He’s been around for each of the 94 wins the Eagles have enjoyed over the last four seasons, and as a true senior he’s set a new program record for single-season assists (207).

Thomas, a 6-foot-5 guard, is in his second season with the Eagles after transferring from UMass Lowell. He’s made 103 3-pointers this season, a Morehead State single-season record and a total which includes the trio of distance shots he made against Little Rock.

Then there’s Spradlin, a born, raised and lived Kentuckian who is in his eighth year leading the program. He’s piloted Morehead State to its current position of prominence in the commonwealth: No NCAA Division I men’s team in the state has won more games over the last four seasons. In total, Spradlin has won 140 games across his eight seasons with the Eagles.

Each of these four men have been driving forces behind a magical Morehead State season that has continued into March. The Eagles went 3-for-3 in the OVC Tournament this week in Evansville, and two of those wins (UT Martin in the semifinals and Little Rock in the championship game) were against teams Morehead State shared the OVC regular-season championship with.

“It’s been so rewarding on a number of different levels. This one’s different because, you talk about these three guys …,” Spradlin said of players seated beside him.

“I’m so thankful for all of these guys for believing in our staff and in our program and what they’ve done to get us to this moment.”

Morehead State’s Riley Minix lifts Eagles to OVC Tournament title

Saturday’s championship win was a comprehensive display from Spradlin’s team.

Morehead State led for more than 36 minutes and trailed for only 64 seconds against the Trojans, who won the teams’ only earlier meeting this season by one point.

But it also took plenty of resolve: The Eagles led by 17 points midway through the first half but saw that lead completely erased. With less than 15 minutes to go, Morehead State trailed Little Rock by one.

Then, Morehead State’s stars took over: Minix, Thelwell and Thomas combined to score 31 of Morehead State’s final 34 points.

Minix was particularly dazzling with his scoring ability. He boasts a variety of post moves, is a credible 3-point shooter (despite going 1-for-6 against the Trojans) and offers a reliable presence at the foul line: Minix made as many free throws himself (five) as Little Rock attempted as a team.

“They’ve made it easy, all my teammates, one through fifteen,” Minix said of why he’s fit in so well at Morehead State. “… Everybody down the line. They’ve just made it seamless and made it easy for me to go out there and compete.”

This performance was a microcosm of what Minix has done all season long: He’s scored at least 20 points in 12 of the last 13 games, and leads the nation in field goals made (263).

It’s no secret that Morehead State plays a deliberate style of offensive basketball, in part due to fifth-year guard and preseason OVC Player of the Year Mark Freeman missing the entire season with a wrist injury.

Morehead State ranks 353rd out of 362 teams in the nation in average offensive possession length, per KenPom. On average, the Eagles take 19.7 seconds per offensive trip.

But having a proven scorer like Minix, an assist man in Thelwell that ranks in the top 10 nationally in total assists and assists per game and a 3-point shooting threat like Thomas (43.3% from behind the arc this season) means most possessions end in a quality look.

The Eagles went a cool 25-for-50 (50%) shooting from the field Saturday compared to the Trojans, who went 23-for-56 (41.1%).

Morehead State celebrates ninth trip to NCAA Tournament

There’s no scene quite like a college basketball court after an NCAA Tournament bid is clinched.

Players parade around on their phones: Calling loved ones, FaceTiming former teammates, going live on Instagram to capture the moment for all their followers to see. Coaches bring their families onto the hardwood, and small children and spouses intermingle with confetti and streamers.

The iconic moments from this scene become legendary.

For Morehead State, this was Thelwell slapping an Eagle logo onto the center of an oversized OVC Tournament bracket, before his teammates hoisted it into the air.

It was Freeman, the penciled-in starter who has missed the whole season, wearing one of Thomas’ jerseys and leading the Eagles in their dance moves.

It was Minix, his arms filled with small trophies presented to him by OVC commissioner Beth DeBauche, finding somewhere to set them down before sprinting off to celebrate with the Morehead State fans who made up the vast majority of the announced crowd of 1,421 fans.

And it was Spradlin, patiently waiting his turn to climb up a ladder and formally cut down the net.

Seemingly everyone associated with Morehead State — from athletic director Kelly Wells to the Eagles’ student managers — took down a piece of the net before Spradlin. So many people took a turn that Morehead State ended up cutting down both of the nets at the Ford Center.

But when it was his time, the 37-year-old Spradlin shepherded his young daughter, Aubrey, ahead of him, posing for photos with her atop the ladder.

A few minutes after this, Spradlin told a story during his postgame press conference that communicated why Morehead State has enjoyed such historic success this season.

“I had a dad and a kid come up to me before the game and ask me to sign something. And the dad said, ‘Coach, any advice for a young, aspiring basketball player?’” Spradlin recalled.

“I said I do have some advice. Most important advice you’ll get: ‘Have fun. Have fun playing basketball.’ That’s what we try to keep this as, all the time. These guys have fun, and that’s why they’re successful.”

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