Morehead State’s remarkable 4-year run of success leads up to NCAA matchup vs. Illinois

Dennis Varney, Cameron Drummond
·4 min read

The Morehead State men’s basketball team’s ninth NCAA Tournament appearance will begin with a round-of-64 appearance against Big Ten Tournament champion Illinois on Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska, it was announced Sunday.

The Eagles (26-8) earned a 14 seed after claiming the Ohio Valley Conference’s automatic bid by winning the league tournament 69-55 against Little Rock on March 9. Illinois (26-8) won the Big Ten’s tournament with a 93-87 victory against Wisconsin on Sunday.

Morehead’s game against the Illini is scheduled to tip off at 3:10 p.m. ET Thursday and air on TruTV.

Defending champion UConn is the No. 1 overall seed and in the East Region with the Eagles. Other top seeds in the East include No. 2 Iowa State, No. 4 Auburn, No. 5 San Diego State and No 6 BYU, which is coached by former Kentucky star Mark Pope.

It has been an impressive four-year run of success for the Eagles.

Head coach Preston Spradlin’s team has gone 94-39 (70.7%) over the last four seasons. The Eagles have won at least 20 games in four straight seasons for the first time in school history.

Furthermore, no NCAA Division I men’s basketball program in Kentucky has won as many games as Morehead State has (94) since the start of the 2020-21 season.

Morehead State head coach Preston Spradlin, left, talks with guard Jordan Lathon during a game against Indiana on Dec. 19, 2023. Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY NETWORK
Morehead State head coach Preston Spradlin, left, talks with guard Jordan Lathon during a game against Indiana on Dec. 19, 2023. Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY NETWORK
Riley Minix, a 6-7 senior guard from Vero Beach, Florida, is Morehead State’s leading scorer (20.8 points per game) and rebounder (9.8). Gary Cosby Jr./USA TODAY NETWORK
Riley Minix, a 6-7 senior guard from Vero Beach, Florida, is Morehead State’s leading scorer (20.8 points per game) and rebounder (9.8). Gary Cosby Jr./USA TODAY NETWORK

OVC Player of the Year Riley Minix is averaging 20.8 points and 9.8 rebounds, both team highs. He has scored at least 20 points in 12 of the last 13 games. A fifth-year player, Minix was previously a standout at Southeastern University in Florida, where he scored more than 2,000 points, secured more than 1,000 rebounds and was named an NAIA All-American.

Last month, senior guard Drew Thelwell — who was part of Morehead State’s 2020 recruiting class — became the all-time wins leader at Morehead State: Thelwell has been around for all 94 wins since the start of the 2020-21 season. During the OVC Tournament semifinals, Thelwell set a Morehead State record for assists in a single season.

Also during that semifinal win, graduate student guard Kalil Thomas set a record for 3-pointers made in a single season at Morehead State. A New Orleans native who began his college basketball career at UMass Lowell, Thomas has made 103 3s this season, which is also a top-20 mark nationally.

The 37-year-old Spradlin, now in his eighth year as Morehead State’s head coach, continues to engineer success year after year.

Last season, Morehead State won the OVC’s regular-season championship outright, which marked the Eagles’ first outright OVC regular season title in 39 years. This season, Morehead State again won that regular-season title as part of a three-way tie with Little Rock and UT Martin.

The Eagles own a 6-9 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, including a stunning first-round upset victory over Louisville in 2011.

Morehead State’s tournament opener

No. 14 seed Morehead State vs. No. 3 seed Illinois

What: NCAA Tournament East Region

When: 3:10 p.m. EDT Thursday

Where: CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb.

TV: TruTV

Records: Morehead State 26-8, Illinois 26-8

ABOUT ILLINOIS

Location: Champaign, Illinois

Enrollment: 35,467

Nickname: Fighting Illini

School colors: Orange and Blue

Head coach: Brad Underwood (140-87 in seven seasons at Illinois and 248-114 in 11 seasons overall)

Conference: Big Ten

NCAA berth: Automatic (Illinois finished second behind Purdue in the Big Ten regular season then won the conference tournament.)

All-time series: Illinois leads 1-0

Last meeting: Illinois won 110-75 on Dec. 10, 1993, in Champaign, Ill.

Common opponents with Morehead State this season: Illinois beat Eastern Illinois 80-52, Western Illinois 84-52 and Indiana 70-62, and lost to Purdue 83-78 and 77-71, and Penn State 90-89.

Notable games this season: Illinois beat Florida Atlantic 98-89, swept Wisconsin 91-83 and 93-87 and lost to Marquette 71-64 and Tennessee 86-79.

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